Google Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2 to launch today, to take on Apple iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8

Google’s Pixel series of phones, which will be launched on Wednesday, had received mostly positive reviews, for their design and camera performance. The company now looks to repeat the success with the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2.

Rick Osterloh, SVP Hardware at Google, introduces the Pixel Phone by Google during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2016. (REUTERS)

With most major smartphone companies done with revealing their flagship phones for the year, it's now Google's turn to take the wraps off its new smartphones, dubbed Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel XL 2. The California-based internet giant will launch the phones at an event in San Francisco on October 4. It will be livestreamed via the company's official YouTube channel.

The Pixel series, which debuted in October last year, is branded as the "first phone made by Google." The model for the series is similar to Apple's, which controls the design, software and other key elements of the phone while the devices are manufactured by a third-party company. Last year's Google Pixel and Pixel XL were manufactured by HTC.

Before Pixel, Google had tried to break into the smartphone category with the Nexus series, and Android One in the budget segment. While the Nexus was a partial success, the Android One project flopped. The Pixel series, however, helped Google regain its foothold in the smartphone business, and take on the likes of Samsung and Apple in the premium category.

Google Pixel 2, XL 2: Specifications, features

Though Google hasn't confirmed anything yet, a series of leaks and rumours over the last few weeks has given us a fair idea of what to expect from the new phones.

The Google Pixel 2 is expected to be an incremental upgrade over its predecessor in terms of design and overall form factor. The Pixel XL 2, however, is likely to be a big upgrade as rumours suggest it will come with an 18:9 display, a hot trend in the smartphone industry. Apple's iPhone X, for instance, also comes with an edge-to-edge display. Another long list of companies, including LG and Samsung, have launched phones with 18:9 display in the recent past.

Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are expected to run Qualcomm's top-end Snapdragon 835 processor and will be available in 64GB and 128GB storage variants. The smartphones will also come with IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. According to rumours, the two phones are likely to come with the same camera resolution (12-megapixel) but with a few software upgrades under the hood. It'll be interesting to see whether Google also joins the dual-camera bandwagon like other smartphone players.

Price: The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are expected to start at $649. The 128GB variants of the phones are expected to launch with a starting price of $749.