Google rumored to announce 'Pixel 2' smartphones on October 5, weeks after Apple's iPhone event

The October 5 date for the event, according to unnamed sources of leaker Evan Blass on Twitter, is fairly plausible when taking into account the original Pixel launch into account. The 2016 "Made by Google" event was held on October 4, so the supposed timing of this year's event could be considered a way of marking the anniversary of the first Pixel's unveiling.

Google's event is said to take place after similar device launches for its main competition, giving its opposition more of a chance to acquire its users. Apple rival Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy Note 8 on August 23, while the Essential smartphone, from Android creator Andy Rubin's company Essential, was revealed on August 17.

Apple's own iPhone event, which is expected to be the launch venue for the "iPhone 8," "iPhone 7s," and "iPhone 7s Plus," is rumored to take place on September 12, with shipping thought to commence from September 22.

As part of the same tweet, Blass hinted that the second-generation Pixel smartphones will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 836 system-on-chip, one that is faster and more power efficient than the Snapdragon 835 used in many other flagship Android smartphones. Last year's Pixel and Pixel XL used the Snapdragon 821, again an improved model compared to the Snapdragon 820 that was commonly used at the time.

The Google "Pixel 2" and "Pixel 2 XL" are rumored to be slight improvements on the first generation of devices, but while the original Pixel and Pixel XL were relatively identical, there may be more differences in the new version. Among the alterations is the possibility that the HTC-constructed "Pixel 2" will include the "squeezable" frame as used on the HTC U11, while the "XL" model is apparently being built by LG, complete with a 6-inch borderless AMOLED display.

It is highly likely that Google will include the latest release of Android as the operating system for the new devices. Dubbed "Android Oreo," the latest version of the operating system includes a picture-in-picture mode for video apps, Notification Dots for app notifications, and an expansion of Chrome's autofill to other apps.