For the first and second generation of both Google Pixel devices, the Alphabet-owned company has worked alongside an OEM partner to manufacture the handsets. In 2016, Google signed a contract for the Pixel and Pixel XL manufacture with HTC, however in 2017 the search giant split the development of its smartphones between HTC and LG, while the first was responsible for the smaller Pixel 2, the latter made the bigger Pixel 2 XL.
Apparently, Google is ready for a sail alone on the smartphone waters during this year, well, not so alone. According to recent reports, both Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will be designed entirely in-house by Google, but the manufactured will be put on Foxconn shoulders. If you have lived in a cave for the past ten years, Foxconn is the well known manufacturing company behind Apple iPhone and Nokia branded products.
The documents pointing to the above statement were collected by the folks at WinFuture and they state that Google has been looking for a company that could manufacture their 2018 flagships. Foxconn has been one of Google choices since the start, but the reports say that FIH Mobile – Foxconn’s subsidiary – has been commissioned to manufacture the next Pixel smartphones.
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This will be the first time that we will see Google exclusively responsible for the manufacture of its smartphones since the Nexus era. Of course, a lot of smartphone industry enthusiasts were pointing that something like this would eventually happen. Especially after the Alphabet-owned company acquired the HTC engineers involved in the making of Pixel smartphones.
According to a Bloomberg report, the newest Pixel 3 smartphone will not bring a different design over its predecessor, but the Pixel 3 XL, in counterpart, is said to have a nearly edge-to-edge screen, unfortunately (or not) with a display notch in the top. A picture containing the alleged front panels of both smartphones have leaked two days ago and confirms this statement.
If the Pixel 3 XL will really embrace the Notch that wouldn’t be a big surprise since Google is preparing Android P to offer special support for the devices of such pedigree. Seeing Google’s own smartphone with a notch to show all the specific features of Android optimized for it would be a good way to market the OS and its implementation for the remaining manufacturers.
Lastly, but not least, seems that the Pixel 3 smartphones will be offered to the US through an exclusive contract with Verizon. According to some reports, the Pixel 3 smartphones could be available sooner than expected, towards August or September, but of course, this information isn’t accurate enough to take it without a pinch or two of salt.
