Renders of the Google Pixel 2 appear to have been leaked on Chinese news site

3D renders of what appears to be a Google Pixel 2 have appeared on a Chinese news site. The renders indicate a completely redesigned phone with a glass back. The images appeared on Anzhuo, a Chinese news portal, but the website mentions no sources so do take these leaks with a pinch of salt. Judging by the images, the phone does appear to be very slim. It features flat sides with bevelled edges and rounded corners. The back appears to be covered entirely in glass. [caption id=“attachment_358011” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: Anzhuo[/caption] The images also suggest narrower bezels, particularly at the top and bottom. To facilitate this, the fingerprint sensor appears to have been moved to the back and software buttons are present. Strangely, there are two slits at the bottom, where the home button usually sits and no speaker grilles on the bottom of the phone. This suggests that the two slits house at least one speaker and a mic, though a possibility of stereo speakers can’t be ruled out. [caption id=“attachment_358012” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: Anzhuo[/caption] Thankfully, the headphone jack appears to have been retained — it’s at the top — and a USB Type-C port appears at the bottom. Two volume buttons and a power button appear to be on the right of the device. Google’s Pixel smartphone line is supposed to be an evolution of the Nexus line. This line will be positioned as a flagship line, unlike the Nexus series, which was targeted at developers. The Google Pixel is, however, already suffering from some issues, particularly with regards to its speakers. The speakers crackle when certain audio patterns are played at high volume and the issue appears to be plaguing a very large number of Pixel devices. Google has identified the issue as a hardware problem. The original Pixel is a great device, but it was hastily designed and assembled in a span of less than a year using off-the-shelf parts from manufacturer HTC. Some have blamed the phone’s hardware issues on this haste. Hopefully, the Pixel 2 will be more thoughtfully developed and will make a better showing for itself. The Pixel 2 is expected to arrive in the second half of 2017 and tote a Snapdragon 835 processor.