Google To Hold A Major Hardware Event On Oct. 2; New Nexus Smartphones Will Be Called Pixel, Pixel XL

Google has plans to hold a major event on Oct. 4. The upcoming event is said to focus on hardware which may mean that the company will officially announce the new Nexus (Pixel) smartphones and the new Chromecast.

Earlier this week, IBT reported that Google will be dropping the Nexus brand for its upcoming smartphones this year. The HTC-built smartphones, currently codenamed Sailfish and Marlin, will be marketed as the Pixel and the Pixel XL, according to Android Police.

The Pixel will be the 5-inch Sailfish smartphone, while the Pixel XL is said to be the 5.5-inch Marlin. Android Police says that one of the sources that provided them with the information has been “exceptionally reliable in the past” and that they are confident that these will definitely be the names of Google’s new smartphones.

This past Friday, another one of Android Police’s “reliable” sources claimed that Google will hold an event on Oct. 2 where the new Pixel smartphones will officially be revealed. The site went on further by claiming that the same event will also see the announcement of the 4K capable Chromecast and the reveal of the Daydream VR hardware (headset). More information on Google Home, the company’s Amazon Echo competitor, is also expected to be detailed at the event.

The newest iteration of the Chromecast is said to come with 4K streaming and it will either be called the Chromecast Plus or the Chromecast Ultra. A 4K-capable Chromecast was supposed to be announced last year, but its release was pushed back for unknown reasons.

The Daydream VR headset on the other hand is said to be officially called as the Daydream View. Google first announced Daydream VR during this year’s I/O conference and is Google’s own mobile virtual reality platform that runs natively on Android Nougat. The company also showed a concept rendering of the platform’s VR headset, but it will be shown live for the first time during the October 2 event.

As of now, there’s no information yet on where the October 4 event will take place. Based on Google's past event venues, San Francisco and New York are the top two places where it may take place. There’s also the possibility that the date could change due to some unforeseen circumstances.