Mid-Range Pixel Phone Rumored To Arrive In 2019 With Snapdragon 710 Processor

Google is rumored to be making a mid-range Pixel phone that might launch in 2019. The phone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor and is reportedly codenamed “bonito.”

Information on the mid-range Google Pixel phone was provided by leaker Roland Quandt (@rquandt) on Twitter. He says that the device will be powered by the Snapdragon 710 processor and that it is scheduled to launch sometime during the first half of 2019. As with previous Pixel phones, this handset comes with a codename related to sea life. “Bonito” refers to a medium-sized predatory fish that’s in the Scombridae family, like mackerel and tuna.

What’s interesting here is that Quandt says “bonito” is a “mobile” device, adding that it “might be” a mid-range pixel phone. It seems very unlikely for this “bonito” device to be a tablet, so it's safe to assume that it could be a phone. Android Authority also believes that the device that Quandt is talking about is a second-generation, mid-range Pixel.

Back in April, it was reported that Google was planning to announce a mid-range pixel this year in July or in August. The handset will primarily be for “price-sensitive” markets like India. Quandt’s “bonito” device won’t be out until the first half of 2019, which is why it’s being speculated that the mobile device could be a second-generation mid-range Pixel phone.

The Snapdragon 710 processor was announced by Qualcomm two weeks ago. It’s described as an “upper mid-range” chipset that will offer better performance and battery life than the Snapdragon 660. The Snapdragon 710 is also designed to bring premium smartphone features to mid-range devices, like better machine learning and AI.

The very first handset to be powered by the new chipset is the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE, which will go on sale in China on June 8 for just 1,799 yuan (around US$280). Quandt says HMD Global is also working on a new Nokia handset powered by the Snapdragon 710 and it might be released this autumn or winter.

All previous Google Pixel phones have been premium handsets with prices ranging from $649 up to $949. If Google is indeed making a mid-range Pixel phone, the company could sell that device for half of that or even less. This could help expand Google’s presence in emerging markets, where affordable phones are more popular than high-end devices.