Here’s the HTC-made Pixel 2 XL that never was
- A prototype of a Google Pixel 2 XL manufactured by HTC has surfaced on YouTube.
- In contrast to the later LG model, this “Muskie” mobile phone had huge frames.
It’s now known that Google originally tapped HTC to make both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL just for LG, to eventually make the bigger phone. But how was the first XL? You don’t have to wonder anymore. As XDA Notes: YouTuber Calyx Hikari has posted a video featuring HTC’s Pixel 2 XL prototype, codenamed “Muskie”.
While the back has the two-tone metal-glass design that eventually reached the standard Pixel 2 XL size, the front of the HTC model is significantly different. It has the same large bezels that you saw on the regular Pixel 2, just zoomed in for the screen size – not a great look when thin-bezel devices like the iPhone X and Essential Phone either hit or were soon to come. It’s not sure if Google dropped this design because of the bezels, but we certainly wouldn’t rule it out.
The leak doesn’t indicate when HTC made that early Pixel 2 XL. The hardware was using a pre-release version of Android 8.0 Oreo with security updates dated May 2017, so it may have been actively considered until relatively late in the development process.
Connected: HTC shouldn’t go all-in for nostalgia
You know what happened next. Google chose LG to make the Pixel 2 XL, which reached customer hands, and eventually acquired a large portion of HTC’s research and development team. HTC continued its steady decline as Google took more control over the pixel design process. However, this shows what could have been if Google had pushed an all-HTC lineup – it’s hard not to wonder what would have happened to both companies in that situation.
