Google Pixel 2 ditching 3.5 mm headphone jack, if these CAD renders are accurate

Leaks about most Android devices usually pop up left, right, and center months before they’re announced. This isn’t the case for Google’s Pixel line, however: the rumors we’ve seen so far are extremely limited, both in number and content.

That being said, today we’ve gotten a glimpse of what the two new Pixel phones may look like, thanks to Gear India and leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, better known by his Twitter handle — @OnLeaks. @OnLeaks has been the source of a number of accurate render images in the past, so there’s a good chance that the video above depicts something pretty close to what we’ll see when the second-gen Pixel phones are launched later this year.

The devices in the renders clearly adhere to Google’s design language, featuring that unmistakable two-piece back plate, and circular rear fingerprint scanner. They don’t differ too much from last year’s iterations in terms of appearance, though there are some new additions, namely, front-firing stereo speakers and an all-new camera.

It had been speculated that the new Pixel phones, or at least the larger XL variant, would come with dual cameras. This doesn’t seem to be the case, and instead, it looks like they will feature a large, single lens. This should provide for some exceptional photo quality, if it’s anything like the original Pixel’s camera, but some might be disappointed to see that it protrudes slightly from the handset’s body.

Now, here’s the real interesting part. Remember how Google took a jab at Apple’s removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack last year in its Pixel commercial? Well, it appears that the search giant has ditched the 3.5 mm standard this year and went with just a single USB Type-C port.

In terms of dimensions, the Pixel 2 is expected to be 145.3 x 69.3 x 7.8 mm, with extra 0.4 mm added to its thickness by the camera bump. The Pixel 2 XL will measure at 157.6 x 76.3 x 7.9 mm, with a 0.7 mm camera bump.

We don’t have any info on the launch date just yet, but we’ll make sure to keep our eyes open for it. In the meantime, you can read all the other Pixel 2 rumors at the link.

What do you think? Is the headphone jack a dealbreaker? Give us your thoughts in the comments.

Correction: a previous version of this article stated that the removal of the 3.5 mm jack would help support IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. This was inaccurate and we’ve now removed the reference.