Google Pixel 2 Rumored Features: Rear Touchpad, Always-On Display, No Headphone Jack

Google Pixel 2 is one of the most anticipated smartphones for 2017 apart from Apple's iPhone 8, the tech giant's tenth anniversary device. Expected to build on the success of its predecessor — known for its camera, form factor and software — Pixel 2 could chart the future path for the smartphone industry.

Here are some features of the upcoming device that you need to know:

No headphone jack: Some new renders of the upcoming device, leaked Thursday, show the device without a headphone jack. Google may ditch the headphone jack for a USB-C charging port that doubles up as the headphone jack.

Major smartphones such as Apple iPhone 7 ditched the headphone jack last year; however, some phones like Samsung Galaxy S8 stuck to it. While rival handset iPhone 8 is likely to be launched without the jack, Google has not revealed yet if Pixel 2 will have the feature.

It is worth noting the 3.5 mm jack does not really boost the audio quality.

Read: Google Pixel 2 Could Feature Rear Touchpad, New Patent Hints

No home button: Leading smartphones are expected to ditch the home button this year and Pixel 2 is no exception. Google is expected to follow Apple and Samsung by featuring the edge-to-edge display in Pixel 2. It is also likely the company would opt for a virtual home button that would be hidden in certain contexts, for instance, while watching a video. The company is rumored to have invested $880 billion in LG display to secure OLED panels for the Pixel 2.

Always-on display: Pixel 2 is expected to feature an 'always on display' mode, apart from multiple display profiles. Since the device is expected to come with an edge-to-edge OLED display, Google could provide improved software to the users that would let them use the increased screen surface area. However, it is unclear if this would be an exclusive feature.

Read: Google Pixel 2: To Arrive With Snapdragon 835, Feature 5 And 6-Inch Displays

10nm processor: The next gen Pixel device may feature a 10nm processor under the hood. The processor is more efficient than current 14nm processor as it includes more transistors in a similar surface area on the chipset.

Whether the device would have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, the same processor as Samsung's Galaxy S8, or Snapdragon 840, a slightly improved one rumored for the Samsung Galaxy Note, is not known yet.

Rear touchpad: One of the distinguishing features of the Pixel 2 predecessor was its multi-functional fingerprint sensor on the rear panel. The fingerprint sensor not just unlocks the device but also serves other functions such as opening the camera app.

The company has already been granted a patent for a touchpad at the rear side of the phone that would make everyday usage of the device easier by letting the user control the device and data. For instance, a touchpad will allow a user to scroll through a document without touching the display.