Over the weekend, a report surfaced about what Google’s plans are for an Android and Chrome OS merger. It’s supposedly going to be merged into a brand new OS, called Andromeda. It was also reported that the company is already testing this on a Nexus 9 and may actually showcase it at their October 4th event. Of course, this would just be a preview and not a full-fledged launch. Now, a new report is stating that Google is working on a third Pixel laptop, but instead of being a Chromebook, this one here is going to run Andromeda OS, which is the hybrid of Android and Chrome OS. It’s also slated to be launching in Q3 2017, so it’s still very, very early – in terms of development.
This laptop is being referred to as “Pixel 3” and has the codename “Bison”. The are specs available in this report, but it’s important to remember that we are nearly a year away from it launching, and specs are subject to change, especially since hardware is likely not final just yet. Currently, Bison is sporting a 12.3-inch display, resolution is currently unknown but it likely is going to be 2560×1440 or higher. Reportedly being powered by either an Intel Core m3 or an Intel Core i5 processor along with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Storage models are slated to be 32GB and 128GB. Other important features include two USB Type-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, stylus support and a fingerprint reader. It’s said to start at a price of $799, which is a bit competitive, given the specs that are included here. Much different from the pricing seen on previous Pixel Chromebooks.
The Pixel 3 is going to sport a “tablet” mode too. However, it’s not clear how Google wants this to be done. It could be a removable display, like Microsoft’s Surface Book has, or it could be a convertible like Lenovo’s Yoga lineup of tablets and laptops. But given how thin the Pixel 3 is (under “10mm”), it looks like it’s going to be a convertible.
Google reportedly wants to showcase Andromeda as a true competitor to the other major desktop operating systems out there: Mac OS X and Windows. When the Pixel 3 (or whatever the final name ends up being) launches next year, Google wants to have a number of apps available. Which means that it will likely be a pretty big topic at Google I/O next summer, ahead of the launch which is set for Q3 (July 1st through September 30th).
Keep in mind that this is just a rumor right now, and it’s still very far out from being made official. While it does appear to be something Google is working on, it’s also possible that it could be cancelled. Similar to what happened with the Pixel C, as it was initially set to be a Chrome OS-powered tablet, but ultimately became an Android tablet.