New Pixel 2 XL features include Portrait Mode and always-on music recognition

We’re exactly one week away from Google’s Pixel event and the rumors keep pouring in. Audio is going to be a big deal on these devices, especially since the lack of a headphone jack has seemingly been confirmed. We’ve known for a while that the small Pixel 2 would have stereo speakers, but what about the Pixel 2XL?

According to xda, the Pixel 2XL will also have front dual stereo speakers. They also learned about a number of other features. Similar to the iPhone 8, Google is adding a “Portrait Mode” to the camera. This allows users to change the background and add lighting effects.

The Pixel Launcher will have the search bar at the bottom like we saw in a previous leak. A very interesting feature is always-on music recognition. When music is playing nearby, the song information will be displayed on the lock screen. Squeeze to launch Google Assistant has been confirmed along with Always-on Ambient Display.

What do you think about the Pixel 2XL so far? Is this the model you will be purchasing?