Google's Pixel 2 codenames may have been revealed — and yes, they're still fish

By Florence Ion
last updated

The codenames for Google's next two flagship smartphones may have been revealed in official documentation. According to some sleuthing from Android Police, "Walleye" and "Muskie" may be the monikers used to refer to Google's next two Pixel devices (the different names denote different sizes), carrying on a long tradition of marine-themed codenames.

Only the name Walleye has been mentioned in the Android Open Source Project's gerrit, or code repository. Muskie has yet to make a debut officially.

For the uninitiated, Google typically employs the names of water-dwelling creatures as aliases for its upcoming smartphones and tablets. For instance, the original Pixel was referred to as Sailfish. Beyond this, there's not much more information about what's coming from Google's next phone debut.

But we can certainly infer that Google will continue this tried-and-true tradition of naming its devices after varying underwater species — at least internally.

Florence Ion
Florence Ion

Florence Ion was formerly an editor and columnist at Android Central. She writes about Android-powered devices of all types and explores their usefulness in her everyday life. You can follow her on Twitter or watch her Tuesday nights on All About Android.

46 Comments
  • Hopefully they have some sort of inspired design this year.
  • I've heard it's rectangular and has an all glass touch screen and will include LTE, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity.
  • Source or it isn't true
  • Could you provide a link please
  • I believe Evan leaked it.
  • My Lilly Esin once in a blue moon got a new choice of the crop Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe by unavailable off of a laptop... flash it out
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, http://www.moneytime10.com
  • I want a spherical phone. It's the only way to watch 360° videos.
  • Innovation baby
  • Yeah, but the iPhone already has that.
  • Cue the lawyers!!
  • That will depend on the team at Cupertino.
  • Wow, I can't wait to get on that waiting list also!
  • Ha ha, yup!
  • Mr. Orange about summed it up for me. Couldn't have been said any better. Although I heard it's going to be premium priced and we might have to pay extra if we expect all those features that we got cheated on first round
  • Almost five months into this and they are still trying to get things right or say they are unaware of any such issues. Yet they can improve on and perfect their maps and other services in no time. Hmmm makes me wonder
  • Underwater names and not waterproof.....seems like an oversight somewhere.
  • Lol. Funny and true. If I want to use my Pixel XL when I take my family to Disney world/ universal studios this spring, I'll have to buy my Pixel XL a LifeProof bathing suit. 😂
  • They're working on the new one already yet can't seem to get their current phone in stock.
  • One has nothing to do with the other
  • The author says Google has "a long tradition of marine-themed codenames." Besides sailfish what were/are the other names and how far back does it go? 
  • I think it started with their third nexus phone
  • They also used dragons though
  • Except for Nexus One they've always had fish names: Galaxy Nexus: Tuna
    Nexus 7 1st gen: Grouper
    Nexus : Steelhead
    Nexus 10: Manta
    Nexus 4: Mako
    Nexus 5: Hammerhead
    Nexus 9: Flounder
    Nexus Player: Fugu
    Nexus 6: Shamu (like the famous orca)
    Nexus 5X: bullhead
    Nexus 6P: Angler
    Pixel: Sailfish
    Pixel XP: Marlin.
  • Thanks. The writer mentioned one. And and I was like how does that make it long tradition. This shows it.
  • Question is, will they be overpriced with no expandable storage.
  • Yes.
  • I'm so tired of people on the Internet throwing around the word "overpriced" for everything. Pro-tip: Products are only overpriced if ordinary consumers don't have interest. Niches like "Android enthusiasts" mean jack to companies. If something isn't worth it to you...say that specifically. Otherwise prepare to be disappointed as flagship prices start increasing.
  • Then the iPixel is overpriced as no one but Android Central and a couple more tech blogs give two sh*ts about the phones. Certainly not regular consumers.
  • You seem to have a disdain for anything that costs over $450, which is strange. Yes, there are certain features the Pixel lacks. Hell, the iPhone 7 Plus is probably a much better buy at the same price point. Having said that, the Pixel offers "premium" features you can't get with your S7 or whatever. Such as software support that is on time.....
  • Yet, here you are...
  • Well, overpriced in what sense? It's competing in the premium segment, so it has a price tag to match. Yes, it's not as feature-packed as an S7, but Google's been positioning it as a premium product. If there's demand for it, it might not be overpriced to many.
  • It asks a lot of money for very little features and quality. And there's no real world demand for it either. So...in any way you want to put it, the iPixels are overpriced.
  • Well, would the Huawei P10 be overpriced if you can get the equivalent Honor for far less? Probably, but people will still buy it. It depends on consumer, though I won't deny that the rise of $400 budget busters have raised expectations for $700+ flagships. Also, even though my original comment doesn't seem so, I'm not the biggest fan of the Pixel.
  • Named after fish, can't handle water haha. Let's hope the Pixel 2 addresses this.
  • I'm totally guilty of this, so I'm not judging, BUT we are a hard to please crowd. If it's a premium device it's overpriced. But if it has the same specs and is half the price, then we don't trust it, because how can they make it so cheap. OR if it is cheaper, but has a less than top of the line display/camera/processor, etc, we complain that it should've included X feature. Cue the Samsung -You-Get-What-You-Pay-For crowd. Seriously, the Android fanbaae is ultimately impossible to please. And I'm one of them, LOL.
  • Don't trust it, because how can they make it so cheap – I've never heard this, who says that?
  • I just finally got my Pixle - waited forever on their stupid wait list for Google to be in stock, waited for store financing to be approved (it wasn't for some reason), waited some more, finally decided to order from Verizon, and still waited a month - and they are already talking about Pixle 2 lol.
  • Yep, and you've only got 18 months of updates left.
  • Guaranteed platform updates. Google tends to push at least security updates past the two year timeframe.
  • Yay, can't wait to read the comments about the bezels, lack of front facing speakers, no wireless charging (if it omits it), etc... Oh and the pricing.
  • And this is why the phones stink.
  • Fish puns, zzzzz.
  • Hope they make the XL screen a little bigger. 5.5 does not work for me
  • I agree. This phone feels small to me.
  • I hope finally Google understands that water-dwelling creatures tend to be waterproof.
  • I hope they sort the slippery it's like holding a bar of soap i had to put a rubber case on mine i normally like my devices bare no case but damn this phone is bad.