A couple of snippets of info have come together over time which would indicate a very strong case for 2017's next-generation of Google Pixel handsets being waterproofed.

With the launch of the Pixel and Pixel XL in late 2016, WIRED reporter Kelsey McClellean said that he'd spoken to Google personnel just before the launch where it was claimed the two phones were intended to be waterproofed, but the development team couldn't make it happen within the deadline.

The reports at the time said that the Pixel series had been in development for some considerable period, but for whatever reason the whole project was sent back to the drawing board in late 2015, giving the team nine months to start over from scratch. Most of the originally planned features were retained, but of the small handful which were dropped due to time constraints, waterproofing was sadly one.

Now though, as of January 26, 9To5Google's Stephen Hall has issued a Tweet revealing that he too spoke to Google folks in October 2016 who confirmed "waterproofing definitely coming with next Pixel device."

With two separate and eligible sources claiming the same thing, this seems pretty likely to us. Waterproofing was pretty much the only thing missing from the Google Pixel from our perspective, but this is a feature now present on the two market leaders - both Samsung and Apple's flagships, so there's every reason for competitors to follow suit.

Of course, relatively speaking, the Google Pixel series is still pretty fresh out the gate, so we expect we probably have a good long while before a set of successor models will appear. Google has now set a precedent for a product cycle that could see new Pixel models launching quite late in the year, and again we're probably looking at October/November for the next set of Pixel phones. Whether they're called the Pixel 2, or simply Pixel with the year number 2017, remains to be seen.