Last year's Pixel launch was a big deal, because Google was ditching the Nexus brand but carrying on the design ethos and spirit with the Pixel brand. This was a change on many fronts, with the re-branding exercise also aiming for a bigger, mass-market audience.

But even though the launch was significant, Google did what it had done in previous years with the Nexus brand. There wasn't a big, flashy launch event; its announcement of the Pixel series was comparatively quiet next to the pomp of rival firms.

The Google Pixel 2 will launch later this year, quite possibly in a similarly low key manner. If it follows the established pattern, there could simply be a press release and, then, BOOM, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be official.

However, Google may yet surprise us. A new a set of new renders of the successor handsets, based on current rumours, have surfaced on Reddit, and it is radically different from what has come before. You might even describe it as flashy, or glamorous, which has us wondering if Google might go with the big, brazen launch after all? Indeed, if Google really does want to pull in a massive audience, that is the kind of thing which works for the likes of Samsung and Apple.

As you can see below, the renders showcase a beautiful looking handset, replete with gorgeous contrasting colour schemes.

If the Google Pixel 2 looks anything like this, you can sign me up right now.

This is one potential CLANGER associated with the Google Pixel 2 that could anger a lot of people, however, as multiple reports are now suggesting that Google has done away with the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Word on the street suggests Google wants to move away from wired headphones to wireless ones because, like Apple, it seems to view wires as antiquated, despite the convenience they offer.

Apple famously removed the headphone jack on its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models; a few Android phone makers then followed suit, using the logic that whatever Apple does must be right. And here we are… looking down the barrel of a headphone-jack-less Pixel 2.

This is kind of an odd move too, as Google made a big deal about the Pixel and Pixel XL actually having a headphone jack. To go back on this and remove it on the Google Pixel 2 just seems, well, a little silly.

The current Pixel models are also not water-resistant, which is a bit of a bummer in 2017, and this is one aspect that Google will almost certainly remedy in 2017. According to multiple reports it was originally intended that the Pixel and Pixel XL would be waterproof, but somewhere along the line things went awry. You can bet that Google will have another go for round two.

The new Pixel 2 handsets will likely run on Qualcomm’s latest chipset, pack in faster CPU speeds, better connectivity, and – most likely – more storage, given that Apple is now making 256GB iPhones.

I love the colour schemes of these renders; they’re really eye-catching and look unlike anything else in the space right now. Of course, they’re just renders and not official in any way, shape or form.

However, the amount of flack Google received about the design of the Pixel – people called it boring, dull as dishwater – it stands to reason that The Big G will return with something completely different in 2017.

The Google Pixel 2 handsets will likely launch during the back end of 2017, around September-time, and will be the first handsets to run Google’s new Android Oreo update.

@onleaks has now chimed in with a set of his own images of the Google Pixel 2, which you can see below:

These are, obviously, no way near as sexy as the renders above. They lack the colour, the pop, and the gravitas.

Still, it does give us an idea about what to expect; things like edge-to-edge displays and refined chassis have all been rumoured and, when they’re all pieced together, this is probably what we’re looking at later on this summer.

As a current Pixel user, I cannot wait to see what Google comes to the party with later this year.