Sneak peeks of devices named ‘Muskie’ & ‘Walleye’ were all over AOSP earlier this year. Muskie was rumored to be a larger version of the 2017 Pixel device. Then there was no news regarding Muskie for a long time. In the meantime, LG-made ‘Taimen’ emerged. Taimen turned out to be the actual Pixel 2 XL. Walleye became the HTC-made Pixel 2.
Recently new evidence has come up regarding Muskie. It is being said that Muskie, being manufactured by HTC, was supposed to be a messaging powerhouse with a 3,830mAh battery.
HTC U11+, which was recently unveiled, has turned out to be perhaps the most interesting phone by HTC in a long time. With the 18:9 display, minimal bezels, and rear fingerprint scanner. HTC seems to have exceeded all expectations. The reason is evident. U11+ was actually intended to be the Pixel 2 XL.
According to the Verge, the U11+ is none other than ‘Muskie’ itself. It is the same phone that was rejected by Google in favor of Taimen from LG. HTC has clearly made some modifications after collaborations with Google did not go well.
The Visual Core chip present on the 2017 Pixels which was supposed to be on Muskie, is obviously not included.
U11+ runs HTC’s Sense UI instead of stock Android. It’s still using Android 8.0, though. The glossy backside of U11+ is believed to be a part of the modification.
Whether HTC becomes successful in taking revenge for the rejection by Google, is yet to be seen. But one thing is for sure, phone lovers are about to get their hands on a really good device.
