A new year, and a new handset is expected from current manufacturers in order to keep up with the times. Long gone are the days when new phone models are released a couple of years apart. There is a highly competitive environment these days, and Google is more than able to shoulder this pressure. HTC did pick up a two-year manufacturing contract when it comes to rolling out Pixel devices from Google, which also means that the Pixel 2 will be a HTC-manufactured device this year. However, a brand new report has detailed how several phone manufacturers are currently doing their utmost best to bid for the Google Pixel 3 smartphones that are set to launch in 2018 -- and HTC’s name has been thrown into the ring as well.

The Chinese-language Commercial Times was first to bring word of this report, citing that the likes of HTC, LG, TCL, and even Coolpad are competing against one another when it comes to the Pixel 3. This is interesting, as TCL and Coolpad are not exactly names that many people would rely on when it comes to rolling out reliable, high end smartphones for a simple reason -- they have yet to make the grade for premium devices. Instead, TCL and Coolpad have churned out nothing but cookie cutter and working class smartphones that do not break the bank, so to see them in the running for the Pixel 3 in 2018 is a sure surprise. Will they be able to deliver by then, and is Google willing to take the chance?

Chances are LG would walk away as the winner, and it is not as though LG has not had a working relationship with Google before in the form of the Nexus devices that have proven to be rather solid and reliable handsets. If LG picks up the contract, expect the orders to reach five million units for 2018, which is a sizeable amount by any means.

We will just have to wait and see what HTC does with the Pixel 2 before we are able to have an inkling of an idea on what the Pixel 3 might possibly bring. The thing is, this competitiveness bodes well as Google looks serious in going up against other rivals such as Samsung, Apple, and other competitors for this market segment.

With the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ being revealed earlier today, how then, will the rest of the Android-powered smartphone world react? We do know that LG launched the first salvo at MWC 2017 with the LG G6, and Samsung’s latest Galaxy S series flagships have been revealed. Will the Pixel 2 from Google be able to stand up to the test by the time it hits the market, not to mention that it also has to contend with the iPhone 8 from Apple some time this September as Cupertino looks forward to make a statement in the 10th anniversary of the iPhone? Interesting times are ahead, but at least we are guaranteed the presence of a Pixel 3 come 2018.