From the two original Pixel phones released in late 2016, Google will reportedly deploy three models this 2017 and one device is rumored as replacement for the discontinued Nexus tablet. Powering all handsets is Qualcomm's latest and greatest - the Snapdragon 835 SoC.

The latest chatter on the upcoming Pixel upgrades suggests SD 835 will be the main engine for the Pure Android flagships, which GSM Arena said will roll out in three editions. For now, the devices are codenamed Muskie and Walleye, which will be the sequels to the Pixel and Pixel XL of last year.

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A third model is ostensibly part of the lineup and it will be the biggest of the bunch, likely boasting of screen size beyond the six-inch mark. This new Pixel refresh is tipped to be the direct descendant to the Nexus tablet but more appropriately the device will replace the Motorola made Nexus 6 that appeared in 2015, GSM Arena said on its report.

The largest of the Pixel 2017 phones is internally referred to as Taimen, the report added. All labels have to do with sea creatures, which Google has previously employed with earlier models of the Nexus line.

Nothing is written in stone as far as the Pixel build, design, specs and feature upgrades are concerned but per BGR, it's a safe bet that Google is putting together a Pure Android flagship line that is worthy of competing against the Samsung Galaxy S8, inside and out. This was hinted by the listing of SD 835 as the source of firepower for the next-gen Pixel phones.

As for the external make of the Pixel 2017, it can only be speculated that Google will make use of industrial design seen with the Galaxy S8 and is expected to be seen with Apple's iPhone 8. The new Pixel phones will likely boast of an all-screen profile - the display bezels pushed as far as possible to the edge.

GSM Arena said Google will again tap HTC as maker of the next-gen Stock Android flagships.

There is a chance that Google will provide an early sneak peek of the things to expect when the Pixel 2017 phones are unpacked later in the year. That likely will happen at the I/O 2017 this coming May. On release date, the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 will mirror the introductory price of the first Pixel phones with the likelihood that the supersized Pixel model (Taimen) having the highest sticker price.