Google has reportedly abandoned the plan to roll out three Google Pixel 2 models this 2017. Instead, the tech giant is said to launch two Pure Android flagships and one, bearing the codename "Taimen," will serve as the unofficial replacement of the small tablet Nexus 7.

Taimen, according to Android Police, will take the place of "Muskie" that originally was planned as the supersized companion of "Walleye." When released, the handsets will be known as Pixel 2, which is the Walleye, and Pixel XL 2, coming from it development label of Muskie.

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But as the report claimed, Google has a change of heart and shelved Muskie but not the Pixel XL 2 model, which will be launched based on the Taimen blueprint. "We're fairly confident that Taimen is actually going to be the 2nd-generation Pixel XL, and that Muskie was shelved for an unspecified reason in favor of the larger Taimen," Android Police said.

Earlier, Droid Life claimed in a report that Google has started work on handset with internal label as Taimen, which was thought to be an upsized version of the Pixel XL thus sparking rumors that the device will be marketed as the new Nexus 7. The latter was Google's compact tablet offering that was last refreshed in 2013.

Taimen, however, is unlikely to become the direct replacement of the Nexus 7 as rumors indicated Google plans for the device to boast of hybrid functionalities, meaning the device will mostly feature smartphone capabilities but with specific tablet-like features. If the device will come out as planned, it is seen as Google's direct answer to mid-range super phablets out there such as the Samsung C9 Pro and Xiaomi Mi Max 2, indicating too that Taimen will sport a display screen that is no less than 6-inch.

Nothing much is known on Taimen at the moment but if indeed the device will end up as part of the Google Pixel 2 line then more details will surely leaked out in the coming months. As expected, Pixel 2 will come out of the box running on Android O and speculations are rife the handset main engine will be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 or 836 with up to 6GB of RAM support.

And if Google will stick to the release cycle seen in the previous years, the Google Pixel 2 2017 release date will likely happen between October and November this year.