Google's official bug tracker seems to have spilled the beans on the manufacturer of the next Pixel phone (or at least, one of the next Pixel phones). A post—which was first spotted by 9to5Google—indicates that the lucky manufacturer is none other than LG.

When we last checked in with Google Pixel 2 rumors, there were going to be three devices, all with the usual fish-themed code names of "Walleye," "Muskie," and "Taimen." Walleye was pegged as the smaller Pixel successor, Muskie was the Pixel XL 2, and Taimen was rumored to be something even bigger than the XL. A report just yesterday from Android Police claims the XL successor, "Muskie," is cancelled, and that Taimen, previously pegged an "XXL" device, will be handling the big phone duties. The extra-large size is probably a reference to the screen size and not the body size, as slimmer bezels mean OEMs can squeeze ever-larger screens into the same size phone bodies.

It's "Taimen" that was leaked in this bug report. An LG employee is discussing a device's USB-PD compliance and is told by a Google employee to reopen the bug under "Android > Partner > External > LGE > Taimen > power." There's our "Taimen" codename, right in the directory structure, and in addition to the filing employee being from LG, the directory structure shows "LGE," which is short for "LG Electronics." It's not clear if this means both phones or just Taimen is being made by LG.

LG's display division is apparently getting in on the Pixel action, too. According to Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Google is also planning to invest 1 trillion won ($876 million) into LG Display so it can ensure a stable supply of LG's flexible OLED panels for future Pixel phones. Rather than a straight-up purchase agreement, the report describes the investment as "a strategic partnership." The investment will help LG transition from its typical LCD panels to OLED. The "flexible" description on the panel is a bit of a shock. It indicates that some future Pixel will have a curved screen—how it curves is anyone's guess.

LG Display and LG Electronics are totally separate divisions inside the LG conglomerate, so Google could use LG displays in a device made by another manufacturer, but keeping everything in LG's house is probably very tidy.

The first Google Pixel was built by HTC and rushed out the door in a mere 9 months—a timeframe that's much shorter than the " 12 to 18 months of product pipeline " we've heard about from other companies like Motorola. Originally Google likened its relationship with HTC to Apple's manufacturing partnership with Foxconn, where Apple does all the design work and Foxconn builds the phone to Apple's specifications. All available evidence points to this not quite being the case with the Pixel, however. In addition to the inside and outside design looking exactly like an off-the-shelf HTC phone, HTC also did a lot of work on the boot chain and kernel for the Google Pixel. In fact, the source code used to contain an "htc_cerberus" label, suggesting Google took an in-development HTC phone and turned it into the Google Pixel. The Pixel's development sounded a lot more like the Nexus program—designing a phone in partnership with an OEM—rather than a totally Google-designed device.

The Pixel's rush job makes it hard to predict how the Pixel 2 might be built. Was HTC's heavy involvement a side effect of the short time frame, or would that be standard operating procedure for Pixel development going forward? LG's involvement seems to suggest that the "Nexus-style" development is the norm. So will the Pixel 2 look like the LG G6?

Android OEMs have shown they are not that enthusiastic about doing contract manufacturing work for Google and not getting to brand the device. Huawei reportedly passed on building the original Google Pixel phone, because the company couldn't accept not branding the phone. Without involving a real contract manufacturer like Foxconn, will Google still have to jump around from manufacturer to manufacturer every year like it did with the Nexus devices? Can it deliver a consistent lineup of phones that improves and evolves every year, or will every year be a manufacturer crapshoot the way it was with the Nexus devices?

There are some who won't be happy to hear about LG's involvement with the new Pixel. The company has a reputation for building unreliable devices that die after a year or two, and it is currently fighting off a host of class action lawsuits. LG and Google seem to have a good working relationship, though, with LG building the Nexus 4, 5, and 5X, and the "Nexus-like" Android Wear 2.0 launch devices, the LG Watch Sport, and LG Watch Style.

The Pixel 2 is expected to be unveiled around October, for no reason other than that's when the first phone was announced.