Google has announced the completion of its acquisition of a major part HTC's hardware division.

The $1.1 billion deal was formally revealed last September and effectively means Google will design and build its own Pixel smartphones in future. The Pixel and Pixel 2 were made by HTC - along with other Google hardware projects in the past - and the engineering staff involved are now fully-fledged members of the Google family.

They will be tasked with the next generation devices - most likely named Pixel 3. We also imagine it means that LG will no longer be building the larger of Google's phone models, with the Pixel 2 XL being its last.

Considering the complaints over the larger handset's display this time around, that comes as no surprise.

Google has not acquired the HTC Vive arm of the Taiwanese company, which will continue to build virtual reality headsets and experiences for HTC.

HTC will also continue to make its own smartphones, with a new flagship model planned to replace the HTC U11 in the coming year: the likely HTC 12.

Google has paid for a non-exclusive use of the company's intellectual properties and patents, however.

More could be revealed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of next month.