Google Pixel 8 & Pixel 8 Pro: Everything there is to know right now
The Google Pixel 7 range is great, but it’s safe to assume that Google is already working hard on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro ahead of release later this year.
While some might’ve been waiting for the Pixel 8 reveal alongside the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold at Google I/O, we’re still some months away from a release. Despite this, we’re starting to get a picture of what to expect from this year’s flagship range.
Current leaks point towards not only design tweaks with more rounded corners than the Pixel 7 range, but a new form factor for the Pixel 8, allegedly measuring between 5.8 and 6.1 inches depending on the leaker you ask. The Pixel 8 Pro isn’t safe either, with this year’s top-end model said to ditch the curved display for a flat screen.
Whispers also paint a picture of upgraded camera technology hinting at a new 1-inch camera sensor, and there are even leaked renders of both handsets doing the rounds online.
We’ve rounded up everything there is to know about the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro right here, from release date speculation to leaked renders and purported specs.
When will the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro be released?
While Google is yet to officially acknowledge the existence of the Pixel 8, it’s safe to say that it’ll likely appear sometime in the autumn (or ‘Fall’ for you Americans) of 2023, likely in October.
That has been Google’s favoured launch window for the flagship Pixel line over the past few years anyway, with the Pixel 7 appearing on 6 October 2022 and the Pixel 6 appearing on 19 October 2021.
Interestingly, while Google teased the Pixel 7 at Google I/O in May 2022, the company decided against teasing this year’s flagship at Google I/O 2023, so we’re going to have to wait a little longer to see what Google has up its sleeve.
How much will the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro cost?
Looking at the price of the past few flagship Pixels, it’s clear that Google doesn’t like to mess with the pricing. The £599/$599 Pixel 7 matched that of the Pixel 6, for example, and it’s a similar story with the £849/$849 Pixel 7 Pro too.
With all that in mind, we expect the Pixel 8 to come in at a reasonable £599/$599 while the Pixel 8 Pro will come in at a slightly higher £849/$849. That might fluctuate slightly depending on the economic situation at the time, but we can’t see it diverging too much.
Latest Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro rumours and leaks
Design
With Google going all-in on the new design first introduced on the Pixel 6 in 2021, it seems unlike that the Pixel 8 range will break the trend. Still, that doesn’t mean that the Pixel 8 range will be a carbon copy of its predecessor – the Pixel 7 range had slight changes compared to the Pixel 6 after all.
In fact, if leaks are to be believed, there could be more dramatic changes on the way with the Pixel 8 range.
A collaboration between well-known leaker @OnLeaks and MySmartPrice produced leaked renders of the Pixel 8 along with leaked dimensions, and it seems Google has plans to shrink the Pixel 8 down to ZenFone 9 levels of compact.
The Pixel 8 will allegedly measure in at 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm with a 5.8-inch display compared to the 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm and 6.3-inch display of the Pixel 7. It also looks to move away from the boxy design of the Pixel 7 with much more rounded corners in a similar vein to the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S23.
The smaller display should make the smartphone even more pocketable, and in a world where phone displays keep getting larger, it’s an interesting decision for Google to cater to the compact phone market.
You can get small phones, but aside from outliers like the ZenFone 9 and now-defunct iPhone 13 mini, they tend to be focused on the mid-range market. A compact phone with Google’s smarts and camera processing at the high end of the market could be a winner among the small-handed.
It’s not a given though; display analyst Ross Young doesn’t believe Google will go quite so small with the Pixel 8, instead employing a 6.16-inch display that’d fall in line with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 Pro.
Young also claims that, unlike the standard Pixel 8, the Pixel 8 Pro should match the display size of its predecessor at 6.7 inches.
Given Young’s previous accuracy with display-related leaks, especially with Apple’s iPhone collection, it’s worth paying attention to what the analyst has to say.
@OnLeaks has also leaked renders of the bigger Pixel 8 Pro with a matching redesign, softening the sharp corners of the phone, though the bigger change will be the inclusion of a flat display for the first time in quite a few years. There’s also a new sensor sitting beneath the camera flash on the camera bar, which is yet to be revealed.
Performance
Incredibly, details about the Google Pixel 8’s performance began surfacing online just weeks after the launch of the Pixel 7 range in November 2022. We know that Google products leak a lot, but still, that’s very early.
The details include codenames for what’s assumed to be the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro – Husky and Shiba – along with a codename for the upcoming Tensor G3 chipset, internally dubbed Zuma. This news came from WinFuture which allegedly found the details in publicly available code.
WinFuture went a step further by speculating that Zuma will be based on Samsung’s flagship 3nm Exynos 2300 chipset, though with a dedicated TPU and other modifications, likely particularly in the AI department as with previous Google chipsets. It’d make sense given the fact Pixel 6’s Tensor is based on the Exynos 2100 and the Pixel 7’s Tensor G2 is based on the Exynos 2200.
As well as this, the leak also claims that both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will sport 12GB of RAM as standard, a spec that was previously exclusive to the Pixel 7 Pro. That’ll be a welcome change for Pixel 8 owners if true, especially compared to the Pixel 7’s 8GB of RAM.
Interestingly, that leak was backed up by a separate source in March 2023. Leakers provided a kernel for a Samsung Semiconductor chipset codenamed Quadra, which is widely believed to be the Exynos 2300.
The leak provided key insights into the Exynos chipset, which will allegedly use a Cortex-X3 at 3.09GHz, four Cortex-A715 cores at 2.65GHz and another four Cortex-A512s at 2.1GHz, while the Xclipse 930 1.4GHz GPU will take care of graphical performance.
Cameras
While we don’t yet know the specifics about Google’s upcoming camera hardware, we do have our first tidbits of information about the software features available – and it sounds like there could be quite the upgrade in store for the Pixel 8 range.
According to a December 2022 leak, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are set to use Staggered HDR tech for the first time. Staggered HDR essentially takes long and short exposures instantly, rather than one after the other like with most other interpretations of HDR on smartphones. This should allegedly help with some inconsistencies in HDR images, like strobing and ghosting.
The problem is that the current main 50MP Samsung GN1 camera sensor found in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro can’t handle that kind of task on a hardware level, suggesting that this year’s flagship range could see an upgraded main sensor at the very least.
That’s in line with comments from leaker @UniverseIce who claims that the Pixel 8 Pro in particular will use an upgraded Samsung GN2 sensor.
That sensor is the biggest that Samsung currently makes, bringing it close to the fabled 1-inch sensor of the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Vivo X90 Pro at 1/1.12″. While no further details were provided in the leak, the larger sensor should improve low-light photography and allow the phone to capture an improved dynamic range – improvements we’ve already seen with other large-sensor snappers.
A separate source claims that Google may also be working on a Video Unblur feature in a similar vein to the Pixel 7’s Photo Unblur capability, helping to smooth out and sharpen blurry videos captured on the smartphone.
The feature was found in an unfinished state in the code for the Google Photos app which could mean a release before the Pixel 8, but it seems likely that Google will tie this into the new phone and its upgraded Tensor G3 chip.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.