Google Pixel 8: breaking news, rumors and everything we know so far
Suppose, I think Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro launched as recently as October 2022, we don’t expect to see Google’s next entries in the Pixel range – possibly the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro – until late 2023 at the earliest.
That said, we’ve already started hearing rumors about the two upcoming devices, and below, we’ve detailed all of the latest rumors, along with expert predictions for the release date. , their respective specifications and prices.
Further down, you’ll also find a list of features we’d like to see from the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, because while the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are two of best phone Google used to, they’re far from perfect.
Cut chasing
- What is it? Google’s next flagship phone
- When is it out? May be October 2023
- How much it costs? Likely at least $599 / £599 / AU$999
Google Pixel 8: release date and price
There’s no word yet on when the Google Pixel 8 might launch, but that’s easy to guess, with Google’s prime numbered phones almost always landing in October of the year of release.
In fact, every Pixel model other than the A series was announced in October, except for the model 5 . pixelsannounced on September 30, 2020 (which is close to October) and will not ship until October.
Getting to know more specifics is trickier as the dates of the previous October reveal events are subject to change, but it’s likely that the Pixel 8 will be launched in early or mid-October 2023 (and then will be released later). Delivery begins about a week after notification).
We’re not sure how much the Pixel 8 will cost, but both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are priced exactly like their predecessors, so it’s possible Google will maintain that pricing structure for another year. .
In that case, the Pixel 8 will start at $599 / £599 / AU$999, while the Pixel 8 Pro will start at $899 / £849 / AU$1,299. That said, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google pushed the respective prices of the phones up a bit, especially since current models outshine major competition like iPhone 14″ line.
Google Pixel 8: news and leaks
We haven’t heard too much about the Google Pixel 8, but several leaks have surfaced regarding both phones. For one thing, yes reported that Tenor 3 The chipset that we hope will power the phone is up and running, and this will again be manufactured by Samsung. However, there’s no word yet on how much more powerful it will be than Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7.
Meanwhile, another leak shows Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro possibly codenamed Shiba and Husky respectively, and both can have 12GB of RAM and run Android 14. According to the same source, the Pixel 8 has a 1080 x 2268 display, while the Husky has a 1344 x 2822 display.
We also know that satellite communications are likely to be provided by Pixel 8, just like the iPhone 14. Hiroshi Lockheimer (senior vice president of Android) has said that support for this feature will come to Android 14; so it’s likely that the Pixel 8 will be the first Google phone to offer this feature.
Finally, there is evidence of a mysterious Pixel phone in development, which based on leaked specs could be the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro. 9to5Google (opens in a new tab) found proof of this in publicly available code from the Android Open Source Project and it points to a phone with a 1440 x 3120 120Hz display, a Tensor chipset, and dimensions of 155 x 71mm.
Those screen specs are in line with current Pro models, but the dimensions are larger than what we’d expect from the standard Pixel 8, so that could mean upscaling in resolution and refresh rate is planned for standard model.
However, that screen resolution is also different from the one leaked above, so we take all these leaks lightly for the time being.
Google Pixel 8: what we want to see
Below, we’ve listed five things we want the Pixel 8 series to offer the most.
1. 120Hz display for both models
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz display, which is exactly what you’d expect from a flagship phone, but the standard Pixel 7 doesn’t – it’s stuck at 90Hz.
For that even some best cheap phone currently has a 120Hz display, that seems a little hard to accept, so we really hope Google offers 120Hz screens on both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
2. More power
The Pixel 7 series uses the Google Tensor G2 chipset, and it’s a feature-packed chipset.
Designed specifically for these phones, it excels in areas like machine learning and AI, but when it comes to raw power, the Tensor G2 falls a bit short, as it underperforms in most benchmarks. compared to main competitors like Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and Apple A16 Bionic. In fact, it performed significantly worse.
So we’d like to see a focus on power from the Tensor G3 (or whatever the next model is called), so that the Pixel 8 series is more competitive on that front. However, we don’t want that to come at the expense of what Tensor chipsets are currently doing well.
3. Better battery life and faster charging
Based on our tests, both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro should get you through a fairly heavy day of use, but they won’t get you through a second or even half a day for most. cases.
So their lifespans are respectable but not exceptional, and both charge pretty slowly, so we’d like to see improvements in both battery life and charging speed for the Pixel 8 series.
4. Long-term support
Google has promised to update the Android version for 3 years, and 5 years to provide security patches for the Pixel 7 series, which has some superior Android phones but not as many years of support that Apple usually provides. for your iPhone.
Since Google makes Android and is using a separate chipset designed specifically for phones here, there’s really no reason why Google can’t support its phones for longer, so we’d love to see support Extended support is provided with Pixel 8.
5. 10x optical zoom on Pro
Google Pixel 7 Pro offers 5x optical zoom, up from 4x on Pixel 6 Probut we’d like to see a bigger leap forward for the next model, raising it up to 10x in line with Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
That said, we’d still like the shorter distance zoom – ideally 2x or 3x – to be offered as well, so there are two distinctly different zoom distances available. Google Pixel 7 Pro is already one of the best camera phoneBut with this upgrade, the Pixel 8 Pro can be even better.