If all goes as planned, this fall we will attend the launch of the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro, two models called to become the best Android phones of this year. The expectation that has risen around them is enormous. What can we expect from these smartphones?
In the absence of further references and waiting for further news, all we can do is compare the information we have with the characteristics of previous models, the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro. Of course, the new phones have to match and improve the features of their predecessors. That is what is expected of them.
For now, this is the summary of everything that will be new in the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, a series of improvements and quite interesting news:
Continuity in design, more compact size
All the leaks that have taken place to date agree that there will be no major cosmetic changes in the new generation of smartphones from Google. The Pixel 8 will be smaller and will have a resolution of 2268 x 1080p while that of the Pixel 8 Pro, logically larger, will be 2822 x 1344p.
The renders that we have been able to see reveal a continuity design: Same dual camera setup on the back, with the power button and volume rocker in the same position as always (which is the opposite of almost every other manufacturer, by the way). It is not yet known if the case will be made of polished metal, a stylistic decision that could be made at the last moment.
Interestingly, both will be very similar in appearance to the Pixel 7 (the one pictured above), but more compact and lighter. The Pixel 8 will measure 150,5mm long by 70,8mm wide and be 8,9mm thick (12mm if we add the camera array bump). Also the screen will be more modest. Before 6,3 inches and now 6,13 inches, quite similar to that of the Galaxy S23, the smallest smartphone in the Samsung family.
Thermometer function
This is one of the most striking news around the launch of the new Google phones. The new function thermometer will be available only on the Pixel 8 Pro, was announced by the company itself last May. He even posted several videos explaining how it works.
It is a thermometer that works without contact and controls the temperature of our skin. The video shows how it can be used. Of course, it will only serve to take thermal readings of the human body, not of other objects or animals, nor to take the environmental temperature.
Improved camera suite
Google intends to change the camera technology on these new phones: set a new sensor design.
The Google Pixel 8 will incorporate a 2 MP Samsung ISOCELL GN50 main sensor, another 787 MP ultra-wide IMX64 sensor (the same as the Pixel 7a) and a 5 MP GM58 telephoto sensor. Add to that the flash, and the improved time-of-flight sensor for autofocus, plus the aforementioned thermometer.
On the other hand, in the Pixel 8 the changes are less far-reaching. It will be upgraded to the same main GN2 sensor, but will keep the ultra-wide IMX386 that we've already seen in action on the Pixel 6.
Other new features
Finally, we will mention some other features that have been talked about a lot and that will finally be (or not) present in this new series. It seems that the two models of the Google Pixel 8 line will have a ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, in theory much faster and more precise than the optical sensor of the Pixel 7. The question is: will it be better than that of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
What we are surely not going to see in the Google Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro is the wireless charging. This was one of the objectives that the manufacturer set for the launch of its new smartphones, but everything indicates that, except for surprises, we will have to wait a little longer.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that the operating system of these phones will be Android 14. The update is usually released in August, just in time for the presentation of the new models in the fall.
Pricing and release date
We will have to wait at least until the month of October 2023 to see the official launch of the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, although perhaps it will be later.
The Prices They should be slightly higher than those of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 7 Pro models, which, depending on the variant chosen, range from €550 to €850. Bearing in mind that these are continuist models and that they are not going to bring revolutionary changes, it is conceivable that the final sale prices will not be much more expensive. We will know soon.