The advancements that Google’s Pixel phones have undergone over the past two years have made them some of our favourite Android devices. In an effort to return its smartphones to competitive flagship status, the company upped its smartphone game when it revamped the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. It then built on these triumphs with the Pixel 7 series. It’s reasonable to say that the phone I am most anticipating this year is the Pixel 8, assuming that’s what Google calls it. I frequently switch back to the Pixel 7 from other flagships.
The next-generation Pixel phones won’t be available to us for a few good months, but there have already been leaks and rumours that will let us know what to expect.
Price and availability
Google has yet to make an official announcement regarding the launch of the Pixel 8 series, which means that pricing details are still unconfirmed. However, based on the past two iterations, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, which were launched at a price of $599 in the United States, Google is expected to continue offering affordable flagship devices.
The Pixel 6 Pro and 7 Pro were also reasonably priced at $899 and are still considered a good value in the flagship market. However, external factors such as inflation may result in a minor price increase for the Pixel 8.
Both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 were released in October, so it is likely that the Pixel 8 will follow the same release pattern and launch in October 2023. Though nothing is officially confirmed, it is expected that Google will tease the upcoming Pixel 8 series during Google I/O 2023, so tech enthusiasts should stay tuned for further updates.
Design and specifications
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro resembled its predecessors quite a bit, and it appears that Google intends to keep things straightforward with an iterative design change. For these forthcoming phones, we already have several leaked renders that show a very recognisable design.
The Pixel 8 in white and the Pixel 8 Pro in black are depicted in the leaked renderings. They both have the recognisable camera bar on the rear of the most recent Pixel phones, giving them a very similar appearance. However, this time around there have been some fascinating changes, notably with the Pixel 8 Pro.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s rear camera design looks slightly different from the Pixel 7 Pro, as all three cameras appear to be enclosed in one glass pill, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro has a pill and circle design. Additionally, an extra sensor seems to be present beneath the camera flash that wasn’t on the previous model. The front panel on the Pixel 8 Pro is flat, unlike the curved panel on the Pixel 7 Pro.
However, it remains to be seen how this will look in real-world use. The leaked dimensions of the Pixel 8 Pro suggest that it will be slightly thinner than its predecessor, but this may not be noticeable in day-to-day use.
In terms of rendering, the Pixel 8 resembles the Pixel 7 exactly. However, according to leaks, it is smaller than the Pixel 7 — 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm as opposed to 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm for the Pixel 7. If this turns out to be true, this year’s Pixel flagship will be smaller. Even though it isn’t as short or thin as the Galaxy S23, it would still be noticeably different, especially when compared to the Pixel 7.
