You wanna see the Pixel 8 Pro?
Google has failed once again to prevent its next Pixel from leaking, and this particular leak is pretty bad.
Ah, the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s only July, but we pretty much know everything about it, even though it’s probably not coming out until October. Renders, specs, and weird features have all made their way to the web well in advance, proving once again that Google absolutely sucks at keeping secrets.
Wouldn’t you know it, there are even more leaks to talk about. The phone has now surfaced in real-life images, giving us our best look yet at its updated design and flat display. The images don’t reveal anything surprising or unexpected, but if one thing is for certain, it’s that the device won’t stray far from Google’s newly established Pixel design language.
The Pixel 8 Pro, captured by a Pixel 7
Someone within Google has been testing the Pixel 8 Pro (I imagine), and over the holiday weekend, they decided to publish some photos of it to Reddit. The post was obviously taken down shortly after, but plenty of folks were able to grab the pics ahead of time and share them elsewhere. Droid-Life was one of the first to share the photos.
Are these images a little bit boring? Yes, but at least we get confirmation that this is, in fact, what the Pixel 8 Pro will look like. The camera visor has been updated with a single pill-shaped glass cutout to house the main, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras, whereas the telephoto lens was in a separate orb on the Pixel 7 Pro. The LED flash has been readjusted as well, and there’s a temperature sensor beneath it.
Why a temperature sensor, you may ask? So that you can record your body temperature. Back in May, a video surfaced of a subject demoing the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro, allowing you to record your body temperature by pointing the camera visor at your forehead and keeping it at a certain distance. It’s a very wild feature, one that’s reminiscent of the Pixel’s past experiments like Soli on the Pixel 4. It also feels three years too late; at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were concerned with keeping track of their temperature and ensuring they were healthy, and having such a sensor on your phone would’ve come in handy.
Alas, it looks like it’s arriving on the Pixel 8 Pro. Whether it’ll be useful at this time (or accurate, for that matter) is unclear, but all signs point to Google shipping it come the fall.
The leaked hands-on images also confirm a flat display. The past couple Pixel Pro models have shipped with curved edges on the left and right, but with the Pixel 8 Pro, Google will be reverting to a flat panel. I know a lot of people are excited for this, and I am too, although I have to admit that the curved edges on my Pixel 7 Pro never got in my way. It’ll be a nice change of pace nonetheless.
What else is there to talk about? Not very much. The fastboot screen mentions the word “Husky” which is the rumored codename for the Pixel 8 Pro, and both the fastboot screen and various stickers indicate this is a pre-production model. There’s also a strange pattern on the back glass (which is frosted, for some reason), but that’s likely another identifier that it isn’t a finished product.
Droid-Life also points out that the codename “ripcurrent” is mentioned, which could be a reference to the upcoming Tensor G3 processor. Google will likely give the Tensor G2 a few upgrades for the Pixel 8 series, although it’s unclear what those upgrades will entail beyond better performance. Expect details on the new chip to surface in the near future, as all Pixel things do.
Oh, and it looks like the leaker used either a Pixel 7 or 7a to take the photos of the 8 Pro, judging by the reflection in the display. The circle of life, amirite?
Other rumors suggest the Pixel 8 Pro will ship with a minimum 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, a 4,950mAh battery (up from 4,926mAh on the 7 Pro), a 50MP main camera, a 64MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto. It’ll also likely ship with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Meanwhile, the smaller Pixel 8 will have a 6.2-inch flat display, a similar design with a tweaked camera bar and more refined edges, two rear cameras with no telephoto, a 4,485mAh battery (up from 4,270mAh in the Pixel 7), and a Tensor G3.
All in all, the Pixel 8 series will likely be a nice upgrade over the Pixel 7, and we’ll likely learn more about what it has in store leading up to their inevitable unveiling later this fall. Stay tuned, folks—rumor mills don’t tend to slow down once they’re on a roll.