Google’s next flagship smartphones aren’t expected for a little while yet, though there have already been a number of rumours speculating about what they might offer when they arrive.
We are rounding up what we want to see from the successors to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, along with what any rumours are suggesting. The devices are claimed to be codenamed Shiba (Pixel 8) and Huskey (Pixel 8 Pro). Here is everything we have heard so far.
Google / Pocket-lint
Google Pixel 7 Pro
If you don’t want to wait for the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro to appear later this year, the Pixel 7 Pro is an excellent smartphone, and excellent value too.
Pixel 8 release date and price
Google will likely announce the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in October 2023. Of course, nothing is official yet – nor will it be for a while – but October has been Google’s month of choice for multiple years on the bounce. At Google I/O in May 2023 we saw the announcement of the Pixel Fold, but this phone doesn’t give us any clues to changes coming for the Pixel 8 series.
Once the devices have been revealed, we would expect them to go on sale a couple of weeks later so likely before the end of October 2023.
The Pixel 7 starts at $599 in the US, £599 in the UK, and €649 in Europe, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at$899 in the US, £849 in the UK and €899 in Europe, which was the same as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It’s not yet clear if we can expect the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to fall within the same ballpark, though we would expect them to be close in price.
SmartPrix
Design
- Pixel 8: More compact
- Pixel 8 Pro: Flat display?
There haven’t been many rumours surrounding the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro designs as yet, though it has been claimed they may not stray too far from the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. A rumour has claimed the Pixel 8 will be smaller and offer a more compact form factor than the Pixel 7, and renders have also appeared showing off what is said to be the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
The renders show some changes to the camera housing on the rear of the Pixel 8 Pro, as well as what appears to be a flat display rather than curved, though nothing is of course confirmed as yet. For the Pixel 8, it looks like the 2023 model will have slightly rounder edges than the Pixel 7.
MySmartPrice
If the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, the devices will likely feature an under-display fingerprint sensor and a centralised punch hole camera. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are both IP68 water and dust resistant so it is expected that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro would also be.
We’ve also seen what could be a prototype of the Pixel 8 Pro showing off a new feature – temperature sensing. This could be a new feature the phone offers and there might be a new sensor to support it on the rear – but the phone used in that demo video is close to the leaked renders we’ve shared above. That video has since been removed from YouTube.
Display
- Pixel 8: 6.17in, Full HD+, 90Hz?
- Pixel 8 Pro: 6.7in, Quad HD+, 10-120Hz?
There have been a couple of reports about the display on the next-gen Pixel so there’s a good picture forming about what’s to come. It’s said the Pixel 8 will have a 2400 x 1080 display, while the Pixel 8 Pro will move to a 2992 x 1344 display. It’s also been claimed the Pixel 8 Pro will move to a 6.7-inch display, while the Pixel 8 will have a 6.17-inch display which is smaller than its predecessor. Display industry analyst, Ross Young, backs up these sizes, claiming we can expect a 6.16-inch display on the Pixel 8, and 6.7 on the Pixel 8 Pro.
There’s also the suggestion that the Pixel 8 will have a 1400 nits brightness, with the Pixel 8 Pro getting 1600 nits, both an increase on the previous generation.
The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch display with a 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution. The Pixel 7 has a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 7 Pro has an adaptable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. It looks like the Pixel 8 Pro might have a smoother adaptive refresh rate system, while the Pixel 8 will jump to 120Hz.
Hardware and specs
- Google Tensor G3
- Pixel 8: 4485mAh, 24W (wired), 20W wireless
- Pixel 8 Pro: 4950mAh, 27W (wired), 23W wireless
The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro both run on the Google Tensor G2 chip, and rumour has it the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will feature the next generation of this chip, codenamed Zuma. That new Tensor G3 hardware is said to use more modern cores, so could be much more powerful, with 9 CPU cores in a 4+4+1 configuration. That’s four Cortex-A510 cores (little), four Cortex-A715 (big) and finally a Cortex-X3 which is a high performance core. Then there will be a Mali-G715 GPU, again with more power than the Tensor G2.
With the Pixel 7 offering 8GB of RAM and the 7 Pro offering 12GB RAM, we’d expect the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro to offer similar. We’d also expect the Pixel 8 to come in storage options up to at least 256GB, and the Pixel 8 Pro in options up to 512GB, and we don’t expect to see microSD support on any of them.
The Pixel 8 is said to have a 4485mAh battery with 24W wired charging and support for 20W wireless with the Pixel Stand, while the Pixel 8 Pro is said to offer a 4950mAh battery, 27W wired charging and 23W charging through the Pixel Stand. None of these charging rates are especially fast – in fact, if true, they’re pretty slow overall.
Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen)
If you don’t want to wait for the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro to appear later this year, the Pixel 7 Pro is an excellent smartphone, and excellent value too.
Camera
- Pixel 8: Dual rear
- Pixel 8 Pro: Triple rear with improved Night Sight
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are expected to move from a Samsung GN1 sensor to the Samsung GN2. That would see a larger sensor for better light capture and resulting in better Night Sight performance too. On the Pixel 8 Pro it’s said that there will be a 64-megapixel ultrawide camera using a Sony IMX787 sensor, while the Pixel 8 keeps its ultrawide on a Sony IMX386, but offer a wider capture angle.
A report shows some indication that the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro could support staggered HDR, designed to boost the HDR performance.
Currently, the Pixel 7 has a dual rear camera with a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The Pixel 7 Pro meanwhile has the same setup, along with a 48-megapixel telephoto camera.
Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro rumours: What’s happened so far?
Here’s what the rumours have suggested so far for the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
3 July 2023: Battery details surface for Pixel 8 series
Faster charging and bigger batteries could grace the new Pixel 8 models.
19 June 2023: Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro tipped for radical display changes
Some big changes are coming to Google’s next Pixel phones.
12 June 2023: Leaked Google Pixel 8 specs hint at big camera upgrades across the board
The Pixel 8 series is shaping up to be a big camera upgrade this year.
5 June 2023: Google Pixel 8 Tensor G3 leak points to some big performance upgrades
Google isn’t messing about when it comes to its next Pixel silicon.
18 May 2023: Google Pixel 8 Pro leaks in video with a hot new feature you just have to see
Looks like Google is turning up the heat with the next-gen Pixel.
14 April 2023: The Google Pixel 8 is set to shrink, allegedly sporting a 6.16-inch display
Analyst and seasoned leaker, Ross Young, claims the Pixel 8 will sport a 6.16-inch OLED panel, while the Pixel 8 Pro uses a 6.7-inch panel, the same as the 7 Pro.
22 March 2023: Google Pixel 8 Pro could use multiple-camera magic for better Night Sight results
According to the code divers at 9to5Google, the latest Google Camera update includes references to a new type of Night Sight technology that would allow for even more detailed shots.
15 March 2023: Early Google Pixel 8 renders have one big surprise for Pixel 7 fans
The leak comes courtesy of MySmartPrice and tipster @OnLeaks. The renders show a phone that is similar to the current Pixel 7 overall, but it’s far from identical.
14 March 2023: Is this our first real look at the Pixel 8 Pro?
This render leak comes courtesy of SmartPrix and @OnLeaks with a black version of the Google Pixel 8 Pro shared.
23 December 2022: Leaked roadmap reveals plans for Google Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8 and beyond
A report published by Android Authority claims the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will arrive later in 2023 and not feature any significant changes over the current Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. It’s said the Pixel 8 will be smaller than the Pixel 7, delivering a more compact form factor though.
The two phones are also claimed to feature an updated Google Tensor processor called Tensor G3.
21 December 2022: Leak points to a new camera module on the Google Pixel 8
A leak suggests the 2023 Pixel phones will gain staggered HDR support, something that’s not possible with the main sensor on the Pixel 6 and 7 series
9 November 2022: The Pixel 8 leaks have begun including codenames and specs
A WinFuture report claimed the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are codenamed Shiba and Huskey respectively.
It’s also said they will run Android 14, a chip called Zuma and the Pixel 8 will get a 2268 x 1080 display, while the Pixel 8 Pro will move to a 2822 x 1344 display.
Trending Products
