The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional aren’t because of arrive till the autumn of 2023. However Google is notoriously dangerous at retaining its {hardware} secret and there are already a lot of leaks and rumors concerning the forthcoming flagships.
The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional constructed upon the success and recognition of the Pixel 6 sequence with Google’s second-generation Tensor chip as the first {hardware} improve, whereas software program upgrades leveraging that new chipset are arguably the extra attention-grabbing updates.
Will we see Google be extra bold with its {hardware} upgrades for the Pixel 8 in 2023? Can Google maintain the road on its extra reasonably priced flagship pricing?
These are simply a few the questions that we’ll got down to reply based mostly on the whole lot we find out about Google’s Pixel sequence together with the leaks and rumors we’ve gathered to date.
Google Pixel 8 launch date
Naturally, we don’t have a definitive launch date for the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional this far out. Nonetheless, Google sticks to a reasonably slender vary of dates with its Pixel occasions, so we are able to make an informed guess that ought to show correct.
The Google Pixel 7 and seven Professional have been formally unveiled on Oct. 6, 2022, which is in line with most earlier Pixel releases. Right here’s a have a look at all the flagship Pixel launch dates:
Based mostly on earlier Pixel bulletins, the front-runners for 2023 can be Oct. 3 or Oct. 10, with Oct. 4 or Oct. 11 as the following most certainly choices for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional launch occasion.
Google Pixel 8 worth
We don’t have any compelling leaks concerning pricing but. It is unlucky as Google’s comparatively uncommon pricing construction for its flagship Pixel telephones makes this an intriguing topic.
When Google introduced the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional at $599 and $899, it was a little bit of a shock. We’d grown accustomed to $799 because the beginning worth for a flagship cellphone with premium flagship fashions beginning at $999. That is the case for Samsung’s Galaxy S22 sequence and Apple’s iPhone 14 fashions.
There have been murmurs of Google altering this up with the Pixel 7 and seven Professional, however they arrived at that very same $599 and $899 worth level. We’ve already seen a number of offers on each the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional, so this pricing doesn’t appear to be a pressure on Google. Probably the most logical choice is that historical past repeats itself and that the Pixel 8 and eight Professional are $599 and $899.
The one factor that provides me pause is that the worth disparity between these two telephones has been a bit baffling. I known as the Pixel 6 “the most effective Android worth ever” and you’ll copy and print that once more on the subject of the Pixel 7. Nonetheless, the Pixel 6 Professional and the Pixel 7 Professional are a bit harder to categorise. There’s no arguing that Google’s Professional telephones belong within the dialog with the iPhone 14 Professional and Galaxy S22 Plus, which each begin at $999, however the relative worth in comparison with the usual Pixel simply isn’t there.
It’s pure hypothesis, however this might in the end drive Google to both elevate the worth on the usual Pixel or decrease the worth on the Pixel Professional. If we hear that Google has a “Pixel 8 Extremely” or no matter it will name a higher-end flagship, that will lend extra credibility to a pricing change for the 2 fashions, however in the intervening time, I nonetheless count on Google to stay to its establishment.
Google Pixel 8 {hardware}
{Hardware} leaks have been restricted to date, however courtesy of GalaxyClub, we knew earlier than the Pixel 7 was even launched that Samsung was laborious at work on Google’s customized Tensor 3 chip that’s destined to energy the Pixel 8.
Google’s Tensor and Tensor 2 chips each dramatically outperform the higher mid-tier Snapdragon chips that Google was utilizing beforehand, notably on the subject of the AI and machine-learning duties that Google has optimized the chipset for, however we don’t know but the place the Tensor 3 will fall when in comparison with the just lately introduced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which guarantees to deliver ray tracing to cell phones just like the Galaxy S23 in 2023.
WinFuture allegedly discovered proof of two potential Pixel 8 fashions in some publicly obtainable code that refers back to the gadgets as “Husky” and “Shiba.” Each featured 12GB of RAM (up from 8GB within the Pixel 7 and seven Professional) and the identical mannequin discovered within the Pixel 7 fashions.
The identical leak contained show resolutions with “Shiba,” presumably the Pixel 8 coming in at 2268 x 1080 (a step down from the 2400 x 1080 decision of the Pixel 7) and the “Husky” providing 2822 x 1344 (once more a step down from the 3120 x 1440 decision of the Pixel 7 Professional). Now it’s attainable that Google decided that the additional decision was wasted and doubtlessly a battery and useful resource drain, however it will a minimum of be uncommon to see telephones take a step again on decision, so take this rumor with a grain of salt.
Now we have nothing concerning the design of the telephones, though it’s unlikely that Google would stray from its now a minimum of recognizable, if not universally cherished, Pixel design language. That distinguished digicam bar is permitting individuals to truly determine Pixel telephones within the wild for the primary time, and given the cash Google is pouring into promoting, that isn’t one thing it probably desires to surrender.
Google Pixel 8 outlook and what we want to see
Google has made monumental strides with the Pixel line over the past couple of years after it appeared prefer it may very well be getting ready to shuttering the cellphone division because it has so many different tasks. Previous to the Pixel 6 lineup, you can comfortably say that the Pixel telephones supplied excellent cameras and a few compelling software program options, however that battery life, efficiency, design, and video high quality took a little bit of a backseat.
That’s removed from the case at present. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional are among the many greatest telephones in the marketplace and the Pixel 6a is much and away the greatest low-cost cellphone obtainable. So what then will we need to see from the Pixel 8?
Carry the Pixel 8 as much as a 120Hz show. Whereas 90Hz is a marked enchancment over the 60Hz show on the iPhone 14, there are Samsung telephones for beneath $300 that function a 120Hz show; it’s time for the usual Pixel to make that bounce.
That want goes to run counter to my subsequent wishlist merchandise and that’s improved battery life. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional can get me by way of a day, however they’re under common, and notably on condition that Google isn’t going to win the uncooked efficiency battle, I’d wish to see the Pixel 8, or a minimum of the Pixel 8 Professional, discover a place amongst our telephones with the most effective battery life.
Lastly, if the Pixel 8 Professional goes to stay at its loftier $899 worth in comparison with the $599 Pixel 8, I need to see Google introduce one thing else to distinguish the top-tier. This may very well be a 10x telephoto sensor just like the Galaxy S22 Extremely or referring again to the earlier merchandise a a lot bigger battery than the usual Pixel, however there must be one thing extra to justify that worth distinction.
Now we have about 10 months till Google takes the stage and unveils the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, so bookmark this web page if you wish to sustain with all the newest leaks and rumors over the course of the yr.