The Pixel 8 Pro is easily one of the most anticipated phones of 2023. Google knocked it out of the park last year with the Pixel 7 Pro, earning our reader’s choice and overall best phone of the year award, so the successor has some big shoes to fill. Helpful software features and a powerful new Tensor G2 chip made headlines, but much of the acclaim stemmed from its beautiful design. As perfect as it was, new renders suggest the 8 Pro may succeed in resolving the biggest complaints we had with the 7 Pro’s physical appearance.
The people at Smartprix, together with industry insiders onLeaks, have given us a first look at Google’s upcoming flagship. The two biggest changes you’ll immediately notice are that the curved screen has been replaced by a flat front panel and the triple camera array is now housed in a single pill rather than the telephoto lens being separated into its own cutout.
Previous reports indicate that the Pixel 8 Pro is codenamed Husky, while its smaller sibling goes by the internal name of Shiba. It’s likely that the Pixel 8 Pro will retain the 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch screen size and the screen resolution is expected to clock in at 2822x1344p. The flatter screen should be a welcome change for most users, as we’ve often heard complaints about curved screens being prone to color distortion and accidental touches, not to mention they don’t play nice with screen protectors.
The camera cutout change could be twofold. On the one hand, it helps the Pixel 8 Pro stand out from the last generation in an otherwise similar rear design. Secondly, having a bigger camera cutout could solve the problem some Pixel 7 users had where the rear camera glass spontaneously shattered.
Dimensions have also been revealed in this leak – the phone should measure 6.40 x 3.01 x 0.34 inches at its thinnest point, with the camera cutout expanding the depth to a maximum of 0.47 inches. The corners of the device have a larger radius, making it rounder overall, and the screen reflects this change.
Source: Smartprix
If you’re not a fan of curved glass, you might be conflicted here. Although the glass front panel has become flat, the back of the phone still has a pronounced curve. This helps with the ergonomics and hand feel of the device, but makes it more likely to crack if you were to ever drop the phone.
Based on a leaked version of Google’s camera app, the Pixel 8 Pro should be able to shoot in spread HDR, capturing long and short exposures simultaneously rather than in quick succession. We also have reason to suspect that the 8 Pro’s fingerprint scanner will be upgraded from an optical sensor to an ultrasonic one.
All things considered, it looks like the Pixel 8 Pro could be a worthy successor to the Phone of the Year 2022. We can expect an October announcement based on previous Pixel flagship releases, but there have been no leaks to suggest that confirm or support. However, the midrange Pixel 7a and all-new Pixel Fold were just tipped for a summer release, so the Pixel season is definitely heating up.
Source: Google
Google Pixel 7 Pro
With the Pixel 8 Pro not expected to be unveiled for over half a year, Android Police’s phone of the year, the Pixel 7 Pro, is still the best Google phone you can get. Beautiful design, useful software features and a powerful Tensor G2 chip highlight the list of attractive features of this all-rounder, but there is so much more to love.