The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are expected to be a long way off, since the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were only introduced in October 2022, but they already were interested in and even hearing about the next models.
Below you''ll find everything we have heard so far, along with our expert predictions, about the upcoming release date, pricing, and specs.
Then below weve entered a wish list of what we want from the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, because the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the best phones Google has ever made, but they aren''t perfect.
The standard Pixel 7, in particular, has room for improvement, but even the Pixel 7 Pro has some flaws, so our wish list includes the key improvements we expect from these next models.
Cut to the chase
Google Pixel 8 release date and price
There is no announcement on when the Google Pixel 8 will launch, but it''s quite simple to guess, with the main numbered phones almost always coming in October of their release year.
In fact, every Pixel outside of the A-line has been announced in October, except the Pixel 5, which was unveiled on September 30, 2020 (so, almost October) and didn''t ship until October.
As the dates in October have varied, getting more specific is trickier, but it''s probable that the Pixel 8 will be unveiled in either early or mid-October 2023, and then shipped in mid or late-October, with little chance.
Were not sure what the Pixel 8 will cost, but the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro both had exactly the same prices as their competitors, thus it is possible that Google will keep an eye on that price for another year.
The Pixel 8 will start at $599 / 599 / AU$999, while the Pixel 8 Pro will start at $899 / 849 / AU$1,299. That said, we wouldn''t be surprised if Google raises the price too much, especially as the current models undermininate significant competition like the iPhone 14 line.
Google Pixel 8 news and leaks
We haven''t heard much about the Google Pixel 8 yet, but a few leaks have surfaced. One thing is that the Tensor 3 chipset was anticipated to power the phone already, and that this will once again be made by Samsung. However, no information has been made about how much more powerful this will be than the Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7.
As such, the Pixel 8, much as the iPhone 14, is capable of, will offer satellite communications. Hiroshi Lockheimer (the senior vice president of Android) has stated that support for this will be provided with Android 14, and therefore the Pixel 8 will be the first Google phone to offer it.
The screens are consistent with the current Pro models, but the dimensions are more than wed expect from the standard Pixel 8, thus it might be beneficial to see a resolution and refresh rate increase for the standard model.
What we want to see
Below are five things that the Pixel 8 line should include.
1.A 120Hz screen for both models
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz screen, as it''s expected from a flagship phone, but the Pixel 7 isn''t stuck at 90Hz.
Given that even some of the finest inexpensive phones now have 120Hz screens, this seems somewhat unacceptable, so we really hope Google can offer both the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro a 120Hz screen.
2.More power
The Pixel 7 line consists of the Google Tensor G2 chipet, and is a chipet that is worth it.
The Tensor G2 is a little lacking when it comes to raw power, although it performs worse in most tests than key competitors, such as the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and the Apple A16 Bionic. In fact, it performs significantly worse.
So we want to see a focus on the Tensor G3 (or whatever the next model ends up being called) so that the Pixel 8 line is more competitive on that front. However, we cannot believe that it will be at the expense of the things Tensor chipsets are currently good at.
3.Better battery life and faster charging
Both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro should comfortably get you through a day of relatively heavy use, according to our tests, but they won''t necessarily get you through a second day, or even a second day in most instances.
Both are charging quite slowly, thus their longevity is important but they are far from exceptional, and they are therefore, therefore, we want to see improvements both to the battery life and the charging speed for the Pixel 8.
4.Longer-term support
Google has promised a three-year update on its Android version and five-year security patches for the Pixel 7 line, which has some Android phones beat, but does not yet come close to the number of years of support Apple typically offers with its iPhones.
Since Google does Android and is developing a custom-made chipset for those phones here, there shouldn''t be any reason it cant support its phones for longer, therefore we''d like to see extended support with the Pixel 8.
5.10x optical zoom on the Pro
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has 5x optical zoom, up from 4x on the Pixel 6 Pro, but we are interested in a bigger jump for the next model, increasing it to 10x in line with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Despite this, we still want a shorter distance zoom of ideally 2x or 3x to be offered as well, but there are two distinctly different zoom distances available. The Google Pixel 7 Pro is already one of the best camera phones, but the Pixel 8 Pro might be even better with this update.