This story was updated on September 1st. Update below.
A surprise new image of Google’s Pixel 8 Pro just landed. It didn’t come from a faceless X account, one of the professional leakers, or even a previously unknown blog. This time Google decided to pull the trigger itself.
The company appears to have accidentally published an image of the phone on a “subscriptions and services” page, which was spotted by X/Twitter user Android Setting (via Mishaal Rahman and The Verge). The image shows a typical lifestyle shot of a Pixel-looking phone. But this handset has a slightly different design to the Pixel 7 Pro. The camera lens appears to be one long oval shape, which tallies up with recent Pixel 8 leaks. There is also a new beige color.
Rahman points out that the alt text description of the image reads “a person takes a call on the Pixel 8 Pro in Porcelain,” which confirms that this is indeed the new Google phone. It looks like the Search company acted quickly to take the page down since no one was fast enough to save the page on an internet archive site. But the lifestyle image very much looks like a standard Google lifestyle product shot that it sends out to reporters with media kits when a new device launches, so I’m confident this image is legitimate.
The updated camera design has been leaked before, but the new Porcelain color is fresh information and continues Google’s commitment to autumnal pastel hues. Elsewhere, the Pixel 8 display is expected to feature a higher refresh rate (up to 120Hz) than last year’s model, with the Pixel 8 Pro rumored to have improved brightness of up to 1600 nits.
The Pro model will also get an improved wide and ultra wide sensor, with last year’s telephoto lens (5x optical zoom) expected to make a comeback. A third generation Tensor chip and a battery size increase are also likely additions to the new handsets.
What’s also interesting about the image is that the person holding the Pixel 8 is clearly wearing a Pixel Watch. We can only partially see the wearable, so it’s hard to say if this is the new Pixel Watch 2, but my conspiracy mind tells me it has a slightly slimmer side profile than the current Google smartwatch. It would make sense for Google to include the new timepiece alongside the Pixel 8 in promotional material, since they are likely to launch together in October. We’ll know more in a few weeks.
Google’s new phone can’t come quick enough for some Pixel 7 users, who have been experiencing battery life problems after two updates that were released this summer. It’s not clear if the issues are the result of an efficiency problem in the Tensor chipset or an unexpected quirk from a software update. But an improved processor and Google’s rumored promise of longer software support is good news for Pixel 7 owners struggling with battery life problems.
September 1st update: The rumors that Google will drop the physical sim slot in the Pixel 8 range are looking less likely thanks to a report in 9To5Google. The story claims that Google has no plan to replace the physical sim card slot with an eSIM-only option, as some rumors have suggested in the last couple of months. This is good news and a win for consumers in the war against physical ports. We have already lost too many good connections down the years in the name of aesthetics and saving a bit of manufacturing cost.
Considering that some Apple iPhone 14 models don’t have a physical sim slot, it seems like a matter of time before Google, Samsung and others follow suit. 9to5Google points out that the Search company is working on making it easy in Android to transfer your eSIM between phones, which might lay the groundwork for moving to a full eSIM Google handset in the future. For now, it seems that travellers and people who prefer non-eSIM plans have that option in the Pixel 8 range.
The report also details a new night sight video feature that might be coming to the Pixel 8 Pro. This means low light videography could benefit from a huge improvement in clarity, detail and noise reduction, just as pictures have in previous Pixel phones.
Google’s Tensor chip is designed precisely for this type of AI-based feature, which is what sets the Pixel line apart and the main reason the Pixel 7 takes the best pictures on the market. Extending a major AI camera trick to video would be a big technological leap that will change how people film videos. I’m interested to know what kind of impact that level of post-processing will have on how hot the phone gets and if it’s a feature that can be used for long periods of time. We’ll know more when the Pixel 8 launches next month.
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