Google revealed its new hardware products at the company’s big annual Made By Google event hosted at Pier 57 in New York City. We knew a lot about them already but now we know it all. Here’s everything you need to know, from the innovation highlights to the release date and the price. Spoiler alerts: the pricing is a sting in the tail and the announced software updates are among the biggest and most important surprises.
Google Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro
Although there were other products revealed, these, and the new Android 14 software which will be on board, were the big announcements. The Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch display, slightly smaller than the one on the Pixel 7, which was 6.3 inches. The 8 Pro screen is 6.7 inches, the same as last year.
Colors this year are as remarkably named as ever: Pixel 8 in hazel, rose and obsidian, Pixel 8 Pro decked out in bay (a great-looking blue finish), porcelain and obsidian.
Designs are gently updated versions of the 7 and 7 Pro, with a glossy back on Pixel 8, like last year’s phones, but with matte-finish glass on the new 8 Pro.
The displays have been improved in some, though not all respects. Even if the Pixel 8 is that bit smaller, it now offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and includes adaptive refresh rates. The Pro display is very high resolution, 489 pixels per inch, though, even so, this is slightly lower than on the Pixel 7 Pro. And while the Pixel 8 can go from 60Hz to 120Hz refresh rates, the 8 Pro goes from 1Hz to 120Hz.
Google Tensor G3
This is the new own-brand processor, promising lots of AI in its capabilities. A big update here means the machine learning model is ten times more complex—though that’s a comparison to the Pixel 6 from two years ago. One of the benefits is improved capability in sniffing out spam calls. And the calls you do take should sound better with AI offering better clarity in calls.
Cameras
Always a big part of a new phone, the cameras are unsurprisingly a focus for Google in Wednesday’s announcements. The Pixel 8 adds Macro Focus and uses Best Take to combine multiple pictures of groups to edit out those inevitable blinking faces. The main camera has 50MP resolution, the ultrawide is 12MP.
But the bigger changes are saved for the Pro which includes a 5x telephoto lens. In total, the Pixel 8 Pro boasts a new 50MP main lens, a 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto.
Seven Years Of Software Updates
How long can you get the latest software on your Android? It’s varied from manufacturer to manufacturer but Google is suddenly upping its game now. Google says that with the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, in other words, not on earlier models, you’ll receive the latest OS and security updates for seven years, and Feature Drops every few months.
This is pretty impressive.
Temperature Sensor
A first for the Pixel series, the 8 Pro has a temperature sensor on it so you can scan a cup of coffee to see how hot it is. This sounds like it’s going to start off as a novelty, but developers may come up with cool and useful functions for this.
Price And Availability
Prices have gone up this year. The Pixel 8 starts at $699, compared to $599 for the Pixel 7. In the U.K., the price has gone up from £599 to £699.
And there’s a bigger leap in some territories for the Pro. The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999, $100 more than the $899 price sticker on the Pixel 7 Pro. In the U.K., the £849 Pixel 7 Pro is replaced by the £999 Pixel 8 Pro, that’s £150 more.
Pre-orders start today and go on sale in just a matter of days, reaching stores on Wednesday, October 11.
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