Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro rumours: What’s the story so far?

(Pocket-lint) – Google’s next flagship smartphones aren’t expected for a little while yet, though there have already been a number of rumours speculating about what they might offer when they arrive. 

We are rounding up what we want to see from the successors to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, along with what any rumours are suggesting. The devices are claimed to be codenamed Shiba (Pixel 8) and Huskey (Pixel 8 Pro). Here is everything we have heard so far.

Pixel 8 release date and price

• October 2023

Google will likely announce the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in October 2023. Of course, nothing is official yet – nor will it be for a while – but October has been Google’s month of choice for multiple years on the bounce.

Once the devices have been revealed, we would expect them to go on sale a couple of weeks later so likely before the end of October 2023.

The Pixel 7 starts at £599 in the UK, $599 in the US and €649 in Europe, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at £849 in the UK, $899 in the US and €899 in Europe, which was the same as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It’s not yet clear if we can expect the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to fall within the same ballpark, though we would expect them not to be too far off.

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Design

• Pixel 8: More compact
• Pixel 8 Pro: Curved display

There haven’t been many rumours surrounding the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro designs as yet, though it has been claimed they may not stray too far from the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Google teased the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro designs at its I/O developer conference in the middle of 2022 so it’s possible the company will do similar for the 2023 handsets and get ahead of any major leaks.

A rumour has claimed the Pixel 8 will be smaller and offer a more compact form factor than the Pixel 7, though for now, nothing is confirmed and there are currently no leaked renders of the devices.

If the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, the camera housing that spans the width of the rear of the devices will likely remain, along with an under-display fingerprint sensor and a centralised punch hole camera. The Pixel 8 will also likely retain a flat display, while the 8 Pro will likely have a curved screen.

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are both IP68 water and dust resistant so it is expected that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro would also be.

Display 

• Pixel 8: 6.3-inches, Full HD+, 90Hz?
• Pixel 8 Pro: 6.7-inch, Quad HD+, 10-120Hz?

There haven’t been any reports surrounding the displays of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro as yet, other than a rumour detailing the resolutions the devices might offer. It’s said the Pixel 8 will have a 2268 x 1080 display, while the Pixel 8 Pro will move to a 2822 x 1344 display. This sounds a little odd though, especially in the case of the Pixel 8 Pro so we’d take that with a pinch of salt for now.

The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch display with a 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution. The Pixel 7 has a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 7 Pro has an adaptable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. 

It’s not yet clear whether the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will stick to the same screen specifications as the 7 and 7 Pro respectively, but we would expect the same or improved so we think the rumour surrounding the 8 Pro’s display resolution is unlikely.

Hardware and specs

• Google Tensor G3
• Pixel 8: 8GB RAM, up to 256GB storage
• Pixel 8 Pro: 12GB RAM, up to 512GB storage

The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro both run on the Google Tensor G2 chip, and rumour has it the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will feature the next generation of this chip, codenamed Zuma. 

With the Pixel 7 offering 8GB of RAM and the 7 Pro offering 12GB RAM, we’d expect the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro to offer similar. We’d also expect the Pixel 8 to come in storage options up to at least 256GB, and the Pixel 8 Pro in options up to 512GB, and we don’t expect to see microSD support on any of them.

There are currently no rumours on battery capacities, though the Pixel 7 has a 4355mAh capacity and offers 20W fast charging, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5000mAh battery and up to 23W fast charging. Like the displays, we don’t expect the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro to be worse.

Camera

• Pixel 8: Dual rear
• Pixel 8 Pro: Triple rear

So far, there haven’t been any specific rumours relating to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s camera specifications though as the Pixel devices have always had a focus on great camera quality, we don’t see this changing for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

A report shows some indication that the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro could support staggered HDR, which would suggest a new sensor, but nothing is confirmed as yet.

Currently, the Pixel 7 has a dual rear camera with a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The Pixel 7 Pro meanwhile has the same setup, along with a 48-megapixel telelphoto camera.

It’s expected that the 8 Pro will continue to be more capable in terms of camera than the Pixel 8 though details have yet to leak on what that will look like spec-wise.

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro rumours: What’s happened so far?

Here’s what the rumours have suggested so far for the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

23 December 2022: Leaked roadmap reveals plans for Google Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8 and beyond

A report published by Android Authority claims the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will arrive later in 2023 and not feature any significant changes over the current Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. It’s said the Pixel 8 will be smaller than the Pixel 7, delivering a more compact form factor though.

The two phones are also claimed to feature an updated Google Tensor processorcalled Tensor G3.

21 December 2022: Leak points to a new camera module on the Google Pixel 8

A leak suggests the 2023 Pixel phones will gain staggered HDR support, something that’s not possible with the main sensor on the Pixel 6 and 7 series

9 November 2022: The Pixel 8 leaks have begun including codenames and specs

A WinFuture report claimed the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are codenamed Shiba and Huskey respectively.

It’s also said they will run Android 14, a chip called Zuma and the Pixel 8 will get a 2268 x 1080 display, while the Pixel 8 Pro will move to a 2822 x 1344 display.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.