Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Google Pixel 8 Pro, the larger version of the Google Pixel 8, is slated to be the search engine giant’s big flagship phone for 2023.

The Pixel 8 Pro, which is anticipated to be on sale in early October, is expected to be an improvement over the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro. To learn more about those devices, see our reviews of the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro. Google will likely continue to emphasize the somewhat blocky design of the most recent Pixel phones and their distinctive rear camera bars. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it makes the phones stand out among the top Android phones.

What else do we know about it, and what gaps in our understanding still need to be filled? For everything we currently know about the Google Pixel 8 Pro, keep reading.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO: RUMORED RELEASE DATE AND PRICE

We know the phone is coming since Google has already teased the Pixel 8 Pro on YouTube. In addition, the search giant is hosting a Made By Google event on October 4, so we would wager a sizeable sum that we will learn all there is to know about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro then.

Preorders for the phones are probably going to come after, possibly that day. Following the lead of the Pixel 7 Pro, we would anticipate the phones to be launched one week after their announcement, which would put the Pro’s release date at October 11.

The price, though, hasn’t been the subject of many rumors. The ones we have observed, however, indicate that the Pixel 8 Pro will initially cost €1,235.72 for the 128GB model in Europe; due to taxes, Euro pricing doesn’t convert very well into US or UK costs. However, the Pixel 7 Pro’s launch price of $899 / £849 / AU$1,299 is expected to be maintained by the Pixel 8 as well.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO: DESIGN AND DISPLAY

The Pixel 8 Pro will resemble the Pixel 7 Pro a lot, according to Google’s teaser video. It appears to employ the same rear camera bar and to be the same size overall. The rear camera bar has a bright metal finish that contrasts with the phone’s glass back.

However, the Pixel 8 Pro appears to have its trio of cameras in a single pill-shaped cutout rather than a pill-and-cutout arrangement. A flash and an unknown type of sensor are visible to the right of the cameras, although it’s unclear what the sensor will be used for.

However, we can make assumptions, so we will. In order to power augmented reality features and provide superior depth of field when taking portrait photographs, it might be utilized for some kind of LiDAR or additional depth sensing. Or maybe it could detect ambient light more accurately to support low-light and night photography settings. Alternatively, it might be a temperature sensor for use with health-related apps. On this, the verdict is still out.

When the phone is not exhibiting fast-moving material, such as when the always-on display mode is providing basic static information, the refresh rate can be scaled back to the single digits on the display, which appears to be 6.7 inches and will employ an LTPO OLED panel.

Although the Pixel 7 Pro has a fantastic display, we wouldn’t object if Google adjusted the contrast, colors, and brightness by roughly 1,600 nits to create an even more punchy display that you wouldn’t mind using to watch shows and movies while traveling.

Another Google leak, meanwhile, provided a number of more data about the Pixel 8 Pro, including the possibility of Sky (blue), Porcelain (white), and Licorice (black) color variants.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO CAMERAS

One of the main selling points of Pixel phones is their excellent cameras, and so far, the rumors point to some significant enhancements on the Pixel 8 Pro.

The Pixel 8 Pro might employ a new sensor that lets in more light than ever before, yet likely maintaining the 50MP main camera specifications of its predecessor. That ought to result in better images overall, ideally with sharper details, and better low-light shots. The Pixel 8 Pro’s Tensor 3 processor is also expected to enable the main camera to record 8K video (more on that later). This would be a first for the Pixel phones and would put it on level with the potent Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Pixel 7a’s ultrawide camera is anticipated to replace the 12MP camera with a 64MP sensor. We anticipate that this will result in clearer macro photography and more detailed wide-angle pictures. The 48MP camera on the telephoto end appears to be staying. However, it wouldn’t surprise us if it received some software upgrades to give better color and detail while also enhancing stabilized zooming.

A more advanced selfie camera is unknown. Therefore, anticipate the front-facing camera to remain at 10.8 megapixels; software updates are likely to increase image quality.

A new Video Unblur function ought to join the Photo Unblur mode seen in the previous two generations of Pixel phones. As the name would imply, this might use the strength of AI-centric smart image processing to clean up blurry images in fast-moving videos.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO RUMORED SPECS

The Google Pixel 8 Pro will likely contain the Tensor 3 processor. Although it hasn’t been formally revealed, all signs point to this piece of silicon succeeding the Tensor 2 processor, which offered a respectable performance improvement over its predecessor.

Clock rates and core counts are not the focus of Tensor chips, though. Instead, they are built on AI-based processing pipelines that allow for quick machine learning operations. This results in a more responsive Google Assistant and quicker processing of numerous tasks, such as text and speech translation and image blurring.

There has been no news on RAM, but we anticipate it to remain at the Pixel 7 Pro’s 12GB, which is now more than plenty for smartphones. The same applies to storage, which we anticipate will begin at 128GB. Given that the Galaxy flagships and the iPhone 15 Pro Max now start at 256GB, some people may think that Google was being a little too kind. Although one could argue that having a lot of internal storage isn’t necessary for Pixel phones given Google’s strong cloud storage.

Expect a similar-sized battery as well, one that is probably 5,000mAh. When wired, charging will likely continue to use 30W and Qi-certified wireless charging. However, we anticipate that better processor performance and more intelligent machine learning-powered battery optimization will result in some battery life benefits.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO OUTLOOK

Going by what we’ve heard and seen so far, the Google Pixel 8 Pro looks set to be a small-ish upgrade on the Pixel 7 Pro.

While its rumored hardware specs may not blow us away, we’d be reasonably confident in Google bringing new AI capabilities to the Pixel phones, powered by the Tensor 3 chip.

Whether this will be enough to place the Pixel 8 Pro in contention for a high spot on our best phones list remains to be seen. But with October 4 not far away, we’d hope to find out how the Pixel 8 Pro shapes up rather soon.