Google Pixel, one of the most well-known smartphone manufacturers in the world, has always made the balance between price and quality its main strength. Every year, Pixel devices try to reach a high level in terms of photo quality and performance, while maintaining a relatively low price compared to other high-end smartphones. Thanks to this approach, Google has positioned itself as one of the market references without trying to multiply sales.
With the arrival of the Pixel 8, what can we expect in terms of design, performance and photographic features?
Design and screen
With the Pixel 6, Google has taken a step forward in terms of design, abandoning the minimalism of the first Pixels for a much more visible and assumed look. The Pixel 7 has perfected this, and it looks like Google plans to keep it for the Pixel 8 as well.
The images shared by leaker OnLeaks give us an idea of what the new device will look like. For the Pro model, three main changes are worth noting: the screen would be flat and no longer curved, the edges would be rounded and on the back there would be a single bubble to house the three cameras, instead of two as on the Pixel 7 Pro The Pixel 8 would almost entirely reprise the design of its predecessor, but with slightly more rounded edges and softer corners around the screen. The dimensions of the device would be strictly the same as the Pixel 7.
Photo
The Pixel 6 and 7 are already considered among the best smartphones for photography thanks to their high-quality algorithmic processing. According to a rumor dating back to December 2022, Google will change the way the HDR process works and switch to HDR+. This means that instead of three separate exposures, there would be five short exposures supplemented by a long exposure to create brighter, more detailed images. Furthermore, it seems that Pixel 8 could offer a new exclusive feature: the Photo unblur, which allows you to remove blur from photos, could now be applied to videos.
Performance and autonomy
The Pixel 8 would be equipped with a Tensor 3, a “homemade” SoC that would actually be a revised and corrected Samsung Exynos 2300. It would offer one ultra high performance Cortex-X3 core (3.09GHz), four high performance ARM Cortex-A715 cores (2.65GHz) and four high efficiency ARM Cortex-A510 cores (2.10GHz). There is no official information on battery life yet.
Price and availability
Finally, regarding the price and availability, it is reasonable to expect that the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will be presented in October 2023, as usual. However, the price issue still remains a mystery. In 2022, Google kept the price of its Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices at €650 and €900 respectively, despite other brands raising the prices due to inflation. Will it be the same for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro too? For now, we still have to wait for more information from Google.