We're big Google Pixel fans (Pixelheads?) here at T3, we rank the Pixel 7 Pro as one of the best phones out there so here's hoping the Google Pixel 8 is similarly impressive.
Having already released the Pixel 7a and with the Pixel 7 Fold arriving later this month, it's already been a busy year for Google, but we want more. While the fold is Google's first foldable, it's very much inspired by the Pixel 7 range, it is the Pixel 8 where the next era of Pixel will begin.
We haven't heard too much so far but that's not to say that nothing is out there, expect news to ramp up as we get closer to release so check back here regularly for the latest.
Release date and price
We didn't see anything at Google I/O in May about the Pixel 8 (just the Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a), so don't expect it to come for a few months yet, especially with the Pixel Fold's late June release.
There's no official word but the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 both launched in October of their respective years, so the same schedule seems likely, especially with the Pixel Watch 2 tipped for that month. September is probably a no-go with a certain fruit-based company likely to release the iPhone 15 then. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will likely launch at the same time.
As for the price? Well, Google admirably was one of few to not raise the price of its phones last year with both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, launching at £599 / $599 / AU$999, the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro were both £849 / $899 / AU$1299 at release. Hopefully, this trend will continue and we will see Google's phone undercut the iPhone by a pretty hefty amount.
Interestingly Google offered an impressive discount toward Pixel Fold pre-orders when users traded in their iPhones, so hopefully we could see the same again.
Design
While there is likely not going to be a massive design change for the Pixel 8, there have been a few rumours doing the rounds.
Some early theories suggested the Pixel 8 Pro could have a rear-mounted strip screen but that now seems wide of the mark. One more plausible rumour is that the phone could shrink slightly with a more slimline design. This might be at the cost of screen size, an interesting decision if true. While not for everyone a smaller flagship would definitely make fans of the best small phones happy.
The other design speculation is that the Pixel 8 range will be more curvaceous. Leaked renders suggest that Google will ditch the phone's flat edges and back for round ones. It doesn't sound like much but this could make a good product even more stylish.
Specs
It is a reasonable assumption that the Pixel 8 will utilise a new generation of Google's Tensor chipset, presumably called the Google Tensor G3. In comparison with Snapdragon equivalents, the Tensor G3 seems underwhelming in its performance, but Google's chips aren't about benchmark scores.
In terms of unique features, expect a bunch of Pixel-first Android features with the phone likely to launch alongside Android 14. One tipped feature seems slightly unusual, a temperature sensor on the camera bar.
As for the camera, we love the way Google handles camera software already and there's talk of a serious upgrade with a new 'Staggered HDR' feature. The camera hardware could also be given a tweak with the sensor supposedly getting bigger.
