Google Pixel 8: What we want to see

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are probably still a long way off Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro only launched in October 2022, but we’re already thinking about and even hearing about the next models.

Below, you’ll find everything we’ve heard so far, along with our expert predictions, covering possible release date, price and specs.

Then below we’ve included a wish list of what we want from the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, because while the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the best phones ever created by Google, they are not perfect.

The standard Pixel 7 in particular has room for improvement, but even the Pixel 7 Pro has some flaws, so our wish list includes the main improvements we want from the next models.

Go to business

• What is this? The next flagship phone from Google
• When will it come out? Probably October 2023
• How much will it cost? Probably at least $599 / £599 / AU$999

Google Pixel 8 Release Date and Price

There’s no word yet on when the Google Pixel 8 might launch, but it’s easy to guess since flagship phones almost always land in October of their release year.

In fact, all Pixel models except the A-line model were announced in October Pixel 5which was submitted on September 30, 2020 (so almost October) and was only shipped in October.

More specifics are harder to come by since the October dates varied, but it’s likely that the Pixel 8 will be unveiled in early to mid-October 2023, and then ship in mid-to-late October, probably about a week after that. announcement

We’re not sure how much the Pixel 8 will cost, but the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were priced exactly the same as their predecessors, so maybe Google will stick with that price for another year.

In this case, the Pixel 8 will start at $599 / £599 / AU$999, while the Pixel 8 Pro will start at $899 / £849 / AU$1,299. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google pushed the price up a bit, especially with current models undercutting key competition such as iPhone 14 line.

Google Pixel 8 news and leaks

We haven’t heard much about the Google Pixel 8 yet, but a few leaks have surfaced. On the one hand, there is reports that Tensor 3 the chipset we expect to power the phone is already in development and that it will again be made by Samsung. However, there’s no word yet on how much more powerful it will be than the Pixel 7’s Tensor G2.

We know that too satellite communications will likely be offered from the Pixel 8, what the iPhone 14 is capable of. Hiroshi Lockheimer (Senior Vice President of Android) said that support for this will come with Android 14; so it’s likely that the Pixel 8 will be the first Google phone to offer this.

Finally, there is evidence of a mystery Pixel phone in the works, which, based on leaked specs, could be the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro. 9to5Google (opens in a new tab) found this evidence in the public Android Open Source Project code, and it points to a phone with a 1440 x 3120 120Hz screen, a Tensor chipset, and dimensions of 155 x 71mm.

Those screen specs are in line with the current Pro models, but the dimensions are larger than we’d expect from the standard Pixel 8, so it could mean that a resolution and refresh rate upgrade is planned for the standard model.

What we want to see

Below, we’ve listed the five things we’re most excited to see in the Pixel 8 lineup.

1. 120Hz screen for both models

The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz screen, as you’d expect from a flagship phone, but the standard Pixel 7 doesn’t have a screen — it’s stuck at 90Hz.

Given that even some of the best cheap phones currently have 120Hz screens, which seems somewhat unacceptable, so we really hope that Google offers a 120Hz screen on both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

2. More power

The Pixel 7 line uses Google’s Tensor G2 chipset, and it’s a chipset that has a lot going for it.

Designed specifically for these phones, it excels in areas like machine learning and artificial intelligence, but when it comes to raw power, the Tensor G2 falls a bit short, underperforming major rivals like the Snapdragon 8 Plus in most tests Gen 1 and Apple A16 Bionic. In fact, it performs much worse.

So we’d like to see a focus on the power of the Tensor G3 (or whatever the next model will eventually be called) to make the Pixel 8 lineup more competitive on that front. However, we don’t want this to come at the expense of things that Tensor chipsets are currently good at.

3. Longer battery life and faster charging

Based on our tests, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro should comfortably survive a day of fairly heavy use, but in most cases they won’t make it through a second day or even half of a second day.

As such, their longevity is respectable but far from exceptional, and they both also charge quite slowly, so we’d like to see improvements in battery life and charging speeds for the Pixel 8 line.

4. Long-term support

Google has promised three years of Android updates and five years of security patches for the Pixel 7 line, which beats some Android phones but doesn’t come close to the number of years of support Apple typically offers with its iPhones.

Since Google makes Android and uses a special chipset designed specifically for phones, there shouldn’t be any reason why it can’t support its phones for longer, so we’d like to see extended support with the Pixel 8.

5. 10x optical zoom on the Pro

The Google Pixel 7 Pro offers 5x optical zoom, up from 4x Pixel 6 Probut we would like to see a bigger jump for the next model, bringing it up to 10 times according to Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

However, we still want to offer a shorter zoom distance – ideally 2x or 3x – so there are two different zoom distances. The Google Pixel 7 Pro is already one of the best camera phonesbut with this update, the Pixel 8 Pro could be even better.