While it’s still far from reality, Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is undoubtedly one of the most-anticipated smartphones among Android enthusiasts, building on the foundation and legacy that Google kickstarted with the early Nexus and Pixel handsets. And while we’re months away from any sort of official announcement or teaser from Google, that hasn’t stopped the internet from finding out what it can about the next Pixel flagship.
With that in mind, there’s still a ton of hardware and software features that we don’t know about, but here are some tidbits that we’ve seen so far – let’s take a look!
A Somewhat Familiar Design
It’s not surprising that Google chose to maintain the general Pixel hardware design that we’ve seen since the arrival of the Pixel 6 series, which was further refined with the Pixel 7 handsets. Early renders from OnLeaks show that the Pixel 8 Pro will come with many of the visual elements seen on the Pixel 7 series, albeit with some slight changes.
For one, the phone will come with a flat display, a big change from the curved screens seen on the Pixel 6 Pro and 7 Pro. The corners of the phone are a bit more rounded this time, at least according to the renders spotted online. Finally, the camera window on the rear panel merges all three lenses into one large opening, as opposed to the separate camera openings on the older Pro models.
A New Hardware Feature
One of the more interesting features that have been leaked about the Pixel 8 Pro is the inclusion of supposed thermal scanning hardware. Initially spotted by tech site 91mobiles, a now-deleted YouTube video shows a demo of a Pixel 8 Pro being used as a thermometer on a user’s forehead, something that’s not usually seen on smartphones.
The thermal scanning function supposedly works by holding the device close to one’s forehead, and moving it gently across to the temple to take a reading. Based on the video, the thermometer is placed in the Pixel 8’s camera bar, next to the lenses and LED flash. Granted, this is the only mention of the feature since, although given Google’s track record for bringing over unconventional hardware features (and subsequently killing them off) like Soli sensors, squeeze-for-assistant and other hardware functions, it wouldn’t be exactly far-fetched to see something like this from the company.
Slightly Better Batteries
Another speculation with regards to the Pixel 8 Pro’s hardware is the inclusion of slight improvements in terms of battery. New leaks online predict that the Pixel 8 Pro will come with a small bump in charging speeds, going up from 23W to 27W. Should this be true, it is still admittedly slower compared to most other Android phones on the market, which come with much faster 45 and 66W fast-charging support.
Additionally, there’s word that Google might increase the battery ever so slightly, going from 4,926 mAh (as seen on the Pixel 7 Pro) to 4,950 mAh. As with the charging speeds, it’s a very small upgrade, that is of course should it be confirmed once the device launches.
Hands-on Photos
Perhaps the most intriguing of all the Pixel 8 Pro leaks we’ve seen so far are the on-hand images posted online. Originally sourced from Reddit, the photos show the front and back of the Pixel 8 Pro, the latter of which features several labels indicating that the handset in the images is a test unit. The screen meanwhile displays a boot screen with some specs listed for good measure, although it doesn’t appear that the device is usable.
On the other hand, these new images seem to confirm the earlier design renders that were leaked, especially with the rear camera window. Another aspect of the phone’s design is the matte rear panel, which would be a nice change from the glossy back glass that was previously used on the Pixel 6 and 7 Pro models.
With all that being said though, all of these are unconfirmed at the moment, and Google might have yet to surprise us with some unexpected twists once it finally launches the Pixel 8 series phones later this year. Nevertheless, Google Pixel fans have a lot to look forward to in the meantime.
