release date, price… everything we know about Android iPhones

The Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are expected to come out of the woods in October 2023 like their predecessors. In the meantime, the rumors make it possible to form a fairly precise idea of ​​the smartphones of the Mountain View firm. Design, photo modules, price… we take stock of everything we know about them.

Each year, the Google Pixels struggle to set the bar both very high in terms of photo quality and relatively low on the price side for a smartphone of this quality. A fine balance that allows Google to position itself as one of the market references without multiplying sales. Based on rumors and articles published by our brothers and sisters, let’s take a look at what these Pixel 8s have in store for us.

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Design and screen

Since 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 have refined this look, and it seems that Google does not want to change it on the Pixel 8 either.

Visuals shared by OnLeaks, a leaker whose reliability is no longer to be proven, allow us to form a first idea of ​​what the Pixel 8 will look like. For the Pro, three main changes should be noted:

• The screen would be flat and no longer curved, which would avoid phantom supports;
• The contours of the screen would be rounded, but we would keep a 6.7-inch panel;
• On the back, at the level of the photo block, we see that we would pass over a single bubble to house the three cameras, where the Pixel 7 Pro integrated two bubbles. An aesthetic change above all.

The Google Pixel 8 meanwhile would almost entirely take up the design of the Pixel 7, still according to OnLeaks, but slightly more rounded on the edges. Enough to hope for a slightly more pleasant grip. It would also cause the corners around the screen to round out somewhat, but the phone would drop to a slightly smaller 6.17 inches.

Moreover, according to Android Authoritythe Pixel 8 would switch to a 120 Hz screen. In addition, the two models would offer a lower refresh rate, down to 10 Hz for the Pixel 8 and 5 Hz for the Pixel 8 Pro.

The picture

The Pixel 6 and 7 are already among the stars of smartphone photography, in particular thanks to very qualitative algorithmic processing. According to a rumor that dates back to December 2022 (meaning that water may have flowed under the bridge since then), Google would change the way its HDR process works and switch to HDR+. Clearly, rather than having three separate exposures, we would go over five short exposures before the shutter releases, supplemented by a long exposure afterwards.

Also note the arrival of a feature that could be exclusive to Pixels. The famous Photo unblur, which allows you to blur a photo, could now be applied to videos according to 9to5Google. In addition, Google would introduce a feature called Audio Magic Eraser, capable of removing extraneous sounds from a video.

Also, the main sensor of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro would change from Isocell GN1 to Isocell GN2. The main benefit would be a larger size, which would make it able to capture up to 35% more light and increase shutter speed.

Performance and autonomy

On the performance side, the Pixel 8 would unsurprisingly be equipped with a Tensor 3. This “homemade” SoC would actually be, according to SamMobile, a reviewed and corrected Samsung Exynos 2300. It would offer a very high performance Cortex-X3 core (3.09 GHz), four high performance ARM Cortex-A715 cores (2.65 GHz) and four high efficiency ARM Cortex-A510 cores (2.10 GHz).

The Google Tensor G3 would seem like a real major update. It would be the first phone capable of encoding in AV1. It would also mark the transition to UFS 4.0, a performance gain of 50% compared to the UFS 3.1 standard. Android Authority also signals the probable arrival of a new DSP.

For autonomy, the battery capacity would increase from 4270 mAh to 4485 mAh on the Pixel 8, which represents an increase of 5%. The Pixel 8 Pro would increase to 4950 mAh, an increase of 24 mAh by nothing. The load would evolve just as modestly: 24 W on the Pixel 8 and 27 W on the Pixel 8 Pro.

Price and availability

Google Pixels are usually presented in October. We can therefore expect the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro around October 2023.

The question of price remains unresolved. Last year, when all brands tended to increase their prices on the basis of inflation, Google surprised its world by maintaining the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at 650 and 900 euros, thus maintaining an aggressive price. Will it be the same on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro?

A first leak gives us an idea. In the United States, according to the leaker Yogeh Brar, the Pixel 8 is reportedly trading at $650, up $50. To be seen if this will affect the European price.

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