Published by Google Store Promotion page The Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 were announced ahead of their October 4 launch, and the designs for both devices were confirmed. Google accidentally leaked Lots of 3D rendering The other day, Google officially announced that the problem had been resolved.
We saw live photos of the Pixel 8 Pro back in May, so there’s not much to add about the device’s design. Still, the video confirms what happens next month. The biggest change is the switch to a flat screen instead of the distorted, curved display that flagship Android smartphones come with. There’s also a temperature sensor on the back, which may be of questionable use, and was demonstrated in May to be useful for taking body temperature by holding the phone directly to the forehead. The sides remain glossy and mirror-finished even in the Pro version.
You can also get shots of the cheaper Pixel 8. This still has a satin finish rather than a mirror polish, confirming that it’s his only two cameras. I haven’t gotten the temperature sensor either.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s camera arrangement is a little different. All major lenses (main lens, wide-angle lens, and rectangular periscope zoom lens) now fit inside one large cutout. The camera sensor was also slightly replaced. The two matching circles between the first and second camera lenses are the laser autofocus system, and the Pixel 8 Pro also appears to have a microphone here. The small square chip is a color sensor, currently located on the right side of the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera array. And of course, there’s a big white temperature sensor below the LED flash.
Another big improvement we know will come to the Pixel 8 is Google’s new “Tensor G3” chip. Unlike the move from Tensor 1 to 2, Google is upgrading its Arm cores this year and rumors suggest that Google will X3 core Acting as the main CPU, it will be on par with other 2023 flagship chips.
Google’s teaser page includes one photo of the Pixel Watch 2, which will also be announced on October 4th. The design looks identical to the original watch, so there really isn’t much to look at. On the plus side, it means that the watch band from your old watch will work on your new watch as well. This is great since the metal option only came out in June, eight months after the watch’s release. Pixel Watch 2 arrives with a more complete band selection. The downside is that it doesn’t fix the Pixel Watch’s biggest complaints: its small screen and giant bezels. You can increase the contrast of Google images to display the same screen size as older versions.
This device also has a significantly upgraded CPU. The Pixel Watch 1 is powered by a 4-year-old Samsung chip, while the Pixel Watch 2 will be powered by his Snapdragon W5 SoC, which is his 15-month-old Qualcomm chip. This would certainly be an improvement for Google, but top-of-the-line hardware typically uses this year’s chips.
update: There’s also a video now.
We are confident that more breaches will occur between now and October 4th. The big questions that remain unanswered are price and why we need temperature sensors in our phones.