For another year, Google’s next-gen phones were released in the wild months before their big reveal at a fanciful event. Just a day ago, the Pixel 8 Pro was unofficially leaked, and now, the standard Pixel 8 is also receiving the same treatment. OnLeaks and MySmartPrice shared a reported render and 360-degree video that depicts the upcoming Google phone from all angles.
The design changes are subtle yet easy on the eyes. Just like the Pixel 8 Pro, the corners are rounded again in the Pixel 8. The frame is metal, and there’s a horizontal camera strip on the back with a metallic sheen on top. Like the Pixel 7, we get two cameras on the Pixel 8, which sit in a bean-shaped notch.
Another small aesthetic tweak is the earpiece grille at the top, which is now more prominent than what we saw on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. If the current generation of Pixels is any indication, the Pixel 8 will offer an excellent in-hand feel. Speaking of inside feel, it looks like Google is once again serving the small phone loyalists.
See, it’s a tiny pixel!
According to the latest leak, Pixel 8 measures 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm. For comparison, Pixel 7 comes in at 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm. Google’s designers managed to shave 5mm off the height and make the phone about 2.4mm narrower.
This may not sound like much, but it does create some difference when you’re actually holding the phone in your hands. Plus, those rounded corners and curved sides will make it comfortable in the palm of your hand as well as in your pockets. Here’s a scaled-down comparison of the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 to highlight the size difference:
I’m definitely excited to see that Google believes in the cause of small phones. I’m also encouraged that the company’s engineering team has found some advantages to dealing with the form factor. Small phones are a double-edged sword, and so far, Google’s Pixels haven’t quite managed to strike a balance between raw performance and battery efficiency.
The Pixel 6 was a battery nightmare in the early days after its launch, and the Pixel 7 suffered from similar problems. It took a healthy few months of improvements via software updates to fix the pesky issues.
With the phone’s dimensions shrinking even further, there’s a chance that raw battery capacity will condense even more on the Pixel 8. Another issue is heat management. With the space under the hood shrinking, the chances of installing efficient thermal management devices such as a heat sink becomes a challenge.
As a result, phones tend to heat up under stress, even while charging. For all that it’s worth, I’m really excited about the Pixel 8 coming out as a compact phone, but I’m very hopeful that the battery and heating concerns will be addressed.
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