The Google Pixel 8 could be surprisingly small and quite curvy
This could be the smallest flagship phone of 2023
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Update – March 16: An earlier version of this story reported the display size of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro as 5.8 inches and 6.5-inches rather than 6.2 and 6.7 based on a miscalculation that was subsequently corrected bythe original source of the leak, this story has been updated to reflect that. Original article (with amendments) continues below.
Following on from unofficial renders showing us thepossible design of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, we’ve now seen the same treatment for the standardPixel 8, and the accompanying information suggests this could be an ideal choice for fans of compact flagships.
Reputable leakerOnLeakshas shared these renders – some of which you can see below – withMySmartPrice, and they show a phone that, at first glance, looks a lot like theGoogle Pixel 7. It has a large metal camera visor housing two lenses, a likely glass back (shown in white here), a metal frame, and a screen with a punch-hole camera in it.
So far, so Pixel 7. But look a bit closer and you’ll notice that the corners are far more rounded, giving it a much curvier look than its boxy predecessor. That change is more than just aesthetic, withGoogleshrinking the screen further to 6.2-inches.
That’s down from 6.3 inches on the Pixel 7 and 6.4-inches on the Pixel 6, and makes for a nice and compact phone by modern standards. It’s still larger than 6.1 inches, which is a size theiPhone 14,Samsung Galaxy S23, andSony Xperia 5 IVall come in at, but small enough to be a nice difference from the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s a far cry from the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro which were so similar in size as to be nigh identical.
The actual dimensions of the Google Pixel 8 are apparently 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm, with the thickness rising to 12mm at the camera bar. For reference, the Pixel 7 is 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm, so this unsurprisingly would make the Pixel 8 both shorter and narrower.
With the Google Pixel 8 series probably not landing until October we would, of course, take this information and these images with a pinch of salt, but the source is about as solid as leakers get.
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Bigger changes are seemingly planned for the Pixel 8 Pro
The same source was behind a recent Pixel 8 Pro leak, and the changes there sound similar but more substantial.
This phone is also expected keep the same size as its predecessor but have more rounded corners and flat sides for an overall comfortable design. It’s additionally shown as having four rear cameras (up from three on thePixel 7 Pro), with the new lens theorized to be a macro camera or depth sensor.
So we could see even more differences between the Pro and standard models than in previous years, making the Pixel 8 Pro a more likely inclusion for ourbest smartphonesguide, while the standard Pixel 8 could well see its way into ourbest small phoneslist.
James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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