Design-wise, there wasn’t a great deal of difference between Google's Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 smartphones. Now new case renders for the upcoming Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro from MySmartPrice suggest that this is going to be the case for the third generation running.
Both clear case designs show a large area molded to fit the handset’s distinctive camera bar, with the key differences being how wide the lens cutouts are on each.
The Pixel 8 case shows a pill-shaped hole on the back that looks like it’ll be enough for two lenses to peek through. With the Pixel 7, that was a 50MP, f/1.85 main lens, backed up by a 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide sensor. Whether the specs change in any way, it doesn’t look like Google is planning to add a third camera to the mix.
While MySmartPrice doesn’t share dimensions, we’ve heard that the regular Pixel 8 will actually be a little smaller than its predecessor. It’s rumored to be dropping from having a 6.32-inch display on the Pixel 7 to a 6.16-inch panel on the Pixel 8. Not a huge difference, but noticeable — and certainly enough to ensure that existing Pixel 7 cases won’t even come close to fitting.
The Pixel 8 Pro case, meanwhile, has a wider pill-shaped cutout to comfortably accommodate a third lens. While the Pixel 7 Pro had its third 48MP, f/3.5, 5x telephoto lens sitting away from the other two in a circular cutout, early renders suggest it will be included in a wider pill array this time around.
The other interesting thing to note from this case is the cutout to the right of the pill. It’s larger than you would need for just a flash, which was in that position on the Pixel 7 Pro, suggesting that rumors of an additional mystery sensor are also on the mark. Whether this will be for macro, depth or something else entirely is still up in the air.
It’s unsurprising that Google would want to keep the same camera bar, which has become a calling card for Pixel phones. Though not for everyone, it’s certainly distinctive — and in a world of look-alike black rectangles, the familiar visor genuinely makes recent Pixels stand out.
The real test will be how the Pixel 8 performs, of course, and last month we got an early look at the chip that might power the phone. If this is indeed the Tensor G3, it will pack a Cortex-X3 at 3.09GHz, four Cortex-A715 cores at 2.65GHz, four more Cortex-A1510s at 2.1GHz and an Xclipse 930 GPU at 1.4GHz.
Those specs would likely put it a little behind its Qualcomm Snapdragon and Apple A-series rivals as with previous generations, but it could still be a solid step forwards for the series as a whole.
While the Pixel 8 series isn’t expected until the fall, we may get an early look at it as early as next month. Google I/O 2023 starts on May 10, and the developer conference has previously seen early glimpses of upcoming hardware — including the Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch last year.
