Whether it’s a stunt to divert attention to itself, or simply an accident, Google has yet again leaked its Pixel 8 Pro. This latest leak gives us our best look at the upcoming flagship phone that’s desperately trying to attract attention in the wake of Apple’s impending iPhone 15 event next week.
The last leak was just a simple photo of the Google Pixel 8 Pro complete with an alt-text description, but this latest whoopsie-daisy is a 360-degree preview that not only shows all the Pixel 8 Pro colors we expect to see at the upcoming Made by Google event in October, but it also details some key features.
Google’s 360-degree simulator is currently offline, but it was working earlier when keen-eyed users on X (formerly Twitter) spotted it showing every nook and cranny of the Pixel 8 Pro. It seemingly confirms its colors: Licorice, Porcelain, and Sky, which are essentially the black, white, and blue options that were previously rumored.
gone now but got a screen recording! enjoy pic.twitter.com/P3BzeRFzwSSeptember 6, 2023
The simulator also showed off various features of the phone, including the SIM tray that was leaked just a few days ago — indicating that it won’t be an entire eSIM affair after all. Yellow colored pinpoints in the 360-degree simulator also highlighted some of its features, with its camera arrangement and temperature being the two most notable things.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t detail the camera’s specs aside from the fact that it has a wide lens, ultrawide, and a 5x telephoto. The rumors hint that we’ll be getting an updated 50-megapixel camera with the ability to potentially record 8K video, which could come courtesy of Google’s own Tensor G3 processor. Considering how the simulator notes that it’s a 5x telephoto camera we’re getting with the Pixel 8 Pro, it’s debatable if it’s enough optical zoom to keep up with the competition.
Another debatable design choice that critics might question is how Google is reverting back to a single piece of glass to cover the entire camera arrangement on the back of the phone. In the current Pixel 7 Pro, there’s one piece of glass covering its main and ultrawide cameras, but the telephoto has its own separate glass cover. By choosing to go back to a single piece to cover all three, it could be more susceptible to impact damage.
Beyond that, the only pressing question left unanswered is its price. Google has been undercutting its competition by aggressively pricing its Pixel phones for much less than the comparable options, but this time we could see their pricing increased. Considering that none of its Pixel smartphones managed to crack the top 10 list of most shipped smartphones for the first half of 2023, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max claiming the top spot, it wouldn’t be a good idea to increase the price of its upcoming phones.
Regardless, we’ll learn soon enough about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at Google’s upcoming event in New York City on October 4.
More from Tom's Guide
