Pixel 8 specs leak suggests Google might finally prioritize power
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We don’t expect the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to launch before October 2023, and yet we’re already hearing about these phones, with the latest leak revealing their possible code names and some potential specs.
WinFuture (opens in new tab) – through Phone Arena (opens in new tab) – found some “publicly available code sources” that list two new codenames for Google devices. These are “Shiba” and “Husky”, which are broadly similar to the codenames used by the Pixel 7 line; as the Pixel 7 was known as Panther and the Pixel 7 Pro as Cheetah. So big cats instead of dogs, but close enough.
However, that’s not the only evidence that these codenames may be linked to the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, as the code shows that these devices run Android 14 and have a chipset codenamed “Zuma”, which has the same modem. as the Tensor G2, used in the Pixel 7 line.
That rounds things up a bit, but there are also screen details, which almost confirm that we’re looking at smartphones here. Apparently the Shiba has a 1080 x 2268 screen, while the Husky has a 1344 x 2822 screen.
So the Husky has a higher resolution and is therefore likely to be the Pixel 8 Pro, with the Shiba being the standard Pixel 8. Those resolutions are slightly lower than their Pixel 7 siblings, but in the same ballpark, and are the kind of counts you often see on today’s smartphones.
There is also one last spec here and it is the same on both devices. Apparently they both have a hefty 12GB of RAM – although it’s of course possible that there are other configurations as well.
We’d take all of this with a grain of salt, and even if these devices are real, it’s possible they’re slightly different from the Pixel 8 line, but those phones seem obvious.
Analysis: 12GB of RAM would be a big upgrade for the Pixel 8
While the Pixel 7 Pro already comes with 12GB of RAM, buyers of the standard Pixel 7 are limited to just 8GB, so switching to 12GB for the Google Pixel 8 would be a significant upgrade.
It would also suggest that Google might be putting more emphasis on power in its phones, which will certainly be welcome, because while the Pixel 7 line excels in many ways, the Tensor G2 chipset these phones use isn’t as powerful as its own. rivals.
It’s indeed the chipset that’s missing more than the RAM, but a move to more RAM wouldn’t hurt, and there’s a chance it’s part of Google’s broader strategy to prioritize power; which could mean that the Tensor G3 – or whatever the Pixel 8’s chipset is called – is significantly stronger than the G2.
That’s just speculation for now, but it’s certainly a possibility. It’s also possible that – if the Pixel 8 comes with 12 GB of RAM – there may be a version of the Pixel 8 Pro with 16 GB of RAM, to help differentiate the models.
We probably won’t know for sure until late 2023, but from what we’ve heard so far, these are already some of the best phones of that year.