The Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro should be made official on Wednesday 4 October, and we now have a better idea of how much these handsets will cost after pricing information leaked out.
The technical outlook (through Notebook check) estimates that the 128GB Pixel 8 will cost €874.25, the 256GB Pixel 8 will cost €949.30, the 128GB Pixel 8 Pro will cost €1,235.72, the 256GB Pixel 8 Pro will cost €1,309.95, and the 512 GB Pixel 8 Pro € € costs 1,461.24.
When you consider that the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro first went on sale for starting prices of €649 and €899 respectively, that’s quite a jump in price. Perhaps Google wants to fill a bigger gap against its mid-range phones (most recently the Pixel 7a, which costs €509).
To further complicate matters, these prices include 23% VAT, suggesting they come from Ireland, Poland or Portugal. The average VAT rate across Europe is 21%, so it’s possible that the actual prices of the phones will be slightly cheaper than the figures quoted here.
Price pressure
So far we haven’t heard much about the possible price points for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but it looks like they will cost more than their predecessors. That’s perhaps not surprising given rising costs around the world.
Price increases are also expected for the upcoming iPhone 15 series: these phones will appear before the Google Pixel handsets, and there’s talk that the iPhone 15 Pro model could cost $100 (around £79 / AU$155) more than last year. equivalent model.
Of course there will be hardware and software upgrades to help justify the extra expense. We’re expecting improvements in the rendering department, as well as some additional AI-powered tricks to help with photo and video capture.
An official invite has now gone out to journalists and others in the industry, promising additions to the “Pixel portfolio of devices” – so expect Pixel phones and possibly the Pixel Watch 2 too.