We do not expect Pixel 8 The Pixel 8 Pro will be launched until October 2023, however we’re already hearing things about these phones, as the latest leak has revealed their possible code names and some possible specs.
WinFuture (Opens in a new tab) – Across phone arena (Opens in a new tab) – Found some “publicly available code sources” that mention two new Google device names. These are “Shiba” and “Husky”, which generally go along with the kinematic nouns used by Pixel 7 Line; Like Pixel 7 it was known as Panther and Pixel 7 Pro Like a cheetah. Very large cats rather than dogs, but close enough.
This isn’t the only evidence that these code names might be related to the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro though, as the code shows that these devices run Android 14 and have a chipset codenamed “Zuma,” which has the same modem as Tensor G2, used in the Pixel 7 line.
That rounds things out a bit, but there’s also the screen detailing, which all confirms we’re looking at smartphones here. The Shiba appears to have a 1080 x 2268 screen, while the Husky has a 1344 x 2822 screen.
So the Husky is a higher resolution, and likely the Pixel 8 Pro, with the Shiba being the standard Pixel 8. That resolution is marginally lower than their Pixel 7 siblings, but in the same ballpark, and it’s the kinds of things we’ll see commonly seen on current smartphones.
There is one final spec here as well, and it’s the same on both devices. Apparently, both will get a whopping 12GB of RAM – although, of course, it’s possible that there will be other configurations as well.
We’ve been taking all of this with a pinch of salt, and even if these are real devices, they’re probably something other than the Pixel 8 lineup, but these phones clearly fit right in.
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 moving to 12GB for the Google Pixel 8 would be a huge upgrade.
It might also indicate that Google is probably focusing more on power in its phones, which is certainly welcome, as while the Pixel 7 line outperforms in many respects, the Tensor G2 chipset used by these phones is not as powerful as its competitors.
Indeed, the chipset lacks more RAM, but moving to more RAM wouldn’t hurt, and there’s a chance that this is part of a broader strategy from Google for power prioritization; Which could mean that the Tensor G3 – or whatever the Pixel 8 chipset is called – is a lot better than the G2.
This is just speculation at the moment, but it is definitely a possibility. It’s also possible – if the Pixel 8 comes with 12GB of RAM – there might be a version of the Pixel 8 Pro with 16GB of RAM to help differentiate the models.
We probably won’t find out for sure until late 2023, but from what we’ve heard so far this is already shaping up to be some of the best phones from that year.