Google is trying to step on Apple’s toes to keep it from hogging all the limelight with its upcoming iPhone 15 set to unveil next Tuesday, Sept. 12. While Google has its own big “Made by Google” event set for Oct. 4 where it’s expected to reveal its latest smartphone and wearables, the company has simply said “screw it” and shared videos of the Pixel 8, the phone it definitely didn’t intentionally leak several times already in the past month.
Google shared a video with the tagline “The W8 is Almost Over.” In the video, we’re shown a few flashes of the upcoming Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel 8 Pro. Another video is very Pixel 8-focused, showing us images of both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in the anticipated Porcelain colour as well as a rose pink colour slated for the smaller, cheaper phone.
Google also now has a full-on Store page showing even more product images of the upcoming phone. Just based on the images, the phones feature much more rounded corners than previous iterations, which is about what we’ve expected based on earlier leaks. The Pixel 8 is much smaller than the Pro, but Google apparently wasn’t in the mood to share exact screen sizes or other features.
Based on what we already know about the Pixel 8, those rounded corners aren’t the only thing that could be changing about the phone’s silhouette. Android Authority reported back in June, based on a source from inside Google, that the Pixel 8 will include a 6.17-inch screen compared to the Pro’s 6.70. Both screens will be significantly brighter at 1,400 and 1,600 nits, respectively, but the overall screen size has shrunk slightly because of those rounded corners.
The official images also include hints about the Pixel Watch 2. Based on those product shots, it’s unclear if the big black bezel has been replaced in favor of a fuller, more rounded screen. It also seems like the watch’s bands still use a similar mechanism for swapping styles, though it’s unclear if the clasps will remain proprietary. It also still maintains the physical crown for some tactile scrolling action.
The Pixel Watch 2 will also pair with the Pixel phone for “personalized help, safety features, and health insights.” There’s no real hint of what any of that means, but the Pixel Watch is expected to accommodate a lot of the Fitbit-style wellness tracking capabilities.
If Google really wants to take a bite of the big iPhone hype cycle, it may need to wait its turn, as the Wonderlust event is expected to share more on the upcoming iPhone 15 as well as the latest Apple Watch. The best thing Google can do is wait and see, then try and smoke the competition by offering a comparison point to Apple’s slate. May the best tech win.
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