Google Pixel 8 Display Specs Leak Revealing Flat Edges And A Big Brightness Boost

It's a foregone conclusion that Google is going to release new Pixel phones later this year. After stumbling more than once with its Pixel phones, Google is finally on a roll. The Pixel 6 was excellent, and the Pixel 7 built on that to become even better. We don't know everything the Pixel 8 will bring, but we do have probable display specs pointing to a very nice upgrade.

The information relayed to Android Authority doesn't include any images or other hardware details—it's all about the screens. Like previous Pixel phones, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will have OLED panels, and the Pixel 8 will be substantially smaller than the 8 Pro. Actually, the gap between them will be even larger than it was last year. The Pixel 8 will have a 6.17-inch screen, down from 6.31 inches for the Pixel 7. It will move from 90Hz to 120Hz, though. The Pixel 8 Pro, meanwhile, will only lose a fraction of an inch to stay at 6.7 inches. The phones also have larger corner radii, meaning they're less square than before.

The Pixel 8 will remain a 1080p phone with a resolution of 1080x2400, but the Pixel 8 Pro will reportedly have an unusual pixel count. The leak shows the Pixel 8 Pro at 1344x2992, which is slightly lower in both height and width compared to the Pixel 7 Pro (1440x3120). Both screens are also getting a brightness boost from 1000 nits to 1600 nits for the Pixel 8 Pro and 1400 nits for the Pixel 8. This is more in line with the high-end phones of today.

There's one other major change mentioned in the report. The Pixel 8 Pro will allegedly move from a curved display to a totally flat one. The downward curve on the left and right side can look neat, and it makes large phones more comfortable to hold, but they also increase instances of accidental touches along the edge. For this reason, I prefer flat screens even on large phones, and it looks like Google agrees. The Pixel 7 Pro has a curve, but it's less aggressive than many other phones. See the top image for a comparison between the flat Pixel 7 and curved 7 Pro. 

The Tensor G3-powered Pixel phones will launch toward the tail end of 2023. We expect Google to have an unveiling in October, with retail availability in the following weeks. Pricing on the Pixel 7 was very competitive, but displays are usually the most expensive component in a smartphone. So, Google's screen upgrades could push the price higher.