Google Pixel 8 Pro spotted in the wild - what exciting new things does it reveal?

Alleged pics of the Pixel 8 Pro appear online

Google Pixel 7 Pro camera unit
(Image credit: Google)

We've got a while before Google officially unveils its next Pixel phones, thought to be the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but that doesn't mean we'll have to wait until then to see them. Rumours and leaks will continue right up to the moment someone steps up on stage.

That includes this latest one, which includes real-life photos of an alleged Google Pixel 8 Pro prototype handset. Posted on Reddit (via Droid Life) by a user who has since deleted the entry and the images, two pictures give us a look at the front and rear of the device, plus some bootloader information.

Leaked images of a Pixel 8 Pro prototype phone

(Image credit: Reddit)

They were seemingly removed after another Reddit user pointed out that location data could be gleaned from the pics: "Bro, delete these - they have your exact location data attached to them," wrote kbDL.

However, it was too late to stop them being spread far and wide across the 'net - giving us a good gander at what we can expect when the actual model arrives.

What can we learn from leaked Pixel 8 Pro photos?

For starters, the camera unit on the rear island looks much bigger than on the Google Pixel 7 Pro - which is impressive as that's one of the best Android phones around.

The three sensors now seem to be part of the same array. A flash and, we assume, LiDAR sensor can be found on the far right - rather than more central, as before.

We can also see that this is of a "test valuation" device, which includes 12GB of Samsung LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage. That's no real indication of what the user will get on the production model, but the Pixel 7 Pro does indeed come with 12GB of RAM too. And it starts at 128GB, although there are 256GB and 512GB variants, too.

Other than that, the front is fairly standard but does seem to be flat, like other leaks and rumours have suggested before.

We expect that it'll come with next-generation Google silicon - the Tensor 3 chipset. And, while we can't confirm this from the images, it is said that the phone will be able to feed an external display through its USB-C port.

Hopefully, we'll find out more in October, when the Google Pixel 8 Pro and its smaller sibling, the Pixel 8, should be launched.

Rik Henderson
News Editor

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.