Google Pixel 8 Pro adds a mysterious new sensor, flat display in first leaked renders

Leak season is starting. Following a retail leak of Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a just a little while ago, the first renders of Google Pixel 8 Pro have arrived, showing off a mysterious new sensor on the camera bar.

Courtesy of @OnLeaks and SmartPrix, this first look at the Google Pixel 8 Pro in CAD-based leaks shows off a design that’s quite similar to the Pixel 8 Pro but with some obvious and welcome changes.

For one, the phone appears to have finally ditched its curved display, at least mostly. The display lacks the signature curve we’ve seen on Google’s past two Pro releases, but there’s certainly still some room for slight curves along the edges. Either way, it’s a major improvement in our book, given the frustration that comes with curved displays.

Notably, too, the display appears to have much slimmer bezels all around compared to past Google phones, though with CAD-based renders, this is a detail that’s easy to get wrong. We’ll have to see the final product to know for sure.

But what’s most intriguing here is the addition of a new sensor on the Google Pixel 8 Pro’s camera bar. The phone has the same triple-camera array as the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, though this time with all three sensors grouped into the same sizable cutout on the camera bar. But off to the right side, there’s a fourth sensor in place.

What this sensor does is unclear at the moment. It could be as simple as a better autofocus system, like what Samsung offers on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, a macro or depth sensor as many other phones today offer, or something more advanced. One possibility could be LIDAR, as our Max Weinbach has heard of in the past.

Whatever it is, it’s certainly interesting to see Google continually expanding on this design over time.

Related: Google Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a set to launch in June according to leaked retail listing

Dimensions of the Pixel 8 Pro measure 162.6×76.5×8.7mm. That’s slightly smaller than the 162.9×76.6×8.9mm of the Pixel 7 Pro. A display size of around 6.52 inches is mentioned.

The Pixel 8 Pro is expected to debut later this year, almost surely with a Tensor G3 processor along with it. It’s unclear if the standard Pixel 8 would also include this mysterious new sensor, but the phone is expected to be smaller.

More on Google Pixel:

• Pixel 8 will reportedly be smaller, Galaxy Z Flip competitor also in the works
• Google Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a set to launch in June according to leaked retail listing
• Google might be upgrading the primary camera sensor on the Pixel 8 series

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