Google Pixel 8 Pro Leaked Promo Video Suggests Design, Tipped to Get Inbuilt Thermometer

Google Pixel 8 Pro is expected to launch later this year alongside the Google Pixel 8. The Pixel 8 series is expected to succeed the Pixel 7 series that was released last year. Google recently held the I/O 2023 event where it introduced the Google Pixel 7a and the Google Pixel Fold. The company, however, is known to release its flagship Pixel series phones in October each year. The Pixel 8 series, with the base and the pro model, is therefore expected to launch during the same time this year. Now, a new video leak suggests that the higher-end Pixel 8 Pro could feature a new temperature sensor.

According to a 91Mobiles report, in collaboration with tipster Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za_Raczke), the Google Pixel 8 Pro is expected to feature an inbuilt infrared thermometer sensor. The video, now taken off Youtube citing copyright issues, reportedly showed the new feature in detail. The report added screengrabs from the leaked video. 

Seen in a similar design as compared to its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro model shows a few design changes, supposedly made to incorporate the new sensor. The display panel of the upcoming smartphone, previously tipped to sport a 6.7-inch screen, is seen with a familiar centre-aligned hole-punch slot to house the selfie camera.

However, the back panel of the handset is seen with some slight camera array changes. The triple rear camera unit of the Pixel 8 Pro is seen clubbed together in a horizontal pill-shaped module on the now popular camera bar, whereas the three cameras in the Pixel 7 Pro model were placed in two separate units – one big unit for the main and ultra-wide and another one for the periscope telephoto unit. The new sensor is spotted just below the LED flash, which is placed next to the camera pill on the bar.

The white-coloured infrared temperature sensor is expected to act as a contactless thermometer. The report says that the user should tap the start button on the thermometer app/ feature and move the temperature sensor as smoothly as possible close to their forehead. The user has to ensure that the skin on the forehead is not blocked by any third element, for instance, hair or makeup accessories, but also be careful that the sensor does not make contact with the skin.

Reportedly, the sensor takes about 5 seconds to read the temperature and once done, the Pixel 8 Pro handset will vibrate, notifying the user that the measurement is complete. The user can then view the temperature on the phone.

Notably, the report suggests that this feature will only be available with the Pro model of the Pixel 8 series since the inbuilt temperature sensor requires additional hardware adjustments. The data collected by the thermometer will reportedly be locally stored in the phone and will be operated via the Android Private Compute Core. The sensor can also be used to measure the temperature of other inanimate objects too, the report adds.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro has been tipped to be powered by an in-house Tensor G3 chipset based on the Samsung Exynos 2300. However, the chipset has not yet been announced by the company. It is expected to be a significant upgrade to the Tensor G2 SoC used in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro models, and the latest Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, and the Pixel Fold.

The upcoming Pixel 8 Pro model is also tipped to sport a 50-megapixel 1/1.12-inch Samsung ISOCELL GN1 camera sensor, which is claimed to offer better quality images in low-light conditions and also improved photos overall, as compared to the camera units used in preceding handsets.

---