Google insider leaks Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro display specs

A source inside Google has leaked information to Android Authority about the displays that will be used on the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. And while some of the info confirms previously released specs from highly-accurate tipster Ross Young from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), there are some interesting details about the 2023 Pixel handsets. Let's start with the Pixel 8 and then move on to the premium Pixel 8 Pro.

As Young had previously revealed, Google is reducing the size of the Pixel 8 display from the 6.31-inch panel it used on the Pixel 7 to 6.17 inches for the upcoming handset. The 1080 x 2400 FHD+ resolution will stay the same, but the refresh rate is getting hiked from 90Hz to 120Hz. And the brightness with HDR content will increase from a peak of 1000 nits to 1400. The number of pixels per inch (PPI) actually rises because of the smaller display from 417 to 427.

The Pixel 8 Pro screen is going through some changes. Say goodbye to the curved display and hello to a flat display for the Pixel 8 Pro. This has been a controversial area for Google and while there are some who enjoyed the curved display on the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, there seemed to be more who preferred that the curves go away. And go away they will if this leak is correct.

Like the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8 Pro display is getting a small haircut from 6.71 inches to 6.70 inches. If there is a surprise here, it is the drop in resolution from the QHD+ 1440 x 3120 on the Pixel 7 Pro to a 1334 x 2992 resolution on the Pixel 8 Pro. That drops the PPI from 512 to 490 although most people wouldn't notice the change. HDR content can be viewed at a peak of 1600 nits which is up from the previous model's 1000 nits.

The Pixel 8 Pro will still offer a 120Hz refresh rate, but unlike the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, the screen will be able to more smoothly redraw between 60 and 120 times per second. The previous two Pixel Pro models had predetermined rates (30 Hz, 60 Hz, 120 Hz) and this means that the upcoming phone will be able to better match the refresh rate with the content on the screen. It should be noted that the Pixel 8's 120 Hz refresh rate will be different and will redraw at predetermined rates of 10 Hz, 30 Hz, 60 Hz, and 120 Hz.

The leak reveals that Google has doubled the corner radius on both phones' displays resulting in rounder and less squared-off corners. The source also noted that the Pixel 8 Pro screen, like those found on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 lines, will be sourced by Google from Samsung. The Pixel 8 displays could come from either BOE or Samsung and the source could not say which firm will be the supplier.

We should see the Pixel 8 series introduced and released in October.