Google Pixel 8 Pro looks familiar in leaked photos — but what’s with that weird new sensor?

The launch of Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is still months away, but images possibly showing a prototype of the unreleased phone leaked recently. The images first surfaced on Reddit, and the first thing we noticed is how similar the supposed new Google Pixel 8 Pro looks to the 7 Pro. The one exception, of course, is the new infrared sensor that everyone is talking about (via Neowin).

The infrared sensor is an interesting thing, but my question is, why is Google adding an infrared temperature sensor to a phone? It would have been a highly sought-after feature in previous years, but it’s slightly more head-scratching in 2023. 

What were those images?

While the original post on Reddit was quickly deleted, the internet never forgets, so the leaked images have spread like wildfire. The new photos offer us another peek at the new infrared sensor originally revealed in a leaked demo video.

The second image of the display gives us a glimpse at what might be inside, showing 12GB of Samsung LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage onboard. The bootloader refers to something titled ” ripcurrent” which is speculated to be the code name for the next Tensor chipset.  

The Reddit user, who posted the photos before unceremoniously deleting their account, stated Google had sent them the Pixel 8 Pro for testing. That seems pretty questionable, but if true, Google needs to do better background checks on the people the company uses to test upcoming devices. 

In the tech world, breaking embargoes and NDAs is a massive no-no, and this person is probably in a lot of hot water. Google has never been the best at keeping its devices under wraps, so we expect to see plenty more Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 leaks in the upcoming weeks and months leading up to the official announcement.