The Google Pixel 8 could be surprisingly small and quite curvy

Following on from unofficial renders showing us the possible design of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, we’ve now seen the same treatment for the standard Pixel 8, and the accompanying information suggests this could be an ideal choice for fans of compact flagships.

Reputable leaker OnLeaks has shared these renders – some of which you can see below – with MySmartPrice, and they show a phone that, at first glance, looks a lot like the Google Pixel 7. It has a large metal camera visor housing two lenses, a likely glass back (shown in white here), a metal frame, and a screen with a punch-hole camera in it.

So far, so Pixel 7. But look a bit closer and you’ll notice that the corners are far more rounded, giving it a much curvier look than its boxy predecessor. That change is more than just aesthetic, due in part to the idea that the Pixel 8 reportedly has just a 5.8-inch screen.

That’s down from 6.3 inches on the Pixel 7, and makes for a genuinely compact phone by modern standards. It’s rare to see high-end phones have a smaller screen than 6.1 inches, which is a size the iPhone 14, Samsung Galaxy S23, and Sony Xperia 5 IV all come in at.

The actual dimensions of the Google Pixel 8 are apparently 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm, with the thickness rising to 12mm at the camera bar. For reference, the Pixel 7 is 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm, so this unsurprisingly would make the Pixel 8 both shorter and narrower.

With the Google Pixel 8 series probably not landing until October we would, of course, take this information and these images with a pinch of salt, but the source is about as solid as leakers get.

Bigger changes are seemingly planned for the Pixel 8 Pro

The same source was behind a recent Pixel 8 Pro leak, and the changes there sound similar but more substantial.

This phone is also expected to have a smaller screen than its predecessor, dropping from 6.7 inches to around 6.52 inches, and is also expected to have more rounded corners, but with an otherwise similar design. However, it’s additionally shown as having four rear cameras (up from three on the Pixel 7 Pro), with the new lens theorized to be a macro camera or depth sensor.

So we could see even more differences between the Pro and standard models than in previous years, making the Pixel 8 Pro a more likely inclusion for our best smartphones guide, while the standard Pixel 8 could well see its way into our best small phones list.