Google just dropped the date for its Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 announcement

By Joe Maring Published August 30, 2023

Event invite for Google's Made by Google event happening in October 2023. — Google

Apple sent out press invites for its highly anticipated iPhone 15 event yesterday. Just one day later, Google has now sent out invites for its latest Made by Google event happening this October — where we expect to see the Google Pixel 8.

You can see the invite above, which confirms that Google is holding an in-person event where it’s going to “introduce the latest additions to our Pixel portfolio of devices.” The event is happening on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, in New York City, and it will (presumably) be livestreamed for folks to watch at home.

Recommended Videos

Although the event doesn’t tease any of the upcoming announcements, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. This is almost certainly where Google will announce the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro — the successors to last year’s Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro, respectively.

Google Pixel 8 leaked render. — Google Pixel 8 render MySmartPrice

We don’t expect any drastic changes for the Pixel 8 series, though there are some notable upgrades to be on the lookout for. Specifically, we should get a new Tensor G3 processor for both phones, a slightly tweaked design, and a boost to 12GB RAM from the 8GB from last year.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is also likely to have a new temperature sensor on the back near its cameras. One leak shows the sensor acting as a thermometer to take someone’s temperature, which is … interesting. It seems like a pretty niche addition on paper, though we’re curious to see how it integrates with the Google Pixel Watch and maybe even the Fitbit app.

Speaking of the Pixel Watch, this October 4 event is where we will likely see the Google Pixel Watch 2. Rumors about the Pixel Watch 2 have been much harder to come by, but we’re expecting a similar design with under-the-hood upgrades targeting performance and battery life.

Google could also surprise us with updates to the Google Pixel Tablet, its Pixel Buds lineup, or maybe a brand new gadget entirely. But the Pixel 8 lineup and the Pixel Watch 2 will be the stars of the show, and we’ll be there to see everything that’s new.

Topics

Section Editor, Mobile

Joe Maring has been the Section Editor of Digital Trends' Mobile team since June 2022. He leads a team of 13 writers and…

Mobile

You really need to be careful with your Pixel 9 Pro Fold

A person opening the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

We've got good news and bad news. The good news? You can repair your Pixel 9 Pro Fold's screen if you happen to accidentally break it. The bad news is the cost won't be far off from what you paid for the phone in the first place, even if you decide to repair it yourself. The inner screen for the device is available from iFixit for a whopping $1,199 — quite the pretty penny when you consider the phone itself starts at $1,799.

It's a jump up from the cost to buy a replacement Pixel Fold screen, which was "only" $899. For what it costs to repair the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's screen, you could buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max. That's a lot of money for a DIY repair, a process that should (in theory) make repairs a lot less expensive. By the way, the $1,199 is just for the part itself — the full repair kit adds on just $8, bringing it to a total of $1,207. The kit includes all of the necessary tools, including a pair of tweezers, screwdriver, bits, spudger, picks, and more.

Mobile

I used the first Snapdragon 8 Elite phone, and it’s hot stuff

The Realme GT 7 Pro's screen.

When the courier handed over the box containing the Realme GT 7 Pro, I was keen to open it up. Not because it was a new phone (they come quite often), but because it was one of the very first phones with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor inside — and the first phone I’d use with the chip.

Qualcomm has hyped the Snapdragon 8 Elite up as a considerable improvement over its previous chips, so I got to work testing it out. I can confirm, it’s hot stuff in every sense of the phrase.
A crucial update arrives
Following the publication of this feature on October 31, 2024, Realme contacted Digital Trends to say it was working on a software update that would cure the software compatibility issue it claimed was causing the phone to overheat during some benchmarking tests. It arrived several days later, and we published a separate feature on November 4, 2024, explaining how it affected the phone.

Mobile

A new Google Pixel feature could make managing phone calls a breeze

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 screens.

Contextual replies are one of the best parts of the Google Pixel experience. This feature allows you to respond to a call without actually answering it; the Google Assistant voice asks why they're calling and allows you to answer with generated responses for specific keywords. For example, if someone is calling to confirm an appointment, you can reply with "Confirm."

It's a great feature, especially if you aren't fond of talking on the phone. Now an update to contextual replies could take the feature to the next level with AI responses. The team at 9to5Google found snippets of code in the latest beta version of the Phone by Google app that suggest a wider range of capabilities is on the way.