New Pixel 8 Pro Leaks Reveal Google’s Smart Decision

Updated September 7th: article originally posted September 6th.

Ahead of its “Made By Google” event and the launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google has made the decision to delay the release of Android 14

Update: Thursday September 7th. While we wait to see what happens with Android 14, Google has confirmed that the Made by Google event will feature the Pixel 8 handset in a video teaser posted earlier today. Presumably, this is being used as the over-arching name given the prospect of both a Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro launching on October 4th.

Also featuring in the trailer is a new smartwatch, presumably the Pixel Watch 2, and the stylish Pixel Buds Pro 2.

As expected, one of the two leaked color schemes is prominent in the video. The leaked “ Porcelain” color that first appeared on one of the Google Store’s internal pages last week is very much on show. What we don’t see is any software running on the Pixel 8’s screen.

Many of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro improvements will be found in the software. With the two handsets expected to be some of the first to ship with Android 14, many of the apps and services will have been built around the Android 14 codebase. This makes it all the more interesting that Google has decided to delay the release of the source code of Android 14.

The expectation was that the release version of Android 14 would have been published on September 5th through the Android Open Source Project page, at which point the software would have cascaded through the ecosystem, be it small hobbyist projects right up to multinational manufacturers. Mishaal Rahman reports that the delay is down to security vulnerabilities in the latest Android Security Release Notes will be published on October 4th… which many are taking as the new launch date of Android 14, and is also the day before Google’s launch event for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The delay to the final release is not entirely unexpected; Google released an unscheduled fifth beta to Android 14 in the middle of August, suggesting that more work and more testing was required. This delay backs that up.

What happens with other manufacturers who are planning to launch their own operating systems based around Android 14 (such as OnePlus’ OxygenOS 14, which was announced last week as arriving on September 25th) remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, this will be the first Pixel launch which syncs up with the release of the Android Open Source Project code. It’s unlikely that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will go on immediate sale after the event – most manufacturers will open up pre-orders at an event to be followed by a staggered release across various regions and Google will be no different.

That leaves a few weeks for Google to prepare an over-the-air update to Android 14 with the latest security fixes in place and the latest software updates.

Now read about Google’s long-term plans to support the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro…