Even though the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have only been on store shelves for a few weeks, it is safe to say that they have been a hit. Despite a few early issues, it’s obvious that this year’s launch is off to a much more successful start than what we witnessed with the Pixel 6. It’s no secret that Google is developing a variety of upcoming gadgets, including the Pixel Fold and a projected “Pixel Ultra.” Additionally, it appears that a prototype gadget may allude to a long-awaited feature that would appear in phones in the next year.
The people at 91Mobiles collaborated with developer Kuba Wojciechowski to give us what may be the first look at the Pixel 8 Pro. Wojciechowski is experienced in covering new Pixel products; after all, the recent Pixel Ultra speculations sprang from his research into the Pixel 7’s kernel source code. He has discovered a gadget today with the codename G10, or possibly “gepard,” the German word for cheetah. It’s crucial to remember that the Pixel 7 Pro’s codename, Cheetah, existed long before it was formally unveiled in May.
The G10 essentially serves as early testing for the Pixel 8 series. This kind of prototype development is nothing new for Google; “Ravenclaw” was a hybrid of Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 internals, while “Whitefin” was a Pixel 5 constructed using the original Tensor chipset. Obviously, neither of these made it to market, but they both assisted Google in creating its upcoming smartphones.
One intriguing fact that was left out of the story is the possibility that G10 could be an acronym for “gepard,” which is German for “cheetah” and the codename for the Pixel 7 Pro. It’s a clever play on the device’s name for a modified version. pic.twitter.com/O0h6OEjLjw — October 25, 2022 – Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za Raczke)
What precisely is this phone, then? The Lynx, also known as the L10, is the smartphone that, by all accounts, seems to be some sort of third Pixel 7 phone. In contrast, the G10 seems to be a prototype phone that will never be released. It looks identical to a Pixel 7 Pro to the untrained eye, with no external alterations, based on its 1440p display and dimensions. The G10 alters its internal specifications very slightly, substituting an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for the optical in-display model.
That’s great news for anyone who has been pleading with Google for a Pixel handset with a lightning-quick fingerprint scanner for the past year. The sensors on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are light years ahead of those on their respective predecessors, but they still fall short of what Samsung provides on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Pixel 8 Pro would have a chance to compete with other similarly priced flagships if it had an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. It’s unknown if this capability would also be included in the less expensive, smaller Pixel 8.
The Pixel 7 series continues to be two of the top Android smartphones available right now. It is obvious that Google’s hardware business is headed in the right direction, regardless of whether the company adds a third high-performance tier or merely keeps working toward next year’s successors.
