Could Google have been inspired by Apple for its next smartphone?

Photos leaked on Facebook show that the Pixel 8 Pro will have a matte glass finish on the back, mimicking the design of its rival’s new iPhone 15.

The images also suggest that the Pixel 8 series will have curved and more rounded edges than the Pixel 7, released last year.

Google, which just celebrated its 25th birthday, has acknowledged the existence of the Pixel 8 with an image and a short teaser video, but has not yet gone into details.

However, the company will reveal everything there is to know about the flagship phone at its ‘Made by Google’ reveal event, scheduled for Wednesday (October 4).

Google has acknowledged the existence of the Pixel 8 with an image on its website and official social media channels, but has not yet gone into details.

Photos leaked on Facebook show that the Pixel 8 Pro will have a matte glass finish on the back, mimicking the design of rival Apple’s new iPhone.

The new photos were posted on the Vật Vờ Studio Facebook page, a Vietnamese fan site, and posted by 9to5google before they were eliminated.

They show the Pixel 8 Pro, the more expensive of the two options, and its packaging in a “factory environment” with a staff member in protective gear.

This has fueled speculation that the snapshots were taken recently, likely during final quality checks before the Pixel 8’s official launch.

The images show the packaging of the new Pixel, with a USB-C to USB-C cable included inside and a Quick Switch adapter, allowing users to easily transfer data from another phone.

Rumored colors for the Pixel 8 series include ‘Licorice’ (black), ‘Hazel’ (gray), ‘Sky’ (blue), and ‘Porcelain’ (off-white), and the new images all but confirm the Hazel Gray color. It will be an option for the new Pixel 8 Pro.

As Apple’s promotional trailer revealed, the Pixel 8 retains the line’s iconic “Cyclops-style” camera bar that runs the width of the device.

They show the phone and its packaging in a “factory configuration” and were likely taken during final preparation for the device’s launch.

The images show the packaging of the new Pixel, with a USB-C to USB-C cable included inside and a Quick Switch adapter, allowing users to easily transfer data from another phone.

New images suggest Hazel Gray color will be an option for the new Pixel 8 Pro (pictured)

The Pixel 8 series is believed to have curved and more rounded edges than the Pixel 7, released last year (pictured)

Rumors also suggest that the regular Pixel 8 will have a smaller screen (6.17 inches instead of 6.3 inches), while the Pro screen will remain the same at 6.7 inches.

Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are expected to be equipped with Google’s new Tensor G3 processing chip, which 9to5Google says will enable “massive improvements” in performance and capacity.

Tensor G3 will boost the AI and machine learning capabilities in the Pixel 8 cameras, which already feature prominently in the tech giant’s phone ads.

These capabilities include Photo Unblur, which uses machine learning to remove blur and “visual noise” from photos, whether new or old, with just a few taps.

Meanwhile, Magic Eraser, which arrived with the Pixel 6 in 2021, removes unwanted subjects in photos, like a random stranger in the background.

Despite being a proud feature of Google’s advertising campaigns, people have called these AI tools “Orwellian” because they distort reality.

One X user said: “If anything is Orwellian, it’s the Google Pixel altering photos to provide a perfect, fake memory.”

At its unveiling event in New York on Thursday, Google finally lifted the lid on its new Pixel 7 smartphone and first smartwatch.

Another posted: “Revisionist history sponsored by Google Pixel.”

Anyway, with the Pixel 8 series, Google is expected to double down on its love for AI-powered image editing with some brand new tools, made possible by the new, more powerful chip.

Price-wise, the Pixel 7 started at £599/$599 and the Pixel 7 Pro at £849/$899, but unfortunately for Pixel fans the new line is expected to get a price increase.

Pixel 8 will cost £699/$699 while the Pro model will remain the same, according to a report from Android Authoritybut this is far from the most expensive phone.

In June, the tech giant launched its first foldable phone, the Pixel Fold, which has a eye-watering price of £1,749.

As for pricing, the Pixel 8 is expected to go up, although it won’t be as much as the company’s most expensive smartphone.

The foldable device opens along a “mirror-polished” metal hinge to reveal a 7.6-inch tablet-sized display, while the smaller outer screen measures 5.8 inches wide.

The launch of the Pixel Fold means that Apple is now the only major smartphone maker that has yet to release a foldable phone, although some iPhone fans did prototype what it would look like.

Although Samsung was an early adopter of the hinge in 2019, the first foldable smartphone was actually the FlexPai from a Chinese company called Royole, first released in 2018.

Instead of bringing the two halves of its 7.8-inch screen together, the FlexPai folded outward with a strange convex edge.

Is this what the first foldable iPhone will be like?

Unlike several of its rivals, such as Samsung and Huawei, Apple has yet to launch a foldable phone, although it is rumored to be working on one.

Now, YouTubers in China have created an impressive prototype showing an iPhone that folds a central hinge into the screen.

The prototype, called iPhone V, was built by engineers using an iPhone X and the folding mechanism of Motorola’s Razr.

Like other foldable phones already on the market, the ‘iPhone V’ folds a central hinge into the screen

The iPhone V, which took more than 200 days and thousands of dollars to make, also features silver iPhone lettering on the hinge and the iconic Apple icon on the back.