Google has announced a "Mint" color for the Pixel 8 series (only available from the Google Store with 128GB storage), alongside a new Pixel Feature Drop for January 2024! This Feature Drop is a bit unusual since it isn't accompanied by a new QPR update, but it does bring some interesting features.
@MishaalRahman welp, I guess I’m less-mad than I was going to be, because I don’t think I could go back to 128 GB from my 256 GB Hazel Pixel 8. But boy I wish that color would have been available sooner, I might have gotten it originally!
@cassidy@MishaalRahman What about battery life? I was reeaally attracted by the Pixel 8 until I read it struggles with battery life in 5G and I was completely turned off.
@neffscape@MishaalRahman can’t confirm, its battery has been great for me! I don’t spend a ton of time on weak 5G or anything, but when I’ve been on 5G I haven’t noticed anything unusual. And the signal quality seems to be far better than the Pixel 6 was.
For example, the Pixel 8 Pro's Thermometer app is finally getting the ability to measure body temperature! This means the FDA has authorized the Pixel Thermometer to take body temperature readings. Any temperature results you take can be synced to your Fitbit account.
Both Pixel Watch models now support automatic audio switching, which means your Pixel Buds Pro can seamlessly switch from a Pixel Tablet to your paired Pixel phone.
Also, Quick Share (the revamped/rebranded version of Google's Nearby Share) should be rolling out soon, so you can look forward to that.
A more exciting development is the rollout of the Circle to Search feature Google announced at Galaxy Unpacked. Google reiterates that they'll roll this out to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on January 31, but it's also already available on the Galaxy S24 series. (I shared a method with my Patreon/X subscribers to enable this feature on other Pixel devices right now, but it requires root to spoof the Pixel 8.)
Lastly, Google is starting to more widely roll out the Photomoji and Magic Compose features in the Google Messages app for Pixel users. Photomoji lets you turn any photo into a custom reaction or sticker, while Magic Compose helps you rewrite messages in different styles using generative AI.
Photomoji is available for the Pixel 3a and later, while Magic Compose is only available for the Pixel 6 and later (processing happens on-device in the case of the Pixel 8 Pro).
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