Enlarge / OnLeak's Pixel 8a render. (credit: OnLeaks and Smartprix )

Google's next mid-range phone, the Pixel 8a, is rapidly approaching release. The presumed launch date has always been Google I/O, and that's officially set for May 14. Although the Pixel 8a recently hit the Federal Communications Commission , the box has leaked, and renders have been out since October, we haven't really talked specs.

The ever-reliable Kamila Wojciechowska has a new article for Android Authority detailing some specs for the upcoming device. Apparently, there are some big upgrades planned. The Pixel 7a took a big jump to a 90 Hz display, and the Pixel 8a is encroaching even more into flagship territory with a 120 Hz display. Wojciechowska's source says the Pixel 8a display will be a 6.1-inch, 120 Hz, 2400×1080 OLED panel with an improved 1,400 nits brightness. The display's 120 Hz screen will not only make the phone more competitive here; it will also be a big deal for the Pixel line's recent expansion into India, where 120 Hz is the norm at this price range.

The report says to expect the same camera loadout as the Pixel 7a, along with the newer Google Tensor G3 chip, just like the other Pixel 8 phones. Google doesn't mention it on the spec sheet, but Wojciechowska says internally there is a small difference: It's the same silicon on the A-series, but Google goes with a cheaper, hotter silicon packaging method. So expect some thermal differences.

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  The alleged Pixel Fold 2 prototype. [credit: Android Authority ]

Google still isn't giving up on the foldable smartphone game, and rumored details about the Pixel Fold 2 are slowly coming out. The most eye-popping news is from Android Authority 's Mishaal Rahman, who claims to have a live picture of an "early prototype" of the Pixel Fold 2.

A lot about the Fold 2 is different, starting with the camera bump on the back. In every Pixel review, we praise the trademark camera bar for 1) looking good and 2) having a symmetrical design that gives the phone a stable base when placed on a table, and this prototype would seem to walk both of those things back. The supposed Pixel Fold 2 prototype switches to a lopsided rear design with a camera block in the top-left corner of the phone, just like everyone else in the industry. It's hard to tell what's going on with the camera block, but there is certainly room for four camera lenses now instead of the usual three. The top-left post almost looks blank in the photo, though—it could just be a spot for a laser autofocus sensor.

One justification for the wonky camera block could be that the device is narrower and doesn't have room for the full-length camera bar anymore. The report says that "the cover screen is narrower, but more importantly, the inner screen’s aspect ratio is closer to a square." One of the best parts of the Pixel Fold design was that it opened up into a wide-screen device and had enough horizontal room to show a tablet app layout. If you're in the "foldable should open up into a tablet" camp, then a square screen would be a disappointment. The other option, followed mainly by the Galaxy Fold series, is "a foldable should open up to show side-by-side phone apps," and a square screen puts you more in that camp. You could argue that, given the lack of Android tablet apps, a square-ish foldable is a more practical choice. I'd argue the Pixel line should be aspirational and that foldables aren't yet ready for "practicality" arguments, given all the durability issues that still plague the devices.

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  Step 1: get the phone as close to your face as possible. [credit: Google ]

Most Pixel 8 Pro owners have probably forgotten that there's an infrared temperature sensor on the back of the phone next to the LED camera flash. But it's still there, and almost four months after launch, it's getting a new feature: body temperature measurement. The four-month hold-up is because body temperature sensors are regulated as medical devices, so Google needed FDA approval to enable the feature. The company has a blog post detailing the feature, which says: "In clinical trials, our software algorithm was able to calculate body temperature in the range of 96.9°F–104°F (36.1°C–40°C) to within ±0.3°C when compared with an FDA-cleared temporal artery thermometer. In layman's terms, this means the Pixel body temperature feature is about as accurate as other temporal artery thermometers."

Like everything about the Pixel 8 Pro's temperature sensor, the basic feature idea sounds fine (if not several years late ), but the execution leaves much to be desired. Google has a support page detailing how to use the body temperature sensor, and you'll need to slowly swipe the phone across your entire face over four seconds to get a reading. The sensor needs to be extremely close to your face to work; Google says it wants the phone "as close as possible to the skin without touching." If you wear glasses, you'll need to take them off, because the phone needs to be so close to your face it will hit them. If you manage all that, you'll get a body temperature reading that you can save to your Fitbit profile.

We found the temperature sensor to be the biggest negative mark in our Pixel 8 Pro review. I'm not entirely sure a well-executed temperature sensor would be a useful feature on a phone, but the Pixel 8's temperature sensor is just such a hassle to use. Besides forehead measuring, it can also check the temperature of objects, but it only has a range of two inches. There's also no camera feed or any targeting system to be sure of what you're measuring—you get a blank screen with a "measure" button, you press it, and a number appears. Temperature sensing also stops the instant it reads any single temperature—it's not continuous. All the user experience problems made the temperature sensor instantly forgettable . The body temperature addition isn't helping and feels like a feature that would be better suited for a smartwatch.

Enlarge / iFixit's Pixel 8 Pro display fix kit. (credit: iFixit)

Over the holiday break, Google and iFixit added a new batch of parts to the Pixel parts store. The companies now sell genuine parts for Google's latest flagship phones: the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro .

The most common replacement will probably be the screen, which costs $160 for the Pixel 8 and $230 for the Pixel 8 Pro. The product described as a "rear case" is the entire aluminum body of the phone, with the rear glass, camera bar, camera cover glass, side buttons, and charging coil. The Pixel 8 version of this will run you $143, while the 8 Pro version is $173. The batteries are both $43.

If your camera breaks, get ready for some serious sticker shock: The Pixel 8 Pro rear camera assembly is $200 for the bundled set of three cameras. For reference, a Galaxy S23 Ultra camera assembly (four cameras) is $142 from iFixit, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max rear camera assembly is $150. Interestingly, the Pixel 8 also has $200 worth of camera parts despite having one less camera by skipping the complicated periscope zoom lens. The Pixel 8 parts come in separate pieces: $143 for the main camera and $63 for the ultra-wide. This is a ton of money to spend on the camera portion of a phone, and while that's great for shutterbugs, for people more focused on productivity uses, it would be nice not to have to pay for all this. Along with the $43 front camera, a Pixel 8 is $700 and has $243 worth of camera parts!