There’s plenty to talk about when it comes tothe Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but one missing detail in some early renders that has initially gone unnoticed is now getting plenty of attention. So, will this year’s Google phones signal the end of physical SIM card support? Is theeSIM eraactually taking hold? We break down the evidence for and against.
Google’s Pixel series of smartphones have always sported a nano-SIM card slot somewhere on the device. In most cases, it was on the upper portion of the left side - the most notable exceptions were the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, which lodged the tray in the bottom. More recently, the Pixel 6 and 7 series pushed that placement to the lower end of the left edge.
What’s pointing to an eSIM-only Pixel 8 series?
What could possibly suggest that the Pixel 8 could do away with physical SIMs, then? Veteran Android blogger Mishaal Rahman notesin a post on X(formerly known as Twitter) that inrenders of the Pixel 8and 8 Pro obtained by Steve Hemmerstoffer of OnLeaks and published byMySmartPriceandSmartPrix, respectively, that both phones omit any markings that would indicate a SIM tray.
OnLeaks had put out renders in previous rumour cycles for thePixel 6and 7 generations where the SIM tray was clearly visible. Its omission for the Pixel 8 renders would be an odd pattern break given the general accuracy we’ve come to expect from these renders, even if they came out relatively early on.
In serving the latter roles, Apple has alreadymoved the iPhone 14 series in the United States to eSIM onlyand may be looking to do so foriPhone 15 devices elsewhere, including the United Kingdom. Google, itself also a manufacturer/OS maintainer, would just be catching up.
Is there a chance the Pixel 8’s SIM tray stays?
Hemmerstoffer has previously said - and had just reiterated to Rahman - that partner publications may make claims based on their perception of the renders that he himself did not make while sharing his intelligence. The leak specialist notes that he doesn’t make guesses on potential features based on what is or isn’t included in a render as nothing is final.
The most compelling reason to be skeptical of Google’s potential abandonment of physical SIMs, however, is what appears to bean instructional video for the Pixel 8leaked by Kamila Wojciechowska for 91mobiles back in June. In demonstrating some of the features of the phone, the video looks to show a prototype or engineering unit with a SIM tray on the left side. If the phone seen is either of the above, Google may be past the design stage and intent on incorporating a SIM tray into the Pixel 8 series.
We’ve gotten plenty of “in the wild” captures of the Pixel 8 since these leaks from months ago, but none of them have a good angle on that left edge.
In any case, we’re still firmly in speculation territory and may not budge until the expected launch day come sometime in October. Stick with Pocket-lint forcontinuing coverage of the Pixel 8.
