Pixel 8 Could Keep SIM Slot, But Add Night Sight for Video

Ever since Apple killed the SIM tray in favor of eSIM-only in the iPhone, the world has (rightfully) been waiting to see who would follow. Would Samsung be first in Android or would OnePlus or Google step up? As it turns out, no one has taken that big leap, and the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro aren’t likely to be the first.

That bit of news comes from sources of 9to5Google, who believe Google will indeed include a SIM tray in its Pixel 8 line-up. There were questions around the SIM tray after renders of the device at some point left it out and folks discovered an eSIM transfer tool that could show up in Android 14. The thought was that these two happenings could connect at Pixel 8 launch with Google announcing that it was going all-in on eSIM.

So this news that Google is sticking with a SIM tray isn’t necessarily shocking, but it does put to rest one of the rumors we were least excited about. I don’t know about you, but if you’ve ever tried to setup an eSIM through Verizon or T-Mobile or attempted to switch phones in a hurry, let me tell you that it can be a frustrating experience. To setup or activate an eSIM on most carriers, you have to call them first and jump through who knows how many phone menus to do so. It’s an awful step back in moving your phone number from one phone to the next, when it really should have made things easier. As it turns out, physically moving a SIM through a tray is still that fastest.

In a bit of additional news, the Pixel 8 Pro is now rumored to pick-up Night Sight for video. That could mostly just mean better quality video recording when lighting isn’t optimal, and that’s cool. No one likes fuzzy videos from those late night excursions, do they? I’m assuming we’ll be thanking Tensor G3 for the improvement, although it will be unfortunate if it doesn’t come to the Pixel 8 or any older Pixel devices.

For those who missed it, Google has confirmed that October 4 is the date we get to know all about the Pixel 8 series and the Pixel Watch 2. I’m sure ready.