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Google's newest color for the Pixel 8 series surprised me in the best way
The Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are two of the best Android smartphones you can buy. With a plethora of intelligent features powered by AI, some of the best cameras on the market, beautiful designs, fast performance, and all-day battery life, it's hard to find fault with either of these devices, even as we creep into 2024 with so many new handsets on the horizon.
Also: Why Google's cheaper Pixel 8 is the real star of its Android phone lineup
But here's an interesting question: What if you don't like the existing colors? Maybe the Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose of the Pixel 8 don't suit you, or the Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain of the 8 Pro are simply unappealing. Maybe what you're looking for is something new, something fresh, something… minty.
At the expense of making this article sound like an old-school television commercial, that's just what you're getting here! Google has announced a new Mint colorway for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, I've been checking one out on the down low, and here's everything you need to know about it.
View at GoogleYep, that's definitely Mint
Take one glance at the new Pixel 8 and you'll immediately see just how minty it is. Google did a nice job at balancing how saturated the green shade would be while keeping it light and refreshing. The color reminds me of the green iPhone 11 if the hue was a bit lighter.
Because Google wants to drum up some hype around the new colorway, they sent members of the press huge boxes to reveal the new phones and threw in some goodies. I was sent the standard Pixel 8 press box which also got me a green notebook for jotting down thoughts, a green Anker wall adapter, and a little pamphlet celebrating the release of Mint. I've heard through the grapevine that those who got the Pixel 8 Pro press box also received actual mints, which I'm very jealous of.
I should note that if you order the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro in Mint, you'll only receive the standard packaging with no goodies thrown in. It's a bit of a bummer, but on the bright side, you won't have to worry about breaking down this huge mint-colored box.
How it looks compared to other green phones
I had a few green phones lying around my desk that I thought I'd compare the Mint Pixel 8 to, and it stands out in the most subtle way. Here it is next to the Sage Pixel 6a (far left), Eternal Green OnePlus 11 (second left), and the Hazel Pixel 8 (far right). Mint is easily the cheeriest out of the bunch, while the most premium colorway goes to OnePlus.
Beyond the new color, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro remain unchanged. You're still getting gorgeous 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch displays with 120Hz refresh rates and 2,000+ nits of brightness, the Tensor G3 chip, sharp cameras with some of the best post-processing in the industry, big batteries with fast charging, beautiful designs, and seven years of Android updates.
Review: Google Pixel 8 Pro: This phone sold me on an AI-powered future
In fact, the only thing changing has to do with the latter feature I just mentioned. Alongside the new Mint color, Google is also releasing the next Feature Drop for Pixel users. The update will finally let owners of the Pixel 8 Pro read the temperature of a person by scanning their forehead with the temperature sensor on the back. It also includes Circle to Search which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series, Photomoji for transforming your photos into reactions for messages using AI, and Magic Compose for generating contextual responses to messages automatically.
The new Mint Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are only available starting today through Google's online store and Google Fi. If you happen to live in Chelsea or Williamsburg in New York City, or even Mountain View, CA, you can pick one up at Google's physical retail stores. They're keeping the same prices as before, with the Pixel 8 starting at $699 and the 8 Pro starting at $999.