Hey, did you hear the news? While everyone might be keeping their eyes on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup, Google isn’t letting the winter go to waste. While we’ll have to keep waiting for the Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 series for fresh hardware, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro remain some of the best phones you can buy today, and as of last week, a new color choice has joined the lineup. Unsurprising to anyone who kept an eye on the case colors for Google’s latest smartphones, a Mint colorway for the Pixel 8 series is now available, and I finally have my hands on the company’s new addition.
It’s so, so tempting to make endless “fresh” jokes throughout this entire piece — “this color looks minty fresh,” etc. — but truthfully, I’m a fan. I wish it was just a touch more saturated than what Google ended up shipping, but I think some of my photos don’t quite do it justice. In person, the phone is most certainly tinted with this light mint shade; the constant overcast skies of Buffalo in the winter are making it look a little more washed out in photos than what your eyes will actually see.
Still, it’s a big drop-off compared to the in-your-face Bay unit I’ve had since my Pixel 8 Pro review went live last fall. Anyone who likes colors that aren’t afraid to be a little bold will likely want to stick to that shade — just look at these two side-by-side comparison points.
The Mint Pixel 8 Pro has one big improvement over that Bay color thought: a matching metal frame. Again, it’s difficult to see in some of these photos, but the band running around the phone and coating the camera bar has a matching tinge of mint, compared to the plain silver look seen on its blue sibling. It’s a nice touch, one that makes the entire piece of hardware look and feel a little more unified. I still think the blue Bay model looks gorgeous — and is infinitely easier to shoot, regardless of the ambient lighting conditions — but this is easily my second favorite color across both Pixel 8 models. I might be biased though — this shade of green is right up my alley.
If there’s one bummer here, one that might prevent some potential buyers from grabbing this new Mint shade at checkout, its the arbitrary limitations Google has placed on this shade. Not only is it only available through the company’s own storefront — an easy enough hurdle to cross, if we’re being honest — but both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in Mint only come in the 128GB entry level configuration. If you need more than that base amount of storage, this shade is off limits for you.
Frankly, that’s a little silly — if anything, these late additions should either be treated like any other color, or treated as a special edition only available in the highest possible tier. At least if you buy a Pixel 8 Pro in Mint before February 3rd at 11:59pm PT, you can get a free matching case (of any color) with your purchase. Personally, though, I’ll be over here wondering when Google is going to make a coral Pixel 8 instead.
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