Google’s Made by Google event has come and gone, giving us a new lineup of Pixel devices – including the Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Google Pixel Watch 2.
There’s a lot to like about the Google Pixel 8 Pro in particular. It features a new Super Actua display with 2,400 nits peak brightness, making it one of the brightest displays ever on a smartphone. You also get a 50MP main camera with the new Tensor G3 chip, 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto cameras, and Pro controls for the camera app.
But the Pixel 8 Pro also has a unique feature hidden beneath the matte back glass: an object temperature sensor. But what can you actually do with this unique little sensor? As it turns out, not much!
What you can do with the Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor
Right now, the main thing that the temperature sensor on the Google Pixel 8 Pro can do is measure the temperature of various objects. Yes, it sounds somewhat gimmicky, but this wouldn’t be the first time that Google has thrown an expensive gimmick into one of its devices – remember the Soli radar system in the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL?
Anyway, what does it do? In fact This means that you can measure the temperature of different objects with the Google Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor? For example, you could try measuring the temperature of the pan you’re cooking with. Or maybe you’re curious how much heat your laptop is producing when you’re trying to game Starfield, Or you just want to see how hot the iPhone 15 Pro gets when it feels like it’s “overheating.”
Of course, when it looks like you might be sick, the main thing you’ll probably want to take is your own or someone else’s temperature. Can the Pixel 8 Pro help with this?
What you can’t do with the Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor
Ultimately, the purpose of the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro is to measure a person’s temperature. This would be very beneficial in situations when you want to take someone’s temperature because they are feeling sick, such as a fever.
In an instructional video leaked in May, Google showed users how to use the temperature sensor in the Pixel 8 Pro. By simply holding the phone “as close as possible” to someone’s forehead, then moving it slowly across the temple at 4 second intervals, you can get a person’s temperature.
Why do we say “eventually”? This is because the ability to measure a person’s temperature will not be available until it receives Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and who knows how long that process will take. This could happen in the next few weeks, months or – more realistically – closer to a year from now.
Overall, the temperature sensor on the Google Pixel 8 Pro feels like just a gimmick and something that wasn’t completely needed. Especially when the main use case, measuring a person’s temperature, won’t be available until it gets approval from the FDA. And even then, it may not be as accurate as a dedicated thermometer.