“The Made by Google event officially ended last week, and now we have the next lineup of Pixel devices. This includes some new colors for the Google Pixel 8 Pro, the regular Pixel 8, the Pixel Watch 2, and the Pixel Buds Pro.
With the Pixel 8 Pro, we have several nice upgrades. It includes a new Super Actua LTPO OLED display that reaches a peak brightness of 2,400 nits and is accompanied by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a Tensor G3 chip, a slightly larger battery and a 50 MP main, 48 MP ultrawide and 48 MP telephoto lenses. Has a better camera system. ,
One of the more interesting additions, however, is the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor which is located below the LED flash on the back of the phone. So how does it work, and how useful is it?
How does the temperature sensor work on the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
We’re not sure who was asking for a temperature sensor on their next smartphone, but Google clearly felt like it was a necessary addition to the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s located in the camera bar below the LED flash on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro.
To use the temperature sensor, you will need the Pixel Thermometer app. When I received a review sample of the Pixel 8 Pro, the app didn’t automatically install, so I had to go into the default apps and download it manually.
When you launch the Thermometer app, it will ask you to point the sensor on the back of the phone within 5 centimeters or 2 inches of the object you’re measuring (a pulsating icon on the screen will help you see this) for best results. Helps where the sensor is). Then all you have to do is tap the giant “Tap to Measure” button, and boom – you have a temperature reading.
The thermometer app has a default setting that should work for whatever material you point it at. But Google includes the ability to choose a specific material if you intend to use the object temperature sensor for containers or the contents inside. These are the materials available to choose from:
- food and organic
- beverages and water
- raw iron
- ceramic and glass
- matte metal
- shiny metal
- plastic and rubber
- fabric
- Wood
- walls and windows
Choosing a specific material can help with the accuracy of the temperature readings you receive. For example, you may want to measure how hot your cast iron pan is before flipping those steaks. Or maybe you’re curious about how well your stainless steel tumbler is keeping your iced coffee cold. Or perhaps you’re curious about how hot your iPhone 15 Pro gets when so-called “overheating.”
I can’t say I’ve ever wanted a temperature sensor on my phone before, and honestly, while it’s nice to check and say, “Hey, my phone can do that,” it really feels like a gimmick.
It also seems to have been thought of during the height of the pandemic in 2020, which shows how much thought was put into the design and features before they were implemented in actual hardware. And while Google eventually plans to use the Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor to measure human temperature, it won’t be implemented until it gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And it’s unclear when exactly that will happen.
Is the Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor accurate?
You might be wondering how accurate this temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro actually is. I recently purchased an infrared temperature gun from Amazon when I was investigating whether the iPhone 14 Pro case actually helps control the temperature of your iPhone while using it. So, I decided I should put them face to face. For reference, all measurements below are in Fahrenheit.
I measured my iPhone 15 Pro in the Otterbox Figura Series case immediately after charging it for about 30 minutes on a MagSafe charging stand. It was quite hot, and the Pixel 8 Pro’s reading was 102.9 degrees, while my temperature gun read 105 degrees.
I also measured my stainless steel Starbucks tumbler with some iced coffee inside. I set the Pixel 8 Pro to “matte metal” and it gave me a reading of 67.1 degrees, while the temperature gun gave a reading of 72.3 degrees. On a separate occasion, I tried it again with the Pixel 8 Pro set to “default” and it gave me 71.6 degrees, while the temperature gun gave me 71.4 degrees.
Finally, I decided to test how cold my refrigerator and freezer were. When we set it to 6 degrees the Pixel 8 Pro gave me a freezer reading of 10 degrees, while the temperature gun gave a reading of 12 degrees. I’m assuming it would have been cooler if I hadn’t left the door open. On the refrigerator side, it’s set to 40 degrees, and the Pixel 8 Pro said 42.1 degrees, while the temperature gun said 45 degrees.
There are definitely some inconsistencies with the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor compared to other devices. I’m not sure which one is actually correct, but I’m going to lean towards the device whose sole purpose is to measure temperature, rather than the smartphone that has been hacked for some reason.
Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor is weird
The Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor would have been perfect two or three years ago when measuring your temperature before entering the building was the new “normal” for commercial venues. But today, I feel like it’s just an unnecessary addition that was added to the Pixel 8 Pro for no real reason other than a gimmick to show off to people.
Also, right now, the temperature sensor can only measure objects, as Google requires FDA approval to measure skin temperature. How often do you want to take the temperature of random objects on a daily basis? For me, it never really occurred to me – yes, something is too hot or too cold, but I never thought: “What is the exact temperature?”
You may need to know the exact temperature of the pan before throwing in your steak for that perfect sear, but again, based on the degree discrepancy with an infrared temperature gun, I’m not sure I can trust the numbers. Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor. For things like that, I would probably use something that is designed just for this purpose as it will be more accurate. It feels like the Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor is trying to make the Pixel 8 Pro a jack of all trades and a master of none.
Sure, it’s something you can show off to your friends as a neat trick: “But can your phone do that it, Otherwise, I don’t think it’s something I’d use regularly on the Pixel 8 Pro. Maybe sometimes, sure, but I think I’ll just stick with a dedicated thermometer – especially when it comes to human temperatures.