Google teases a new Pixel 8 color for release next week

A mint green color seems like a lock for release on January 25th. But you’ll only be able to get this one directly from Google.

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Google might be about to expand the color options for its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Today the Pixel team’s social media channels began posting teases for a new mint green color that will be available next Thursday, January 25th. The messaging isn’t exactly subtle. This hue will apparently be exclusive to the Google Store and Google Fi, so carriers and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are unlikely to offer it.

The binary code in Google’s social posts translates to “fresh year, fresh drop.”

There have been signs that Google has planned for a mint Pixel 8 and 8 Pro all along; it sells a mint silicone case for the phone that isn’t a match for the existing hardware color choices. And a few months ago, at least briefly, the Google Store website showed that case with a green camera bar, basically confirming that a light green version of the device had been planned but delayed for unknown reasons. Maybe Google always intended to hold it back as a way of giving sales a jolt in the new year.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Google has added a new color to the mix for its Pixel phones several months after release; it released a “barely blue” version of the Pixel 4A in 2020, for example. We’ve reached out to Google for more details.

Google continues to aggressively discount both Pixel 8 phones, with the 8 Pro currently on sale for $200 off (bringing it to $799) and the regular Pixel 8 down to $549. Those savings will apparently stick around through next week, which could entice some mobile shoppers into springing for the new mint color.