Pixel 8 will support higher audio quality via USB-C port
Google has confirmed that Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will support lossless audio via USB-C port. Higher sound quality will be available with Android 14, reports 9to5Google.
During an AMA session on Reddit, Dave Burke, a representative of the Android team, said the following:
We’ve added OS support – so the next step is for support from device makers and app developers. Pixel 8 and other OEMs are expected to support this mode in their hardware abstraction layer (HAL) implementations in later releases. App developers will need to adopt the new API for lossless audio to take advantage of.
In addition, as noted by 9to5Google, the USB-C port on smartphones also supports video transmission, and although this feature is not officially available in the operating system, it can be used with root rights.
Twitter user Mile shared a video showing how video transfer via the USB-C port works on the Pixel 8 Pro on Android 14.
Perhaps in future updates of the operating system, Google will add this feature officially, as rumors about the company’s intentions to add desktop mode to smartphones have been circulating since the release of Android 13.