The Google Pixel 8 may have just arrived in your hands, but it has already received an important update. Google will be bringing lossless USB audio to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, a feature that helps justify the $100 price increase. If you want to send the best audio to your ears.

The news was posted on Reddit by Dave Burke, Google's VP of engineering. He confirmed that the Pixel 8 series will support lossless USB audio in a future update. Unfortunately, there is currently no word on when this audio enhancement will actually happen.

Burke explained that lossless USB audio will guarantee "bit-perfect audio" that bypasses the audio mixer and any processing specifications. Since this feature is currently part of the Android operating system, it is up to handset manufacturers and app developers, including Google, to take advantage of it.

Lossless USB audio means that wired headphones are required to get its benefits. It also requires access to lossless audio from streaming services such as TIDAL and Apple Music, or from music catalogs in lossless format.

Lossless audio is not new; it was ubiquitous in the days before MP3s and music streaming. However, as the convenience of digital music players won out over things like CDs, lossless audio fell out of favor. It is only recently that the demand for lossless audio on more portable devices has actually been met.

Fortunately, this move by Google should go a long way toward making lossless audio more accessible. Especially for those who do not own Apple devices, many of whom have already begun supporting lossless audio.

As for the Pixel 8 series, if Google can quickly roll out this feature, it could make the phones more attractive to audiophiles. In turn, it could also help justify both models being more expensive than last year: according to a GSMArena poll, 38.7% of respondents felt the Pixel 8 Pro was too expensive; for the Pixel 8, only 9.6% felt that way, while another 31.9% felt that the Pixel 8a Pixel 8a.

The Pixel 8 series has much to offer, but for many, including myself, it may not be enough to justify the purchase. I am not an audiophile, though. Used correctly, offering lossless audio on a Sony Xperia or anything else that is not expensive professional equipment can be advantageous - especially at a price point that is a bit cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Especially at a slightly lower price point than the iPhone 15 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Just depends on when Google can offer it to people and how well it works.