Google has started teasing a new hue for the Pixel 8 which will be released later this month. The Mountain View giant posted a not exactly cryptic message on Twitter with a binary encoded message that translates to: “Fresh year, fresh drop”. As Google’s website mentions, it will be a Minty Green color, and the photo posted alongside the teaser also gives us the first look at the shade. It looks funkier and brighter than the colorways that are currently available.

Google hasn’t said whether both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will come in Minty Green but the teaser only shows the latter. Google will release the Pixel 8 color variant on January 25 and per The Verge, you will only be able to get it through Google. Google has been dropping subtle hints that a green Pixel 8 is on the horizon. For instance, the company already sells a mint silicone case for the Pixel 8, even though the lineup is currently only available in Hazel (green-gray), Obsidian (deep black), Rose (pink-orangey), Porcelain (white), and Bay Blue (sky blue). As spotted by an eagle-eyed Redditor, Google also briefly listed a model with a green camera bar, stoking rumors that a new model was on the way.

Companies release their phones in new shades mid-cycle to boost sales. This is not a routine practice for Google though, as the company has only release one special variant — the barely blue Pixel 4a. Though no official sales data is available, the Pixel 8 series seems to be doing quite well, with one report saying that Google was the only brand to see an increase in shipment in Q2 2023. The new Pixel 8 will have the same specs and design as the models that are currently available but the fresh hue is a clever strategy on Google’s part to revive interest in its phones in the face of renewed competition from Samsung in the form of Galaxy S24.