Google Pixel 8: Two-minute assessment
Ever since Google turned its Pixels ‘Professional’, the excellence between every year’s normal and Professional mannequin has all the time come all the way down to greater than a easy measurement distinction, and that is very true with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional.
Past the identical 50MP fundamental digicam and new Tensor G3 Google-made silicon, nevertheless, there is a clear distinction in what the usual Google Pixel 8 brings to the desk in comparison with its Professional-branded sibling. The query is, does the absence of Professional options imply you must cross on this yr’s normal Pixel; or do the generational upgrades from Pixel 6 and seven to the 8 make it the Pixel to select for these trying to get pleasure from Android precisely as Google meant?
The usual Pixel continues to shrink, with one other tenth of an inch off its show, in comparison with the Pixel 7, giving the Pixel 8 a 6.2-inch display screen. If that is not a difficulty for you, the telephone’s newly-named ‘Actua’ OLED show lastly enjoys a peak refresh price of 120Hz, even when the refresh price is not dynamic just like the 8 Professional’s, and needs to be manually switched on and off as desired.
As ever, the promise of Google’s Tensor chipset is not extra energy, a lot as extra room for AI-based wizardry, which is most tangible on the Pixel 8 within the digicam expertise, and the highly effective instruments built-in into the Photograph app. The Pixel 7 took nice pics from its fundamental 50MP digicam, and there was already an honest degree of versatility, however the refinement of the images expertise on the Pixel 8 is clear.
On the {hardware} aspect, whereas that fundamental snapper takes in additional mild, the 12MP ultra-wide that accompanies it now boasts autofocus, unlocking a macro capturing mode that, final yr, was unique the Pixel 7 Professional. Paired with Google’s top-tier picture processing, even when zooming in and regardless of the dearth of a real telephoto lens as discovered on the 8 Professional, the digicam system on supply delivers spectacular versatility that the majority customers must be very happy with.
Google being Google, you additionally get entry to highly effective new corrective instruments, like Greatest Take, which helps you collate the best mixture of faces from a burst of group photographs, in addition to Audio Magic Eraser, which because the identify implies, leans on the Tensor G3’s AI smarts to iron out undesirable background noise towards the wished audio of your video’s topic. These are the sorts of options that assist set the Pixel expertise aside from the remaining, and the variety of options the usual mannequin possesses is not something to be sniffed at.
A surprisingly massive battery and first rate all-day battery life spherical out an in any other case predictable however succesful generational improve that is priced to mild a match underneath each Apple’s and Samsung’s newest baseline flagship telephones (try our iPhone 15 assessment and Samsung Galaxy S23 assessment for extra context).
As long as you do not prize a telephoto lens, and may stay with fewer ultra-wide megapixels, you will not sacrifice an excessive amount of for those who select the Pixel 8 over the Pixel 8 Professional.
Need extra of our ideas on the most recent Pixel merchandise? Try our Google Pixel 8 Professional assessment and hands-on Google Pixel Watch 2 assessment too.
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Value and availability
- Priced from $699 / £699 / AU$1,199
- On sale from October 12
- Pricier than its predecessor
Google unveiled the 6.2-inch Pixel 8 and 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Professional at its October 4 Made by Google occasion, at which it additionally launched the brand new Google Pixel Watch 2.
The Pixel 8 begins at $699 / £699 / $1,199 for the 128GB mannequin, which has similarities to what you’ll have paid final yr for the higher-capacity 256GB Pixel 7, marking a generational value improve that, admittedly, is way extra noticeable with this yr’s Pixel 8 Professional. For those who do need the highest 256GB Pixel 8, that’ll value you $759 / £759 / $1,299, with the added quirk that this variant is simply out there in Obsidian (black) for these trying to purchase the Pixel 8 in Australia (the 128GB model could be had in all three colorways).
This is a full value breakdown for the Pixel 8:
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| Storage | US value | UK value | AU value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128GB | $699 | £699 | AU$1,199 |
| 256GB | $759 | £759 | AU$1,299 (solely out there in Obsidian) |
Preorders opened following the telephone’s unveiling on October 4, with full availability from October 12.
For those who’ve already heard sufficient, and are able to snag your self a brand new Google Pixel 8, you may try our Google Pixel 8 preorders web page, which we’re continuously updating with the very best gives out there.
- Worth rating: 4 / 5
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Specs
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| Row 0 – Cell 1 | |
| Dimensions: | 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm |
| Weight: | 187g |
| Show: | 6.2-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2400) 60Hz to 120Hz ‘Actua’ OLED |
| Chipset: | Google Tensor G3 |
| RAM: | 8GB (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage: | 128GB / 256GB (UFS 3.1) |
| OS (at launch): | Android 14 |
| Main digicam: | ‘New’ 50MP, f/1.68, 82° FoV w/ OIS |
| Extremely-wide digicam: | 12MP, f/2.2, 125.8º FoV |
| Entrance Digicam: | 10.5MP, f/2.2, 95º FoV |
| Battery: | 4,575mAh |
| Charging: | 27W wired, 18W wi-fi (2nd-gen Pixel Stand), 12W wi-fi (Qi) |
| Colours: | Obsidian, Hazel, Rose |
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Design
- Extra rounded corners than predecessors
- Pleasingly compact
- Underwhelming alternative of colours
This yr, you get a well-recognized design throughout each fashions, with the now-iconic digicam bar alongside the again (matte on the 8 and polished on the 8 Professional), in addition to extra rounded corners that make the design of each new Pixels softer and extra approachable than their forebears.
The extra rounded type and adjusted 20:9 facet ratio mix to make the 8 a properly compact and pocketable Android telephone, and excluding the distinct digicam bar (and the added thickness it brings), the 8’s silhouette is similar to that of a key rival, the Samsung Galaxy S23.
No solely is there a better generational disparity in display screen sizes with the Pixel 8 line, the Pixel 8 sheds a noticeable quantity of weight in comparison with its predecessor, dropping from 197g all the way down to 187g, in addition to being rather less tall and a contact narrower.
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It feels nice within the hand, even when it has gotten only a tiny bit thicker, and for those who stick on the official case it seems downright lovely, akin to a small pillow. Even with the softer strains, the position and really feel of the {hardware} controls alongside the best aspect is comfy and inside simple attain, the in-display fingerprint sensor proves constant (perhaps a bit sooner can be good, Google), and the digicam bar creates a pleasant groove on which to relaxation the tip of your finger to maintain the telephone from slipping, regardless of its shiny glass again.
Due to the discount in measurement, one-handed use is that rather more approachable for many customers, and the tight tolerances at work accommodate IP68-certification towards mud and water.
No everybody loves the present Pixel’s digicam bar-led aesthetic, however even for many who do not, the {hardware} inside, and the sensible ergonomics of its presence, make it extra value having than not.
I simply want Google had gotten a bit extra artistic with the colorways this yr. We dealt with the Hazel model throughout our hands-on, which – as on final yr’s Pixel 7 Professional – is extra of a putty inexperienced/grey, whereas Rose (pictured right here) falls into the identical lure as Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldable: a reasonably pastel that wants only a hair extra saturation to be attention-grabbing.
- Design rating: 4 / 5
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Show
- Newly-branded 6.2-inch ‘Actua’ OLED show
- Lastly helps 120Hz refresh price
- Improved brightness as much as 2,000-nit peak
Google might have shrunk the display screen only a tiny bit in comparison with the Pixel 7, nevertheless it’s maintained the decision, whereas updating the height brightness to 2,000 nits and rising the max refresh price to 120Hz – all welcome enhancements.
We have been caught on 90Hz because the Pixel 4, and whereas the 120Hz is not important, it is a good addition that helps slim the hole between the Pixel 8 and its most distinguished rivals, notably the Galaxy S23. The caveat is that, in contrast to the Pixel 8 Professional’s adaptive LTPO OLED, 120Hz viewing on the usual Pixel 8 is binary; you may flip it both on or off by flipping the ‘clean show’ toggle within the settings menu (‘off’ takes issues again all the way down to a baseline 60Hz). As such, you might have the choice to all the time get pleasure from extra fluidity throughout the person expertise, however on the expense of additional battery drain, and in contrast to adaptive refresh charges, it is as much as you to extra actively handle energy consumption with this function, which is a bit irritating.
There is a minimalist and practical always-on show on supply, which is beneficial for retaining tabs on the time and notifications at a look, whereas Night time Gentle is available to heat the colour temperature of the show within the evenings, or make low-light viewing simpler on the eyes in dim environments.
The drop to six.2 inches with no change in decision between generations means the Pixel 8 is technically a hair sharper than the Pixel 7 (not that you simply’d possible inform with the bare eye), whereas colours, distinction and viewing angles are all fine quality for a telephone at this value. That peak brightness bump is welcome too, retaining step with equally improved opponents just like the iPhone 15, and guaranteeing that out of doors visibility is nice.
- Show rating: 4 / 5
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Software program
- Android 14 out of the field
- Typically small tweaks from Android 13
- Spectacular 7 years of OS, Pixel Characteristic Drop and safety updates
Android 14 debuts on the Pixel 8 sequence, and whereas nearly all of the quite a few tweaks are small, one of the crucial tangible upgrades is a brand new customizable lock display screen that allows you to change the clock model and shortcuts out there within the backside corners. This is without doubt one of the these adjustments the place Google is taking part in catch-up to different Android telephone makers, however the addition is welcome nonetheless.
Android 14 additionally convey reworked animations (like a brand new charging indicator whenever you plug the telephone in) and extra management over issues like hotspot velocity and compatibility, whereas the clock within the notifications shade is now a shortcut again to the clock app, and ring and notifications quantity sliders have been separated. None of those are enhancements to get significantly enthusiastic about, however their inclusion is appreciated.
Google’s tackle Android, because it seems on the Pixel 8, is clear and inoffensive, with a lightweight quantity of personalization to assist construct a coherence into the person expertise throughout its units. There are different tweaks that I’ve seen on non-Pixels that I might have appreciated to have seen right here – amongst them the flexibility to observe and deny who has an energetic connection to my system’s hotspot – however for essentially the most half the Pixel serves up an easy-to-use, tastefully styled and well-featured person expertise.
The place the Pixel 8 actually stands aside from virtually each different telephone available on the market is its new software program promise. In contrast to its predecessors, which lately have include three years of OS updates and 5 years of safety updates post-launch, this yr’s Pixels include the promise of seven years of OS, Pixel Characteristic Drop and safety updates, a really spectacular dedication that undermines one of many iPhone’s greatest promoting factors, and dramatically improves the value-for-money proposition for Google new telephones (all the large manufacturers have some work to do to meet up with Fairphone, nevertheless).
- Software program rating: 5 / 5
Google Pixel 8 assessment: Cameras
- 50MP f/1.68 fundamental + 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide rear cameras
- Extremely-wide digicam now helps autofocus in macro mode
- 10.5MP front-facing punch-hole digicam
- New options embrace Magic Editor and Greatest Take
Google is blurring the strains between images and photograph manipulation on the Pixel 8
There is a extra distinguished disparity between the digicam setups on the Pixel 8 and the 8 Professional, relative to their respective predecessors. The apparent lack of a devoted telephoto sensor means the Pixel 8 tops out at an 8x Tremendous Res Zoom (learn: digitally enhanced zoom), whereas the 8 Professional has 5x optical zoom, with Tremendous Res Zoom as much as 30x. The 8 Professional makes use of a brand new 48MP ultra-wide digicam too, whereas ultra-wide on the usual 8 packs a 12MP sensor, like its predecessor. The front-facing 10.5MP digicam on the Professional boasts autofocus, towards the fixed-focus sensor on the 8.
Whereas these would possibly appear to be main shortcomings for the usual Pixel 8’s photographic expertise, in apply it is nonetheless a wonderful digicam telephone in its personal proper. The primary 50MP sensor has a wider aperture than that of its predecessors, which means extra mild and thus better-quality photographs in more difficult situations. The ultra-wide, in the meantime, now gives autofocus, unlocking the macro capturing mode that was solely discovered on the Pixel 7 Professional, final yr.
A reworked digicam UI makes it simpler to leap between the telephone’s varied nonetheless and video seize modes, and with the backing of that new Tensor G3 chipset and spectacular new AI capabilities, Google is blurring the strains between images and photograph manipulation on the Pixel 8, one thing that is greatest demonstrated by the brand new Magic Editor.
As long as you are completely satisfied to add your pictures to the cloud, Magic Editor is an evolution of Google’s Magic Eraser device. It enables you to faucet and drag on topic in a photograph to maneuver it, with the AI processing intelligently filling within the house the place the topic was. Furthermore, I used to be capable of substitute the blue sky of the unique picture with an entirely pretend golden-hour sky (see above), one in every of a handful of urged sky variations that Magic Editor generated; you may merely faucet to generate extra options, presumably infinitely.
In a similar way, Greatest Take can take a sequence of pictures of a bunch of individuals shot in succession and, together with your steerage, discover the very best expression for every individual throughout all of the pictures, after which create one photograph through which everyone seems to be wanting on the digicam and smiling. It is wild to see this working earlier than your eyes, if maybe a bit unsettling.
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