Google has announced its two latest Android phones – Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. and you know what? I actually feel quite optimistic about them. Maybe even a little excited.
Given my history with Google’s smartphones over the past year, this surprised me. Why? I had Terrifying Experience with Google Pixel 7 Pro. it was a phone that did it so excess so Incredibly good, and I wanted to like it so much. However, a continuing series of performance issues, software bugs, and other problems made it difficult – even impossible – to use at times.
Now, fast forward to the Pixel 8 series. Google isn’t reinventing the formula for its latest Pixel. But it has made some surprising and unexpected upgrades. I got a chance to use both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro very briefly before their release, and I came away unexpectedly optimistic. In fact, I can’t wait to finish writing this article so I can go back to using them more.
Pixel 8 Pro is the best Pixel yet
Let’s talk about the main event first: Google Pixel 8 Pro. It’s the more powerful of the two, and it’s set to compete directly with phones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. And I think it can really hold its own against them.
The thing we liked the most about Google this year is its design. The Pixel 8 Pro is covered in glass on the front and back, but the rear glass panel has an excellent matte finish. It almost feels like satin when you touch it, and it’s one of my favorite changes for this year’s phones. It’s soft, comfortable, and (at least during my brief time with the phone) retains hardly any fingerprints. And despite the 6.7-inch display, it didn’t feel too heavy or cumbersome to hold. Google has rounded up and softened almost every aspect of the design compared to the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and the end result is pretty impressive.
Talking about the display, it has every specification required to be one of the best of the year. The refresh rate now varies from 120Hz to 1Hz, it reaches an eye-popping 2,400 nits of outdoor brightness, and Google’s new “Super Actua Display” is supposed to display more accurate and true-to-life colors. I need a lot more time with the phone to properly assess how good this whole package really is, but at least during my initial hands-on time, it made a great first impression.
Finally, in typical Google style, there is a Very Getting excited about the camera experience. There’s a new 50MP main camera with a larger f/1.68 aperture, the ultrawide camera has grown from a 12MP sensor to 48MP, and the 48MP telephoto camera – while still capped at 5x optical zoom – offers a tighter field of view and A larger aperture for (theoretically) better low-light photography.
It’s a really impressive package on paper, and although the price has increased from $899 to $999 this year, I think Google still has a good value proposition. It’s cheaper than the most powerful iPhone and Samsung’s highest-end flagships, and it can match them in almost every respect.
Plus, can we take a second to admire the new bay blue color? this is wonderful. I am passionate about it. Google! Other phone companies! Please give more colors like this.
But the smaller Pixel 8 looks even better
The Pixel 8 Pro is arguably the more exciting of the two new Pixels. But if you ask me, it’s the smaller Pixel 8 I’m really looking forward to a little more. For one thing, Google has done something that most other phone companies have no interest in: It made its latest phone small, What a concept!
The Google Pixel 7 and its 6.3-inch display never felt unwieldy, but the Pixel 8 narrows things down to a 6.2-inch screen. While 1/10th of an inch doesn’t seem like a big change, when you combine it with the phone’s more rounded body, the resulting Pixel 8 feels incredible to hold. It sounds cheap, but it almost gives the impression of a soft, worn pebble. It’s easy to pick up, comfortable to handle and feels like it’s a phone I can use for hours without any discomfort. In a world where phones from most other companies keep getting bigger, it’s actually a welcome change to see Google go in the opposite direction.
My only design dilemma? Google uses a glossy glass back for the regular Pixel 8. it is not visible Bad, but it also doesn’t have the unique feel of the matte glass of the Pixel 8 Pro. Keeping some separation between the two phones is an understandable change, but I’m still going to complain about it.
Other than that, the regular Pixel 8 maintains the same experience you’ll get on the Pixel 8 Pro. You now have the same features like a 120Hz display (up from 90Hz on the Pixel 7), the same new 50MP main camera and IP68 rating, face unlock (which works for the lock screen). And applications), reverse wireless charging, and more. You don’t have a dedicated telephoto camera, and the ultrawide camera has been downgraded to a 12MP sensor, but there’s no reason to believe that the Pixel 8 won’t still be able to capture excellent photos even with its lesser hardware.
The best part of all this? Price. The Google Pixel 8 starts at $699, and while that’s more than last year’s $599 price tag, it still seems like an incredible value. This puts it up against phones like the OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23, and if Google delivers on its promises (which, admittedly, is a big deal), it could make it one of the best smartphone values of the year Is. hands down.
Yes, the Google Pixel 8 Pro has more specifications and is more attractive all around. But a phone with (mostly) flagship specs, a compact body, an impressive design, and a price of just under $700? It’s a really attractive package and I think it could be a smash hit for Google.
A big warning for the Pixel 8 series
Now, we reach the part of the article where I have to put on my pessimist hat. Yes, I’m looking forward to these new pixels, but I’m always conscious of how easily this can all break. And it all depends on Tensor G3.
Similar to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series, the Pixel 8 lineup is powered by a custom Google-designed chipset. This is the company’s third attempt at making its own smartphone chip, and it’s making a lot of big — and very vague — promises about it. We know the CPU is a new ARM v9 cluster and has had “GPU upgrades”. Google says that “every major subsystem has been upgraded” for this new Tensor G3. And that’s… basically all we know!
I have no doubt that the Tensor G3 will be able to run all my apps and handle my go-to games – whether marvel snap Or Call of Duty: Mobile, But it’s not the raw horsepower I’m worried about. I’d like to know how everything else about the chip works. Will the Tensor G3 make the Pixel 8 get too hot even after a few minutes of use, as we’ve seen on the Tensor and Tensor G2 phones? Is its energy efficiency going to get better, or will it still not last beyond a day of use? Will it be able to run Android 14 smoothly, or will it also have random bugs and glitches as we’ve seen in Google’s last two attempts?
These aren’t questions I’ll have answers to until I spend more time with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and based on my past experience with Google’s phones, this is where I get concerned. Tensor chips have been proven unbelievably Inconsistent for the last two years. Some people have perfectly good experiences with them, while others – like me – can’t avoid Tensor’s problems no matter how hard we try.
I sincerely hope that Tensor G3 will solve these problems. It doesn’t matter how good the rest of the Pixel 8 package looks, it won’t matter if you can’t trust the piece of silicone that makes it stick.
Is the eighth time a charm for Google?
So, is this the year Google finally hits a home run with the Pixel? I sure hope so. I like basically everything I see with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and using the phones — if only briefly — only heightens that excitement. Is it necessary to feel this way, or do I have to put up with another year of bugs and headaches? I fully expect it to be the former.
Google made a lot of smart decisions with the Pixel 8 series. They look great, sound incredible, and have spec sheets that warrant their new prices. Now, it’s time to start reviewing these phones to see if they can really live up to the high expectations Google has set for them. If they can, we’re going to do something special. If not, well… you already know what to expect from me if I get wowed by the Pixel series again.
Both the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are available for preorder now and will go on sale on October 12.