Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro review: Google’s most compelling phones in years

Because the unique Pixel, the particular sauce for all of Google’s telephones has been its software program. We’ve seen this all through the years in its cameras with issues like HDR+ processing and Google’s potent Night time Sight mode. And extra typically with options like Name Display screen, Reside Translate and the Recorder app. However on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, due to the brand new Tensor G3 chip and give attention to machine studying, it looks like Google’s newest flagship telephones are taking among the buzz from the current AI hype cycle and turning it into instruments you’ll really need to use.

Design and show

The Pixel 8 and eight Professional don’t look terribly totally different from final 12 months’s telephones, however you’ll discover quite a lot of small tweaks and enhancements on nearer inspection. Their corners are a contact extra rounded and Google deleted the small chin under the display screen by making its bezels a uniform measurement throughout. One notable change is that the Pixel 8 has shrunk a bit to a 6.2-inch display screen (down from 6.3 inches on the Pixel 7). That is one thing I can get on board with as a result of the cellphone is now extra compact and simpler to carry, with out straying too far into tiny handset territory like on the iPhone Mini 13 (which was canceled for its sins – RIP).

In the meantime, the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Professional has acquired different tweaks together with a brand new matte end on its again and an nearly fully flat show as a substitute of the curvy sides on earlier fashions. The digital camera bar has additionally been streamlined to characteristic a single lens cowl for all of its cameras and its new temperature sensor. However no matter which mannequin you’re , each telephones sport a strong construct constituted of Gorilla Glass Victus with IP68 rankings for mud and water resistance and in-screen fingerprint readers.

As for the screens themselves, Google is utilizing Actua and Tremendous Actua branding to explain the Pixel 8 and eight Professional’s shows and I form of hate it. Don’t get me unsuitable, they give the impression of being nice and with peak brightness of two,000 or 2,400 nits relying on the mannequin, they’re even higher trying and extra viewable outside than earlier than. My difficulty is that I don’t need to dwell in a world the place each element on a tool must have a catchy title with nebulous definitions. We have now Retina shows on iPhones, PixelSense screens on Surfaces and now Actua panels on Pixels. It’s an excessive amount of.

That stated, I’ve observed that in Google’s quest for exact, lifelike colours–which is what its Actua branding is supposed to recommend–some hues and tones seem extra muted on the Pixel 8 than on rival gadgets. This isn’t essentially a foul factor, it’s simply could lead to issues like meals trying a bit extra appetizing on competing gadgets. The Pixel 8 additionally has a barely decrease decision (2,400 x 1,080 vs 2,992 x 1,33) than the 8 Professional and a narrower vary for its variable refresh charge (60-120Hz vs 1-120Hz).

Efficiency

Packing a brand new Tensor G3 chip and both 8GB or 12GB of RAM relying on the mannequin, the Pixel 8 and eight Professional’s efficiency feels prefer it has gotten a noticeable enhance in comparison with the earlier technology. Sadly, as a result of I’ve been testing gadgets previous to their official launch, apps like Geekbench 6 don’t work but so I don’t have a ton of numbers to work with. However I’ve observed that loading video games occurs quicker and the cellphone is usually extra responsive, although nonetheless not fairly on the identical stage as a tool with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. The Pixel 8 Professional has additionally gotten an enormous enhance within the storage division with help for as much as 1TB. Sadly, the identical can’t be stated for the Pixel 8 which nonetheless tops about at 256GB.

In fact, horsepower is extra than simply clock speeds and benchmarks. Google claims the Tensor G3 runs greater than twice as many machine studying fashions on-device in comparison with the Pixel 6’s G1 processor. Now that determine is troublesome to place into perspective, however with the arrival of options like Magic Editor that makes use of generative AI to govern images, now I really care about how highly effective a chip’s NPU is. At the moment, when tweaking a photograph or utilizing AI to create a brand new wallpaper in Android 14, there’s a strong two or three Mississippi earlier than I can see outcomes. That’s comprehensible contemplating the novelty of the software program, however given how typically I have been utilizing the options, I’m already dreaming about making them work quicker.

Cameras

Nowhere on the cellphone is Google’s improved software program and AI extra evident than when capturing images and movies. Along with new sensors that embrace a 50-MP primary digital camera and a 12-MP ultra-wide (or a 48-MP ultra-wide and 48-MP telephoto with a 5x optical zoom on the 8 Professional), the Pixel 8 delivers a contemporary suite of instruments for making the whole lot your seize look higher.

Essentially the most spectacular new characteristic is Magic Editor, which mixes lasso and content-aware fill capabilities, much like Photoshop, in a single place. All it’s important to do is spotlight one thing along with your finger after which you may select to delete it (like within the case of a distracting ingredient) or transfer it some other place, at which level the Pixel makes use of AI to fill in any holes. It sounds easy in idea, however anybody who‘s ever tried to crudely cowl up a blemish with the clone stamp software is aware of it’s not fairly that simple. However the Pixel makes it look like it’s and the outcomes are surprisingly good. The caveat is that with a purpose to use Magic Editor, you first must again your pic up in Google Pictures. So in case you run out of cupboard space or don’t have a very good knowledge connection, you may be in for a minor headache.

For instance, try this image I not too long ago took at a marriage. Even earlier than enhancing, it appears to be like nice, which is a testomony to Google’s wonderful picture processing. Then, due to the Magic Editor, I had no bother eradicating small distractions like a neon exit signal. This ends in a photograph that pulls your consideration again to the bride and groom (the place it needs to be).

And for anybody who’s ever been irritated by a bunch pic that was ruined as a result of one individual was frowning when it occurred, there’s Greatest Take. As a substitute of capturing a single group shot and calling it a day, Greatest Take can have a look at a collection of photographs, acknowledge individuals’s faces after which provide the possibility of placing whichever response you need on every individual’s head. Granted, it’s not excellent and, relying on the composition of the photograph, you may discover some small bumps round individuals’s necks and shoulders or some misplaced hair. However it’s adequate that folks may not discover until they’re actively searching for flaws. You simply have to recollect to shoot greater than only one photograph, however you already do this anyway proper?

Word: The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional use the identical 50-MP sensor for his or her primary digital camera. On this overview, I primarily used the Pixel 8 Professional for digital camera testing. 

Nonetheless, the Pixel 8 Professional takes issues even additional with the addition of professional digital camera controls. That is one thing I’ve personally been hoping to get for some time and, regardless that Google definitely took its time making it occur, the outcomes are strong. You’ll be able to activate Professional controls by tapping the settings icon and switching over to the brand new Professional tab. Then you may faucet the button within the backside proper to regulate issues like file sort (JPEG or RAW), shutter pace, white steadiness and extra. There’s even a handbook focus possibility that features focus peaking to point out you what’s sharp and what isn’t.

Video is getting some large enhancements too. Audio Magic Eraser does a powerful job of eliminating distracting ambient noises out of your clips. It’s not so good as having devoted mics and a full-time sound editor. But when all you need to do is make issues simpler to listen to, this can be a large assist and it suits in a pocket.

The draw back to a software-first method is that issues take a bit extra time. So not solely do it’s important to watch for photographs or clips to get processed, among the Pixel 8 Professional’s most promising options like Zoom Improve and Video Enhance with Night time Sight received’t be out there at launch and aren’t scheduled to reach till a characteristic drop someday in December. Now whereas it is potential that this a results of an extended pipelines for software program improvement, I hope this does not turn out to be a pattern. It’s a little bit of a disgrace that the whole lot isn’t prepared on day one

Extra typically, Google’s HDR+ and low-light modes are pretty much as good because it will get. Photographs taken with Night time Sight have been routinely, sharper, brighter and extra detailed than what I acquired from an S23 Extremely. And whereas its 5x optical zoom isn’t fairly so long as the S23’s 10x, it typically feels extra usable, particularly whenever you’re capturing indoor occasions. Regardless, between its upgraded sensors, Google’s wonderful picture processing, the brand new professional controls and a contemporary package of AI-powered instruments, the Pixel 8 Professional looks like probably the most highly effective smartphone digital camera in the marketplace. And regardless of having one fewer lens and fewer options, the common Pixel 8 isn’t far behind.

My one query is that I’m undecided why Google is proscribing professional digital camera controls solely to the costlier mannequin. Even and not using a telephoto digital camera, accessing superior settings could be a welcome addition to the bottom mannequin. Heck, some of us have already discovered a method to hack professional controls onto the Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and the Pixel 8 by messing round with the Google Digicam APK. So hey Google, how about simply formally porting over Professional controls to as many gadgets as potential?

Different new options

The AI-powered capabilities don’t cease there although. If you happen to really feel like making a customized wallpaper, you may merely generate one primarily based on a couple of adjustable parameters. It’s an attention-grabbing method to create a novel backdrop, however as evidenced by the awkward-looking palms on the one I created, it nonetheless succumbs to loads of the pitfalls that always plague AI artwork.

Once you need to save a while, you may ask the Google Assistant to summarize an article from the online. Or you may ask it to learn the story aloud, which creates a brand new audio popup so you may hear whilst you multitask. It’s like being able to show each article into an audiobook, which is simply actually handy. The whole web is now a podcast. And if that’s not sufficient, you may even have the assistant translate tales into one other language on the similar time too.

Because of the Tensor G3 chip, Google additionally says that Pixel 8 helps extra pure voice and textual content recognition, which powers options like a proofreading software in Gboard and improved Assistant voice typing throughout a number of languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish). Sadly, the one different language I converse is Mandarin, which isn’t supported but, so I’ll should verify in once more on this when that will get added.

Lastly, Google says that through the use of a brand new algorithm alongside upgraded {hardware}, Face Unlock is considerably quicker and safer than earlier than. In my testing, that elevated pace undoubtedly checks out. And some instances after I set the cellphone down on a wi-fi charging pad, it mechanically unlocked from six toes away after I walked within the room, so facial recognition appears to have been improved as effectively. The one difficulty is that in setup, I discovered that you must be in a relatively brilliant room, in any other case you’ll run into errors and a message asking you to attempt once more.

Lastly, whereas it doesn’t have something to do with AI, there’s a brand new temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Professional that at launch can be utilized to measure drinks and whatnot. And sooner or later, if granted permission by the FDA, Google is hoping you’ll have the ability to use the sensors as a thermometer for individuals. It’s a pleasant however not important added characteristic, although I think about it is going to come in useful for fogeys of babies like me who’re continuously in worry that their child is coming down with one thing.

Battery Life and help

Whereas the Tensor G3 has given the Pixel 8 an enormous enhance to its AI capabilities, it’s supplied a bump in longevity too. On our commonplace video rundown take a look at, the Pixel 8 lasted 20 hours and 16 minutes, which is a two-hour improve over final 12 months’s cellphone. The Pixel 8 Professional fared even higher, because it lasted 21 hours and 9 minutes versus 16:42 for the P7 Professional. Moreover, wired charging is now barely quicker at 27 watts for the Pixel 8 and 30 watts for the Pixel 8 Professional. Nonetheless since you don’t get an influence adapter within the field, you’ll want to purchase an acceptable charging brick individually.

The largest improve throughout the whole machine, although, may be Google’s pledge to present the Pixel 8 line seven years of software program and {hardware} help. That features Android updates, month-to-month safety patches and common characteristic drops from now till 2030. And whereas it stays to be seen how these telephones are going to carry up after on a regular basis, it’s exhausting to be salty about having the longest help dedication of any Android cellphone not named the Fairphone 5.

Wrap-up

Again in 2018 when the Pixel 3 got here out, that was the primary time it felt like Google’s software-first method to cellphone design actually got here collectively. And now on the Pixel 8, between the Tensor G3 and compelling new instruments that chip is powering, Google is utilizing AI to stage up its playbook. Extra importantly, it’s doing so in a extra tangible and sensible means than companies like ChatGPT or Midjourney. The Pixel 8 delivers AI to the palm of your hand that makes your images look higher, movies sound higher, information simpler to digest and your drunk texts simpler to know. And with even longer software program help, there’s a pathway for the Pixel 8 to get higher down the road.

It’s a little bit of a disgrace that each the Pixel 8 and eight Professional now price $100 greater than earlier than. However identical to the whole lot else, telephones aren’t resistant to inflation. And that value is even greater for individuals on Verizon who need help for mmWave 5G, as Massive Crimson’s model of the Pixel 8 begins at $799 as a substitute of $699. Nonetheless, the inexpensive new Pixel comes with an upgraded primary digital camera, higher battery life and a extra refined design, to not point out Magic Editor, Greatest Take and a bunch of different AI instruments. However regardless of the value hike, the Pixel 8 looks like a fantastic deal and I think about its barely smaller display screen an improve usually wieldability. It’s an almost superb small Android cellphone.

Then we come to the Pixel 8 Professional, which is much more spectacular. Google’s telephones already took among the finest images you might seize with a pocket-sized machine. And with the facility of AI and a full suite of upgraded sensors, the Pixel 8 Professional is mainly unmatched with regards to total images prowess. For the previous three years, I’ve been utilizing some form of large foldable as my each day driver. However the Pixel 8 Professional is the primary handset that has me wanting to return to a conventional glass brick. The actual magic of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional although is that even in case you don’t know or care how AI is impacting its software program, Google’s newest tips are too attractive to move up.