Google has finally unveiled its latest flagship smartphones, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. While many of the features and specs had already leaked prior to launch, there are some interesting additions that set these new models apart.
The phones go on pre-order now and will be available starting October 12th, 2023. They were announced alongside the Pixel Watch 2 and a new color variant of the Pixel Buds Pro from 2022. Pre-ordering either Pixel 8 model will get you the earbuds for free.
Google Pixel 8: Pricing and Availability
Some disappointing news is that both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are getting price hikes this year. The base Pixel 8 is increasing by $100/£100 to $699/£699. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro jumps up by $100/£150 to $999/£999 for the starting configuration.
Here’s a look at how the new pricing compares to previous Pixel models:
- Google Pixel 8: $699/£699 (formerly $599/£599)
- Google Pixel 8 Pro: $999/£999 (formerly $899/£849)
- Google Pixel 7: $599/£599
- Google Pixel 7 Pro: $899/£849
- Google Pixel 6: $599/£599
- Google Pixel 6 Pro: $899/£849
While Google’s pricing has been consistent over the past few years, inflationary pressures have likely forced its hand. Nonetheless, the increase particularly stings at a time when consumers are more cost-conscious.
The base Pixel 8 comes in 128GB and 256GB storage options. The Pixel 8 Pro is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations, plus a 1TB version exclusive to the US.
Google Pixel 8: Design and Display
In terms of design, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro look very similar to their predecessors from the rear. However, they now have a flat display rather than the curved screens of the Pixel 7 series.
Here are the three colours for the Pixel 8: Rose, Hazel and Obsidian. The Pixel 8 Pro (pictured further down below) will come in Porcelain, Obsidian and Bay.
The Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch screen, just barely smaller than the Pixel 7’s 6.3-inches. The Pixel 8 Pro retains the same 6.7-inch display as before. The back of the 8 Pro uses a matte glass finish, while the standard 8 has polished glass.
Here are the dimensions and weights:
- Google Pixel 8 – 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm, 187g
- Google Pixel 8 Pro – 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm, 213g
You may notice the camera module on the back now has a unified bar for all the lenses, unlike the separate cutout on the Pixel 7 Pro. Google has also added a temperature sensor, marketed for checking the heat of objects like coffee and walls. Five case colors will be available for each model, costing $29.99 apiece.
The Pixel 8 display is a 6.2-inch 2400 x 1080 OLED with smoother 120Hz refresh rate, up from 90Hz on the Pixel 7.
The Pixel 8 Pro steps up to a higher resolution 6.7-inch 2992 x 1344 LTPO OLED with 120Hz variable refresh rate. Both screens reach an impressive peak brightness of 2000 nits (Pixel 8) and 2600 nits (Pixel 8 Pro).
Gorilla Glass protection has also been upgraded, with Victus on the Pixel 8 and Victus 2 on the 8 Pro.
Google Pixel 8: Camera Upgrades
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro rear cameras get major improvements this year. They both use an enlarged 1/1.31-inch main sensor with 50 megapixels, a big jump up from the 7 Pro’s 1/1.56-inch sensor. The larger size should allow more light capture and better low light performance.
The 8 Pro’s ultrawide camera goes up to 48 megapixels with autofocus and a 125.5-degree field of view. Unfortunately, the Pixel 8 sticks with the same 12MP, 125.8-degree ultrawide as before without upgrades.
For the 8 Pro’s telephoto, Google has oddly retained the 48MP sensor with 5x optical periscope from last year. And the front-facing selfie cameras have slightly decreased to 10.5MP from 11MP.
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Some new computational photography features include Night Sight for videos, Photo Unblur to sharpen motion blur, and Audio Eraser to reduce background noise in videos. There’s also a Magic Eraser tool to remove objects from photos.
Google Pixel 8: Performance and Battery
At the heart of both phones is Google’s new Tensor G3 processor. While full details are still scarce, it reportedly uses an uncommon 9-core CPU design with one high-power Cortex X3 core paired with four mid-tier and four low-power cores.
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This should deliver substantial gains over last year’s Tensor chips. But early benchmarks show it still lags behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and MediaTek Dimensity 9000 found in competing Android flagships.
Other upgrades include faster UFS 4.0 storage and a next-gen Titan M2 security chip. Google says the Tensor G3 powers advanced image processing, audio, video, and AI capabilities.
The Google Pixel 8 includes 8GB of RAM with 128/256GB storage options. The Pixel 8 Pro bumps this up to 12GB of RAM with 128/256/512GB storage plus a 1TB configuration exclusive to the US.
On the battery front, both models receive moderate capacity increases:
- Pixel 8 – 4485 mAh (up from 4270 mAh)
- Pixel 8 Pro – 4950 mAh (up slightly from 4926 mAh)
Charging speeds see more substantial improvements:
- Pixel 8 – 27W wired (up from 20W)
- Pixel 8 Pro – 30W wired (up from 23W)
Wireless charging is still supported as before. But Google’s charging tech remains behind much of the competition.
Software, AI and Security
A major highlight of the Google Pixel 8 series is Google’s industry-leading 7 years of software support. This covers OS updates, new features, and security patches all the way until 2030.
Previously, Pixel phones got 3 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches. But this increase puts Google well ahead of other Android brands.
Several AI-powered software additions aim to improve the user experience:
- Updated Call Screen can better detect and filter spam calls using conversational AI.
- Live Translate and Live Caption can now translate phone calls in real-time.
- The Recorder app supports transcribing and translating voice memos.
- Google Assistant typing now supports more languages like Japanese and Spanish.
- Rear camera guides help blind users frame shots of people, objects, documents, etc using voice prompts.
- Magnifier can enlarge and clarify hard-to-read text.
For power users, Director Mode allows controlling the Pixel’s camera remotely from a tablet for advanced photography and videography.
Overall Impressions
The Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro bring nice improvements in areas like the display, cameras, performance and battery life. Software support has also taken a huge leap forward to industry-leading levels.
However, the price hikes make the value proposition less compelling, especially versus the impressive Pixel 7 and 7 Pro from last year. It remains to be seen if the upgrades truly justify the extra cost.
But for Android purists who want the latest from Google, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro look to be versatile flagships that keep the premium Pixel experience rolling. Their smarter AI features and computational photography chops help them stand out from the Android crowd.
