Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: All the Magic of Google

Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: All the Magic of Google, Now with a New Wrapper. Since 2016, Google has been on a mission to build the smartest smartphone possible. With the Pixel 8 Pro, the company continues to refine its formula, incorporating generative AI features that promise to revolutionize the way we use our phones. This review dives deep into Google's most advanced smartphone to date, examining its design, performance, and the new AI-driven capabilities that set it apart.

Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: All the Magic of Google, Now with a New Wrapper

Design and Build Quality

A Familiar Yet Refined Design

The Pixel 8 Pro follows the aesthetic lineage established by its predecessors. It retains the characteristic Camera Bar, a polished aluminum strip that horizontally traverses the phone’s back, merging seamlessly with the slightly rounded metal chassis. This year, Google has opted for a matte finish on the back glass, reducing fingerprint smudges but making scratches more visible, especially on the black model.

Material Choices and Durability

The front and back are covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, promising enhanced scratch and drop resistance. The phone also maintains an IP68 rating, ensuring it is water and dust resistant. Over the testing period, the Pixel 8 Pro withstood daily use without any scratches or damage, highlighting its robust build quality.

Display

Super Actua Display

The Pixel 8 Pro boasts what Google calls a "Super Actua Display," a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel manufactured by Samsung. This display features an unusual resolution of 1344 x 2992 pixels, achieving 489 pixels per inch and supporting up to 2400 nits of brightness. This makes it one of the brightest screens in the industry, surpassing even the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Dynamic Refresh Rate

The LTPO technology enables a dynamic refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz, balancing smooth performance with power efficiency. Google's superior color calibration and excellent management of variable refresh rates make this display a standout feature.

Hardware and Performance

Tensor G3 Processor

At the heart of the Pixel 8 Pro is the Tensor G3, a processor designed to leverage the latest AI advancements. Unlike other manufacturers, Google focuses less on raw power and more on the capabilities enabled by AI. The Tensor G3, fabricated by Samsung on a 4nm process, includes a 4+4+1 configuration with Cortex-A510, Cortex-A715, and a high-performance Cortex-X3 core.

Performance Metrics

While the Tensor G3 doesn't match the raw performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Apple's latest processors, it excels in everyday use, offering smooth and responsive performance. However, it does tend to heat up more than its competitors under heavy loads, and its sustained performance isn't as strong.

Camera System

Versatile Camera Setup

The Pixel 8 Pro features a versatile camera system:

• Main Camera: 50 MP Octa-PD with OIS
• Ultra Wide Camera: 48 MP with autofocus and macro mode
• Telephoto Camera: 48 MP ƒ/2.8 with 5x optical zoom and OIS

The front camera is a 10.5 MP unit with autofocus, ensuring clear and detailed selfies.

AI-Driven Photography

Google has integrated several AI-driven features into the camera system, enhancing photo and video capabilities. These include improved Night Sight, Real Tone for accurate skin tones, and advanced computational photography techniques that set it apart from competitors.

Software and User Experience

Android 14 and Long-Term Support

The Pixel 8 Pro ships with Android 14 and promises seven years of OS updates, security updates, and Pixel Feature Drops. This long-term support is a significant advantage, ensuring the device remains current and secure over an extended period.

AI Features

Generative AI features are at the forefront of the Pixel 8 Pro's software experience. These include advanced voice recognition, on-device language translation, and context-aware smart replies. While some features will take months to roll out fully, the current capabilities already enhance the user experience significantly.

Battery Life and Charging

Improved Battery Performance

The Pixel 8 Pro comes with a 5050 mAh battery, offering solid all-day performance. It supports 30W fast charging and 23W wireless charging. While the battery life is good, it's not groundbreaking and falls slightly short of some competitors in endurance tests.

Pricing and Availability

Competitive Pricing in the US

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is available for purchase at $1099 for the base model with 128 GB of storage. The 256 GB and 512 GB versions are priced at $1159 and $1299, respectively. It can be bought from Google's official online store, authorized online retailers like Amazon, and physical stores such as Best Buy.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 8 Pro represents the pinnacle of Google's smartphone innovation, combining advanced AI features with solid hardware and a refined design. While it may not lead in raw performance metrics, its user experience, camera capabilities, and long-term software support make it a compelling choice for anyone looking for a high-end Android smartphone.

Pros:

• Outstanding display
• Refined design and build quality
• Excellent camera system
• Generative AI features

Cons:

• Tensor G3 lags behind in raw performance
• Some AI features are not yet available
• Base model has only 128 GB storage

For more information, you can visit Google's official Pixel page.

By prioritizing AI advancements and user experience over sheer processing power, Google has created a smartphone that feels genuinely smart. The Pixel 8 Pro is a testament to what the future of mobile technology can be, making it a worthy investment for tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike.

Software and Experience

Google Pixel 8 Pro's Display in Action

The Pixel 8 Pro may not be the most powerful smartphone on the market, but what it lacks in sheer processing power, it makes up for with Google's innovative features.

Google has focused on three key areas that have been significantly enhanced in the Pixel 8 Pro thanks to the inclusion of the Tensor processor: voice processing, imaging and video improvements, and security.

Voice Processing

The Pixel 8 Pro introduces a revamped Assistant that can understand and process voice commands in a more conversational manner, complete with pauses and interjections. This feature is currently available only in English.

Imaging and Video Enhancements

The camera system has been optimized to improve the efficiency of Live HDR in both photos and videos while reducing power consumption. New features include Google's Magic Editor in Google Photos and the "Best Take" function, which allows combining multiple shots to select the best facial expressions in group photos.

Security

Security remains a top priority, with the inclusion of the Titan M2 security chip. This year, Google has introduced a new facial recognition system that meets "Class 3" biometric standards for Android, allowing it to be used for app authentication and purchase verification. This secure facial recognition system, last seen in the Pixel 4, has been achieved with a 10.5-megapixel camera and advanced machine learning algorithms.

The Tensor processor also enables Google to promise seven years of updates for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, covering system updates, security patches, and Pixel Feature Drops. This level of support surpasses most other smartphone manufacturers and even edges out Apple's update policy.

Currently, the Pixel 8 Pro runs on Android 14, which comes with new features and enhancements by Google. While Android 14 doesn't drastically change the user interface, it does include some interesting functionalities, particularly related to generative AI.

Personalization

Android 14 on the Pixel 8 Pro features a wallpaper generator that allows users to create unique wallpapers by choosing different themes and styles. The results are quite impressive, adding a personalized touch to the user experience.

Unique Software Features

The Pixel 8 Pro is packed with unique software features not found on other smartphones. These include a new Magnifier app that uses the camera to zoom in on objects, Ultra HDR support for high dynamic range images in apps like Google Photos, and the ability to select text from any app via the multitasking menu.

The haptic feedback system on the Pixel 8 Pro is among the best on any Android phone, rivaling the latest iPhone models in terms of vibration intensity and clarity. Google has utilized these improvements to create new vibration effects throughout the interface, enhancing the user experience.

Biometric Security

In addition to the new facial recognition system, the Pixel 8 Pro includes an under-display fingerprint sensor, similar to the one found in the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. While it may not be the fastest on the market, it is precise, agile, and reliable.

Audio and Connectivity

The Pixel 8 Pro's dual-speaker system delivers clear and powerful audio. The USB port is a USB 3.2 Type-C, theoretically capable of speeds between 5 and 10 Gbps, although the included cable is USB 2.0.

Battery and Charging

The Pixel 8 Pro houses a 5050 mAh battery, the largest ever in a Pixel. Combined with the more efficient Tensor G3 processor, this should translate to excellent battery life. However, the initial tests indicate it falls slightly behind competitors in terms of battery endurance. On a typical day, it can last until bedtime with 15-20% battery remaining, supporting around 5 hours of screen-on time.

The charging technology has been improved to support up to 30W fast charging via USB-PD, and wireless charging has been increased to a maximum of 23W, although it still lacks Qi2 compatibility.

Cameras

The Pixel 8 Pro's camera system is one of its standout features. Here are the specs:

• Main Camera: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL GNV, with OIS + EIS, ƒ/1.68 aperture, 1/1.31-inch sensor size, 1.2 μm pixel width, and 82-degree field of view.
• Ultra-Wide Camera: 50 MP, ƒ/1.95 aperture, 0.8 μm pixel width, 125.5-degree field of view.
• Telephoto Camera: 48 MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture, 0.7 μm pixel width, with 5x optical zoom.
• Front Camera: 10.5 MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 1.22 μm pixel width, 95-degree field of view.

The hardware improvements include sensors that capture significantly more light, with the ultra-wide sensor seeing a 105% increase. The telephoto lens now has a wider aperture, enhancing its low-light performance.

The camera app has been redesigned to include "Pro" controls, allowing users to manually adjust highlights, shadows, focus, shutter speed, and ISO. This makes it easier to take professional-quality photos with minimal effort.

Users can capture images at the sensor's full resolution (48 or 50 MP) in both JPG and RAW formats, utilizing the enhanced HDR+ algorithm.

Image Quality

The photos taken with the Pixel 8 Pro are of excellent quality, maintaining Google's characteristic "Pixel look" with excellent dynamic range, sharpness, and vivid colors. The camera's processing does an excellent job of managing noise and maintaining detail across the image.

In portrait and human subject photography, the new larger sensor captures more detail, and Google's improved skin tone processing ensures accurate representation of different skin tones.

The ultra-wide and telephoto cameras offer consistent color accuracy across all focal lengths. The telephoto lens benefits from a brighter aperture, providing better sharpness in complex scenes.

Night Sight mode continues to impress, extracting light from dark scenes while maintaining realistic colors and excellent detail.

Selfies

The front camera, despite maintaining the same 10.5 MP resolution, benefits from processing improvements to produce more detailed and color-accurate selfies.

Advanced Features

The Pixel 8 Pro introduces the ability to capture images in the Display P3 color space, providing a wider color gamut in standard JPEG format, eliminating compatibility issues with HDR 10-bit images on social media platforms.

Ultra HDR captures images in JPEG_R format, with HDR gain maps embedded in the metadata, viewable on compatible devices.

Video Recording

The Pixel 8 Pro promises significant video recording improvements, delivering high-quality results overall. Major advancements in video capabilities are expected in upcoming updates.

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