Google Pixel 8 Review: A Great Phone Made Better by Some Fantastic Features

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It’s the Google Pixel 8 is a fantastic phone that will appeal to many users than the Pro rival due to its smaller dimensions and the comfortable design.
• Pixel 8 Pixel 8 features a bright display that has a high refresh frequency and latest speakers that provide an excellent audio-visual experience.
• The phone is very efficient thanks to its customised Google Tensor G3 chip, with its fast speed and powerful AI capabilities, however it will warm up when you are in prolonged usage. The camera’s quality is top-notch but it isn’t equipped with manual controls however, the software does offer an excellent AI editing capabilities.

Google, Apple, and other companies using Pro in their names for their products are mostly to blame, but it’s not surprising it is it’s the Pro version of flagship phones is the one that gets the most attention. But, models that aren’t Pro could be better over their Pro-branded counterparts such as this model from Google Pixel 8.

Although it doesn’t have certain of the flashier features found on its Pro counterpart, such as the telephoto lens as well as manual camera controls, the Pixel 8 is still a excellent phone, and is arguably more suitable for the majority of people.

Design: Is Smaller Better?

If you’ve looked at Google’s previous several phones and it’s likely that the Pixel 8 won’t surprise you. This is a standard feature of contemporary phone design. After all, why take an unorthodox change if the majority of people already love the current model. However, this is particularly interesting as Pixel 8 looks and feels similar to the previous model, Pixel 8 looks like the predecessor, it’s distinct.

Its Pixel 8 is ever-so-slightly smaller than the Pixel 7, with one of the most easy distinctions to notice is the fact that it has an 6.2-inch display, in contrast to the 6.3-inch display of the earlier version. It’s also smaller in all other dimensions, resulting in an iPhone with one of the top screen-to-comfort ratios I’ve ever seen.

Although it isn’t as big as that of the iPhone 15, that is pretty similar in dimensions The Pixel 8 feels more usable when held in one hand. The Pixel 8 is 8.9mm wide and weighs 6.59oz (187g) and comes with IP68 dust and water resistance. These specs alone aren’t enough to tell how well the phone feels to use, but.

The buttons, which don’t feel natural on a modern phone, are surprisingly useful and well-placed. Additionally, they’re not located in a way that makes them difficult to accidentally press, something that is still the case on a lot of phones. The biggest drawback to this phone’s design is its glass back, which can feel like it’s waiting to take a obvious scratch.

A Bright Display and Upgraded Sound

As previously mentioned the display on Pixel 8 Pixel 8 is ever so little smaller in size, at 6.2 inches rather than 6.3 inches on the display of the Pixel 7. It also has a curved screen. Pixel 8 also features Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, helping to shield the screen from an accidental drop.

The Pixel 8’s screen might be a bit smaller than that on the earlier model, it has the same resolution, 2400 x 10880 that means it’s more sharp. The Pixel 8 has the option of a variable refresh rate that ranges between 60 120 Hz to 60 Hz and a maximum intensity of 2,200 nits within the normal dynamic range, and 1400 to 1,400 with HDR.

It’s a sign it’s true that Pixel 8 isn’t quite as bright as the Pixel 8 Pro, but it’s still quite bright. I’ve never had any issues being able to see what was visible on screen working outside in bright sunshine.

A feature of this display that’s not an issue yet could be a problem for you are the bezels. Although they’re smaller than on the phone’s predecessor, they’re not uniform. Particularly the bezel at the lower right of the screen is more prominent than the rest of the.

The speakers have been upgraded since the Pixel 8, offering better audio quality compared to the earlier model. However, they have a different sound quality and the speaker with lower volume having a higher volume. It is also possible to the speaker with your fingers while using your phone.

 

Speedy Performance, But A Little Warm

Like the previous Pixel smartphones that have come out, this Pixel 8 uses a custom chip, this time it’s the Google Tensor G3. The phone is available with 128GB or the 256GB option however, regardless of what capacity you select the phone comes equipped with eight GB of LPDDR5X RAM.

The G3 processor is a bit fast when you use it for everyday tasks However, as with other smartphones when it’s speedy enough the overall speed won’t have much impact. It’s when you begin playing games or utilizing software that is more demanding, that performance matters and the G3 is still quick in this scenario. However, the most remarkable aspect is the AI capabilities which we’ll explore in a moment.

The earlier Tensor chipsets were noted for their propensity to heat up with time. While this isn’t nearly as much of a problem with Tensor G3, Tensor G3 as with previous models, it does get hot. However, it’s much from being a problem. You’re more likely to feel this kind of heat when playing games or using more demanding applications such as benchmarks, however it’s never as hot like other models might. An unreliable mobile connection could also cause the processor to overheat when the phone tries to connect.

The best part is that, even when the phone was overly warm the phone didn’t trigger any throttle–at least, that’s what I could tell during testing. It’s great to know that the phone doesn’t suddenly stop working in a crucial moment.

 

Great Cameras, But No Manual Control

For a long time the Google Pixel series has been known for its quality of camera. It’s true that the majority of the praise has been reserved to phones in the Pro series phones however, it’s easy to forget that a lot is similar across phones. The similarity is apparent, but the biggest distinction between the phone models is the disconcerting disappointment.

In terms of the camera’s hardware, the primary camera functions the same way that you’ll find with the Pixel 8 Pro: a 50-megapixel lens that has an f/1.68 aperture, and it comes with optical image stabilization (OIS) as well as electronic image stabilization (EIS). The wide-angle lens has 12-megapixel camera that has an 125.8-degree area of vision and the selfie lens is fixed-focus with an 10.5-megapixel resolution.

The primary difference in Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro is that the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t have the telephoto lens that the Pro has. The extent to which this is an issue depends on the type of pictures you snap and while phones’ cameras are improving more than ever before, photos with a telephoto range aren’t the best, even using a dedicated lens. In light of that I would not consider it to be a major disadvantage if I was considering buying this phone based solely on its camera.

The images are of the standard you would expect from a quality smartphone camera. Plus a bit of the post-processing power that you’d expect from the Google phone. With the assistance from various AI-based functions camera, it can create stunning images.

My least-favorite feature of the cameras on the Pixel is the absence of manual camera controls that you’d get on the Pro model. Although there’s no doubt that the iPhone 15 Pro also has other camera features that you can’t get on the standard model, it does have the identical manual controls on all models. This could be an option in the camera app of the Pixel 8 and is not dependent on hardware, so it’s disappointing that it’s not available here.

 

Software: Brilliant AI and Updates for Years

From the beginning, Google’s Pixel 8 runs Android 14 However, the best part is that you will get many updates. While some manufacturers provide five years support, and updates, Google offers up to seven years of OS and security updates. This is quite impressive, but how long you’ll be using the phone after the next seven years is a different matter.

If you’ve ever used Android 13, you’ll find that Android 14 looks and feels similar, but with some important innovations. The good thing is Android 13 was aesthetically and physically fantastic, even when compared to the original Android and the resemblance isn’t something you need to worry about. If you’re not a big lover of the stock design as well as feel customisation which Android phones are famous for has been preserved in this version.

While the standard Android features are great but some noteworthy Pixel-exclusive features from Google create Google’s Pixel 8 feel truly unique. We’ve already discussed its camera but it’s important to note that the hardware isn’t what’s important in this review. Instead is Magic Editor that provides you with more control over the photos after you’ve taken the photos.

Similar to the Magic Eraser before it, Magic Editor uses Google’s cloud-based AI system to make stunning modifications to your photos. It’s not over, but the Magic Eraser is still present however, it’s now able to erase the background instead blurring it. This means that the Magic Editor can create more stunning changes, such as changing a grey sky into an intense blue. The Magic Editor doesn’t always work flawlessly however, usually it takes only some time to find the right settings.

Magic Editor isn’t always able to make the adjustments you’d like to see. It doesn’t alter the color grading of the rest of the image when you alter the sky for instance. With the Google-sponsored updates coming that could make it even better or add capabilities over time.

Another great feature of Pixel 8’s cameras is the Best Take. It allows you to use portions of another photo to fix one aspect of a excellent photograph. For instance, if someone sneezes during an image, you could substitute that part of the image by one from another photo which makes for a great photo.

Other features have received valuable upgrades Also, other features have seen significant updates. The voice controls will now wait until you have finished speaking, which allows you to utilize them more easily. Biometric face unlocks are even more effective it has been upgraded to work with Class 3 that means that you are able to use the feature to access financial applications as well as unlocking your phone.

 

Battery: Leave the Charger At Home

If you take a look at the specifications The 4,575mAh battery that’s included within the Pixel 8 doesn’t inspire much optimism, especially since the battery life of the Pixel 7 series was far from being awe-inspiring. Thankfully, an enlarger screen and some software enhancements make it clear that battery life is not just higher than the the 7 series Pixel handsets, but is likely superior to the present Pro model, too.

A smaller display, though not without its drawbacks this makes the phone use battery at a slower pace. This could result in a longer battery life under the right conditions. However, if you live in an area with weak signal, your battery will run out much faster.

Charge time is fast but, as is an ever more common fashion that is becoming more commonplace, this Pixel 8 doesn’t ship with an charger. This means it’s up you to find one. With the correct charger, you’ll receive up to a 50 percent charge in about 30 minutes. It will require a USB 3.0 PPS charger that has at minimum 30 watts of power however it’s good to know it’s on the market.

If you don’t want to connect to a power source to charge The Pixel 8 also features Qi wireless charging however it is not the latest Qi2 standard..

Should You Buy the Google Pixel 8?

The Google Pixel 8 is a amazing phone regardless if it costs by a little. The camera quality is top-notch however, it’s the overall experience of the phone that’s the biggest improvement here which makes it one of the top small phones of the last few years.

If you depend heavily or are planning to make use of certain features of the Pixel 8 Pro, like the camera’s manual controls, or the bigger screen, it could be a better choice. However you’ll find that the Pixel 8 is the better choice for most users.