The Google Pixel 8, released in October 2023, is the latest entry in Google’s flagship smartphone lineup. Building upon the successes of its predecessors, the Pixel 8 showcases significant improvements in both hardware and software, making it a strong contender in the highly competitive smartphone market. Designed to seamlessly integrate AI-driven features with a refined user experience, the Pixel 8 is powered by Google’s in-house Tensor G3 chipset, which focuses on advanced AI capabilities for photography, voice recognition, and real-time translations.
The device boasts a 6.2-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for fluid visuals, enhanced by its compact design, making it more ergonomic. The camera system, long a hallmark of the Pixel series, has been improved with new computational photography features, solidifying the Pixel 8’s place as one of the best camera phones available. Combined with seven years of software updates, it promises to deliver a forward-looking smartphone experience.
Design & Build Quality
Google has embraced a minimalist yet refined aesthetic for the Pixel 8, keeping the signature camera bar that has been a staple of the Pixel series. The phone’s form factor has been slightly refined with softer curves and a compact body, which is more comfortable for one-handed use. Measuring 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm and weighing just 187g, it is lighter than the Pixel 7, making it more ergonomic and pocket-friendly.
The Pixel 8 has a matte glass back, available in Obsidian, Hazel, and Rose colors, which offer a muted but elegant look. The build quality feels premium, with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting both the front and back, ensuring the device can withstand minor drops and scratches. Its IP68 water and dust resistance rating ensures it can handle adverse environmental conditions without a problem. The camera bar, though prominent, has been slightly reduced in bulk, which helps balance the phone better when placed on flat surfaces.
Display: A Visual Delight
One of the standout features of the Pixel 8 is its 6.2-inch Actua OLED display, which is designed for vibrant visuals and high responsiveness. The screen supports FHD+ (1080 x 2400) resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, a significant upgrade over the 90Hz found in the Pixel 7. This refresh rate provides smoother scrolling, better gaming experiences, and more fluid animations. Unlike its Pro variant, the Pixel 8 does not feature an adaptive LTPO display, but it allows users to switch between 60Hz and 120Hz manually.
In terms of brightness, the Pixel 8 has made considerable strides, now capable of reaching a peak brightness of 2000 nits in HDR mode. This ensures visibility even in direct sunlight and enhances the experience when watching HDR10+ content. The OLED technology offers deep blacks and vibrant colors, making it ideal for streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, where visuals play a key role.
Performance: Tensor G3 at the Helm
Google continues to use its in-house Tensor G3 chip in the Pixel 8. While the Tensor chipsets have often been criticized for not competing directly with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series or Apple’s A-series chips in raw power, the G3 focuses heavily on AI and machine learning capabilities. This chipset includes a nine-core CPU with a Cortex-X3 prime core clocked at 3.0GHz, ensuring smooth performance for daily tasks, gaming, and multitasking.
In everyday usage, the Pixel 8 delivers solid performance, handling app switching, browsing, video streaming, and gaming with minimal stuttering or lag. However, in comparison to flagship devices like the iPhone 15 or Samsung Galaxy S23, the Pixel 8 may fall slightly behind in benchmarks for heavy-duty gaming or graphic-intensive applications.
Where the Tensor G3 shines is in AI-driven tasks. The chip is optimized for real-time speech-to-text, live translation, advanced image processing, and more. Google’s Titan M2 security chip is also integrated into the device, offering enhanced security, including better encryption and protection against potential cyber threats. This security is further reinforced by Google’s promise of seven years of software updates, an unprecedented support period in the Android ecosystem.
Camera: Google’s Crown Jewel
The Google Pixel series is renowned for its photographic prowess, and the Pixel 8 continues that tradition with significant upgrades. The rear camera system includes a 50MP primary sensor with an f/1.68 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), alongside a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 125.8-degree field of view. The camera array is designed to capture high levels of detail and vibrant colors, making the Pixel 8 one of the top performers in mobile photography.
Main Camera
The 50MP sensor is capable of taking stunning photos in a variety of lighting conditions. Whether you’re shooting in bright daylight or low light, the Pixel 8 uses Google’s advanced computational photography to enhance every shot. Night Sight, which has become a staple of Pixel phones, is faster and more efficient, allowing for crisp photos in low light without the need for a flash. The Super Res Zoom feature offers high-quality digital zoom, though the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens means that zoomed-in shots are less detailed compared to the Pixel 8 Pro.
Ultra-Wide Camera
The 12MP ultra-wide camera provides a much broader field of view, making it ideal for landscapes, group photos, or dynamic shots in tight spaces. While it does not match the level of detail seen in the primary camera, it still offers excellent color consistency and dynamic range. However, images can appear slightly softer around the edges, particularly in low-light situations.
Selfie Camera
The front camera on the Pixel 8 is a 10.5MP sensor with a wide 95-degree field of view, which is perfect for group selfies. Like the rear cameras, the front camera benefits from Google’s advanced image processing, offering high-quality selfies with accurate skin tones and good exposure, even in challenging lighting conditions.
Video Capabilities
The Pixel 8’s video capabilities have also seen an upgrade. The device can record 4K video at 60fps using both the primary and ultra-wide lenses. Video stabilization is excellent, thanks to both optical and electronic stabilization, resulting in smooth and shake-free footage. The Audio Magic Eraser feature, which allows you to reduce background noise in videos, is a unique addition that makes the Pixel 8 stand out for content creators and vloggers.
AI-Driven Features: Google’s Unique Approach
Where the Pixel 8 truly differentiates itself is through Google’s AI and machine learning integration. The Tensor G3 enables a range of features designed to make the phone more intuitive and assistive. Some of the standout features include:
- Magic Eraser: A tool that allows you to remove unwanted objects from photos effortlessly.
- Photo Unblur: A feature that sharpens blurry images, even those taken years ago on other devices.
- Call Screening: An advanced AI feature that screens incoming calls and filters out spam with high accuracy.
- Google Assistant: Now capable of summarizing web pages, making it easier for users to find key information without scrolling through long texts.
- Live Translate: This feature has been improved, now offering real-time translation for multiple languages without an internet connection.
In addition, Clear Calling ensures that phone conversations are crystal clear, even in noisy environments, while speech-to-text is faster and more accurate than ever, thanks to on-device processing. These features contribute to making the Pixel 8 one of the most user-friendly smartphones on the market.
Software Experience: Android 14
The Pixel 8 runs Android 14 out of the box, offering a clean, bloatware-free experience that is typical of Google’s Pixel devices. Android 14 brings new privacy features, UI enhancements, and better customization options. With Google’s promise of seven years of software updates, Pixel 8 users can rest assured that they will receive the latest Android features and security patches longer than any other Android phone.
Google has focused heavily on making the software experience seamless and assistive. The Material You design language introduced with Android 12 has been further refined, allowing for dynamic theming based on your wallpaper, with more customization options for widgets, fonts, and colors.
Battery Life & Charging
The Pixel 8 is powered by a 4575mAh battery, slightly smaller than the Pixel 7 but optimized for better battery efficiency. Thanks to the Tensor G3 chip and software optimizations, the Pixel 8 can easily last a full day under moderate usage, including web browsing, social media, and video streaming.
The phone supports 27W wired charging and 18W wireless charging, which, while not the fastest charging speeds in the market, are sufficient for most users. The reverse wireless charging feature also allows the Pixel 8 to charge other devices, such as earbuds or a smartwatch, which is a handy addition for users with multiple gadgets.
Connectivity & Other Features
The Pixel 8 is equipped with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and 5G (both Sub-6 and mmWave in the US), ensuring fast and reliable connectivity. The absence of Ultra-Wideband (UWB), which is available in the Pixel 8 Pro, is a minor drawback, but it doesn’t significantly affect daily use for most people.
Other features include an in-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, and a USB-C 3.2 port. The phone also supports NFC for mobile payments and has dual SIM capabilities (one physical SIM and one eSIM), making it versatile for international travel.
