October is the month of latest Google Pixel telephones, and this yr, we received the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional. I have been very intrigued with Pixel telephones ever since their inception within the late 1900s, simply kidding, the primary Pixel launched in 2016. Really feel outdated but? I used to be too poor to afford the unique Pixel, though it wasn’t an costly telephone to start with. Quick ahead to Pixel 3, and I used to be in a position to get my first Pixel, and I have been an avid Pixel consumer ever since. The digicam was and nonetheless is the perfect a part of the Pixel expertise, aside from the software program.
I have been utilizing the Pixel 8 for nearly a month now, and this is what I consider it.
Pixel 8 value in India
The Google Pixel 8 will get a number of upgrades, together with one to its price ticket. In India, the 128GB Pixel 8 is priced at Rs. 75,999, which is Rs. 15,000 greater than the Pixel 7’s launch value of Rs. 59,999. There’s additionally a 256GB variant of the Pixel 8, which is offered at Rs. 82,999. At this value, the Pixel 8 is now on the costly aspect of the spectrum and likewise priced equally to the iPhone 15. Are all the brand new upgrades well worth the value hike? Let’s discover out.
Pixel 8 Assessment: Design and show
If you happen to pixelate the Pixel 8 and place it subsequent to the Pixel 7, you will not actually be capable to inform any distinction.
Pixel 8 is smaller in measurement when in comparison with the Pixel 7
Google’s Pixel 8 is just not a serious change from the Pixel 7 when it comes to design. The search large has made small modifications to the design, however that has diminished the scale of the handset. It additionally makes the brand new telephone far more snug to carry. The Pixel 8 will get a glass again and a matte aluminium body, similar to final yr’s mannequin. Nevertheless, this time round, the corners and the perimeters of the rear glass panel characteristic a deeper curve. The digicam bar on the again is thicker than the one on the Pixel 7, and the digicam cutouts are additionally bigger. The LED flash and rear microphone are just about in the identical location as earlier than.
On the entrance, the Pixel 8 now will get extra uniform aspect bezels, with the underside chin slimmer than the Pixel 7. It is nonetheless not fairly uniform throughout, however it’s a step in the proper path. The amount and energy buttons are on the proper body, nonetheless very clicky, and the SIM tray is on the left-hand aspect. On the backside, you will discover the speaker, USB Kind-C port, and microphone. You additionally get a 3rd microphone on the high of the telephone.
Google has all the time tried to supply a particular design with its Pixel sequence, from the two-toned colors within the Pixel 2 and three to the now well-known digicam visor. The Pixel 8 gives a singular design when in comparison with different telephones out there. The digicam bar additionally means the Pixel telephones do not wobble if you preserve them on the desk. You’ll be able to even use the digicam bar to relaxation your finger when utilizing the telephone.
The Google Pixel 8 comes with a 6.2-inch full-HD+ OLED show with 120Hz refresh price
One of many major new options on the Pixel 8 is the 6.2-inch Actua AMOLED show protected with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus. The panel gives as much as a 120Hz refresh price, both at 60Hz or 120Hz. Whenever you first activate the telephone, the refresh price is 60Hz. If you wish to save battery, you possibly can preserve it as is, however in case you’re used to excessive refresh price screens, then 120Hz mode is the way in which to go. The panel additionally gives larger brightness as much as 2000 nits and 1,400 nits in HDR mode. All of those are glorious upgrades in comparison with final yr’s Pixel 7, which supplied a 90Hz panel with a peak brightness of 1400 nits. In out of doors circumstances and beneath vibrant daylight, the brand new Pixel is significantly better to learn. The show on the Pixel is now correct flagship stage.
Google has included an IP68 water and mud resistance score, which implies that you should use the Pixel 8 within the rain. Nevertheless, I would not suggest utilizing the telephone within the rain or underwater for lengthy durations. A fast dip to take some images within the swimming pool is completely fantastic, however utterly keep away from taking the Pixel 8 underwater throughout a dive. Total, I appreciated the marginally up to date design, because it makes a whole lot of distinction in real-world use. Now, if solely Google introduced again the matte rear glass, which surprisingly is current on the Pixel 8 Professional.
I might additionally like to speak in regards to the audio system on the telephone. Like all of the current Pixel telephones, the Pixel 8 comes with a hybrid two-speaker setup, one on the underside of the telephone and the second that additionally works because the earpiece. There is not an enormous distinction between the sound stage on the Pixel 8 when in comparison with the Pixel 7. There’s a bit of extra bass, and it does get fairly loud.
Pixel 8 Assessment: Efficiency and Software program
The Google Pixel lineup was by no means recognized for efficiency, however they don’t seem to be gradual both. Google focuses extra on AI and software program prowess far more than simply brute efficiency, and that reveals. The Pixel 8 will not win any benchmark scores or give the very best body charges on video games, however you will not face any hiccups or lag when utilizing the telephone day by day. Whereas software program optimisations are nonetheless not on the extent of what you see on an iOS gadget, fundamental UI navigation, animations, app switching, app opening, and all the things in between are fairly clean.
Google Pixel 8 is provided with the Tensor G3 SoC, and whereas that is an enchancment over the Pixel 7’s Tensor G2, you actually will not be capable to inform them aside when it comes to efficiency. The Tensor G3 is a 4nm chip that makes use of a nona-core structure, which suggests there are 9 cores. It’s paired with 8GB LPDDR5X RAM and an Immortalis-G715 MP10 GPU. For storage, there are 128GB and 256GB choices accessible.
Let’s get into the software program aspect of issues now. For the reason that Pixel is a Google telephone, you get the cleanest Android software program. I’ve all the time cherished the inventory Android appear and feel of the Pixel software program, a lot in order that I might all the time attempt to set up Pixel Expertise ROMs on all my Android telephones. You do get some further options, although, that are unique to the Pixel lineup. There’s the superior Now Taking part in characteristic, which may auto-detect songs taking part in round you. With Android 14, you additionally get a number of new add-ons, reminiscent of Lock Display screen customisation, new Clocks, monochrome themes, and extra. Google has additionally improved Face Unlock with extra safety, and it now works for funds, sign-ins, and helps banking apps.
Pixel 8 additionally brings a bunch of latest AI options, reminiscent of the brand new Audio Eraser, Greatest Take, and Magic Editor. Google has additionally introduced that it will quickly combine its Bard chatbot with Google Assistant. This could allow the Google Assistant to offer richer outcomes through the use of knowledge from different Google apps.
The Audio Eraser characteristic is fairly cool, and I examined it totally. It does precisely what it says and erases distracting sounds out of your audio recordings. I recorded some wind chimes with visitors noise within the background and was in a position to take away the visitors noise with the faucet of a button. Then there’s Greatest Take, which may be actually useful at group gatherings. Take a bunch of group selfies or images, and you’ll then use Greatest Take to pick the precise faces of every particular person within the picture.
Magic Editor is a complicated model of Magic Eraser, and it permits you to change a picture altogether. You’ll be able to crop the topics out and transfer them round, you possibly can change the background, and you’ll change the sky. This labored fairly nicely more often than not, and I used to be in a position to transfer objects round, change the sky, transfer the topic, and, in the end, change your entire composition of the picture. It’s certainly Magic except you’ve got used Photoshop. Some extent to notice is that you’ll want to add the picture to Google Cloud to make use of the Magic Editor characteristic, which implies that this characteristic would not work in your telephone and requires an web connection. Actual Tone, Google’s know-how to precisely detect pores and skin tones, is now accessible on video.
There’s additionally a brand new AI wallpaper characteristic that permits you to create your individual customized wallpaper based mostly on preset inputs. You may get a whole lot of cool wallpapers with the characteristic, and there may be so many variations that you could be by no means run out.
With the Pixel 8, Google has additionally introduced 7 years of OS upgrades. Sure, that is proper, your Google Pixel 8 sequence now helps 7 years of Android and safety updates. That is probably the most anybody has ever supplied on the Android aspect of issues. Even Apple solely gives 5 years of software program assist for the iPhone. Will the Pixel 8 survive these 7 years? Perhaps, in case you take excellent care of it, you will get 7 years out of the Pixel 8 sequence.
Within the couple of weeks I have been utilizing the Pixel 8, I didn’t face any points with the software program. Though Pixels are additionally recognized for bugs, this time round, there weren’t any but. Gaming, watching movies, and utilizing varied apps have been clean and quick. Nevertheless, I did discover some minor heating when utilizing the Digital camera and taking part in video games for greater than 25 minutes.
Pixel 8 Assessment: Battery Life
The Google Pixel 8 comes with a barely bigger battery in comparison with the Pixel 7, however it didn’t fare that significantly better than the predecessor. You get a 4,575mAh battery that lasted for about 20 hours in our HD video loop check. With common utilization, the telephone lasted me greater than a day, however that is with out gaming. After I used the Pixel 8 to look at some YouTube movies, take images, and play a few video games, I used to be left with about 25 p.c battery life on the finish of the day. That will’ve lasted me a whole evening after which some, however I am undecided why Google nonetheless hasn’t found out tips on how to enhance battery life when the display screen is off.
As for charging, the Pixel 8 now helps 27W quick charging assist, which ought to end in quicker charging instances. I examined the Pixel 8 with an 18W Google charger, and a full cost took about 1 hour and 45 minutes. In the meantime, half-hour of charging bumped the battery proportion to 38 p.c, and an hour of charging gave the telephone 71 p.c juice.
Pixel 8 Assessment: Cameras
Now, let’s get to the half that most individuals relate Pixel telephones to: the superior cameras. Ever since experiencing the Pixel digicam with my Google Pixel 3 5 years in the past, it has been actually exhausting to love something aside from a Pixel telephone for cellular pictures. I made a short visit iPhone land, however that did not final, and I missed the Pixel terribly. Google has been enhancing its cameras with each new Pixel launch, and the Pixel 8 carries the same system.
The Pixel 8 contains a 50-megapixel main rear digicam
The Google Pixel 8 contains a 50-megapixel main rear digicam with a brand new f/1.68 aperture lens that may now let in 21 p.c extra mild in comparison with the Pixel 7. It additionally options Twin Publicity, which takes two photographs with completely different exposures, helps scale back noise and makes images and movies sharper. The ultra-wide 12-megapixel sensor additionally will get an replace and now comes with autofocus and 22 p.c wider FoV (125.8 levels) in comparison with its predecessor. And for the primary time, the smaller Pixel additionally will get a Macro mode, because of the brand new up to date digicam.
Google additionally introduced alongside a redesigned Digital camera app on the Pixel 8, now accessible on older Pixel telephones. The app now has a devoted Video and Picture mode, which incorporates all of the completely different modes tucked away neatly. Nevertheless, Google did transfer the Shadow, White Stability, and Brightness sliders to a toggle under, which is sort of annoying now. On the Pixel 7, it is nonetheless on the viewfinder and far simpler to make use of. The Pixel 8 additionally would not get the Handbook mode accessible on the Pixel 8 Professional, which, once more, is annoying, as each telephones use the identical chipset and the principle main sensor and may technically be capable to use handbook mode.
Pixel 8’s digicam app gives simple mode switching
The Pixel 8 now additionally helps picture seize in Show P3 color area, which suggests you can now get a better vary of colors when viewing the images on a appropriate show. The choice is ready to sRGB as default, which implies that you will want to go to Superior Settings within the Digital camera app to allow Show P3 color area. One other new software program characteristic is the power to seize further metadata data that’s used within the Photographs app to supply Extremely-HDR assist.
You’ll not be dissatisfied with the Pixel 8 when in involves images and movies. You get glorious excessive dynamic vary, sharp particulars, nice low-light images, and the video is healthier than final yr, an improved ultra-wide digicam, and all of the AI goodness that I discussed above. I’ve virtually all the time come out very impressed with the images that the Pixel 8 takes, even in some tremendous difficult circumstances. I might nonetheless take the Pixel 8 over the most recent iPhone or Samsung for images and low-light pictures. Google has additionally managed to enhance the ultra-wide digicam this time round.
The first 50-megapixel upgraded sensor on the Pixel 8 takes glorious images in daylight. You’ll not see any main enhancements over the Pixel 7, however images at the moment are barely sharper. Google likes to have punchy distinction, brighter highlights, and cooler color tones, and a extra pure white stability in its images, and I like that. It is the basic Pixel look, and it nonetheless is the perfect amongst flagship telephones.
Transferring on to the ultra-wide, which has a wider FoV than the Pixel 7 and gives a Macro mode, now takes sharper and extra detailed photographs. The Macro mode is kind of good, in case you’re into macro pictures. The mode activates routinely if you get very near a topic. Google has additionally added auto-focus to the ultra-wide digicam, making it extra dependable for panorama images. Total, I discovered the ultra-wide images from the Pixel 8 to be higher than the Pixel 7.
(Prime) Macro mode on Pixel 8 (Backside) You may get actually near the thing
One in every of my favorite modes on the Pixel telephones is Night time Sight and Astrophotography. Issues are barely higher with the Pixel 8 this yr, however principally, it is the identical glorious low-light photographs that I used to be used to with the Pixel 7. Due to the brand new Tensor G3 chip, although, the processing instances at the moment are quicker. I did not actually get to check the Astrophotography mode, however I doubt there have been any main modifications, as Google did not actually converse a lot about it throughout the launch.
The Pixel 8 gives a number of picture modes, together with Motion Pan, Lengthy Publicity, Portrait, and Panorama. All these had been already accessible on the Pixel 7 and carried out just about the identical. Once more, I did discover some enchancment within the picture course of instances, particularly in Portrait mode and Lengthy Publicity. You get 1.5x and 2x zoom in Portrait mode, with the default being 2x. Portrait photographs are well-detailed, with good publicity and pores and skin tones.
Pixel 8 takes portrait photographs in 2x and 1.5x (cropped in from major digicam)
Coming to the selfie digicam, the Pixel 8 contains a 10.5-megapixel sensor that gives 1x and 0.7x choices. The 0.7x is the ultra-wide native FoV of the digicam, whereas 1x is cropped in. Selfies come out nice in daylight, and it’s also possible to get some good photographs in low mild, because of Night time Sight. It will’ve been good if Google added auto-focus to the entrance digicam, which is offered on the Professional mannequin.
Pixel 8 gives 0.7x and 1x modes for selfies, with the 0.7x being its native FoV
Within the video division, the Pixel 8 can file as much as 4K 60fps on all cameras, however the perfect output is clearly from the first rear digicam. There’s 24fps and 30fps video recording, and all video is stabilised. You may get some actually good footage from the rear main digicam in daylight, particularly when you’ve got 10-bit HDR enabled. The footage has loads of element, glorious stabilisation, nice dynamic vary, and the colors are well-balanced with a touch of saturation. Even in low mild, the Pixel 8 can file handsome footage with nice dynamic vary and colors, though you’ll discover some downgrade in high quality. The ultra-wide digicam, however, would not carry out that nicely, though you do nonetheless get glorious stabilisation. Nevertheless, I might suggest avoiding taking pictures movies with the ultra-wide as a lot as attainable.
Pixel 8 Assessment: Verdict
The Pixel 8 is an enormous improve over the Pixel 7 because of Google rounding off a whole lot of issues. You get a brighter and flagship-level show, a brilliant snug and compact design, improved cameras, and loads of enhancements. Then there’s the brand new AI digicam options, reminiscent of Greatest Take, Magic Editor, and Audio Eraser, that make life simpler. The brand new Tensor G3 chipset, which, though is not an enormous enchancment, is a lot for every kind of duties. Battery life is sweet too, however nothing to jot down dwelling about.
Nevertheless, all of those enhancements additionally include an enormous value hike. Is it well worth the value hike? Properly, to be sincere, I would not suggest the telephone for anybody seeking to purchase a flagship Android all-rounder, however in case you’re a Pixel fan and are coming from an older Pixel telephone, then it’s best to undoubtedly improve. Pixel 7 customers, I might say greatest to attend for the following Pixel.