Google has introduced its latest generation of smartphones. What users can expect from the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro in practice.
With every new Android generation, Google releases a new smartphone flagship. This also happened at the beginning of October, when the company presented the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and Android 14. Just looking at the changed update policy makes it clear that this is a significant update to the previous generation. Google is promising seven years, which leads to the question: Will the devices last that long? The news agency spot on news was able to get a firsthand look at the Pixel 8 in a “hands on”.
Anyone who looks at the external differences to the two previous generations will notice that, on the one hand, Google remains true to its Pixel line. On the other hand, the group has made subtle changes that noticeably improve the overall experience of the devices. So all the “corners” are a little rounder than before, although the Pro device no longer has any rounded display corners and its screen now ends with the frame of the device, like the standard version – as has been the case with the standard versions in the last two years of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 was the case.
Familiar sight: the pixel’s new clothes
Apart from that, the characteristic camera bar on the back remains as well as the fingerprint scanner under the display, the selfie punchhole in the top center of the display and the aluminum frame. The dimensions change only minimally: While the Pixel 8 Pro remains the same size as the Pixel 7 Pro (6.7 inch screen diagonal), the Pixel 8 becomes slightly smaller (6’2 inches, previously 6’3 inches), but otherwise retains the same size its form factor and the proportions of the pixel line.
However, as soon as you hold the new Pixel phones in your hands, you will notice a noticeable difference: the back. It feels so velvety-soft that you feel like you’re holding plastic in your hands. In fact, it is polished glass (matte on the Pro, glossy on the standard version). The weight distribution of the Pro device also deserves special praise, as it sits more well balanced in the hand than any other Pixel smartphone since the Pixel 6 series was relaunched two years ago.
Artificial differences between standard and Pro versions?
Because both the standard and Pro devices of the Pixel 8 are equipped with essentially the same hardware, the question arises as to the added value of the Pixel 8 Pro. Google creates this partly artificially. The Pro device does have a telephoto camera, a larger and brighter display with a higher resolution (1,080×2,400 pixels on the Pixel 8, 1,344×2,992 pixels on the 8 Pro), a slightly larger battery (Google gives a typical capacity of 4,575 mAh for the Pixel 8 and 5,050 mAh for the 8 Pro) and slightly more RAM (8GB vs. 12 GB). However, because these differences alone do not justify a price difference of 300 euros, Google provides its pro users with additional exclusive software features.
In any case, there don’t seem to be any technical reasons why the Pro controls (ISO values, aperture shutter speed, RAW images, etc.) and a high-res mode for photography only appear on the 8 Pro. Hobbyists on the internet prove this, who have already managed to activate this feature on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. The “Video Boost” announced for “later this year” is also reserved for pro users. You load videos into Google’s cloud, where the company’s photo algorithm runs over the video before you can download it again. As a result, Google promises nothing less than “the best video experience on any smartphone.”
The results in the test are extremely appealing “out of the box” and it can be seen from the devices that Google is interested in optimizing its video quality. This also benefits from the rich contrasts of the extremely bright displays, which only have something to complain about in particularly large viewing angles: the further you get closer to 180 degrees, the more a slight green cast appears, which is not the case with previous Pixel smartphones was see. In practice, however, this is hardly ever noticeable, because the screens called “Actua Display” (Pixel 8) and “Super Actua Display” (Pixel 8 Pro) are a real feast for the eyes when viewed from the front.
Artificial intelligence: This is why Pixel phones are different from other smartphones
Since the Pixel 6 and the introduction of the Tensor chips, Google cell phones have been particularly notable for their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. What began as a “Magic Eraser” gimmick, in which objects in photos can be removed with just a few finger strokes, continues consistently in the third generation of the Tensor processor. This is how the “Magic Eraser” works better than before, especially on the 8 Pro. This is probably due, on the one hand, to the more RAM (8GB vs. 12GB) and, on the other hand, to the fact that the Pro device uses the slimmed-down version of a Large Language Model (LLM), a so-called “Foundation Model”, for the first time.
New in terms of AI functions is the “Audio Eraser” tool for videos. Both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro can analyze and modify the audio track of any video. This means you can block out wind or water noises, as well as snatches of conversation or general background noise. The result was convincing across the board in the test, especially because this type of editing does not require synchronizing the video with Google’s cloud. The same applies to the transcription of audio tracks, which the Tensor G3 can do in no time in the device’s standard recorder app. Translating live and in real time, i.e. writing down a translation in another language based on spoken language, also works, but for now only based on spoken English.
In addition to the AI capabilities that the Tensor chip enables offline, Google is also expanding its AI offering to cloud services. If you want to use the “Magic Editor” (already available) or “Video Boost” (announced for 2023) functions, you have to synchronize your images with Google’s cloud. Objects in the image can then not only be removed, but also moved, enlarged or reduced in size and a generative AI provides several suggestions as to what it would fill the changed image sections with. The “Best Shot” feature is also part of this mode. The idea here is that in group photos, one person always looks suboptimal, no matter how many times you press the shutter button. So the AI scans the images available to it and offers “better” facial expressions of the people depicted, which can then be exchanged with a simple click. It’s not without reason that some testers and experts comment on this feature as the “Frankenstein photo mode”, which raises the question: What actually is a photo?
Long-term support: The real highlight of the Pixel 8 series
The fact that Google is promising a full seven years of updates and feature drops for the Pixel 8 smartphones is currently almost unprecedented in the industry. If the group maintains its current rate of one new Pixel and OS update per year, customers can enjoy their device until 2030, which will then have Android 21 and compatible features from the Pixel 14, for example, installed. The company has even announced the availability of spare parts for the same period. Some experts view this promise with skepticism, after all, Google has already buried some long-term projects, but when it comes to smartphones, the company has always kept its update guarantees.
In any case, the project will only rarely fail due to the robustness of the devices. In the test, the two devices made an incredibly solid impression, with even more robust glass protecting the front and back compared to their predecessors. If you want, you can on the internet among durability testers Convince yourself of the first-class workmanship and its endurance.
There are also positive things to report on the efficiency front. Working for hours in the sun with a brightly lit display or playing videos while GPS is working does not pose any serious problems for the devices when it comes to getting through the whole day with the battery. If you need power quickly, both Pixel devices can be 50 percent charged again in around 30 minutes. In practice, as a Pixel owner you are probably more often in the situation of using your smartphone to provide power wirelessly to others – the standard version of the Pixel 8 also has the corresponding “Battery Share” function.
The question remains about the price, after all, this is what has set Google apart from the competition in recent years: As a rule, customers received devices that were comparable to the flagship devices from Apple and Samsung, but were a few hundred euros cheaper. That changes with the Pixel 8. The standard version starts at 799 euros in Germany, the Pro model at 1,099 euros.
Both entry-level models come with 128GB of storage space. This puts the Pixel devices in the price range of their direct competitors, but Google can justify that: with first-class workmanship and the feeling of holding a smartphone in your hands that is well positioned for years to come.