We saw the Google Pixel 8 series leaks a million times over a course of a couple of months. It all ended well with the conclusion of ‘Made by Google’ event held on October 4. We now have our hands on the next-gen Pixel 8 series equipped with the latest Tensor G3 SoC, polished back panel, up to 5x telephoto zoom, and a lot more to offer. We were super excited to attend the launch event. Here’s everything you need to know about the duo.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Design
Whilst it might not seem like a massive design change, the Pixel 8 series does have a few key differences compared to its predecessors. The Pixel 8 Pro uses a matte back glass, the first for any Pixel, clubbed with a polished aluminum frame. There’s a triple rear camera in a single pill-shaped cut-out at the back unlike Pixel 7 Pro’s dual cut-outs. Pixel 8, the vanilla variant, uses a polished glass back instead and has a satin metal frame that looks sophisticated.
The phones have adopted slimmer design profiles, up to 18% of total recycled materials by weight, and IP68 protection against dust, spills, and slips. Of course, these are a few things you would expect with a flagship phone & you have it. The Gorilla Glass Victus takes away the worries about getting the display scratched or cracked as it is phenomenally durable. No doubt the Pixel 8 series is among the best offered by the tech juggernaut so far.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Display
Both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro use an OLED panel albeit with varying specs. The Pixel 8 uses a 6.2” fully immersive 1080×2400 pixels Actua OLED panel with a smooth 60-120Hz refresh rate. The display can lit up to 1,400 nits on HDR and 2,000 nits of peak brightness which is literally blinding if you gaze on it in a pitch dark room. A Corning Gorilla Glass Victus keeps the display safe with scratch-resistance and protects it from drops.
Google Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, sports a larger 6.7” 20:9 Super Actua 1344×2992 LTPO OLED panel. There’s a 1-120Hz smooth refresh rate. Pixel 8 Pro will make the Pixel 8 feel puny with it’s brightness that lights up the display at up to 1,600 nits on HDR and 2,400 nits of peak brightness. For the unversed, this is almost thrice what the latest non-flagship smartphones offer. A Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on top takes care of the scratches and protects the display against drops.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Performance & Software
Both the devices host the latest Google Tensor G3 SoC. It comes paired with 8/12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB to 1TB of UFS 3.1 storage. The configuration is region-specific and thus, look for the available configuration in your region. A Titan M2 security coprocessor, a built-in security powerhouse, applies multiple layers to keep your stuff away from intruders.
Google Tensor G3 SoC has been in the news for a while now. The tech juggernaut says G3’s largest machine learning model is 10x more complex than Pixel 6. It gives the Pixel 8 series manifold better AI performance and capabilities than 2021’s Pixel 6. We do know for sure that this will translate into a splendid camera performance.
Tensor G3 SoC uses AI to bestow several features including “Pixel Call Screen” which filters more spam calls. Advanced image processing is another prowess that the G3 SoC has compared to previous Tensor SoCs that should help the Pixel 8 series bring out the best photos and videos. The Clear Calling feature uses AI for crystal clear phone calls so that you don’t have to ask the person on the other side to repeat what they said.
Both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro use the latest Android 14 out-of-the-box. Additionally, you get seven years of OS upgrades that should keep the phone in the right shape till Android 21 in 2030. onboard. For the unversed, it puts Pixels in line with iPhones that get extended OS support. The Feature Drop upgrades will follow every few months to give Pixel users something new to try.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Camera
Talking about the optics and specs, Pixel 8 Pro uses a triple camera setup at the back arranged horizontally on Pixel’s signature visor. It includes a 50MP primary camera with 2x optical zoom, a 48MP quad PD ultrawide cam with 125.5° FoV, a 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, and up to 30x Super Res Zoom.
On the other end, the Pixel 8 uses the same 50MP cam as of Pixel 8 Pro but a 12MP ultrawide camera takes the position of a secondary camera with 125.8° FoV and lens correction. Both the models sport a 10.5MP front camera with fixed focus and 95° FoV. Feature-wise, both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are equipped with the best including spectral and flicker sensors, OIS and EIS, LDAF, Best Take, Night Sight, Face Unblur, and Astrophotography among others.
According to Google, Pixel 8 Pro cameras have been upgraded for sharper selfies, low-light photos, enhanced color grading, and HDR+, among others. There are a plethora of Pro-only features available onboard such as Audio Magic Eraser.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Battery
Google has tagged the Pixel 8 series with ‘Beyond 24-hour battery life’. It remains to be seen if that’s true once the phone is available for the masses. For now, here are the specs.
Google Pixel 8 uses a 4,485mAh battery while Pixel 8 Pro upgrades to a 4,950mAh pack. Both the models are equipped with up to 30W USB-C charge taking the battery from 0-50% in 30 minutes, however, the charger will be sold separately. Apart from that, both models are equipped with Qi certification, fast wireless charging, and Battery Share (Reverse Charging).
Google Assistant Just Got Better
No doubt Google Assistant can do wonders but you can do a bit more with a Pixel, right? You can ask Google Assistant to translate web pages, read aloud, summarise, paraphrase, dictate, and more.
The Assistant is proficient in understanding natural conversation so that you don’t have to talk robotically and rather use pauses and um’s when talking to it. Pixel Call Assist can help filter more spam calls. If you are busy for some reason, you can ask Google Assistant to attend to the call and with a more natural sound transcribe it to you in real-time so that you can decide whether to pick up the call or let it go into the voicemail. Call that amazing and I wouldn’t doubt that.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Pricing and Availability
Google Pixel 8 is available in Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose colorways. Pre-order it now and you’ll Google Pixel Buds Pro with the purchase. Choose between Coral, Hazel, Mint, Rose, and Obsidian colored cases with the purchase.
The Google Pixel 8 starts at US$699, CA$949 or around Rs.60,000, which is about US$100 than the Pixel 7. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro will start at US$999, CA$1,349 or about Rs.90,000, also about a US$100 over the Pixel 7 Pro Price
Google Pixel 8 Pro is available in Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain colorways. Pre-order it and you get Google Pixel Watch 2 with the purchase. You can browse between cases available for Pixel 8 Pro clad in various colors – Bay, Coral, Mint, Porcelain, and Obsidian in color.
