During its hardware event in New York City, Google formally unveiled its latest flagship phones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The Pixel 8 series packs major upgrades to the camera and AI features while increasing the devices’ lifespans to rival the iPhone.
Familiar hardware, refined
Since the Pixel 6 generation, Google has steadily refined the design of its smartphones while staying true to its now-signature style. On the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, you’ll find the familiar camera bar design and more prominently rounded corners.
In contrast to last year’s phones, which opted for colorways reminiscent of jewelry, the Pixel 8 series features bolder shades like the “Bay” blue of the Pro and “Rose” pink of the smaller model. Both phones are available in a familiarly dark shade of “Obsidian,” while the gray-green “Hazel” and off-white “Porcelain” are exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, respectively.
Under the hood, the Pixel 8 series packs the improvements of the Tensor G3 chip, including the use of a faster Cortex-X3 core, rivaling the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. You’ll also find Google’s latest AI-focused enhancements, with the company noting that “the biggest machine learning model on Pixel 8 is 10X more complex compared to Pixel 6.”
Notably, the Pixel 8 Pro is also the first Pixel to match the iPhone’s 1 TB storage option, though this is only offered in the United States. Otherwise, you’ll find the same separation of 8 GB vs. 12 GB of RAM on the 8 and 8 Pro, respectively.
On the display front, the smaller Pixel 8 now offers 60 – 120 Hz refresh rates and up to 2000 nits at peak brightness on its new “Actua” display, up from 90 Hz and 1500-nit maximums on the Pixel 7. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro’s “Super Actua” display offers the full range of 1 to 120 Hz refresh rates and up to 2400 nits at peak brightness. The larger phone also ditches the curved glass used in the past two generations, opting instead for a flat display.
Significant camera upgrades
As was signaled by the recent major redesign of the Google Camera app, the Pixel 8 series has a continued emphasis on the quality of mobile photography and videography. The leading upgrade this year and one of the reasons a redesign was needed is the introduction of “Pro” controls (exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro) that should make a DSLR user feel right at home.
The Pro phone is also set to gain some significant exclusives like HDR-enhancing “Video Boost” and Night Sight video in future updates.
Both Pixel 8 models will gain the full benefits of the Tensor G3 chip’s optimizations for machine learning and image processing. With it comes new features like “Best Take,” which allows you to quickly and seamlessly blend multiple takes of a group photo to create a version where everyone looks their best. Just snap a few shots in the moment, then make your adjustments in Google Photos later.
Backing up the new camera software, the Pixel 8 Pro boosts the ultrawide lens to 48 MP (up from 12 MP). Another significant improvement can be found in the front-facing camera of the Pixel 8 Pro, which introduces autofocus. In addition to helping to improve Face Unlock, autofocus means your selfies and video calls will look sharper than ever.
Sitting amongst the camera sensors on the Pixel 8 Pro, Google has also included a new temperature sensor. At launch, this can only be used to check the temperature of everyday objects, but the company is working to get approval to use the sensor to check your body temperature.
AI in focus
Machine learning and AI capabilities have been central to the Pixel series for years now, particularly since the debut of Google’s Tensor chips. The company’s commitment to AI was made abundantly clear at Google I/O 2023 with the unveiling of multiple generative AI projects. That momentum is carrying through to the Pixel 8 series and the Tensor G3 chip, introducing numerous features made possible by AI.
For starters, when browsing the web you can now get real-time help from Google Assistant to either summarize the main points of the page, read the page aloud, or even translate the site to your preferred language.
In other language features, Assistant voice typing can now work in two (supported) languages simultaneously, making the Pixel 8 ready for the realities of being in a bilingual family. This transcription can now work twice as fast as before and is better at accounting for pauses in speech and additions like “um” or “uh.”
Clear Calling has also gotten an upgrade on the Pixel 8 series, further reducing the amount of background noise from both your microphone and the other person’s audio. Similar tech is also available for your recorded videos thanks to the new Audio Magic Eraser tool available in Google Photos.
Meanwhile, if you’d rather not talk to anybody at all, Google has also improved Call Screen, reducing the number of spam calls you have to deal with. For those few calls that aren’t spam, “a more realistic-sounding Assistant” will now greet unknown callers before they reach you directly.
Longer update lifespan
Another significant change arriving with the Pixel 8 series is that Google is now supporting its flagship phones for seven full Android OS updates. That means the Pixel 8, which launches with Android 14, should be updated all the way to Android 21 with security updates along the way.
By comparison, Apple’s iPhone X turns six this year but has been excluded from the recent update to iOS 17. If Google holds to this commitment, Pixel hardware will have a longer lifespan of software updates than the iPhone. You can feel secure in using your Pixel phone for many years to come with no artificial pressure to upgrade if the hardware is still working well, reducing e-waste.
Pre-orders open today
Ahead of a full retail launch this month, the Google Store and other retailers are opening pre-orders today for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The Pixel 8 starts at $699 for 128 GB of storage, while the Pixel 8 Pro will set you back $999.
Header image: Google
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