Google Pixel 8 impressive, but the price could have been better.

Review Synopsis

Google has introduced the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, maintaining its two-model strategy in the premium smartphone series. In terms of specifications, at least, there aren’t many notable distinctions between the two models. Nevertheless, even though the Pixel 8 has the same processor, software features, primary sensor, and front camera as the Pro mode, it is far less expensive. So, should you choose the Pixel 8 instead of the Pixel 8 Pro or look at other models in the same market? Learn more by reading this review.

rating: 9 / 10

Google Pixel 8 Table of Contents

Verdict: Although the Pixel 8 is an excellent smartphone on its own, it might not be as good as other smartphones in its price range in terms of performance, viewing quality, and battery life. Having said that, photographers may find the Google Pixel 8 to be a superb option. It is excellent at taking beautiful pictures, which are then further enhanced by AI editing tools that will get better over time with software updates.

Design and display:

The Pixel 8 and its older sibling, the Pixel 8 Pro, share the same design language. Round corners, a glass back, an aluminum frame that is recyclable, and a rear camera visor with an oval-shaped notch for the cameras are some of its features. But the standard Pixel 8 is significantly smaller. Actually, the new entry-level flagship from Google is even more compact than the Pixel 7 (review) model from the previous year, making it perfect for one-handed use.
The Pixel 8 has what appears to be two speaker vents at the bottom edge in addition to a USB Type-C connection for data transfer and charging. Only one of them, though, is truly producing sounds. The phone may have a second vent for aesthetic purposes to give it a symmetrical appearance. Nevertheless, the additional speaker on the Pixel gadget is positioned behind the earpiece on top of the display, so you can still have a stereo experience.
That being said, you will have a respectable viewing experience with the Pixel 8. Even when seen from an angle, the colors remain brilliant, and in order to conserve battery life, the refresh rate can be reduced to 60Hz, if not the desired 1Hz. Impressive sunlight legibility is another feature of the phone, along with built-in support for HDR content in Netflix and YouTube apps.
An in-display fingerprint reader on the Pixel 8 allows for quick and error-free smartphone unlocking.

Cameras:

Here, the 50MP primary sensor and the 12MP ultra-wide (UW) sensor on the Pixel 8 are identical to those on the Pixel 7 from the previous year. To let in more light and enhance the level of detail whether you take pictures in low light or bright light, the 50MP primary sensor aperture size has been widened to f/1.68 from f/1.85. Likewise, the 12MP ultra-wide sensor can capture images with a field-of-view (FoV) of 125.8 degrees, as opposed to 114 degrees. The phone has a 10.5 MP punch-hole front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.
The standard Pixel 8 models have many of the same AI editing tools as the Pixel 8 Pro, including the more sophisticated Magic Eraser, Best Take, and Audio Eraser. There will be no Pixel model released in the past that has these features. Our review of the Pixel 8 Pro goes into much depth regarding these features.
Essentially, by altering subjects in the frame, removing background noise, and switching faces, the AI functions of the Pixel 8 series assist you in producing better photos and videos. They do currently have some limits. Even yet, there can be circumstances in which the Magic Eraser and Best Take functions are ineffective for some images. I’m hoping that Google will fix this restriction in upcoming software releases.

Performance and software

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro share many similarities in terms of software and performance, but not cameras. Both devices are equipped with Google’s most recent Tensor G3 processor, running Android 14 out of the box along with the Pixel launcher. With up to seven years of significant software updates, the handset also receives the longest.
It’s hard to say whether the gadget can achieve that, but for now, we can tell you that the Pixel 8 has respectable performance. While using the gadget for daily tasks, I didn’t see any significant latency or performance problems; but, it doesn’t have the flagship-level punch or thermal management. The back panel of the phone can become slightly warm when using it for extended periods of time or when playing games, even though there are no serious heating problems. This resulted in some slowing, which was also evident in the phone’s CPU throttle test, where it ran 50 threads for 30 minutes at 59 percent of its maximum speed.
Regarding benchmark results, the device scored 10,17,180 on AnTuTu, 1,045 on Geekbench for the single-core test, and 3,294 for the multi-core test.
Regarding the software, it is still mostly uncluttered and comes with only a few Google apps pre-installed. There are many customization options available and the user interface (UI) is easy to use. It also has a number of helpful features. Notably, Google Translate makes it easier to translate information between apps and websites, and the ‘Read out’ function reads the content out from the screen in a variety of languages, which improves the device’s usability considerably.

Battery and charging speeds

The Pixel 8 has a bigger battery than its predecessor, the Pixel 7, even though it is smaller. Its 4,575mAh battery lasts for more than 5 hours when the screen is on. This is ideal for people like myself who enjoy light usage and don’t spend a lot of time on laborious chores like gaming and navigation.
You won’t need to pull out a charger at the end of the day, whether you’re browsing, reading emails, using messaging apps, or engaging in light gaming. I always had between 20 and 25 percent charge left when I went to bed, even on days when I used it a lot. That is how long the Pixel 8’s battery has lasted me during use.
Regarding charging, the Pixel 8 can accept up to 27W and 18W charging via Google-approved wired and wireless chargers (separately offered). To fully charge the gadget from 0% to 100%, I used a third-party cable charger, and it took about 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Final verdict

The AI aspects of the Google Pixel 8 are what really entice me since they have the ability to enhance the likeability of practically any photograph. Although the phone’s other features, including its performance, battery life, display, and cameras, are fine, they don’t seem very promising given its Rs 75,999 suggested retail price.

I wish the price of the Pixel 8 was more affordable. As of right now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G, which seems to be a more potent competitor, is giving it fierce competition. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC used in the Samsung smartphone outperforms the Tensor G3 processor found in the Pixel in benchmark tests. In addition, the S23 has a bigger battery and a special telephoto lens with a 30x zoom.

The software department is the only area where the Pixel 8 outperforms the S23; with its unprecedented 7-year support, it even outperforms the iPhones. The Pixel 8 is a good buy if you value the software more than anything else about a phone. It provides nearly all of the Pixel 8 Pro’s features without costing more than Rs 1 lakh.

Reasons to buy

The cameras produce some truly remarkable photos, and the AI editing features are unique.
Its rounded sides and small size make it ideal for one-handed use.
The smartphone has a respectable amount of battery life.
The phone will get seven significant operating system updates—the most of any smartphone to date.

Reasons not to buy