What’s New?

Google Pixel 8 is certainly the best Pixel Google ever made obviously, and actually a solid step up even over last year’s 7 Pro. Some of the most exciting features and this is also the most expensive Pixel they ever made. The 8 Pro will set back a cool 999 Pounds That’s the same in dollars, which represents a $100 or £150 price increase versus last year’s 7 Pro. So, it’s pretty expensive and that is also for a bog standard 128 gig model, although it is only 60 quid to then double it to 256.

Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: Design

There’s quite a lot new here with the Pixel 8 Pro, first of all, let’s talk about the design. Google dropped the waterfall screen in favor of a flat screen which funny enough is what the cheaper non-Pro models would have, and if you see the regular Pixel 8 in terms of design there isn’t really much in it.

There’s just a size difference of 6.2 vs 6.7 inches although the Google Pixel 8 Pro has a matte glass back also a glossy frame, and there is a temperature sensor on the back and a couple of different color options. I personally like the new design it feels more comfortable it’s easier to pick up,

Also, we’ve got much more sort of rounded corners the only downside is it’s a millimeter thicker this year. However, we do still get IP68 water and dust resistance so we will survive a dunk in fresh water, and it’s good to see Google’s also changed the screen’s aspect ratio, although just a little bit we’ve gone from 19.5by 9 to 20 by 9(20:9). So, it’s a tiny bit taller you’d be hard pressed to notice.

RELATED: Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro Major Upgrades

Google Pixel 8 Pro: Display

Both the Google Pixel 8 pro and 8 offer similarly high brightness and that’s thanks to their new Actua and super Actua screens as Google calls it. Across the board, whether it’s typical uses indoors HDR or even outdoor use the new Pixels are significantly brighter, but to save some battery the Pixel 8 pro refresh rate now goes between 1 and 120hz vs 10 and 120hz last year.

They slightly tweaked the aspect ratio but they also slightly tweaked the resolution, it’s a little bit lower this year, there’s the high-resolution option and the default one. The Google Pixel 8 Pro gives us 367 Pixels per inch vs 384 Last year.

I also kind of wish they’d added a dynamic resolution option, so it would switch between the full resolution, it also makes it the lowest resolution among the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and these other two also benefit from Dolby Vision HDR support which sadly we don’t get on the Pixel.

The viewing angles don’t appear to be quite as good. The new Google Pixel 8 Pro has a much greener tint to the screen rather than the more natural white in the Pixel 7 Pro, I think the viewing angles are a tiny bit of a step down this year. I much prefer this flat rather than the curved screen, and the high brightness makes a difference.

Google Pixel 8 Pro: Performance

Talk about Google Pixel 8 Pro Performance, Both the 8 and 8 Pro support the new tenor G3 chip. This is Google’s custom processor, based around Samsung’s Exynos architecture which has historically been a bit bad. Good in the fact that it allows Google to sort of tweak and optimize the chips to allow for some of these sorts of AI Magic feature things the software extras.

The downside is they’ve never been particularly efficient they’ve overheated, and the performance particularly for gaming has always been a bit low, so does the G3 their third-generation tensor chip which is now built in a more efficient four rather than 5 nanometer design resolve any of these issues? Well yes, a bit in Gig bench 6 single cores

scores are 19% higher multi-core is 13% higher, Although in AnTuTu which is a broader test of the processor and the graphics, there’s a 25% optic, and in War Thunder with maxed out settings although without Ray tracing because the Pixel doesn’t seem to offer this yet, although the Samsung and the iPhone do. In the Pixel 7 Pro, the average FPS is around 82 While Google Pixel 8 Pro gives us about 105 FPS.

So, a decent little step up in gaming performance, but it still can’t quite match its flagship competition. Another problem we’ve had with past pixels including last year’s 7 Pro is overheating, and also some pretty average battery life. On average the Pixel 8 Pro is 2 °C cooler than the 7 Pro, not a huge difference but it’s better. Overheating issues are still present but less than before.

Google Pixel 8 Pro: Battery

The biggest pain point for me is the battery life, and after having used the 7 Pro and the Google Pixel 8 Pro as similarly as possible for a full day by 11:00 p.m., I had 22% battery left on the 7 Pro vs 27% battery left on the Pixel 8 Pro.

Still, not class-leading but it is better and if you’re coming from a Pixel 6 or 5 then you will appreciate the extra battery you get with this, even though with a 5050 mAh with the performance that we get from the G3 and the improved efficiency I think it should last longer than it might do because as you guys know with pixels, particularly the battery can improve over time as the software sort of learns your patterns and gets used to you

essentially. So this may go up a little bit over the next few weeks and months. As for the charging, they’ve also sped up the wired charging from 23W to 30W and wireless charging is now boosted to 23W (watts) although only if you use Google’s new stand, and sadly it doesn’t support the new Qi2 standard.

Google Pixel 8 Pro: AI

They have improved a lot of these AI features in the 8 series like call screening which can answer calls for you and give you a live transcript of the call on the screen so you can decide whether to answer it send a message or just hang up I love this.

There’s also a new feature that will read aloud whatever website you have up, so it’s kind of like turning a written article into an audiobook, it can come across as a little robotic but I still think it’s kind of neat.

A brand-new feature is the AI-generated wallpapers in which you just enter a prompt and wait about 30 seconds and create your very own slightly trippy wallpapers As someone who always struggles to find a good new wallpaper I found myself using this a lot.

Google Pixel 8 Pro: Camera AI

There are some camera AI features, and Magic Eraser and Unblur make a return, and exclusively on the 8 Pro we now get enhanced Magic Eraser which uses the new UND device AI and seems to be a bit better at removing larger objects from your photos, but it’s the convivence of just tapping edit on the photo and doing a quick touch up with

the Magic eraser, using Unblur usually comes out a little bit more detailed, yes you can do a lot of this stuff in Lightroom or Photoshop but that’s several extra steps and this is much faster and free.

Audio Eraser

Another new feature is called an audio eraser, of you don’t want any Noice in your video or vlog, and if you turn on the audio eraser it will cut out the background Noice. It identifies what’s in the video like background noise, pets, and sirens you can sort of isolate and reduce those background sounds. It’s a bit like the Magic eraser for your photos but well for your sound, which is why it’s called an audio eraser.

Magic Editor

The 8 Pro also gives us the Magic editor option, Google announced it a few months ago and right now al least it is exclusive to the 8 Pro and also does require your photo to have been uploaded to Google Photos, But this generative AI tool much like the latest versions of photoshops let’s you move and resize subjects in your photos.

Best Take

Then we have Best Take, which is also a new feature for the Google Pixel 8 Pro, if you edit your photo and then go into tools you’ll see the best take option, tap on that and give it a second and it will find all the faces in the photo, and the results range from pretty good to hilarious to a little creepy, the caveat is you do need to upload to google

Photos and have an internet connection and my experience has been a little bit hit or miss, the problem is it requires you or the person you’ve handed your phone to, to take several photos in quick succession so then the best take AI has different options to present to you, but it can also get a bit weird and just mess out face completely and there’s also something fundamentally creepy about your face being swapped.

It’s worth mentioning that these AI features genuinely get better and smarter over time and also, we have seen some of these features go back to earlier Pixels just via the Google Photos app, so it’s hard to say how many if these will always be exclusive 8 series features.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Google Pixel 8 Pro brings substantial improvements over its predecessor in terms of design, display, performance, and battery life. Its AI features enhance user engagement and creativity, making it a compelling choice for those seeking an Android flagship phone. While it may not outperform its top-tier competitors in all aspects, it offers a unique Google experience that will appeal to fans of the Pixel brand.

The AI features are cool. They can screen calls, read websites out loud, and create unique wallpapers. The camera AI is smart, with features like Magic eraser, unblur, and audio eraser for videos. There’s even a feature for creative photo editing and face-swapping.

Overall, the Google Pixel 8 Pro is a great choice for those who want a comfortable, sleek phone with good performance and fun AI features, even if it’s not the absolute best in every category.

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