Pixel Phone 8 Pro review: an excellent smartphone, pleasant to use
The Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro are excellent phones, combining solid performance with top-notch cameras. Suffice to say that we were impatiently waiting to discover the progress made by the new Pixel 8 Pro.
Its photo configuration has been completely improved and, as with the Pixel 8, Google has chosen to integrate artificial intelligence into the heart of commonly used applications. In particular, there are new tools for creating wallpapers and retouching photos. For example, the Best Shot function occurs when you take a few consecutive photos of a person or a group of people. By opening one of the photos in Google Photos, you can use the Best Shot tool which will search for similar photos and suggest replacing the face with the disappointing expression with a more cheerful expression. More unexpected, a new sensor integrated near the camera flash which allows the temperature of certain materials to be measured.
The other major new feature is the extension of Android updates and security patches to seven years. This means that the Pixel 8 Pro should still be efficient in 2030. A longevity which helps to accept the price increase of 200 euros compared to the Pixel 7 Pro of last year (€1,099 against €899). Google's new flagship offers a complete and solid user experience that covers most daily needs.
Pixel 8 Pro design and screen
Physically, the Pixel 8 Pro looks a lot like its predecessors, with the protruding horizontal strip that houses the photo module. But for the first time it receives a matte back glass. It's not a significant design change, but it provides a softer feel, while making it a little less prone to fingerprints.
The frame is made partly from recycled aluminum and the phone is IP68 rated for water resistance. The finish is neat, the marriage of materials harmonious. The porcelain model that we tested is elegant.
The fingerprint reader integrated under the screen works as expected. It does not seem to us to be more efficient than that of the Pixel 7 Pro. Ditto for unlocking by facial recognition which works very well but no better than its predecessor.
The 6.7-inch Oled LTPO screen (1344 x 2992 pixels) at 489 ppi is superb. It manages a display from 1 to 120 Hz with a maximum brightness of 2,400 nits significantly higher than that of the Pixel 7 Pro (1,500 nits). The impactful and dynamic rendering serves video content, photos and video games admirably. The refresh rate provides the right amount of fluidity for Android navigation and gaming.
The Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor
Exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, the temperature sensor allows the phone to measure the surface temperature of everyday objects: food and organic matter, water and drinks, metal, plastic, fabric, wood, etc. To use it, you must launch Thermometer app and hold the phone within 5 centimeters of the object. You press the screen and the temperature is displayed. According to Google, the sensor measures infrared radiation from objects. It works to measure temperatures between -20 and 150°C. What is it used for exactly? To test the temperature of a drink or a dish before putting it in your mouth, for example.
photo credit: © Marc ZaffagniThe Pixel 8 Pro's thermometer works well.
Google advises parents to use it to check the temperature of a baby's bottle. However, it is impossible to take your body temperature. In the United States, Google is working on this with the Food and Drug Administration but this is not the case in Europe. Overall, this thermometer is fun to discover but its daily usefulness is not obvious. As it stands, it's not a decisive option that sets the Pixel 8 Pro apart from its competitors.
Tensor G3 processor
Under the hood, the new Tensor G3 processor promises increased performance for AI features related to photo and video but also for games. The Titan M2 security chip is always there to protect personal data. The memory and storage configuration are identical to the Pixel 7, with 8 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage.
In everyday use, the Pixel 8 Pro is fast and responsive. Navigating the Android 14 interface is fluid, applications instantly and multitasking between active applications is done without delay. We were able to play demanding games like Genshin Impact, PUBG and Real Racing 3 without difficulty with the graphics quality at maximum.
7 years of Android and security updates
Google has finally decided to extend the duration of major Android updates and security patches to 7 years, which is very good news. In comparison, Samsung offers four years of software updates and five years of security patches. These longer times help to increase the lifespan of the phone and reduce its environmental impact. This means that the Pixel 8 Pro will still be current in 2030, which is the longest of any major Android smartphone maker.
Android 14 and AI features
The Pixel 8 Pro is launched with Android 14 which introduces artificial intelligence features . There is notably a wallpaper creator using generative AI. The tool offers 12 initial themes (imaginary, mineral, X-rays, flowering, etc.) then, for each, dozens of keywords for objects, insects, textures, plants, artistic styles, etc. The possible combinations are legion and the results can be amusing, amazing, crazy or disappointing. The creations are certainly not at the level of a generative AI like DALL-E or Midjourney . But it is an original personalization tool that provides insight into how artificial intelligence will enrich our smartphone use in the future.
photo credit: © Marc ZaffagniWallpaper-generating AI on the Pixel 8 Pro. © Marc Zaffagni
Google has integrated other AI features into the Pixel 8 Pro, including call screening, the ability to summarize articles in web pages (both US-only options at launch), and better translation tools and speech to text conversion.
AI democratizes photo editing
And then there are obviously new AI tools for photo editing. Let's start with Magic Retouch. This includes selectively changing the sky in a photo, removing a person from the background, moving the main subject, enlarging or reducing objects or people, or resizing the photo. Most of the time, Magic Retouch edits only took a few seconds. But sometimes it took more time or the application froze. Please note that Google indicates that this application is still in development. In any case, Magic Retouch is impressive for the creative possibilities it brings to photography on a phone.
The other AI tool is the Best Take function which occurs when you take a few consecutive photos of a person or a group of people. By opening one of the photos in Google Photos, you can use the Best Shot tool which will search for similar photos and suggest replacing the face that dominates the photo with a more cheerful expression. You should know that this AI tool can only work with a series of photos from the same sequence. And it only activates for photos of people.
The Best Shot feature on the Pixel 8 Pro. © Marc Zaffagni
This tool works not only for photos taken with the phone, but also for all photos in the Google Photos library viewed from the Pixel 8 Pro. We were able to use Best Take with photos taken with a Pixel 7 and an iPhone 14 .
An artificial intelligence tool, the Magic Audio Eraser, allows you to clean the sound of the videos you film in order to improve their clarity. It's quite simple to use (you use a digital slider to attenuate extraneous sounds) and the result is really effective.
Photography with the Pixel 8 Pro
The 8 Pro lives up to the Pixel's reputation for excellent camera phones. It takes very nice photos with all its lenses, and its night mode is always a benchmark.
The photo configuration has significantly improved, with a new 50 Mpx main sensor with a 2x optical zoom that is more efficient in low light (increased sensitivity of 21%). The 48MP ultra-wide-angle sensor has 105% increased sensitivity, with macro autofocus. The 48MP ƒ/2.8 telephoto sensor (56% increased sensitivity) offers 5x optical zoom, 10x optical equivalent zoom and up to 30x high-resolution zoom. The laser autofocus is multi-zone with optical and electronic image stabilization present on the wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens. On the front, we find the same 10.5 Mpx ƒ/2.2 camera as that of the Pixel 8, but with autofocus.
The photos below were taken with the Pixel 8 Pro's main camera. The exposure is impeccable, the colors vibrant and the sharpness impeccable.
Same satisfaction with the wide angle lens. The exposure and colors are of impressive quality.
The Pixel 8 Pro takes over the 5x optical zoom from the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro. It can take stunning shots that are packed with detail.
During the day, the Pixel 8 Pro demonstrates unfailing versatility. Capturing great photos in all kinds of circumstances is child's play. On the other hand, it must be recognized that the gain in quality compared to the Pixel 7 Pro is not enormous. It is in night photography that the 8 Pro outperforms its predecessor, in particular with the ultra wide angle lens and the 5x zoom.
Google wanted to emphasize the “pro” side by adding manual settings for shutter speed and white balance. There is also a 50 megapixel mode for taking high resolution photos. By default, the Pixel 8 Pro works in 12 megapixels. These are options that mainly concern amateur photographers who like to refine their shots and work on crops.
The Pixel 8 Pro's front camera takes good selfies, to which the addition of autofocus undoubtedly helps.
Overall, the Pixel 8 Pro is the best Android camera phone around.
The autonomy of the Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro is equipped with a 5,050 mAh battery, which proved satisfactory during our various endurance tests. After an hour of playing a YouTube video at maximum brightness, the phone went from 100% to 97%. It's a good performance. After the third hour, the battery level dropped to 84%, which is lower than the iPhone 15, but in line with what we see with the Galaxy S23. Based on this demanding test and our test in real conditions, we can say that the Pixel 8 Pro can easily last a full day when used combining checking messages, audio and video calls, gaming, streaming (audio and video), photography and some image editing sessions with AI.
Conclusion
The Pixel 8 Pro is an excellent smartphone . It easily competes with the iPhone 15 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra , both in terms of finish, display quality, performance and of course photography. The integration of artificial intelligence does not in itself justify falling for this model, but it provides a practical side, particularly in photo editing, which is not found in the competition. Best of all, the Pixel 8 Pro offers seven years of Android updates and security patches, outperforming its rivals on this score.
The developments and services brought by Google's new flagship justify the 200 euros increase compared to the Pixel 7 Pro. Especially since, despite this inflation, it is still more affordable than the iPhone 15 Pro (€1,229), the S23 Ultra (€1,419) and S23+ (€1,219).
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