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Google Pixel 8

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Design
Camera
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Performance
Battery Life
Speakers
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11 Verified Hands-On Reviews

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Expert reviews [11]

82
Total expert reviews: 11
  • with a score: 4
  • without a score: 7
Highest score by amateurphotographer.com
90
Average score based on 11 reviews
82
Lowest score by PCMag
80

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20
From the author's perspective, the Google Pixel 8 is a smaller, faster, and smarter phone that offers seven years of software updates, making it a standout choice in terms of longevity and value. It has a great camera, impressive AI features, and a competitive price, although it lacks an extended optical zoom and may not have the top performance in its class.
+ pros
  • Seven years of software updates: The author highlights the extended software support as a major advantage of the Pixel 8, ensuring that the phone will remain safe to use and have a higher resale value.
  • Good camera: The Pixel 8's main camera is praised for its excellent performance, particularly in low-light conditions.
  • Great screen in smaller body: The 6.2-inch OLED screen is bright, crisp, and smooth, making it a standout feature for a smaller premium phone.
  • Solid battery life: The Pixel 8's battery lasts slightly longer than its predecessor, providing about 36 hours between charges.
  • Recycled aluminum: The phone is made with at least 18% recycled materials, contributing to its sustainability.
- cons
  • Price increase: The Pixel 8's price has increased by £100 compared to the previous model, making it less of a bargain.
  • No extended optical zoom for camera: The lack of an optical zoom lens is seen as a disappointment, especially considering the phone's other camera capabilities.
  • 2D face unlock not as advanced as 3D scanners: The author notes that the 2D face unlock system is not as advanced as the 3D scanners found in some other phones.
  • Raw performance short of best in class: While the Pixel 8's Google Tensor G3 chip performs well in day-to-day tasks and gaming, it falls slightly short of the best-performing phones on the market.
80
The Google Pixel 8 is a worthy contender in the smartphone market, offering a refreshed design, powerful camera capabilities, and Google's commitment to software updates. While it may not have all the high-end features of its Pro counterpart, it delivers impressive performance and a great user experience at a reasonable price.
+ pros
  • Refreshed design: The author mentions that the Google Pixel 8 has a refreshed design, which is considered a positive aspect of the phone.
  • Latest Tensor G3 chipset: The author highlights the latest Tensor G3 chipset as a pro, indicating that it offers impressive performance and AI features.
  • Versatile dual rear camera setup: The author praises the versatility of the dual rear camera setup, mentioning features like Magic Editor and the ability to capture high-quality shots.
  • Minimalist and functional always-on display: The author appreciates the minimalist and functional always-on display, which makes it easy to check time and notifications at a glance.
  • Clean and well-featured user experience: The author commends the clean and well-featured user experience, mentioning Google's commitment to OS and security updates as a differentiating factor.
- cons
  • Lack of temperature sensor: The author considers the lack of a temperature sensor as a drawback of the Pixel 8.
  • Average battery life: The author mentions that the battery life of the Pixel 8 is adequate but could be better, indicating that it may not be exceptional in this aspect.
  • No telephoto camera: The author notes that the Pixel 8 lacks a dedicated telephoto sensor, which may be a disadvantage for those who prioritize this feature.
  • Not ideal for serious mobile gaming: The author states that the Pixel 8 may not be the best choice for serious mobile gaming due to its compact size and smaller battery.
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Expert consensus

The Google Pixel 8 is praised for its design, camera capabilities, and vibrant display, but may not be the best choice for those who require exceptional performance or longer battery life.

The Google Pixel 8 has received positive reviews for its design, with praise for its compactness, premium materials, and sleek aesthetics. The camera capabilities of the Pixel 8 are highly regarded, particularly in low light conditions, offering better color accuracy and exposure compared to previous models.

The display is vibrant and sharp, making it ideal for watching videos and playing games. The Pixel 8 offers solid performance for day-to-day tasks and multitasking, although it may not have the highest graphics performance for gaming. The battery life is decent for normal use, but may not be ideal for intensive usage.

The speakers provide clear audio suitable for speech-related content, but may lack richness and depth for music enthusiasts. Overall, the Google Pixel 8 is recommended for users who prioritize design, camera capabilities, and a vibrant display, but may not be the best choice for those who require exceptional performance or longer battery life.

Design

The Google Pixel 8 has received positive reviews for its compact and comfortable design, premium materials, and sleek aesthetics.

The Google Pixel 8 has received positive reviews for its design. It is slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor, making it more compact and comfortable to hold. The phone is made with a combination of materials, including recycled aluminum, plastic, and tin. The back of the phone is made of polished glass, available in three colors: Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose.

The color options are described as subtle shades and offer a premium and elegant look. The Pixel 8 features a camera bar along the back, which has become an iconic design element of the Pixel series. The overall design has more rounded corners, giving it a softer and more approachable look. The phone also has an under-display fingerprint sensor, providing a seamless and convenient unlocking experience.

Overall, the design of the Google Pixel 8 has been praised for its compactness, premium materials, and sleek aesthetics.

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Camera

The Google Pixel 8 has a highly praised 50MP main camera with excellent low-light performance, but its zoom capabilities may not be as impressive as other models.

The Google Pixel 8 has received positive reviews for its camera capabilities. The main camera has a resolution of 50MP and is highly praised for its performance in low light conditions. The image processing software used by Google enhances color accuracy and exposure, resulting in better low-light performance compared to previous models.

The camera also retains more shadows, producing natural-looking images.

The front-facing camera has a resolution of 10.5 megapixels and offers a slightly wider field of view compared to its predecessor. However, the Pixel 8 Pro has autofocus on its front camera, while the Pixel 8 has a fixed-focus sensor.

The maximum zoom level on the Pixel 8 is 2x optical quality, meaning it can capture a cropped 50MP photo at this zoom level. Beyond 2x zoom, the limitations of digital zoom may become apparent. The experts note that while the Pixel 8 can produce good results up to 2x zoom, it may not deliver amazing results at higher zoom levels.

For users who prioritize telephoto zoom photos, the Pixel 8 Pro or other models like the Pixel 7 Pro may be more suitable.

Overall, the Google Pixel 8 is praised for its camera capabilities, particularly in low light conditions. It offers good zoom capabilities up to 2x, but may not deliver exceptional results at higher zoom levels. Users who prioritize photography in low light or desire better zoom capabilities may find the Pixel 8 to be a suitable choice.

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Display

The Google Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch OLED display with Actua technology, offering accurate color representation, sharpness, and smoothness for an immersive viewing experience.

The Google Pixel 8 has a 6. 2-inch OLED display with Actua technology, which is designed to provide accurate color representation. The display has a resolution of 2400 by 1080 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 424ppi. It also has a refresh rate ranging from 60Hz to 120Hz, offering sharp images and smooth animations.

The display boasts a peak brightness of 2000 nits, providing a bright and crisp viewing experience. Overall, the display of the Google Pixel 8 is praised for its vibrant colors, sharpness, and smoothness, making it ideal for tasks such as watching videos, playing games, and viewing photos.

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Performance

The Google Pixel 8 offers solid performance for day-to-day tasks and multitasking, but may not be the best choice for users who prioritize intensive tasks or require more storage capacity.

The Google Pixel 8 offers solid performance for day-to-day tasks and multitasking, according to expert reviews. Powered by the Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8 promises improved CPU performance and graphics compared to its predecessor. Benchmark scores show that the Pixel 8 performs well in CPU tests, with similar scores to the higher-end Pixel 8 Pro.

It can handle demanding applications and multitasking smoothly, with no reported issues. However, in terms of overall performance, the Pixel 8 still trails behind some competing flagship phones. It may not have the highest graphics performance for gaming, but gameplay is smooth and enjoyable. The Pixel 8 comes with 8GB of RAM, which is sufficient for multitasking and running multiple apps smoothly.

Storage options include 128GB and 256GB, with no option for expanding storage. While the Pixel 8 offers a balance between performance and price, users who prioritize performance in intensive tasks or require more storage capacity may want to consider alternatives with higher specifications.

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Battery Life

The Google Pixel 8 has decent battery life for day-to-day use, offering around 6 hours of screen-on time, but falls behind other flagship phones in terms of endurance.

The Google Pixel 8 has a 4,575mAh battery, which offers decent battery life for day-to-day use. It can provide around 6 hours of screen-on time, which is sufficient for a day of medium-to-heavy use. However, during heavy usage or while using demanding features or apps, the battery performance may not be as long-lasting.

For example, playing graphically intensive games can result in significant battery drain.

Compared to its predecessor, the Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 offers improved battery endurance, lasting longer on a single charge. However, it falls behind other flagship phones in terms of battery life, with the Galaxy S23 and iPhone 15 lasting more than 11 hours in testing.

The Pixel 8 does have fast charging capabilities, supporting wired charging speeds of up to 27W. With the separately-sold 30W USB-C charger from Google, it can go from 0% to 100% in around 1 hour and 45 minutes. A 15-minute charge can deliver a 23% battery boost, and it reaches 60% charge in just 30 minutes.

Overall, the Pixel 8's battery life is suitable for normal day-to-day tasks, but may not be ideal for intensive usage or those requiring longer battery life. It is recommended to consider other alternatives or carry a power bank for additional juice if needed.

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Speakers

The speakers on the Google Pixel 8 provide clear audio suitable for speech-related content, but lack richness and depth for music enthusiasts.

Based on expert reviews, the speakers on the Google Pixel 8 are generally regarded as good, providing clear audio that is suitable for speech-related content. The speakers can reach a maximum volume of 93. 6dB without distortion, making them quite loud and capable of providing a satisfactory audio experience.

However, some reviewers have noted that the sound profile lacks richness and depth, so it may not be able to replace a portable speaker for music enthusiasts. To fully appreciate the details of music, it is recommended to use Bluetooth headphones with the Pixel 8. Overall, the speakers on the Pixel 8 offer decent audio quality and volume, but for exceptional audio quality, users may want to consider using external speakers or Bluetooth headphones.

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Position in ranking

We maintain a monthly ranking that sums up expert recommendations for all smartphones.

Rank Change Price Smartphone
Laptop Mag
The Verge
TechRadar
T3
Pocket-lint
Tom's Guide
IGN
Creative Bloq
Digital Trends
ZD Net
1
- $929
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
-
3
4
2
2
2
-
1
-
1
2
+1 Check price
iPhone 16 Pro Max
-
-
1
-
-
1
-
-
2
2
3
+1 $799
Google Pixel 9 Pro
-
-
2
-
-
3
2
5
4
-
4
+9 $0
iPhone 16
-
1
-
-
-
5
-
-
1
-
Show all rows
Google Pixel 8 did not receive any endorsements this month.

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