The daily drip of leaks can stop now, as Google has officially announced the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at an event in New York City. The event marks the end of one of the most absurdly drawn out hype and leak periods in recent memory, but that’s often how a Google hardware event plays out. Man, we’re glad to be ready to get to testing and share with you what these phones truly are, not what the internet says they might be.
The phones, to no ones surprise, look as you’ll see throughout the post here. Neither are much bigger or smaller than previous models, but they do sport rounder and more refined designs. They also look like the most put-together of Google’s Pixel line in recent memory. The design language of Pixel that started with the Pixel 6 is still here, only now they look like polished, high-end phones in all ways.
Google is also filling these phones with their AI smarts, updating them for more years than I can believe, and is pricing both at slightly higher prices than we are used to. Let’s dive in and talk about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro Specs: You’ve read about the specs for these phones on numerous occasions, so they likely aren’t going to surprise you. We can now confirm that the specs from previous leaks were correct.
Google is upgrading a number of items, like the Tensor G3 chip, ultra-wide camera in the 8 Pro, displays in both devices, and the level of software support. They are also using all of the Gorilla Glass Victus version in both phones, included a temperature sensor in the Pixel 8 Pro that’ll let you take the temperature of objects (your forehead soon with FDA approval), and the overall designs have been improved with flatter displays and corner rounding. Are these massive upgrades in terms of specs? Probably not. Are they upgrades in all of the right places? Probably.
| PIXEL 8 | PIXEL 8 PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.2" FHD+ OLED display with 60Hz-120Hz refresh rate. -1080x2400, 20:9, 428ppi -Corning Gorilla Glass Victus -Up to 2,000 nits peak brightness | 6.7" LTPO OLED display with 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate. -1344x2992, 20:9, 489ppi -Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 -Up to 2,400 nits peak brightness |
| Chipset | Google Tensor G3 Titan M2 security coprocessor | Google Tensor G3 Titan M2 security coprocessor |
| Memory | RAM: 8GB LPDDR5X Storage: 128/256GB, UFS 3.1 | RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB, UFS 3.1 |
| Battery | 4,575mAh 27W fast charging Qi-certified wireless charging up to 18W | 5,050mAh 30W fast charging Qi-certified wireless charging up to 23W |
| Updates | 7 years of OS, security, feature drop updates | 7 years of OS, security, feature drop updates |
| Rear Cameras | -50MP Octa PD wide camera (OIS, EIS, f/1.68), 82° field of view -12MP ultrawide camera (f/2.2), 125.8° field of view | -50MP Octa PD wide camera (OIS, EIS, f/1.68), 82° field of view -48MP Quad PD ultrawide camera (f/1.95), 125.5° field of view -48MP Quad PD telephoto camera with Super Rez Zoom up to 30x (OIS, EIS, f/2.8), 21.8° field of view |
| Front Camera | 10.5MP Dual PD front camera (f/2.2) 95° ultrawide field of view, fixed focus | 10.5MP Dual PD front camera (f/2.2) 95° ultrawide field of view, autofocus |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC, 5G, 5G mmW | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC, UWB, 5G, 5G mmW |
| Durability | IP68 Gorilla Glass Victus back with aluminum frame | IP68 Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back with aluminum frame |
| Other | Under-display fingerprint sensor, Face ID USB-C 3.2 Dual SIM (nano + eSIM) Stereo speakers | Under-display fingerprint sensor, Face ID Temperature Sensor USB-C 3.2 Dual SIM (nano + eSIM) Stereo speakers |
| Size | 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm 187g | 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm 213g |
| Colors | Obsidian, Hazel, Rose | Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay |
7 years of updates: Google really is doing this, folks. All of their support and marketing materials suggest 7 years of OS and security updates are included with these Pixel 8 phones, as well as 7 years of Feature Drop updates. If you buy a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, you will get software support longer than any other phone in the business. This is a massive move for Google.
Google Pixel 8 AI features: Google is calling the Tensor G3 chip in these phones its most powerful yet, but they really want you to know how smart they are. They’ll still screen calls for you and clean up call audio like older Pixels, but now they are using AI to improve video quality, erase annoying audio in your videos, help edit your photos by fixing faces and removing objects (or adjusting entire images), read aloud web pages, and write messages with your voice twice as fast. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are there to be helpful, assuming you remember how to use all of the helpful features.
Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro pricing and availability: The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are up for pre-order today (10/4) and should hit stores on October 12. The Pixel 8 starts at $699 and the Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999. Yep, those are $100 price increases for both phones.
You’ll find those prices with bases storage amounts of 128GB, but you can jump the Pixel 8 to 256GB for $60 more. The Pixel 8 Pro jumps to 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB with price increases of $60, $120, and $220.
The Pixel 8 comes in Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in Obsidian, Bay, and Porcelain.
Pre-order Google’s New Phones:
- Pixel 8: Best Buy | Google Store
- Pixel 8 Pro: Best Buy | Google Store
This post was last modified on October 4, 2023 7:49 am