Google Pixel 8 Pro After the Hype: Is it Really That Good?

Google Pixel 8 Pro is among the most hyped phones this year. Its exceptional camera performance and longevity are among its principal traits. The smartphone has flagship-grade specs and a flagship price tag. 

So, let’s inspect whether the Google Pixel Pro 8 has a justified price tag. 

Summary

Pros

• Robust construction and beautiful design
• The best camera performance
• Good battery endurance
• Smooth and snappy software
• Extended security and system support

Cons

• Unimpressive Tensor G3
• Regional restrictions for 5G and VPN
• Old UFS 3.1 storage

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Google Pixel 8 Pro – Price

Let’s start the review with the price. It starts at $999, which is a significant price increase for a Google smartphone. Suddenly, it is ranked among the likes of Galaxy S23 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro series, and other high-end smartphone series. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Unboxing

Now comes the unboxing part; like every flagship smartphone, it comes in a slim box, which indicates that it does not have a charger. The unboxing experience is very standard, as we get with every smartphone. There is nothing special in it. 

Technical Specifications

• Body: Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back with aluminum frame
• Weight: 213 grams
• Screen: 6.7 inches OLED display, 1344 x 2992 pixels, 120Hz, 2400 nits peak brightness, HDR10+
• Processor: Google Tensor G3, Nona core processor 
• Memory: 12GB + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS 3.1 storage
• OS: Android 14
• Battery: 5050mAh with 30W wired charging
• Rear Cameras: Main Camera: 50MP f/1.7 with OIS, Telephoto: 48MP, f/2.8, 5x optical zoom, Ultrawide: 48MP, f/2.0, 126°
• Front Camera: 10.5MP, f/2.2
• Speakers: Stereo speakers
• Sensors: Under-display fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, barometer, thermometer 
• NFC: Yes
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 tri-band, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, USB Type-C 3.2

It is a solid mobile phone on paper, but some improvements could have made it a true flagship smartphone. The most significant is the UFS 3.1 storage. It’s not a big deal for small tasks, but you will sense some lags when you start playing heavy games. Which is perfectly handled by other flagship smartphones. Considering Google has access to the best software and hardware seeing below-par integrations in a flagship smartphone was a surprise. 

Design and Construction

Pixel phones are boasting an identical design since the sixth generation. It has the iconic camera platform on the back. It has a stunning design, and most of the body is made of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so it looks great and has solid muscles to bear impacts and water splashes. Google Pixel 8 Pro has an aluminum frame, which nicely complements the smartphone’s aesthetics. 

Overall, it is a beautiful smartphone with excellent quality and a signature design. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Display

Pixel 8 has a stunning 6.7-inch OLED screen with a max resolution of 1344 x 2992 pixels. It is the first smartphone to support Samsung’s new E7 panel. The 120HZ display has excellent colors and strong Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. The smartphone’s brightness is class apart. Thanks to its 2400 nits peak brightness, you can use it easily under direct sunlight. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Camera

Pixel phones are the pioneer camera smartphones, delivering unthinkably good pictures both day and night. They have a perfect blend of hardware and software that enables them to deliver exceptional images. Rarely have I had a picture that I could not use; almost every picture is social media grade and can be used without any editing. 

The dynamic range is best in class. Some people might have some issues with the HDR, saying the photos look a little artificial, but I think everything looks nice. The Pixel 8 Pro also has a Pro mode where you can adjust ISO, shutter speed, and many other metrics for both videos and photos. One thing that was missing was the control over bitrate. The feature has been available on other Android smartphones for years. So, I would have loved some more controls in the Pro mode. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro is in a league of its own when it comes to night photography. The level of detail, colors, and light are all on par; in fact, they exceed expectations.

The telephoto lens has 5x optical zoom, and the wide-angle lens provides a 126 field of view. Both of them can capture fantastic images. 

Overall, the Google Pixel 8 Pro is the best smartphone for taking photos, but it needs to catch up to make videos on par with the Samsung and iPhone flagship smartphones. 

Performance and User Experience 

Google Pixel 8 Pro uses Samsung-made Tensor G3, a Nona-core processor. Its performance is inferior to that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Apple Bionic chipset, and the latest Dimensity processors. The Tensor chipset has much catching to do compared to other flagship smartphones. Google has masked the performance with smooth animations, but you will notice the performance dip during demanding tasks. 

The ARM architecture of previous pixel smartphones was great. In fact, Pixel 4A, a five-year-old smartphone, still feels good today. So, seeing how it performs in the long run will be interesting. 

The software and user experience are Vanilla Android. Google makes it, so it will be getting several years of system and security updates, which is nice for the smartphone’s longevity. The customization options are not that many, like the inability to swap the navigation button or directly switch off the Wi-Fi via the tile, etc. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro – Battery Endurance

The battery life was a bit of a surprise because it is far better than I was expecting. The phone can easily last a day if you use less mobile data. It gives almost 9 hours of screen time per charge or about 30 hours per charge. The battery performance is almost the same as the Galaxy S23, slightly better than the Xiaomi 13 and 13T series, and significantly better than the previous generation. 

The only thing that can be questioned here is the charging speed. It has 30W wired and 23W wireless charging, which is quite disappointing. 

Drawbacks

• Slow-wired and wireless charging 
• Older UFS storage 
• Regional VPN restrictions 
• Unimpressive chipset

Conclusion

Yes, the Google Pixel 8 Pro has the traits of a good Android smartphone. But considering the flagship-grade price tag, I think it should have higher hardware standards. The software is snappy, battery endurance is good, and the camera is the best among smartphones, but it needs some hardware upgrades to compete at the highest level. 

For a more detailed review watch our YouTube video.

Google Pixel 8 Pro