By 2023 standards, Google Pixel 8 is a compact smartphone even though it has a 6.2in display, which incidentally is 0.1in smaller than Pixel 7.
It’s a lightweight device too, and one of the few Android phones you can easily use one-handed.
If you choose this over the Pixel 8 Pro, not only do you save a considerable amount of money (€300) but you get many of the same great features.
READ MORE: I've tested Pixel Watch 2 for more than one month - here are its strengths and weaknesses
Design and build
Pixel 8 is 150.5mm x 70.8mm x 8.9mm in size and weighs just 187g. For context, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra is 234g.
The device’s curved corners look great and help the unit sit comfortably in your hand. It is easy to use one-handed due to its compact frame but it will still feel large enough in your pocket.
Pixel 8 has a matte aluminium metal frame and a polished glass rear panel, with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting both the front and rear screens. It has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating too.
The firm’s unique-looking metal camera module stretches across the top of the rear panel as it did on its predecessors. I am a fan of the design but concede not everyone is.
Performance
Pixel 8 is powered by the new Google Tensor G3 SoC (system on a chip). Benchmark test scores don’t match those of Android phones running the latest high-end Snapdragon SoC but for general everyday tasks this matters not as even though Pixel 8 is not the ultra-fastest Android phone, it is still a joy to use.
I have not experienced any buggy issues, and navigating and interacting with the software and apps is both fast and fluid. Android 14 is installed and runs super smooth on Pixel 8.
Android 14, incidentally, adds new lock-screen customisations, including clocks, shortcuts, and wallpapers. Cinematic wallpaper can turn images in your library into 3D photos, while emoji wallpaper enables you to customise your device using emoji combinations, patterns and colours.
Exclusive to the Pixel 8 phones, for now at least, are AI-generated wallpapers. You don't have the option to enter your own phrases and keywords but when you select a theme from the list, a list of keywords appear in the image so you can play around with it. You can also choose ‘inspire me’ for some random AI-generation.
Google Assistant can read aloud written content on your screen from the Chrome browser (and in the U.S. it can even summarise this text) and there are big improvements to its Live Translate capabilities as you can now voice type across multiple languages. The Recorder app is present and correct – this is the third generation of the app which can transcribe your interviews; a journalist’s dream tool.
Google is promising seven years of major Android updates and security updates, incidentally, along with its regular feature drops. If Google fulfils the promise, this long-term support will better both Samsung and OnePlus’s four-year commitment.
One advantage of using a Pixel device is you get all the new upgrades and features before users of other manufacturers.
Cameras
The primary 50MP wide-angle camera on Pixel 8 is the same as Pixel 8 Pro. It has both optical and electronic image stabilization (OIS and EIS), an 82-degree field of view and an f/1.68 aperture. The sensor is 1/1.31in in size.
Image quality is as excellent as you’d expect from a Pixel camera. Shots look sharp, detailed, vibrant, and colourful without being over-saturated.
The ultra-wide-angle lens differs from the 8 Pro and has 12MP resolution, a 125.8-degree field of view and an f/2.2 aperture.
There’s no dedicated telephoto camera, so you make do with the 2x cropped-in zoom provided by the primary camera. Even without a telephoto lens, a Macro Focus mode lets you capture super sharp close-ups up to 2cm away.
As an everyday point-and-shoot camera, Pixel 8’s primary camera is one of the best on a smartphone and will be all that most users need.
The front-facing selfie camera has 10.5MP, a 95-degree field of view, fixed focus and an aperture of f/2.2. If taking selfies from arm’s length or on a selfie stick you will get similar results to the 8 Pro. However, selfies shot in close are less detailed than on the Pro which has an autofocus not on Pixel 8.
Camera software
Images you capture with Pixel 8 can be edited to a degree never seen before on a phone. Google’s latest generative AI tool Magic Editor allows you to remove or shift objects and people, not to mention change the look of the sky and water. It can be incredibly effective and is simple to use.
You also get Best Take, which allows you to take the perfect group shot by capturing a sequence of images of your group – and then replacing any blinking or frowny faces with better expressions from that person in other stills from the sequence.
There’s also an Audio Magic Eraser which rather incredibly removes distracting noises from your videos – even if your clips were captured on older devices.
These new features are all Google Pixel 8 series exclusives for now and are accompanied by the Photo Unblur and Magic Eraser features introduced last year.
Display
Pixel 8 has a flat 6.2-inch Actua display with a 120Hz refresh rate but without the LTPO tech of the Pro model; it refreshes between 60Hz and 120Hz.
The OLED screen is 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution with a 428 pixels per inch pixel density. It is capable of up to 2000 nits of peak brightness.
Battery life
Battery capacity is 4575 mAh and there is support for 30W fast charging. There’s no charger in the box, which is the Samsung and Apple approach.
I’ve got at least a full day out of Pixel 8 consistently during average days of what many would consider heavy use, even when I had it paired with Pixel Watch 2 for the full day and Pixel Buds Pro for several hours.
Other features
Pixel 8 has an in-display fingerprint sensor and a zippy Face Unlock feature that is secure enough to work with payments and banking apps, which I love.
The smartphone includes support for the next-gen WiFi 7 standard and Bluetooth 5.3 which the firm said uses two antennas to deliver superior quality and stability.
Verdict
It may be slightly more expensive than last year’s Pixel 7 was, but Pixel 8 delivers great value for money for its €799 price tag.
Pricing and availability
Pixel 8 costs from €799. It’s available in Hazel, Rose, and Obsidian. Pixel 8 comes in only 128GB or 256GB options, both with 8GB RAM. The 256GB model costs €859. It can be bought directly from Google. You can also buy Pixel 8 on Amazon.
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