Google Pixel 8 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

The new Pixel 8 duo features a design that is similar to the previous generation, with mostly trivial changes to the chassis. Apart from the upgraded Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back and the flat screen, the Pixel 8 Pro uses the same materials - glass on both panels, and aluminum for the frame.

Even dimensions are almost the same, although the 8 Pro is ever so slightly shorter and narrower, probably due to the trimmed bezels. The IP68 certification is still on the list of features as well.

There are two other relatively minor changes to the design. Firstly, the corners of both handsets, the 8 and the 8 Pro, are rounder than last year, and the 8 Pro's camera bulge protrudes a little more than last year's 7 Pro.

 

Speaking of the camera bulge, now all three sensors sit behind one whole glass piece, and the LED flash is joined by a temperature sensor, but more on that later. The Pixel 8 Pro also retains the default Obsidian paint job and adds two new ones - Porcelain and Bay.

We have the Bay color option, which is a light but still intense blue hue that we haven't seen from other makers. Regardless of colorway, the 8 Pro's back has a frosted matte finish, which is pretty nice to the touch but it's also quite slippery. Fingerprints and smudges aren't easily visible, which is nice.

Moving to the front once again, we're greeted by slightly slimmer bezels, rounded corners and, as before - centered cutout for the selfie camera. A most unexpected change here is among the biggest design shifts this generation - from the curved front glass design of yesteryear, to an almost entirely flat one. The edges of the display are still gently rounded, making for a smooth, almost seamless transition into the frame. The glass is nowhere near being 'curved, though.

The side rails aren't quite the departure from the norm - glossy finish, rounded edges - for the third generation of Pixel Pros in a row. The usual bits are in the usual places too - starting on the bottom, we can see the USB-C port and the speaker grille for the 'main' speaker.

Bottom bits • SIM card slot on the left

Both the volume rocker and the power button are on the right side - nothing all that extraordinary, only there's the typical Pixel twist. The power button sits atop the volume rocker, which requires time to get used to if you're coming from any other brand of phone, but at least both keys are easy to reach with your right thumb (left index/middle finger works too). 

The glossy sides feel extra nice and are surprisingly grippy. Part of that has to come from the fact that the flat display means the rails get to be meatier than what the Pixel 7 Pro's screen curves allowed for. In any case, the frame is adequately grippy, and the whole device feels nice and secure in hand. 

All in all, even if you are coming from a two-year-old Pixel 6 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro will feel right at home. Google didn't introduce any major design changes, and for the most part, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro. That said, a lot of people may consider the move to a flat display a big deal and find in it a reason to get an 8 Pro.