Google Pixel 8 & 8 Pro hands-on review

13 October 2023


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Unnecessary harsh and biased preview. Lots of no real issues here brought up as if they're massively concerning..

    A really good device. I don't know why GSMArena is this harsh on it.

      Anonymous, 14 Oct 2023I gave the phone for 3 days now... it is great. Don't ... moreDon't trust the review because your one anecdote about battery supersedes a standard testing setup that compares all other phones apples to apples? That's doesn't sound fair at all....

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        • Anonymous
        • IbI
        • 14 Oct 2023

        Wufang05, 14 Oct 2023Yup every other review basically states still the fluidity ... moreI gave the phone for 3 days now... it is great. Don't trust this review as it is nowhere close to reality. Battery lasts the whole day no problem and it is smooth as silk.

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          • Anonymous
          • 0p}
          • 14 Oct 2023

          Funny how ppl demand snapdragon chip but would not be willing to pay price difference.

          Pixel 8 128GB powered by 8g2 would be $800-820 easily. Then so many of you would make scandal price was higher than apple and samsung.

          Google uses tensynos and will not change. No matter how lame exynos is.
          It is too cheaper compared to snapdragon.
          Google save huge money this way. Easily more than $600.000.000/year

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            • Anonymous
            • 0p}
            • 14 Oct 2023

            Sohrab, 14 Oct 2023When it comes to assessing battery endurance, GsmArena has ... moreYeah, so you all be 💩 on google when they charge $120-140 more because of the snapdragon

              When it comes to assessing battery endurance, GsmArena has consistently delivered accurate results in line with real-world usage. I'm eagerly anticipating the battery endurance rating for the Pixel 8 Pro. If it falls below 100, it may be a compelling reason for Google to reconsider their choice of Snapdragon chipsets over the Tensor chip

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                • Anonymous
                • iJp
                • 14 Oct 2023

                Nothing Phone better than Pixel? Carl Pei need to rebrand his company. From Nothing to Something

                  7 years of updates are just pointless.

                  The Tensor G3 can only last until 2025.

                    Game Legion, 14 Oct 2023I knew it would get destroyed in gaming, but real life usag... moreNothing phone 2 obviously has a considerably worse camera than the pixel 8, but that's it. Just better in about every way.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • gDf
                      • 14 Oct 2023

                      See this article cnet.com/tech/mobile/pixel-8-pro-ongoing-review-google-plans-fix-to-address-camera-issues/

                      It is quite rare that reviewers notice such artifacts. I usually notice such artifacts in the first weeks/days I use a camera.
                      For example, the Pixel 6 Pro had huge artifacts, even in the raw files. Previous Google phones like the Pixel 3a didn't have these issues in HDR+ On / HDR+ enhanced mode, though the Pixel 3a had other terrible artifacts in the raw file when you used digital zoom (dead pixels that were sometimes transformed into white curvy lines) This was one of the reasons I sent back the Pixel 6 Pro.
                      And the Pixel 7 Pro still has huge artifacts in the raw files sometimes, especially at 2x zoom in high dynamic range scenes.

                      But one also has to say that iPhones have even worse artifacts in the Proraw files. And the digital zoom of iPhone cameras can display text/letters that don't exist. Samsung cameras produce machine learning fake details, too.
                      So overall I'd say that the artifacts of iPhones and Samsung phones are worse than the artifacts from Pixel phones.

                        "if you don't mind the jittery scrolling"
                        "The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, was very jittery with consistent stutters that never went away no matter how many times the app was opened and loaded."

                        In every review i saw in the past, in different sites and youtube channels everyone praised the Pixels as being the smoothest Android phones of all. Now they're some of the worst? What's wrong?
                        I'm going to the local electronics store this afternoon and play with 8 and 8 Pro so i can see for myself.

                          The annoying pet is the software locks on features that are only available on the 8 Pro, especially features that are purely software and done on Google server, not locally. This imo will be the trend.

                            I knew it would get destroyed in gaming, but real life usage too? And by Nothing Phone 2? ☠️

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                              • Anonymous
                              • 0p}
                              • 14 Oct 2023

                              Nick Tegrataker, 14 Oct 2023"However, the worst part is that the Pixel 8 phones do... moreDedicated ISP like V, Marisilicon and Bionz are nothing cheap.

                              Considering how small google hardware business is within whole Google revenue, it is not worth from financial point of view.
                              Oppo is shutting down MariSilicon project. I highly doubt Vivo is gonna keep V much longer. Sony has used Bionz only once ( pro-i).

                              Also, without Tensynos, google has no ways to undercut prices of other brands unless other parts are replaced by cheaper alternatives.
                              Google does not sell enough to buy huge volume of components to allow to bargain better prices.
                              Google would never be able to buy Snapdragon for same price samsung does.

                                Anonymous, 14 Oct 2023Snapdragon is more than $100 more than tensynos. Zero chan... moreQualcomm is having problems with the numbers, and both companies are American, if they fit together and support each other, it could work well for both!! Can you imagine this hardware with an sp 8gen 2? it would have no competitor on android

                                  YUKI93, 14 Oct 2023Luckily, this is only a hands-on preview. I'll wait fo... moreThere are already them in other places and some only spend their time talking about photos and AI while others get to the point, obviously the latter bought the cell phone, this was not the case for some who Google gave them to them!! and the phone still heats up and the cocentivity problems continue, the same problems that it suffers with the pixel 7 pro that I sold by the way

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • Ixa
                                    • 14 Oct 2023

                                    Glad I waited for GSM arena's review.

                                      Viv, 14 Oct 2023I really can't take this sites reviews seriously. I ha... moreIt all depends on how you use your phone, if you multitask and constantly use your phone like a PC and also play games, you will find more errors than when you just make calls and browse the Internet.

                                        "However, the worst part is that the Pixel 8 phones don't even feel great to use in Google's own apps. Scrolling side by side on the Pixel 8 Pro and the aforementioned Nothing Phone (2) in the Google Play Store, the latter was night and day better with a far smoother and consistent scrolling experience. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, was very jittery with consistent stutters that never went away no matter how many times the app was opened and loaded. In the Google Photos app, the Nothing Phone (2) also loaded image editing features like Magic Eraser faster than the Pixel 8 Pro and the results looked the same on both."

                                        This is just sad and now I'm seriously questioning Google's decision to continue using Tensor SoCs, couldn't they just develop an image processing chip like what Oppo did with MariSilicon X and then pair it with an off-the-shelf Snapdragon SoCs?