Google’s latest Pixel phones promise fast performance, killer cameras and a whole lot of powerful AI assistance. Sold at the premium price of $1200 and $1700 respectively, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro may not be the frugal flagships some of their predecessors were, but they deliver on their promises and then some to offer the cleanest and nicest-to-use high-end Android experience you can get.
In fact, the two phones are the closest they’ve been since the introduction of the “Pro” moniker with the Pixel 6. The main differences are screen size and an extra camera, with the Pro packing a 5x telephoto lens in addition to the main shooter and ultra-wide. Oh yeah, and the Pixel 8 Pro has a thermometer.Tim Biggs
On the left is my original photo, the middle is with Google’s AI-generated sky, the right has “golden hour” turned on.There’s also a feature called Best Take, which appears if you’ve taken a series of photos featuring a group of people. Pick one of the photos, and you can tap on each person’s face to cycle through the various expressions they made throughout the set, ending up with one picture featuring everyone’s best face.
Comparing the standard phones, Pixel 8 and iPhone 15, Google’s immediately stands out as more premium despite being $300 cheaper. They’re similar sizes and have similar camera set-ups, but Apple’s lacks a fast refresh and an always-on display. Under the hood Apple has also withheld some features from the standard iPhone that the Pixel happily supports, including USB 3.2 for much faster charging and data transfer, and autofocus on the ultra-wide camera which makes for a great close-up macro mode.