GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO PREVIEW: TWO-MINUTE REVIEW
Over the years there’s been conjecture that Google isn’t that committed to the smartphone space, and that maybe it just builds handsets to encourage innovation in Android partners. But since the launch of the Pixel 6, and even more so now with the new Pixel 8 Pro, it’s clear that Google is serious, and eager to compete.
The new Pixel 8 Pro, like the new Pixel 8, hews closely to its predecessor’s design aesthetic. But, as others phone makers have done this year, Google has smoothed things out a bit, evolving the design so that it’s both recognizable yet clearly different in look and feel.
Pixel phones remain an acquired taste when it comes to looks. The bold metal camera housing band is nothing if not distinct from all other smartphone brands; it cries out: “This is a Pixel! Get used to it.” Still, the newly curved corners soften the appearance and, as on Apple and Samsung devices, make even the largest handset a pleasure to hold.
However, it’s not the look of this new phone that will help the Pixel 8 Pro make its mark, it’s what’s inside: a combination of a brand-new Tensor G3 processor, AI magic, and a trio of new, more powerful cameras could set the Pixel 8 Pro apart from this year’s iPhones and Galaxys.
Added to these design and component changes is something new, if not unique among consumer phones: an onboard temperature sensor, which shares space with the trio of lenses on the camera array’s metal band.
I didn’t get a lot of time with the new phone, but it was enough to see where Google is going here, and understand the essence of its modern Pixel approach.
I didn’t like the Pixel 6 design – the two-toned back and glass camera band looked awkward. The Pixel 7 Pro remedied those issues, adopting a single color for the rear and a metal camera band, and now the Pixel 8 Pro has achieved a new level of refinement. There are more pleasing colors this year, including my favorite, Bay, which is sort of sky blue – the other options are Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (off-white). Considering the phone’s dust and water-defeating IP68 rating, ‘Bay’ may be an appropriate color name.
Covering the screen and back is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The polished aluminum frame is all curved around the edges, making the phone feel pleasant in the palm. Even though the sides curve, the screen is completely flat, a choice I applaud.
Button placement looks unchanged and, as usual, there’s the USB-C charge port on the bottom. While the camera supports eSIM technology, the 5G phone still has a SIM slot for traditional nano SIM cards.
The metal band houses the three cameras, a flash, and the new temperature sensor.
I’ve never seen a phone with a thermometer before, but here we are. It looks like another camera, but rather than taking pictures, you point it at something and get the surface temperature. Using it was easy enough – I pointed the sensor at something, opened the new Temp app, hit a button, and the app displayed the temperature. I could quickly take another reading by hitting the refresh button.
GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO PREVIEW: PERFORMANCE AND SPECS
- New Tensor G3
- Dedicated Titan M2 security coprocessor
Google’s home-grown processors have not exactly set the world on fire, lagging well behind the best from Qualcomm and Apple. Things may be different, though, with the new Tensor G3. The ARM V9 SoC has a new CPU and GPU, plus local Tensor processing units (TPUs), while the phone can tap into cloud-based TPUs on demand.
We don’t have any performance numbers for the chip yet, but do expect it to power much of the Pixel 8 Pro’s AI capabilities.
Those capabilities, some which are coming with the phone and some post launch, include onboard large language model (LLM) capabilities in Google Assistant. It’ll be able to summarize web pages (like a recipe), or read aloud from a variety of text sources, even converting to another language on the fly.
Google’s Call Screening also gets an update, with a much more natural-sounding voice. In a demonstration, a Google rep, acting as a delivery person, called a Pixel 8 Pro that was set to screen calls. The Pixel 8 Pro answered, and we explained that we had a package to deliver. On the Pixel 8 Pro, we were able to type a note telling the delivery person they could leave the package by the door, and the Pixel 8 Pro relayed that message in its normal-sounding voice. If the voice hadn’t identified itself as a personal assistant, I would never have known it was an AI.
GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO PREVIEW: SOFTWARE
- Android 14
- On-board AI
- 7 years of OS and security updates
If the formidable specs and the novel temper
Overall, the Google Pixel 8 Pro looks like a strong update. It faces formidable competition in form of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the new Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. I doubt it will match those handsets for sheer performance, but the cameras, and the AI tools behind them, could set it apart.
We’ll know more when we’ve put the phone through our exhaustive full review process, so stay tuned.
Nature sensor don’t attract you, perhaps Google can turn your head with its startling support promises, which now include seven years of security and OS updates.
Not only will the Pixel 8 Pro come running Android 14 out of the box, it will have a lengthy lifespan thanks to more than half a decade of operating system updates. Seven years of updates beats the likes of Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus.
GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO PREVIEW: BATTERY
- Big 5,050mAh battery
- Fast wireless charging
It’s nice to see Google pushing the limits when it comes to battery capacity – at 5,050mAh the Pixel 8 Pro has one of the largest batteries among flagship phones.
While I haven’t tested the battery life, I would expect the Pixel Pro 8 to last 24-to-27 (think just looping video) hours on a charge, and probably close to 20 hours with mixed use.
The Pixel Pro 8 (and Pixel 8) supports Qi-based fast wireless charging and Battery Share. Wired charging for the Pixel 8 Pro has been bumped up to 30W fast charging.