Google is relying on AI to define its smartphone photography experience, with a new chip that helps to manage heat and two displays that are similar but offer subtle differentiations.
Many apps and hardware devices have been marketed using the promise of artificial intelligence (AI), but the results have varied. Whether or not AI is truly useful depends on the specific application. No other smartphone maker has embraced AI as fully and confidently as Google with its new Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 phones.
The Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 phones are better than their predecessors, as expected from a new generation of devices. They are also more expensive and mature, hinting at Google's ambitions for the future.
We say the goalposts of AI are still some distance over the horizon because even though we're making progress, we're not there yet. We can expect even more AI features to be released in a few weeks.
Google is taking AI to the next level with the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8. The new AI image editing features on the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 are not immediately available. To unlock them, leave your phone on charge overnight while connected to Wi-Fi.
Magic Editor is the most advanced AI-powered photo editing tool in Google Photos, with comprehensive editing controls. It allows you to remove background objects or people, change lighting or tone, resize or reposition the subject, and even move shadows with just a tap.
Magic Editor can't do everything. For example, you can't change the lighting of an indoor photo with two faces. Magic Editor's tools work best with new photos taken with the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8. For example, it can accurately replicate the texture around a resized or repositioned subject.
Magic Editor can still be used on older photos, but it may not be able to achieve the same results as with newer photos. This is because older photos may not have the same level of detail and lighting data that AI needs to work its magic.
The Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 have improved camera hardware. The Pixel 8 Pro has a triple-lens rear camera system with a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens. This is the main difference between the two phones. Otherwise, they have the same specifications and software.
Best Take is a new feature that can help you get the perfect photo by combining data from a set of photos taken in quick succession. To use Best Take, open the photo you want to edit, tap Edit, then Tools, and then Best Take. Best Take can automatically add expressions to a photo that may have been missed at the moment, such as opening closed eyes.
It can detect and reduce the volume of things like fan whirring, air conditioner noise, and traffic noise while preserving the sound of human voices. We found that Audio Magic Eraser doesn't eliminate background noise, but it does reduce it significantly.
When you use Video Boost, your video will be uploaded to Google's servers for processing and then downloaded back to your Pixel 8 Pro or Pixel 8 phone. You can use Video Boost to edit your video's colour, stabilization, grain, and lighting. But with the ability to change almost everything in a photo, do memories remain as pure as they should?
Google's Tensor G3 chip is fast and powerful, as expected from a flagship Android phone. It's not designed to just have the highest clock speeds, but to also power the growing number of AI features on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The Tensor G3 is faster than the already very powerful Tensor G2 chip, but you may not notice a big difference in performance unless you're using AI-powered features.
Previous Pixel phones often had overheating problems with the Tensor G2 chip, but this is much less common with the Tensor G3. The Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 have a new modem that gives them better connectivity on 5G and Wi-Fi than previous Pixel phones. They can latch onto mobile network signals better and maintain a stable Wi-Fi connection even when you're further away from your router.
The Pixel 8 Pro's 5,050mAh battery can last for nearly 5 hours and 45 minutes of screen-on time, which means it can easily get through a day of work. The Pixel 8's smaller 4,575mAh battery will last for about 4 hours and 45 minutes of screen-on time. If you need a quick charge, we recommend using the wired charger, which supports 30-watt charging. Wireless charging is also available, but it's slower at 23 watts.
Not much has changed in terms of design language and overall size, but there are some subtle changes to the Pixel 8 Pro. Both the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 have flat displays, with no waterfall-esque curves cascading into the spines on either side. Opinions on this are subjective. The Pixel 8 Pro has a matte glass back, similar to the colour-infused glass layer on the iPhone 15 Pro phones.
Not much has changed in terms of the size of the Pixel 8 Pro's display, but it is now brighter and has a variable refresh rate. The Pixel 8 Pro's 6.7-inch display, now called Super Actua, has a brightness of 1600 nits and a peak brightness of 2400 nits, which is much brighter than the previous generation.
It's disappointing that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro start with only 128GB of storage, especially considering that Samsung's Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra start with 256GB of storage. Even Apple's iPhone 15 Pro starts with 128GB, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts with 256 GB.
Are you buying your tech for the here and now, or the future? With the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google is making the case for the future. The AI video editing features are a good example of this. From a current perspective, these are Pixel phones that have matured a lot. There is enough differentiation between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to make them relevant to different groups of people, but the basics are the same.
Google is betting big on advanced AI to define its photography and other features, such as Assistant voice typing, Translate, and Read-aloud. It will be interesting to see how this compares to other capable alternatives, such as Samsung's Galaxy S23 series and Apple's iPhone 15. Google's approach may force other Android phone makers to follow suit, but it won't be easy.