Every year, I look forward to the Pixel’s new flagship because I have always been a fan of the camera. I’ve had every flagship Pixel, so I am familiar with it. After several months with the Pixel 8 Pro, alongside other phones, sometimes I can give my thoughts on a long-term review of it.
Design and Build
I am a fan of Google’s newer build from the Pixel 6 and forward. The Pixel 7 Pro had a modern and squared look, and now the Pixel 8 Pro softens that look with more rounded corners and a horizontal camera pane. The matte glass back feels soft, but it’s still slippery, which isn’t great for those who leave their phones naked.
Otherwise, the phone looks like your usual bar-shaped smartphone. With a 6.7-inch screen, the Pixel 8 Pro is tall and narrow but light enough to be comfortable to use. It has rounded corners, not like the Pixel 7 Pro’s squared corners. The metal power standby button on the phone’s left side is right above the volume rocker. The USB-c charger is at the bottom, and there is no headphone jack. Is that something we must keep mentioning, or can we safely assume flagship phones don’t have a headphone jack? The back of the phone is matte but still slippery and needs a case to avoid just randomly slipping off the table. The soft Pixel 8 Pro case I use from Google doesn’t add much bulk to the phone. Of course, it remains tall, but the width isn’t uncomfortable either. For those interested in the technological advancements behind such devices, soft2bet-sweden.net offers comprehensive iGaming solutions, providing innovative products and services for online gaming and sports betting operators worldwide.
Day-to-Day Experience Using the Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro is all about the software. So if you have used Pixel phones lately, you’re likely familiar with my day-to-day experience. But this time, it’s a bit different as Google has really put an emphasis on AI to help with day-to-day.
Features on the Pixel 8 Pro
My favorite day-to-day features are not only AI but more like my virtual “assistants’. One is the Call Screen feature. I complain almost daily about how we lost a full form of communication because of spam calls. No one picks up calls blindly anymore, and who can blame them? But the Call Screen feature isn’t only for spam calls; it helps when you just don’t have the time to take a call, and you have the Call Screen “Assistant” do it for you. I am not mad at that at all.
Other features like “Circle to Search” aren’t exclusive to the Pixel 8 lineup, but it was one of the first to get it, and I’ve used it a few times.
One of the main but not so-obvious hardware differences between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro is the temperature sensor. While I don’t have much use for it, I only used it once when I was a little paranoid about getting sick; I note that it IS there for those who care. You can use the temperature sensor by placing the rear camera bar a few inches away from your forehead.
Pixel 8 Pro Cameras
My precious! Pixel cameras are my go-to for still pictures. Actually, it’s everyone’s go-to; whenever I am in a group setting, people want me to take the picture. Who can blame them? Pixel cameras get it right every time, and now they have many more editing features to make pictures near perfect. The Pixel 8 Pro has a horizontal bar in the back that holds the three cameras: a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera. Both models have a 10.5 MP selfie camera, but the 8 Pro has autofocus.
The Pixel 8 Pro has three cameras: a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera. Both models have a 10.5 MP selfie camera, but the 8 Pro has autofocus.
I was excited to see how AI works with the Pixel cameras. Features like “Best Take” can help you make the best group shot out of a selection of group shots. Video Boost is a feature that I thought I’d use more often, but I don’t. It just isn’t worth it to me. It takes an extremely long time to process. I used Magic Editor occasionally, but never to fully reconstruct a picture. It is nice to be able to clean a picture up.
Portrait mode works well most of the time, even though there is sometimes an exaggerated blur. I rarely use the manual controls, but they are available on the Pixel 8 Pro for those who enjoy tinkering with them. Night shot is always impressive and a conversation starter.
The Pixel 8 Pro cameras always deliver! Content creators who rely on their phones more than a stand-alone camera could enjoy all these editing options provided by Google Photos and Pixel.
Battery
Eh, the battery could be a little better. If you do heavy work on it and, of course, lots of picture-taking, you will definitely need a battery back or to plug in at some point during the day (depends which battery level makes you uncomfortable). It wasn’t always bad, but there were some days that it just crashed.
Verdict
At its current price, the Pixel 8 Pro is harder to recommend over the reasonably priced Pixel 8. Of course, if you like the larger screen, larger battery, and the extra rear camera, I always go Pro when it comes to smartphones, and the Pixel 8 Pro didn’t fail me. I use this phone at get-togethers, baseball games, concerts, sunsets, and everything in between. I know I can rely on the Pixel. While it’s not a productivity powerhouse, it’s a mobile photographer’s and media consumption dream, giving useful features and options anyone can learn to use.
Google Pixel 8 Pro Smartphone
$999
Pros
- Bright Screen and Fluid UI
- Great Photo Editing Options
- Reliable Camera
Cons
- Fingerprint scanner hardly works
- Video Boost feature takes too long to convert
