Google Pixel 8 Test: Our Favorite At The End Of The Year

After our review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, we couldn’t wait to spend some time with the Pixel 8. The promise is tempting: a smaller, cheaper version, but just as smart. Google has obviously reserved some advantages for its “Pro” version, but are the concessions limited enough to give the Pixel 8 better value for money? Here we share our opinion on this topic with you.

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Google Pixel 8 price and release date

The Google Pixel 8 is available in three colors (sage green, volcano black or pink) in the following configurations:

8GB RAM + 128GB storage: €799
8GB RAM + 256GB storage: €859

Prices that position it compared to serious competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S23, the Xiaomi 13T Pro or even the iPhone 14 (the iPhone 15 starts at € 969).

Google Pixel 8 128 GB at the best price Base price: €799

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design

On the left the Google Pixel 8, on the right the Pixel 7 – Image credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba

The Pixel 8 not only has a smaller screen than the Pixel 8 Pro (6.2 inches versus 6.7 inches), but with its 6.3-inch diagonal it is also smaller than its predecessor, the Pixel 7. Add to that sophisticated Add black borders around the screen and rounded corners and you have a phone that is much more comfortable to hold. And that brings welcome variety in a world of XXL smartphones.

Photo credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba Photo credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba

The other notable change is in the camera block. It still takes up the width of the device, but is now slightly taller. The camera modules also take up more space. Otherwise, the back is still made of glass (glossy, which can leave fingerprints depending on the color) and the frame is made of aluminum.

Both the back and front are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and the Pixel 8 is IP68 certified for good resistance to dust and freshwater submersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. The Pixel 8 is a compact high-end smartphone, just like the ZenFone 10, for example.

Screen: a real step into the upper class

The Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch OLED panel is great, as is the Pixel 8 Pro’s. The average brightness we measured (1484 cd/m2) is above the 1400 cd/m2 (in HDR) announced by the manufacturer. An excellent point to which is added a maximum brightness peak of 2000 cd/m2, which offers perfect readability in direct sunlight.

Screen: The Google Pixel 8 compared to the competition

Refresh rate Color fidelity (average Delta E 2000) Screen brightness

The other good news is the refresh rate, which goes from 90Hz on the Pixel 7 to 120Hz on the Pixel 8. On the other hand, the phone is factory configured at 60 Hz. You need to go to the display settings and enable the “Smooth Display” option, which automatically increases the refresh rate from 60 to 120 Hz for certain content.

This obviously uses more battery. Only the “Pro” model of the Pixel 8 can go down to 1Hz to minimize the impact of that high refresh rate.

Let’s finish with the colors with a minimum colorimetric deviation of 3.69. For more accurate colors, select Natural mode. In short, when it comes to the display, the Pixel 8 has nothing to be ashamed of compared to other high-end smartphones.

Performance: sufficient

Like the 8 Pro, the Pixel 8 is equipped with the in-house Tensor G3 chip. The difference lies in the amount of RAM included: 8 GB of RAM versus 12 GB for the Pro version. We didn’t notice any noticeable difference between the two phones, either in terms of responsiveness or pure performance.

AnTuTu: The Google Pixel 8 faces the competition

AnTuTu Benchmark 9 result AnTuTu Benchmark 9 CPU AnTuTu Benchmark 9 GPU AnTuTu Benchmark 9 MEM

Geekbench: The Google Pixel 8 faces the competition

Geekbench 5 single core score Geekbench 5 multi core score

In the benchmarks, the Tensor G3 logically performs better than the Tensor G2. However, it cannot keep up with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Its performance is comparable to that of the “old” A15 Bionic chip that Apple integrated into its iPhone 13, 13 Pro and 14.

GFXBench: The Google Pixel 8 against the competition

GFXBench 1440p Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier) Offscreen GFXBench Car Chase GFXBench T-Rex

Xiaomi 13T Pro

3DMark and temperature: The Google Pixel 8 faces the competition

3DMark Wild Life Best Loop Score 3DMark Wild Life Stability Amplitude

Samsung Galaxy S23 24°C

Xiaomi 13T Pro 22.6°C

The Tensor G3 performs quite well when it comes to gaming. We played Genshin Impact at high graphics levels with 60 fps and very little slowdown. Nothing comparable to what the latest competitors’ chips can offer, but enough to play comfortably on mobile devices, assuming you’re not too demanding.

The Tensor G3’s stability score of 75% shows good performance retention when the phone is used heavily. Under these conditions, he knows how to keep a cool head with a temperature range of just 15.5°C.

Now the question remains about the performance of the Tensor G3 over time, as Google promises 7 years of Android and security updates…

Battery life and charging

Photo credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba

With its 4575 mAh battery and its 6.3-inch screen, the Pixel 8 seems to have found the balance to offer good autonomy. If you leave the screen at 60Hz (which it does out of the box), you can easily last one and a half to two days.

If you activate 120 Hz mode, the autonomy drops by about a day to a day and a half. The Pixel 8 therefore offers completely sufficient autonomy without being exceptional. Compared to other smartphones at the same price, it is positioned towards the higher end and performs slightly worse than the iPhone 14 when it comes to video streaming, but significantly better when it comes to versatile autonomy.

Battery life and charging: The Google Pixel 8 compared to the competition

Battery capacity Video streaming battery life Versatile battery life Charging time

Google Pixel 8 4575 mAh 1 hr 16 min Google Pixel 7 4355 mAh 1 hr 36 min Samsung Galaxy S23 3900 mAh 1 hr 19 min Xiaomi 13T Pro 5000 mAh 32 min Apple iPhone 14 3279 mAh 1 hr 33 Min

The Pixel 8 supports wired “fast charging” of up to 27W, but there is no charger included in the box. With a compatible charger, you can expect 1 hour and 16 minutes to recharge the battery to 100%. That’s better than the Pixel 7, the Galaxy S23 and the iPhone 14, but a far cry from the 32 minutes the Xiaomi 13T Pro takes. The Pixel 8 is also compatible with 18W wireless charging.

Interface: Google on the wrong track

Like its big brother, the Pixel 8 runs Android 14 with the Pixel Launcher interface, which is still easy and pleasant to use. As usual, Google is incorporating new AI-powered features not found on other Android smartphones.

We are thinking in particular of one of the new flagship features of this generation: “Best Take”. The latter allows you to select the “best heads” from several similar photos, so that all subjects look their best in a single shot. Enough to store more than one family photo.

We also appreciate the little extras that can make a difference, like creating original wallpapers using AI. What is incomprehensible, however, is the lack of certain features on the Pixel 8.

In fact, Google is starting to adopt practices that we know well at Apple, but which have not yet reached Mountain View. We’re talking about the “reach effect,” which creates the uncomfortable feeling that the brand is making fun of us.

In fact, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro may come with the same chip (Tensor G3) and operating system, with certain features reserved for the “Pro” version of the phone. We’re not talking about components here (such as the telephoto lens), but rather software options that were arbitrarily removed to entice users to buy the Pixel 8 Pro.

Among the missing features that could be supported: Pro Photo mode, high-resolution photos, as well as Video Boost and Video Night Vision modes, which will be available by the end of the year. We also note that Blur mode for videos is limited to Full HD if the Pixel 8 Pro supports 4K.

Pixel 8 users continue to be frustrated as Google may decide to bring some of these features to the Pixel 7 Pro, which comes with an older chip, the Tensor G2.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. Pixel 7 Pro: What are the differences?

In short, the Pixel 8 offers an excellent software experience, particularly when it comes to photo editing, but a yellow card for Google for leaving out certain features.

Audio

Photo credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba

The Pixel 8’s speakers offer a good balance, although the bottom speaker tends to deliver a little more power. The sound does not become too saturated when the volume is increased to around 70%. As always with smartphones, the bass is very subtle and leaves room for the mids so that voices can be heard clearly.

By connecting your wireless headphones, you can benefit from Google-style audio optimizations (with a touch of AI) like adaptive sound, spatial sound, or even the Speaker Clarity option. Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 8 doesn’t give absentee subscribers any real control over the settings with an audio equalizer.

Photo and video

Photo credit: 01net / Fodé Magassouba

The Pixel 8’s camera block evolves compared to that of the Pixel 7. The new model also features the same main camera module and selfie camera as the Pixel 8 Pro. Here is the complete photo setup:

Wide angle (main) 50 Mpx, aperture f/1.7, optical stabilization, 25mm equivalent;
12 Mpx ultra wide angle, aperture f/2.2, 126°;
10.5 Mpx selfie, f/2.2 aperture, 20mm equivalent.

The “Pro” model thus retains the privilege of the telephoto lens (for a 5x optical zoom) and an ultra-wide-angle camera with greater resolution.

Wide angle, ultra wide angle and zoom

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Pixel 8 is one of the most photographically compelling smartphones we’ve held in our hands this year. Colors are natural, sharpness is excellent and dynamic range management is remarkable, even in backlight.

Unsurprisingly, the ultra-wide-angle lens is a little less convincing than the main module (wide-angle lens), but as long as the lighting conditions are right, the result is there.

To say the quality has changed a lot compared to the Pixel 7 would be a lie, but the larger aperture allows for more detailed shots and convincing background blur without having to resort to portrait mode.

We still like the color management of the Pixel smartphones: very slightly saturated (without overdoing it, as Samsung sometimes does) with micro-contrasts that highlight the details of the image.

Night

The “Night Vision” mode continues to impress with an excellent level of detail in night photos taken with the main module. However, the ultra wide angle is significantly less convincing, especially due to the appearance of digital noise and a white balance that tends towards yellow.

Portraits and selfies

As we mentioned above and also in our review of the Pixel 8 Pro, portrait mode is becoming less and less important on Pixels, and that’s for two reasons: First, the smartphone now allows a bokeh effect (background blur) without using portrait mode. On the other hand, with Google Photos’ powerful editing tools, it is possible to apply such an effect to a “normal” photo.

But what’s even more relevant is that Portrait mode can be improved for selfies. As you can see below, the redirection is anything but exemplary. But you may notice that we argue.

videos

The Pixel 8 can shoot up to 4K at 60 frames per second and even 10-bit HDR at up to 4K at 30 frames per second. This last mode offers excellent color reproduction, which unfortunately we cannot show you because the understanding of the file does not do it justice.

Google Pixel 8 128 GB at the best price Base price: €799

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