Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: Seven Years Make All The Difference

It's been 7 years since the first Pixel was released, and it would once again seem that the Google Pixel 8 Pro has made enough feature improvements over its predecessor that it'll be worth the upgrade. It's not as if our Pixel 7 Pro review suggested there were any areas where the device needed significant changes in the first place, but we can't help but always be hopeful for an ever-so-slightly better future in Google's main line of smart devices — especially when the base price keeps creeping upward.

In our initial Pixel 8 Pro hands-on article we discuss how some of the most major changes in power come in the Pixel 8 — the lesser of the two smartphones. There, compared to the Pixel 7, we're seeing a lot more in the way of making the smaller more equitable to the larger. 

With the Pixel 8 Pro, Google kept effectively everything that didn't need fixing in the Pixel 7 Pro and tweaked the parts that can always stand to improve. But is it enough to justify the extra $100 this device costs compared to its predecessor? Google provided a Pixel 8 Pro for the purposes of this review.

The display on the Pixel 8 Pro is the same size as its predecessor, diagonally, at 6.7 inches, but it has an ever-so-slightly lower resolution and screen-to-body ratio overall. While the height and width of the Pixel 8 Pro are within 0.3 mm of one another (around 0.01 inch) — the big change comes in the overall flatness of the screen and the curvature of the corners of the display panel.

The Pixel 8 Pro's display is taller than that of the Pixel 7 Pro, while the Pixel 7 Pro's display is wider than that of the Pixel 8 Pro. The difference would be even greater if the Pixel 7 Pro's display were removed from the device and made completely flat.

The roundness of the corners on the Pixel 8 Pro is more extreme than on the Pixel 7 Pro, too. The panel on the Pixel 7 Pro has a 1440 x 3120 pixel resolution (512 ppi) while the Pixel 8 Pro has 1344 x 2992 pixels (489 ppi). Despite all this, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like it rolls with the larger screen.

The Pixel 8 Pro's flat-paneled display makes the device feel more mature than its predecessor. Now that we're using an OLED instead of AMOLED and we've got 2400 nits peak brightness (over 1500 nits peak with the 7 Pro), it would follow that this new device's display would drain its battery faster than the old one.

Based on preliminary testing, the battery drain on the Pixel 8 Pro with peak display brightness is marginally less extreme than it is on the Pixel 7 Pro. As it is with the rest of our tests, here, we'll come back with adjusted results if anything changes over the next few weeks.

Google has moved further away from the Nexus model with each iteration of the Pixel. While the Pixel 8 Pro still presents a clean, simple implementation of Android OS, gone are the days when that was enough to set a phone aside from the pack.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro comes with a set of features that make it exciting to own and fun to play with. It's still the reliable Android smartphone that does all the basics, but Google's included enough "oh that's neat — and helpful" features now that it's clear they're not just going for gimmicks.

AI Wallpaper is a good example of a feature that falls into this category. This is a feature within Google's Wallpaper system that appears to generate imagery based on a set of words selected by you, the user. AI Wallpaper might be one of the best AI image generators in the world right now — but given the limited set of options the user is given, it's entirely possible these images were all pre-fabricated. We'll need to do some deep-level testing before we're sure. In any case, this wallpaper generator is fun, entertaining, and useful.

This device also has a slick "Read Aloud & Translate" feature that allows you to turn an article (on a website like SlashGear) into an audio file (of a voice reading the article's text). Audio seems to generate in an instant, regardless of if you're working with the language the text is in, or if you choose from a long list of other languages. I can have a SlashGear article read aloud to me in German with relative ease — it's impressive, to be sure.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro has a temperature sensor embedded in its back-facing camera array. The first app that makes use of this sensor is the Google app Thermometer. This app makes using the temperature sensor simple.

You'll hold the device up within 5cm of your target object, tap the massive "Tap to measure" button in the app, and you'll have your result. The app allows for some tweaking for certain specific targets — plastic, rubber, shiny metal — otherwise it's a very basic affair.

The Pixel 8 Pro's cameras have been given a significant boost over those of the Pixel 7 Pro. That includes both the back-facing cameras and the front. The front-facing camera now has PDAF (phase detection autofocus) — which allows the camera to live up to its full potential.

The only major difference we've experienced with the front-facing camera thus far is in its ability to successfully take a decent photo that's also in focus. Generally, we expect a front-facing camera on any smartphone to be at best OK — this one is significantly better than baseline quality.

Google suggests they've given the Pixel 8 Pro all it needs to fulfill the requirements they've set for the highest-grade biometric class (Class 3) — specifically for Face Unlock. This means the device will be able to scan your face to verify payments and sign in to certain apps. We'll be testing Face Unlock over the next few weeks to give it adequate judgment — so far, it seems that it's working at least as well as it has in the past, but we shall see.

The Pixel 8 Pro has what Google describes as "2x optical quality" and "21% more light sensitivity" in its main wide camera on its back. The ultrawide camera is said to have "105% more light sensitivity," and "improved Macro Focus (as close as 2cm)," and the telephoto lens is claimed to have "56% more light sensitivity." All of these claims about the Pixel 8 Pro are Google's comparisons with the Pixel 7 Pro.

Chris Burns/SlashGear

It's hard to confirm those claims, really — but based on what we've seen in this device so far, they're not far off. This is the first Pixel in a few generations to show visibly significant (positive) changes in photo quality with its back-facing camera array.

Chris Burns/SlashGear

Above and below you'll see a few examples of photos captured with the Google Pixel 8 Pro. These images were snapped with the back-facing cameras in a variety of environments and lighting conditions.

Chris Burns/SlashGear

Macro photography has gone from a "works great when it works" sort of situation in the Pixel 7 Pro to a "this is my new go-to for macro photography" with the Pixel 8 Pro. This device's macro photography capabilities are among the best we've ever experienced in a smartphone, without a doubt.

Chris Burns/SlashGear

The Pixel 8 Pro also once again delivers a photography experience that makes it difficult to take a bad shot. Video quality seems to be at least on par with the Pixel 7 Pro before we hit editing — but with Audio Eraser in play, this device offers a whole extra level of value if you're in environments where you've got stray sounds. 

Google's included a feature in Google Photos on the Pixel 8 Pro called "Audio Magic Eraser" (or just "Audio Eraser" in the software itself). Google suggests that this feature "taps into the power of Google AI technology" in order to split the audio of any given video into multiple parts. Open a video you recorded at a music concert and you'll find audio split into "Music," "Speech," and "Noise." Open a video of a train passing by and you'll find "Wind," "Noise," "Speech," and "Nature." It all depends on what the software thinks it detects.

Once the audio is split, you can choose to raise or lower the volume of each of the three parts. You can also choose to hit the "Auto" button and Google's AI will automatically decide what parts should be heard and which should be pushed back or removed entirely.

Sometimes the split works shockingly well. Sometimes it's just OK. In all cases, it's interesting at its worst. At its best, when it's really working wonders, Audio Eraser has the potential to be a must-have tool for mobile video editing. This feature requires that the video file be on the Pixel 8 Pro to function. The other major Google Photos AI-based editing system — called Magic Editor — requires that your photo be uploaded to Google's servers before you can make the magic happen.

Magic Editor allows you to do some truly shocking things to your photos. For example, you can open a photo of yourself and tap the Magic Editor button, to start. Tap your head and Magic Editor will fairly reliably select your head (and just your head), then you can go to work.

You can choose to remove yourself from the photo entirely. This isn't new — this is Google Photos' Magic Eraser system, which seems to be working significantly better than it did when it was first launched.

You can also choose to resize your head or move your head to a different position in the photo. Google's AI will make the necessary adjustments and fill in the gaps. Of course, you might never need to use this magical set of editing features if you just capture the photo you want in the first place — and the Pixel 8 Pro provides the means to do that, too.

Pixel 8 Pro seems to have a slightly more optimized approach to battery life than its predecessor. Not that the Pixel 7 Pro was particularly bad, but going more than a day without needing to charge became a regular occurrence after a few months of use. With the Pixel 8 Pro, what we've seen so far is the potential for a better experience. It's easy to get a full day out of the Pixel 8 Pro if the phone is only using WiFi data. If we're connected to a mobile network, searching for connectivity as we drive along the highway or through city streets, it becomes more of a "this will last me from morning until evening, but it'll be a stretch" sort of situation.

This device charges a tiny bit faster than its predecessor (30W if you have the right charger) and has a bigger battery — only barely, with 5050 mAh vs 5000 mAh, but every little bit counts. We still have a 120Hz refresh rate on the display, and a display that can shine brighter than the panel on the 7 Pro — so it could be that we're headed for disaster if we don't keep our gaming in check.

Heat has been a little bit of an issue — particularly when playing games like "Hearthstone" that make full use of this device's 120 fps. We'll be continuing to test over the next few weeks to see if software updates don't alleviate the problem — for now, it just seems like the device is getting a little warmer than it should when we're playing high-demand games.

The Pixel 8 Pro is the first Pixel in a few years that's really stood out from its predecessors with feature functionality that's easy to recommend to Pixel users. In past years, Google made it difficult to recommend a new Pixel to someone already using an older Pixel because Google has been fairly reliable about pushing new features to old phones — and keeping older units viable with operating system updates and security updates a few years after they're released. 

At launch, Google guaranteed that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro would get 7 years of updates – both security and OS updates, included. That means that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro should be running the latest version of Android all the way to October 2030.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is as good or better than every Pixel that's come before it. It's well worth the amount of cash you'll need to pay to get it, especially considering the prices of its high-end competition and the 7-year promise.

You can purchase the Pixel 8 Pro at Best Buy in a variety of colors and storage sizes. A carrier-unlocked Google Pixel 8 Pro with 128GB internal storage in Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), or Bay (blue, as shown above) for approximately $999 or $41.63 per month for 24 months. You could also get this device attached to a Verizon account for $27.75 per month for 36 months.

Or if you'd like a slightly less "Pro" experience but still want to get the whole "7 years of guaranteed updates" from Google, the Pixel 8 (non-pro) also has that going for it. Take a peek at our Google Pixel 8 Review to see what that's all about.