Pixel 8

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successors to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively. Visually, the phones resemble their respective predecessors, with incremental upgrades to their displays and performance. Powered by the third-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip, Google placed heavy emphasis on their artificial intelligence–powered features, especially in the realm of generative AI and photo editing.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro were officially announced on October 4, 2023, at the annual Made by Google event and were released in the United States on October 12. They received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised both the hardware and software despite their modest upgrades. The phones' AI features, Google's historic promise of seven years of software updates, and the Pro model's unconventional inclusion of a temperature sensor received significant attention and was heavily scrutinized, drawing mixed reactions. The mid-range variant Pixel 8a was released in May 2024.

History

In May 2023, ''9to5Google'' reported that Google intended to launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in late 2023. The phones were approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August of that year. After previewing the phones in September, Google officially announced the phones on October 4, alongside the Pixel Watch 2, at the annual Made by Google event. Pre-orders became available the same day, and the phones became available in 21 countries on October 12. Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh announced later that month that the company would begin manufacturing its Pixel phones in India beginning in 2024 with the Pixel 8, following Apple's lead with the iPhone 15 series. Bloomberg News reported that Dixon Technologies and Foxconn were among the top contenders for the job.

Specifications

Design

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are visually similar to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively, with minor refinements such as a flatter screen, more rounded corners, and softer edges. The Pro model also features a matte finish. They were each available in three colors, with a fourth "Mint" color added in January 2024:

Hardware

The Pixel 8 has a FHD+ 1080p OLED display at 428  ppi with a pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a QHD+ 1440p LTPO OLED display at 489 ppi with a pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Pixel 8 has a variable refresh rate of 60–120 Hz, while the Pixel 8 Pro has variable refresh rate of 1–120 Hz. Both phones contain a wide and a ultrawide rear camera, with the Pixel 8 Pro featuring an additional 48 megapixel telephoto 5× optical zoom rear camera. The front camera on both phones contains a 10.5 megapixel ultrawide lens. As with the Pixel 7 series, the Face Unlock facial recognition system is enabled by software and the front camera, but adds support for secure biometric authentication.

The phones are powered by the third-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip (SoC), marketed as " Google Tensor G3", and the Titan M2 security co-processor. The OLED display, marketed as "Actua" and "Super Actua" on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, respectively, boasts "better color accuracy and higher brightness". The Pro model also features a temperature sensor on its rear camera bar, an unconventional feature for a smartphone. It was launched with its use on humans pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro were among the first phones on the market to support Wi-Fi 7, the latest wireless standard.

Software

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro shipped with Android 14 at launch, coinciding with the stable release of Android 14 on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), along with version 9.1 of the newly renamed Pixel Camera app. It will receive seven years of major OS upgrades, with support extending to 2030, a significant extension compared to previous generations that places the Pixel on par with Apple's typical support lifetime for iPhones. Google also stated that it would stock spare parts for the devices for seven years. ''Wired'' and ''The Verge'' noted that these two commitments were potentially linked to California's impending right to repair act requiring companies to provide support for devices costing $100 or more for seven years.

As with previous Pixel smartphones, artificial intelligence and software advancements took center stage during the Made by Google launch event. New camera features announced include Best Take, an upgraded Magic Eraser, Night Sight Video, Magic Editor, Audio Magic Eraser, and Real Tone on video. Exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro were Video Boost and manual "Pro" camera controls, although the latter was only artificially restricted to the Pro model via software.

As part of Google's ongoing response to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google also announced Assistant with Bard, a new version of the Google Assistant virtual assistant that integrates the company's recently introduced Bard chatbot. Other generative AI features included improved call screening, faster voice typing, grammar suggestions on Gboard, upgrades to the Recorder app, and a new magnifier app. The Pixel 8 Pro was touted as the first piece of hardware to run Google's generative AI large language models fully on-device, with Gemini Nano later being integrated into both models.

Marketing

On launch day, Google partnered with X Corp. to include an Easter egg on X, formerly known as Twitter, when users searched the hashtag #GooglePixel. In November 2023, Google set up a "Google Pixel Experience Space" pop-up store in Taiwan to showcase the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. In continuation of Google's multi-year sponsorship of the NBA, the Pixel 8's "Built Different" advertising campaign spanned the NBA's 2023–2024 season. A series of commercials, produced in collaboration with Robot Agency, featured numerous NBA athletes and personalities such as Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Chiney Ogwumike, Flau'jae Johnson, Jamad Fiin, Chris Brickley, Cameron Look, Richard Jefferson, and Crissa Jackson. Google also collaborated with ''The New York Times'' to capture street-style video for the publication's "Style Outside" column.

To promote the introduction of the "Mint" color in January 2024, Google partnered with street artist Ricardo Gonzalez to paint over a Pixel 8 billboard in New York City. In February 2024, Google released a commercial titled "Javier in Frame" which advertised the Pixel 8's Guided Frame feature, ahead of its airing during Super Bowl LVIII. Directed by Adam Morse and telling the story of a blind man named Javier who uses Guided Frame to "document important moments in his life", the 60-second commercial marked Google's third Super Bowl spot in a row to market the Pixel.

Reception

Critical response

In early reactions, three aspects particularly piqued commentators' interest: the Pixel 8 Pro's temperature sensor, Google's promise of seven years of updates, and the heavy emphasis on AI. The temperature sensor drew varied reactions: some found it a potentially useful novelty, while others were bewildered and dismissed it as a strange gimmick. The response to Google's seven-year pledge was similarly divided: several journalists welcomed the move, hailing it as astonishing and monumental; others questioned whether Google would fulfill its promise.

''The Washington Post'' Chris Velazco opined that the phones reflected "a deepening obsession with AI", with ''The Verge'' Jon Porter describing the launch event as "a parade of AI", observing that the phrase "AI" had been invoked over fifty times. As the Pixel 8 was "the first mainstream phone to bake generative AI directly into the photo creation process at no extra cost", computer science professor Ren Ng at the University of California, Berkeley described it as a pivotal milestone in the area of imagery. Nicole Nguyen of ''The Wall Street Journal'' raised concerns with the implications of the Pixel 8's photo editing features, fearing that it could lead to an influx in " fauxtography", the malicious manipulation of photographs. The AI features themselves received mixed responses. Writing for ''Wired'', Julian Chokkattu expressed excitement that these features, hitherto limited to those proficient with image or video editing software, were now being made accessible to a wider audience; Ben Sin of ''XDA Developers'' found them "fun and scary". Porter felt that some of the features showcased were unnecessary, concluding that Google was continuing to attempt to reassert its position as a leader in AI after ChatGPT's meteoric rise earlier that year had caught Google executives off-guard. Also writing for ''The Verge'', Allison Johnson described the features as "complicated and messy", while her colleague Jay Peters contemplated the question, "What is a photo?"

Reviews were largely positive, though ''Mashable'' observed a prevalent discontent with the phones' battery life, temperature sensor, and higher prices. Writing for ''The Guardian'', Samuel Gibbs praised the phones' affordability and build quality, while ''Digital Spy'' Jason Murdock highlighted their cameras, performances, and displays. Chokkattu was thoroughly impressed by the phones' AI features, but was less pleased with the battery life and Face Unlock system. ''PCMag'' Iyaz Akhtar echoed these sentiments, while June Wan of '' ZDNET'' and Daniel Howley of Yahoo! Finance also emphasized the usefulness of AI. Marques Brownlee thought the phones were a mixed bag, finding the AI features a hit-or-miss. CNN Underscored reviewer Max Buondonno offered glowing praise of both phones. ''The Verge'' Allison Johnson was more skeptical, finding the AI features "useful uttroubling", lamenting the higher prices, and questioning Google's seven-year-update promise. Mark Knapp of ''IGN'' appreciated the phones' modest hardware and performance upgrades, but felt they were inferior to Samsung's latest Android phones. Ron Amadeo of ''Ars Technica'' commended Google for abandoning curved screens in favor of a flat one, as well as praising its commitment to Tensor and software updates; however, he lambasted the Pro's temperature sensor as "embracing the worst of junky smartphone gimmicks". ''Forbes'' staff writer Rebecca Isaacs deemed the phones "a solid choice for casual users".

Commercial reception

Ryan Reith, an analyst at the International Data Group, predicted that Google could achieve higher sales numbers "if supported by strong marketing", considering its emphasis on AI. An opinion piece published in the ''Financial Times'' was headlined: "Price, not AI, will lift hePixel's market share". Multiple publications have labeled the phones Google's latest subdued effort to compete with Apple's dominant iPhone sales.

References

Further reading

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External links

Pixel 8

Pixel 8 Pro

Made by Google 2023
(archived)

{{Google Pixel

Android (operating system) devices
Flagship smartphones
Google hardware
Google Pixel
Mobile phones introduced in 2023
Mobile phones with 4K video recording
Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras