At the yearly Made By Google event in the US overnight Google has unveiled their latest smartphones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, alongside the Pixel Watch 2.
This year’s Pixel smartphones arrive with a new Tensor G3 chipset bringing with it the latest in Google AI and machine learning resulting in even more bleeding edge camera features such as Magic Editor, Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser and more.
Hardware
Not only are the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro powered by the new Tensor G3 processor with next generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) hardware that has been built specifically for AI to improve the user experience. In facts, every major subsystem of the Tensor chipset has been updated from the second generation.
The Tensor G3 brings Google AI innovations to more areas including audio and video quality and Google Assistant typing and voice typing. Google Assistant on the Pixel 8 phones allows you to once again use voice to type incredibly fast but also allows you to type, edit and send messages in multiple languages at once.
Assistant will also help fix up any typos you may make while typing automatically highlighting errors allowing you to easily fix them (either automatically or manually) along with grammar and punctuation.
Thanks to a new machine learning algorithm and auto focus on the front camera adding depth information the face unlock now meets the highest Android biometric requirements. This means that you will now be able to use the Pixel 8’s face unlock to open secure apps such as banking apps, Google Wallet and more.
Of course, there is still the option of a fingerprint sensor under the glass as a failsafe should you require it.
Spec-wise, the Pixel 8 will sport a 6.2-inch 1080 x 2400 OLED Actua display with a variable refresh rate of anywhere between 60 and 120Hz. The brightness of the display also gets a bump up to 2,000nits peak brightness.
The Pixel 8 Pro gets the 6.7-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED display, offering 1,344 x 2,992-pixel resolution at 489PPI and a peak brightness of 2,400nits. The refresh rate of the Super Actua display varies anywhere from 1Hz to 120Hz for fast smooth responsiveness when required and battery saving at other times. Both the Actua and the Super Actua displays are flat displays, finally.
The Pixel 8 Pro is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back (matte on the back) while the Pixel 8 offers the original Gorilla Glass Victus protection with both phones strengthened with an aluminium frame.
The Pixel 8 offers 8GB of RAM and choice of either 128 or 256GB of storage while the 8 Pro will sport 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
Battery-wise, the Pixel 8 has a 4,575mAh battery with up to 30W fast charging and Qi charging up to 18W. The Pixel 8 Pro on the other hand has a 5,050mAh battery supporting up to 30W fast charging and 23W wireless Qi charging.
A new hardware feature on the Pixel 8 Pro is the temperature sensor, which is able to measure the temperature of various items and surfaces, including our skin. Google has made an application to the FDA to get approval for skin temperature measurement. Expect software improvements in future Pixel drops in the coming months.
| Pixel 8 | Pixel 8 Pro | |
| SoC | Google Tensor G3 with Titan M2 security coprocessor | Google Tensor G3 with Titan M2 security coprocessor |
| RAM / Storage | 8GB LPDDR5X RAM 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage | 12GB LPDDR5X RAM Up to 1TB in US and 512GB rest of the world, UFS 3.1 |
| Display | 6.2-inch FHD+ OLED display with 60Hz-120Hz refresh rate. Up to 2,000 nits peak brightness | 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate. Up to 2,400 nits peak brightness |
| Camera | 50MP Octa PD wide camera 12MP ultrawide camera with autofocus OIS and EIS on wide 10.5MP Dual PD front camera | 50MP Octa PD wide camera 48MP Quad PD ultrawide camera with autofocus 48MP Quad PD telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and Super Res Zoom up to 30x OIS and EIS on wide and telephoto 10.5MP Dual PD front camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth v5.3 NFC | Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth v5.3 NFC |
| Security | Under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock | Under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock |
| Battery | 4,575mAh with up to 27W fast charging Qi-certified wireless charging up to 18W | 5,050mAh with up to 30W fast charging Qi-certified wireless charging up to 23W |
| OS | Android 14 7 years of OS and security updates | Android 14 7 years of OS and security updates |
| Material | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus cover and back IP68 rating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover and matte back IP68 rating |
| Colours | Rose Gray Obsidian | Obsidian Porcelain Bay |
Camera
Google’s Pixel smartphones have always been known for their impressive camera software and that is getting yet another boost along with the hardware.
Both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro get the new front camera, a 10.5MP Dual PD camera with autofocus. On the rear both house the same main camera, a 50MP Octa PD wide camera and the Pixel 8 gets a 12MP ultra-wide camera, now with autofocus making macro focus possible.
On the other hand, the Pro version becomes even more of an imaging powerhouse, now sporting upgraded 48MP Quad PD ultrawide camera and 48MP Quad PD telephoto cameras accompanying the already upgraded 50MP main camera. The ultra-wide lens allows for improved macro focus shots of as close as two centimetres, gathering 105 percent more light than last year’s camera.
Not only do the cameras produce better low-light photos, sharper selfies and their best ever video but all the much-loved AI camera software is back including Magic Erase and Face Unblur. This year once again there are new AI-powered camera software features including Best Take (a blended photo of everyone’s best face), Audio Magic Eraser (remove background wind, noises etc), Magic Editor (coming this summer), Video Boost (coming soon to the Pro only), and Night Sight Video (coming soon to the Pro only).
Pro controls are now available on the Pixel 8 Pro for those who like to fine tune their camera settings to tweak the photos to their liking, with full resolution RAW or JPG files available to edit.
Colours
Google has once again left little to the imagination, showing off their new devices before their official release but here is the official colouring. The Pixel 8 will be available in Hazel, Rose, Obsidian while the Pixel 8 Pro arrives in Obsidian, Porcelain and an incredibly stunning Bay (blue). The Pixel 8 Pro rear has a matte glass covering while the Pixel 8 is a glossy finish.
Android upgrades for 7 years
Google will launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with Android 14 and in a big announcement, both will receive 7 years of security and support, 7 years of OS upgrades and 7 years of feature drops!
The big software upgrades coming to the new Pixel smartphones this year are mostly centred around the AI and Google Assistant with the assistant able to understand the nuances of human speech better, including the removal of ahs and ums.
Availability and pricing
Pixel 8 Pro starts at $1,699 while the Pixel 8 starts at only $1,199. Both will be available for presale from October 5 available at the Google Store, Telstra, JB HI-FI, Optus, Vodafone, Officeworks and Harvey Norman.
