A slate of new Pixel devices has been made official recently as Google continues to expand its flagship catalogue with the much-anticipated Pixel 8 series. Held on October 4 during the Made by Google 2023 event, the new lineup from the search engine giant consists of the company’s camera powerhouses – namely the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro. Joining the recently-released camera-centric duo is the Pixel Watch 2, Google’s second foray into the smartwatch scene. While the Pixel Watch 2 is part of the announcement, the Pixel 8 series is the main highlight of the keynote.
As much as the previous installments are camera-focused, the new smartphones from Google enact various AI capabilities (including the Magic Editor and the Audio Magic Eraser to name a few) – that’s all thanks to Google joining the AI bandwagon this year with the brand’s new lineup. Display-wise, this year’s Pixel 8 is one inch smaller than the last year’s Pixel 7 as the former uses a 6.2-inch display while the latter uses 6.3-inch, which makes it Google’s compact phone to date.
While the two generations of Pixels are slightly different in terms of screen sizes, the Pro models are no different. The Pixel 8 Pro retains the large 6.7-inch display previously seen on its predecessor though it comes with a brighter panel this time around as it supports up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness with a 20:9+ aspect ratio, a polished aluminum frame, and a Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
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| The Pixel 8 Pro in Bay color | Image: Google |
Comparison-aside, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro promises powerful specifications on paper with the next-gen Google Tensor G3 chipset, aided by 8GB (Pixel 8) and 12GB (Pixel 8 Pro) of LPDDR5X RAM capacity with up to 1TB of UFS 3.1 storage for the Pro model. The Pixel 8 series comes equipped with the Titan M2 security chip and uses fingerprint and face unlock sensors for biometrics. Both phones run on the latest Android 14 with seven years of guaranteed OS upgrades, including feature drops and patches – making it the series with the longest software commitment in an Android yet.
In terms of cameras, the Pixel 8 uses a 50MP primary sensor for its main camera alongside a 12MP ultra-wide sensor – it also has a 10.5MP selfie camera. Whereas the Pro model uses the same 50MP primary sensor but opts for a better 48MP sensor instead for the ultra-wide sensor alongside another 48MP for telephoto – it’s a Pro model after all. On the front, it also uses the base model’s 10.5MP selfie camera. Albeit, the Pixel 8 Pro has Pro controls, the Audio Magic Eraser as mentioned, Best Take, Video Boost, and Photo Unblur and more. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro packs a 4,575mAh and 5,050mAh battery respectively.
Starting at US $699, the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are available in three colors: Obsidian, Hazel, and Rose for the base model and Obsidian, Porcelain, and Bay for the Pro model. The two new phones from Google are now open for pre-orders starting today. Early bird buyers are entitled to a free Pixel Watch 2 within the pre-order phase. Both devices will hit physical stores on October 12.
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