I’m well aware that practically every YouTube reviewer has gone through their stages of excitement, disappointment, and eventual resignation of the Google’s latest Pixel smartphone offerings, but I recently received my review unit from AT&T, and now it’s my turn.
UNBOXING
Google isn’t going to win any awards for its packaging but it’s also not the worse I’ve dealt with over the past decade. Similar to its competitors in the market, Google delivers a relatively streamlined, no-frills presentation of its latest smartphone with a spartan cardboard box with an unimpressive hero image of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Shortly after Apple began implementing almost air tight folding and border configurations in their packaging others quickly followed suit in making their boxes as hard as possible to open, and Google continues the trend with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The top and bottom box fits so snuggly together that it takes a weird jerk and shake process to separate the two once the plastic is removed from the entire package.
Once the two pieces are split, I was presented with the back of the device and its Cyclops-like visor winking back at me. AT&T sent over the Obsidian Black version which is offset by an accented silver camera bar across the back.
Below the phone sits the customary FAQ and paper manuals as well as a USB-C to UBS-C charging cable and sim card ejector.
Not much else to report on this front.
LOOK AND FEEL
The last Pixel smartphone I used was the Pixel 4XL which took many of its design cues from the iPhone 11 with its weird little camera square arrangement attached to the back. I then jumped ship to the Samsung Galaxy S22 which also had an in-hand-feel similar to the iPhone 13, and fortunately, the Pixel 8 and Pixel Pro 8 deviate drastically from a four generation old design paradigm.
The Pixel 8 and Pro 8 feel almost alien in its general thinness which is anchored by its full width top heavy camera arrangement. The new semi-matte coating applied to the back of the phone is a nice change up from the standard glass back and adds bit more tactile grip between the device and my fingers, at least for the Pixel 8 Pro. Regarding the Pixel 8, the back is standard glossy glass back, but it’s diminutive sizes mitigates any potential finger gymnastics that could lead to drops.
By no means is the Pixel 8 Pro immune from sliding or slipping, but it tends to be on fewer occasions these days.
As with most premium smartphones these days, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have certain density that is on par with Samsung’s Galaxy S line, iPhones, and One Plus’ of the market.
The most improved portion of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro for me comes by way of the flattened screen dimensions. Anecdotally, I jumped from the Pixel 4XL because of Google’s design bend following Samsung down the curved screen finish. As someone who made use of a Galaxy Note 10, the curved screen moment become increasingly annoying as time went on. From trying to find cases that protected that half inch of exposed glass to the accidental touches, I couldn’t wait to get back to a premiere android experience with a basic flat screen so leapt at the opportunity to rock the S22 even though the top-tier venture of the S22 Ultra.
Never the less, the flat screen feels great and a welcomed return to normalcy.
PERFORMANCE
Google was apt to splatter the internet with its Tensor 3 chip marketing in regards to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with hundreds of reviewers taking every chance they could to mention its embedding in the phones, and withing the first week it was seen as a major selling point of the phone. However, as with most new tech, the Tensor 3 chip talk got old, and worse yet, it actually got tested against many of Google’s marketing claims.
While some still nitpick generic benchmarks to deride the chip, my initial experience with the chip as it powers Android 14 on both Pixels has been a delight. The setup process of the Pixel Pro 8 Pro 8 has come a long way since the Pixel 4XL days and takes less time to get through if a Google Account backup has been established.
Once into the phone and Android 14, the new Pixels feel snappy, but require a manual switch in the Display Settings to make them even snappier by enabling 120Hz/Smooth screen scrolling. Aside from the pixels being refreshed or left static at 120Hz or 0, it seems like Material You is elongating animations to make the overall user experience feel a bit more polished.
Among the first of the new Android 14 enabled features I tried was the enhanced Call Screening which work automatically and very well. From near-perfect conversation transcriptions to Google enduring mind-numbing call waiting music, the Phone app on the Pixel is by far the best experience across iPhone, Galaxy, and Motorola. There is a lot of niceties built into what felt like an antiquated app with the Phone app, and I’m very much onboard for them.
Another place Google has seemed to pour its time into is the camera app and it shows. The polished refinement of the UI is nice when comparing it to the overstuffed Galaxy camera app. Navigating the menu is simple swipe across the bottom but getting into the video recording section of the app is a bit less intuitive than expected, and that may just me remapping muscle memory from the Galaxy S22.
While many reviewers have dinged the latest handful of Google Pixel devices for their mediocre battery life, in my experience, they hav been great. I’m not some one who needs 24 hours of on-screen time or play anything more resource intensive than Marvel Snap and Marvel Strike Force, so I may be in the majority with my experience.
Both the Pixel 8 Pixel 8 Pro have lasted me a full day and couple of hours into the next as they have slotted nicely into my routine of charging in the morning around 7am for an hour as I get ready and catch up on podcasts. Once fully charged, they last until roughly the next day with around 17 percent remaining. A normal day consist of an hour of Audible, a few evening photos of my family, a bazillion notifications throughout the day, some comic reading and email triage in at lunch, open chats via WhatsApp, Messenger, Messages, and Twitter, as well the occasional YouTube video.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are the very best Pixel’s I’ve toyed around with to date. From the hardware to the software, the experience feels polished. Android 14 may read like an iterative up on the features spec sheet, but Google’s attention to some of the finer user experiences on this phone are fully noted and appreciated.
I still need to do a thorough camera test, but so far the initial experience has been great. Unfortunately, Google spent a lot of time marketing its AI-led editing features and I just don’t see myself making any routine use of them.
Maybe that’s why I’m getting better battery life than some of the YouTube reviewers.
