The Google Pixel 8 Pro is smarter… and stranger than ever
What’s the story?
The Google Pixel 8 Pro has been revealed in full, bringing in upgraded cameras, a new powerful Tensor G3 chip, and a mixture of AI smart in a refined design. Oh, and it has a temperature sensor…
Preorders for the phone are already live, with the phone going on sale on October 12. Prices start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, which is an uptick on that of the Pixel 7 Pro.
What do I need to know about it?
The Pixel 8 Pro is Google’s latest flagship phone and combines high-end specs such as a 6.7-inch OLED display (with a 120Hz refresh rate) with the search giant’s own version of Android; basically pure Android with some extra smart features on top.
While the Pixel 8 Pro looks similar to last year’s model (see our Pixel 7 Pro review for details on that phone), it now has a flat display and curvier sides, as well as a suite of new front and rear cameras. But the major upgrades come in the form of smart processing, including the ability to stitch multiple photos together with AI and the scope to make extensive photo edits – including moving a subject in the image – directly on the phone without needing to learn Photoshop.
Most surprising is the addition of a temperature sensor on the rear camera bar. This can be used to measure the heat of all sorts of things, but could help with wellness-tracking by measuring skin temperature. Google didn’t go into a lot of detail for what the sensor could be used for, but did say it’s seeking FDA approval for use in health tracking. Overall, its a bit of a bizarre addition to the rear-camera setup,
The Pixel 8 Pro also brings some improvements to video capture; one is the addition of computational photography to video capture – so the digital processing that’s applied to photos, such as color tones and white balance. The other uses the new Audio Magic Eraser to remove unwanted noise from footage you’ve shot.
Thanks to the new Tensor G3 chip, these AI smarts also extend to other areas, including the ability to summarize a web page and translate text on the fly. In short, this is the smartest Pixel phone Google has made to date.
What do we think of it?
A lot of small changes and new features have arguably added up to make the Pixel 8 Pro a decent upgrade on its predecessor and the Pixel 6 Pro before it. We’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen of the phone’s features during our hands-on time with it, and though the main and telephoto cameras haven’t had a boost in megapixels, we’re excited about the new photographic skills.
The temperature sensor could end up being a gimmick, but we hope Google finds a smart use for it. And the addition of seven years of Android and security updates should give the Pixel 8 Pro a lengthy life of smartphone service.
That said, the Pixel 8 Pro will have its work cut out to compete with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. We’ll be putting it through its paces very soon for our full review and to establish whether it warrants a place high up in our best phones list.
Want to know our first impressions on the latest Pixel products? Check out our hands-on Google Pixel 8 review, our hands-on Google Pixel 8 Pro review and hands-on Google Pixel Watch 2 review as well.
Further reading
Google Pixel 8: everything you need to know1-minute news: Google Pixel Watch 2 is smarter, faster and longer-lasting1-minute news: Google Pixel 8 unveiled with Pro features including 120Hz display
