Google Pixel 8 Pro Review – The Ultimate Flagship Experience at a Steeper Price

Google Pixel 8 Pro Review – Google Pixel 8 is already an amazing device that ticks many of the boxes (make sure to check our review on the Pixel 8). Google Pixel 8 Pro is the bigger, better version compared to the Pixel 8.

For example, it has a bigger screen for better content consumption experience, beefier specs (4 extra GB of RAM, etc.), a better camera setup, like an extra Telephoto lens, and a better camera sensor, variable refresh rate, and a newer Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – to further protect the screen from small mishaps.

However, this year, Google Pixel 8 Pro retails for A$1,699, which is a steep increase compared to last year’s Pixel 7 Pro which retailed for A$1,299.

So, what does the whole experience feel like with the Pixel 8 Pro? Let’s take a closer look.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO REVIEW – UNBOXING AND PACKAGING CONTENTS

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO REVIEW – DESIGN AND FEATURES

Let’s talk about the specs. Google Pixel 8 Pro is powered by the same Google Tensor G3 and Titan M2 that are powering the Pixel 8, but it has 12GB of RAM; and yes, 4GB does matter when you are running heavier applications/processes and games.

It features a 6.7-inch OLED screen of 1344 x 2992 resolution at 489 PPI. The screen is pretty bright even when used outdoors, thanks to its 1,600 nits (HDR), which can go up to 2,400 nits at its peak brightness.

The screen supports a variable or dynamic refresh rate, depending on what you are doing on the phone. It supports from 1-120Hz to optimise battery life when you don’t need a high refresh rate but also offers the smoothest experience of 120Hz when you need it.

Scrolling social media is buttery smooth on the phone, and other content consumption like watching YouTube videos or reading news is excellent due to the bright, vivid, large display with a smooth refresh rate.

Google Pixel 8 Pro has a Temperature sensor (the Pixel 8 doesn’t). You simply open the included Temperature app and place the sensor about 5cm from the object you want to scan. It’s pretty accurate in my experience and very useful for measuring the temperature of a water kettle when we prepare milk for our 3-year old. I usually go for around 30-35 degrees when making the milk. The app makes it easier to stop the kettle when it has reached the temperature I want. If I still have my old Breville Automatic Tea Maker, then I wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble, but glad the Pixel 8 Pro has this nifty feature.

Google relies heavily on its new Google Tensor G3 chip to do most of the grunt work. This includes image and speech processing, computational photography when you take pictures, optimising battery life, and many more. The chip is definitely remarkable on its own and more powerful than last year’s – as it should be.

The chip’s power is more prominent when you are editing photos with its AI power, such as magic editing, unblurring photos, doing face swaps, etc. Magic Editing can both remove and even auto-generate objects based on the surrounding area. And in most cases, it is scary, uncanny, and jaw-dropping. I’ve seen the AI regenerate someone’s hands accurately and street objects out of nothingness, or the corridor of my home with its own windows and magic door. Sure, it doesn’t always work with complex backgrounds and objects, but most of the time, it works well, especially if you are sharing photos on social media and won’t notice the little awkwardness.

Note that these AI tools require an internet connection to work, as some data needs to be sent and processed at Google servers (so they are not 100% being processed on-device). It also takes a while to do, and while it’s not in minutes; you still need to be staring at the screen for a bit.

When taking group photos at home, we had about 15 people in the shot and sure, it’s always challenging to take the best shots and angles of everyone. We did a retake 5-6 times just in case, but imagine when you only have one shot. With the facial swap feature, you can let the AI suggest a few faces of a person and swap them out (e.g., they might have their eyes closed, not looking at the camera, or don’t have the best smiles in that shot). It’s really cool.

SAMPLE PHOTOS TAKEN BY GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO

1x, 2x, and 5x Zoom:

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO REVIEW CONCLUSION

Google Pixel 8 Pro may not undergo major changes in terms of its design and capabilities, but it is still the flagship Google phone that we all love. It has an excellent, elegant design with an amazing screen, plus even more powerful Google’s computational photography powered by new AI features.

And most importantly to note, Google has promised and committed to providing 7 years of both software and security updates to your Google Pixel 8 Pro (and Pixel 8), so this should give you peace of mind. It also offers more than its competitors and Android phones in general.

At A$1,699, it might be hard to convince Google Pixel 7 Pro owners to upgrade, but a lot of people (including myself) want to have the latest and greatest on a daily driver phone. If that’s the case, Google Pixel 8 Pro is a no-brainer to be recommended. I’ve always loved Google Pixel as it offers a complete package, and I really love Google’s computational photography. It has received many praises from my circle of friends each time I was taking a group shot with the Pixel 8 Pro.

Google Pixel 8 Pro is available at the Google Store and retailers around Australia, including telco providers. Also available at Amazon.

Disclosure: Google Pixel 8 Pro review sample was supplied for reviewing