Nothing is official yet, but if we had to make an educated guess, we’d say the Google Pixel 8a is going to be unveiled on the first day of Google I/O 2024, which is May 14. Now two new leaks have given us more of an idea about what to expect from the handset.
To begin with we’ve got leaked renders of the Pixel 8a courtesy of Android Headlines. There are four colors on show here, apparently called Mint, Porcelain, Obsidian, and Bay (or light green, pale gray, dark gray, and light blue, as they’re otherwise known).
These colors are similar to the ones we saw for the Google Pixel 7a, though Mint appears to have replaced Coral (orange). Mint is an option on the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, though here it looks a lot more garish – which might just be due to the way the image is edited.
As Android Headlines points out, we also got a paler Mint color with the Google Pixel 6a in 2022, so this wouldn’t be a first for the mid-range series. We noticed that the Pixel 6a was recently removed from sale on the Google Store, leaving space for the Pixel 8a.
A design for life
This could be the Pixel 8a (Image credit: Android Headlines)
The renders we can see here back up previous leaks: the design is similar to the Pixel 8 and indeed the Pixel 7a. It’s possible that the corners are going to be slightly more curved, but there’s not a lot in it, and this is a phone that still looks very much like a Pixel.
Google may have already revealed the Pixel 8a design in an advert for Google Fi Wireless, and the picture in that ad does match the renders from Android Headlines. The colors seem plausible too – provided that green gets toned down a bit.
Elsewhere in Pixel 8a leak news, serial tipster Evan Blass has spotted some Pixel 8a tutorials have gone live on the website of a US carrier – not ideal from Google’s perspective. How long they remain up remains to be seen.
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Another potential upgrade we’ve heard about is a bump to a 120Hz screen, though the Tensor G3 chip may be underclocked to keep the phone below the Pixel 8 in terms of performance. In around a month’s time, all should be revealed.
Google One VPN will be discontinued later this year, according to a customer email seen by Android Authority. The service was rolled out for Android in October 2020, before coming to iOS devices and Macs in 2022.
When it originally launched it was part of Google One’s Premium 2TB storage plan, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Last year, availability was expanded to all Google One plans, including the cheapest offering for $1.99 per month, making it significantly more affordable.
The company told 9to5Google that it is killing the service because “people simply weren’t using it.” Existing users will be directed to third-party VPN alternatives instead.
Google will continue to offer VPN functionality through its Google Fi cellular service. Google says Pixel users will also still be able to access its VPN features via Pixel settings if they have a Pixel 7 or newer model.
It has been nearly a year and a half since the current Apple TV was released, so the device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade. Below, we recap rumors about the next Apple TV, including potential features and launch timing. The current model is the third-generation Apple TV 4K, announced in October 2022. Key new features compared to the previous model from 2021 include a faster A15…
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor. That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy. The iPhone 16 …
Apple’s iPhone 16 Plus may come in seven colors that either build upon the existing five colors in the standard iPhone 15 lineup or recast them in a new finish, based on a new rumor out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed focus digital, Apple’s upcoming larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus model will come in the following colors, compared to the colors currently available for the…
Apple is “unlikely” to hold an event to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, according to sources cited by Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman already said Apple was not planning to hold an event for the new iPads, but he made this claim back in early March, before it was reported that the devices were postponed due to manufacturing delays. With the…
Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it’s possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire…
iOS 18 will apparently feature a new Safari browsing assistant, according to backend code on Apple’s servers discovered by Nicolás Álvarez. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris confirmed that the code exists, but not many details are known at this time. Álvarez said it seems like the browsing assistant will use iCloud Private Relay’s infrastructure to send relevant data to Apple in a…
Google next month will make its latest AI-powered photo editing feature available to all users of Google Photos on iOS, the company has announced.
Magic Editor, which featured heavily in last year’s Google Pixel 8 series marketing blitz, uses generative AI to perform complicated photo edits, such as filling in gaps in a photo, repositioning subjects, and additional foreground/background adjustments like making a cloudy, grey sky look blue.
The edits mimic the kind of possibilities afforded by more professional editing tools like Photoshop, except Magic Editor achieves its automated results via AI, rather than the user having to do them manually.
To editing tool debuted as one of the headline AI features on the company’s flagship phone when it launched six months ago, and has since been exclusive to Google Pixel 8 owners and Google One subscribers. The tool will become available to all users of Google Photos starting May 15.
Google Photos for iOS and Android will include 10 Magic Editor saves per month. To use more than that, users will need to buy a Premium Google One plan, which starts at 2TB of storage for $10 per month or $100 annually.
In addition to Magic Editor, Google is bringing several more editing tools to Google Photos, including Photo Unblur, Sky suggestions, Color pop, HDR effect for photos and videos, Portrait Blur, Portrait Light (plus its add light/balance light features), Cinematic Photos, Styles in the Collage Editor, and Video Effects.
To use the AI features, Apple devices must be running iOS 15 or later. Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store.
According to a new report from Mishaal Rahman on Android Authority, Android 15 Developer Preview 2 contains new icons for the status bar. As you can see in the images below, instead of icons with a smooth, flowing design and a completely white or black color scheme in Android 14, the new version of the OS has icons that have a segmented design and a white and grey color scheme. As you might have already noticed, these icons look a lot like the ones that Samsung offers with One UI.
Additionally, the battery icon is now horizontal instead of vertical, which allows Google to place the battery percentage inside the icon. Unfortunately, these icons are not live by default, and the author had to activate them manually. Google might make the new icons the default ones with the next beta version of the OS and eventually bring them to the stable version of the OS. However, nothing can be said for sure.
Deleting digital accounts that you rarely or never use not only reduces the amount of clutter in your online life—it keeps you safer too. Every extra account you’ve got is an extra target for a hacker, an extra database that might leak, and an extra way that someone might get access to some of your bigger, more important accounts. If you want to minimize your exposure, keep open only the accounts you need.
When it comes to deleting a Google account, the process isn’t difficult or long-winded, and Google will even let you download your data first. Bear in mind that deleting a Google account wipes out everything associated with your Google username, from the emails in Gmail, to the places you’ve saved in Google Maps, to the files you’ve saved to Google Drive.
It’s also worth noting that Google shuts down accounts automatically if they haven’t been used for two years, primarily for the security reasons that we’ve already mentioned. If you go to delete a Google account and find that it’s already gone, this might be why—though Google does send plenty of warnings in advance. You can read more about Google’s inactive account deletion policy if you think this has happened to your account.
Downloading Your Data
Select the types of data you want to export from your account.
Google via David Nield
Head to your Google account page on the web, and you’ll see a Data and privacy link on the left: Click on this to get an overview of all the data Google has on you (which might be more than you realized). To get your data off Google’s servers and on to your local computer, follow the Download your data link toward the bottom of the page.
The next screen lets you select the types of data you want to export. It includes data from across all of Google’s apps and services, including browsing history saved in Chrome, your Google Calendar appointments, photos and videos in Google Photos, videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube, and your Google Chat logs. It shows you the full scope of all the data that’ll be wiped when you delete your Google account.
For busier Google accounts, there can be a daunting amount of material here. Use the checkboxes to select the categories of data you’d like to download: The Select all and Deselect all options at the top might help. Some entries in the list have options beneath them to let you pick between different export formats, and to select particular subsections of data (such as activity categories in Google Fit) to download.
When you’re happy with your selection, click the Next step button. You then have to choose how you want to get your download. You can get a download link over email, or have the archive sent straight to a cloud storage account. You’re also able to set up recurring downloads of the selected data, which you’re not going to want to do if you’re deleting your Google account.
The Google Play Store app on Android phones and tablets is experiencing a weird bug, which may annoy you if you frequently check for app and game updates. On some phones, the app shortcut to see your installed apps disappears in certain scenarios.
Google Play Store bug for My Apps shortcut
As spotted by 9To5Google, the Google Play Store is experiencing a bug on Android phones and tablets. The My Apps app shortcut, which is used to see currently installed apps and available app updates, sometimes disappears, making it harder to access your apps and app updates. You can see one such instance in the screenshot (on the left) below.
There’s a workaround to get the My Apps shortcut back. Click on the App Info shortcut and navigate to Play Store » Storage & Cache » Clear Storage. However, with this workaround, you must again set purchase authentication. So, that’s additional work that might annoy you.
Hopefully, Google knows about this bug and will release a fix for this issue. Keep an eye out for an update to the Google Play Store app on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet. You can check for the update by navigating to Settings » About » Update Play Store.
RCS is the successor to SMS and will soon see much broader adoption, as Apple is expected to bring RCS support to iPhones later this year. Ahead of its wider adoption, Google is adding some security measures to make RCS even more secure for users, and it involves warning users about possible risks.
Google Messages will warn users about visiting links sent by unknown users via RCS
It has been revealed that Google Messages will soon warn users about the risk of visiting links sent via RCS by users who aren’t on their contacts list. This feature isn’t live on the stable version of Google Messages yet and is under testing. It was spotted by Android enthusiast @AssembleDebug (via PiunikaWeb) in the latest beta version (20240402_01_RCO0) of Google Messages. An X user pointed out that this feature even works with links received via SMS. In recent Galaxy phones, the Google Messages app is the default SMS and RCS app instead of Samsung Messages.
With this feature, Google is ensuring that users understand the risk they are taking by visiting URLs (links) that they receive from people they don’t know or aren’t in their contacts list. Users must click the ‘Continue With Possible Risk checkmark and click Continue to visit the link.
RCS is a huge upgrade over SMS. It allows you to send long text messages, high-resolution images and videos, stickers, locations, voice messages, and more. It supports typing indicators and managing messages from the web. It supports group chats, individual message replies, and other advanced features.
With users across the world accessing Chrome on their mobile and workplace devices, and across different software versions and platforms, the company says Chrome Enterprise Premium provides a number of tools to make sure this access remains secure at every level.
Chrome Enterprise Premium
“Browsers are more than just a portal to the Internet: They are the new endpoint where almost every high-value activity and interaction in the enterprise takes place,” Parisa Tabriz, VP, Chrome, Google, noted in a blog post.
“Authentication, access, communication and collaboration, administration, and even coding are all browser-based activities in the modern enterprise.”
The company says its launch builds on the initial suite of services offered in Chrome Enterprise, which provides a number of management tools for IT and security teams.
However there will also be a few new additions, including extended enterprise controls allowing companies to enforce policies, manage software updates and extensions to align with their in-house rules. Boosted threat and data protection will allow for stronger data loss prevention and anti-malware toools, with AI-boosted anti-phishing also on offer.
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The platform, which can integrate with other Google and third-party security solutions, will also allow for greater insights and reporting when it comes to security, including event reporting, device reporting, and forensic capabilities for enterprise-wide visibility.
There will also be support for scaling context-aware access controls for web applications, allowing for continuous zero trust access to SaaS and web-based apps.
In Google Messages, the section for composing a message is currently divided into two sections. The first section has the text input field, and the second section, which is located right below the first one, has the smiley, gallery, and plus icons. In this design, there’s a lot of empty space. As such, people have been asking Google to combine the two sections. Well, the company has listened and it is working on making the change.
According to a new report from 9To5Google, the latest beta version of Google Messages (version 20240404_01_RC00) has a redesigned section for composing messages. It offers only the text input field, and it has the smiley button to the left and gallery and plus icons to the right. The new design consumes a lot less space and looks more sophisticated. Once you enter text in the box, the icon for the gallery gets replaced with the one for Magic Compose.
Unfortunately, Google Messages doesn’t show you the redesigned section for composing a message by default. The publication had to activate the new design manually. We hope that the company offers it by default with the next beta version of Google Messages. Google might make it available in the stable version of the app once it tests the new design thoroughly, which might take a couple of weeks or a couple of months.
• Original review date: October, 2023 • Google adds circle to search and Gemini to Pixel 8 Pro • Launch price: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 • Lowest price on Amazon: $749 / £670 / AU$1,699
Update: April 2024. We’re only in the first of Google’s seven years of promised updates for the Pixel 8 Pro, but the phone has already seen considerable new features. When the Samsung Galaxy S24 was launched in January, 2024, Google added circle to search and other new AI features to the Pixel 8 Pro, and eventually the Pixel 8. Since then, we’ve seen Google’s Gemini LLM with the Gemini Nano model, capable of producing written text using only the phone’s onboard resources. Google has also launched its Find My Mobile network, and the Pixel 8 Pro has the hardware to find Google’s new Nest location tags.
Philip Berne
Google Pixel 8 Pro: Two-minute review
The Pixel 8 Pro is a sleek update to Google’s venerable Pixel lineup, and while I’ll be ready for a new look and feel this year, I’m happy to report that this is Google’s best-looking Pixel yet.
This is also Google’s most ambitious Pixel yet, with some serious camera upgrades that will satisfy even pro photogs, and a Tensor G3 chipset custom built to run Google’s machine learning features. Google is so confident in this phone’s performance that it is promising an unprecedented seven years of major updates, longer than any other phone maker supports its phones, currently.
That said, this is a very, very odd device. If Google had simply released a generic smartphone with the Pixel 8 Pro’s cameras, display and design, it would have had a simple winner, capable of making an argument against not-quite-flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus or the Apple iPhone 15 Pro. Instead, Google is pushing deep into machine learning territory with generative AI features that will offer new experiences on your phone.
Some of these, like the amazing new call-screening assistant, work wonderfully, and are set to become an enduring part of our smartphone experience. Others, like the new photo editing features, border on frightening. Most, like AI wallpaper, seem like simple distractions and additions that could have been an app you download, but instead are now part of the Android-on-Pixel experience.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
This is a decidedly Android phone, for better but mostly, these days, for worse. It’s a confusing mess. You’re faced with setup screens that never seem to end, notifications that never seem to disappear, and Settings menus that are layered deep enough to strike magma.
The good news is that Google has plenty of time to fix Android, and if it does, Pixel 8 Pro owners will benefit from those improvements for seven years, if Google lives up to its promise.
This is very good news indeed. In fact, it’s some of the best news I’ve heard from the Android camp in quite some time. If Google really delivers on seven years of major OS upgrades, Pixel feature drops, and Security updates, the Pixel 8 Pro will be the first Android phone to beat Apple in terms of longevity.
Will the Pixel 8 Pro be worth owning in seven years? Decidedly not, not if you’re buying one today. But, when it comes time to sell your Pixel 8 Pro in a year or two, the person you sell it to will know they aren’t buying an unsupported lemon. They’re buying a phone that could last them, and possibly someone else after them, for years.
If you’re firmly encamped with Google on Android territory, the Pixel 8 Pro is a great choice for your next phone. Software-wise, Google has a lot of catching up to do against iOS 17 before I’d recommend buying it over the iPhone 15 Pro, but Google’s phone is fun and unique enough that I’d consider this phone if you can’t spring for a truly fancy foldable or the mighty Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Of course, the real fun begins when Google starts slashing prices, and it can be liberal with discounts, especially around the sales season. More than with any other brand, I recommend waiting for a deal when you’re considering a Pixel phone, because as good as the phone is now, it feels like an even better buy for a few hundred dollars or pounds less.
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for 128GB storage
Available with up to 1TB of storage in the US, 512GB globally
Costs $100 / £150 / AU$400 more than the 128GB Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro costs a bit more than the Pixel 7 Pro, when I was expecting that Google would drop the price. That’s because, frankly, the Pixel 7 Pro didn’t age very well in terms of performance and value, and rumors suggested that the Pixel 8 Pro wouldn’t offer much benefit over its predecessor. However, as it turns out there’s much more value to be found in the Pixel 8 Pro, and it holds up nicely against competitors in its price range.
The most promising way Google has added value to the Pixel 8 Pro is with its promise to support the phone for seven years of major software upgrades, security updates, and Pixel feature drops. Android phones have traditionally been lacking in terms of longevity and long-term value, and no Android phone maker has ever offered this level of long-term support. Even Apple stops supporting iPhones with new OS upgrades after about five years.
The Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t have the best performance, so its prospects as a long-term device are questionable, but at least we know Google won’t ignore it and let it rot on the vine.
Of course, you probably won’t keep your phone for seven years, but when it comes time to trade or sell it, it should hold its value better because of Google’s support commitment. Time will tell; and there are other reasons why this phone is worth more than last year’s model.
The Pixel 8 Pro has a fantastic display, brighter and sharper than those on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Plus. The phone also has the largest battery of the bunch, and battery life lived up to Google’s promises during my review period.
The cameras are better in many ways, but the specs can get a bit esoteric and hard to explain. Needless to say, they take much better photos than before, and the new AI editing tools are incredibly impressive. Scary, impressive, and I mean that sincerely.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Google Pixel 8 Pro prices
Storage
US price
UK price
AU price
128GB
$999
£999
AU$1,699
256GB
$1,059
£1,059
AU$1,799
512GB
$1,179
£1,179
AU$1,999
1TB
$1,399
N/A
N/A
If you have this much to spend, I’d still recommend the iPhone 15 Pro; not for the cameras or the hardware, but because iOS 17 is leaps and bounds ahead of Android 14. Apple’s software experience isn’t just simplified, it’s elegant and polished. Android has gotten unwieldy again, and it’s hard to recommend even the best Android phone over a comparable iPhone.
That said, the Pixel 8 Pro offers great value against the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, although if you can spend more (or get a great contract deal), both Samsung and Apple have even fancier phones with more cameras to sell you, while Google hits its ceiling with the 8 Pro.
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Specs
Check out the Google Pixel 8 Pro’s full specs below:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Google Pixel 8 Pro specs
Header Cell – Column 1
Dimensions:
162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm
Weight:
213g
OS:
Android 14
Screen size:
6.7 inches
Resolution:
1344 x 2992 pixels
Chipset:
Google Tensor G3
RAM
12GB
Storage:
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Rear Cameras:
50MP main; 48MP 5x tele; 48MP ultrawide (macro)
Front Camera:
10.5MP
Battery:
5,050 mAh
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Design
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Yup, it still looks like the Pixel 6
Matte finish and nice color choices add some class
Is this how every Pixel is going to look in the future?
What is there to say about a phone design that has barely changed in three years? Like this year’s iPhone 15 series, the Pixel 8 Pro is a bit more curvy than last year, with new colors and a matte finish. It is decidedly nicer than the Pixel 7 Pro if you care about the fine details, which I do.
The Pixel 8 Pro is more rounded on the corners, and more flat on the display. This makes the phone easier to hold, while also giving you a better view of your content. The finish is lovely, and the colors are more classy and inviting than unusual and modern. Most folks love the Bay blue best, but I’m into these cream-colored phones that dominated 2023, so I asked for a Porcelain sample from Google for my review.
This is the nicest Pixel phone Google has made so far, which is good because it has largely made the same phone three times now, with two more A-series models in between. I feel like these refinements could have come last year, and this year we could be looking at something even more evolved.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
I don’t mind the Google Pixel camera bump. It adds a distinct touch of flair, and on my Porcelain model it has the slightest golden hue that gives it a nice glint in the sun. It’s a very pretty phone, especially if you’ve never held a Pixel before.
If you are a Pixel owner, especially if you own an older Pixel, you’re probably eyeing this phone for an upgrade. It’s too bad that Pixel 6 owners, ready to upgrade now, have only this slightly refreshed-looking version of their older phone to buy. I’d like to see something more novel next year, especially if the Pixel remains at this higher price level, on par with the titanium iPhone 15.
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Display
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
The standout feature – it’s brighter and sharper than before
Even brighter and sharper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max
Slightly thicker bezel than the iPhone
The Pixel 8 Pro display is a standout feature this year, and Google has even endowed it with its own branding: Super Actua. The Pixel 8 is plain old Actua, you see. In practical terms, it seems this refers to the display’s brightness, because it is incredibly bright. The Pixel 8 Pro can reach 2,400 nits at peak brightness, and still pumps out 1,600 nits when you aren’t in direct sunlight.
In almost every way, the Pixel 8 Pro display beats that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In terms of brightness, total resolution, and sharpness (pixel density), the Pixel has the better screen. Side by side, it was much harder to see a difference, though the Pixel was definitely brighter in some cases, especially when viewing a purely white subject.
That’s when I had the Pixel display set to the more vivid ‘Adaptive’ mode, which the iPhone lacks. When I set the Pixel display settings to the ‘Natural’ screen color mode, I got colors and brightness levels that looked much more like I’m used to seeing on an iPhone.
The bezel on the Pixel 8 Pro is just a hair thicker compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max bezel, but the smaller punch-hole camera is much less intrusive than Apple’s Dynamic Island, no matter how much Apple makes it dance and sing.
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Software
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Great call screening feature is useful and natural
Many features are missing at launch
Some important features are hard to find
There are a few bright spots in the Pixel 8 Pro’s software improvements, couched in the machine learning and AI direction that Google is taking. The new call screening feature works impeccably well. I tried calling my Pixel 8 Pro from another number and the voice sounded natural, if a bit too casual, but that’s a good problem. Better a casual robot screening my calls than a stilted digital voice.
The new AI wallpaper is surprisingly interesting. It seems limited at first, since it isn’t actually a free-for-all generative AI creating images. Instead, it gives you a MadLibs-like selection of categories and prompts. You might choose an ‘Imaginary’ scene of ‘A surreal bicycle made of flowers in shades of pink and purple.’ The bicycle, flowers, and color options are all part of a multiple choice menu. Instead of a bicycle, I might have chosen a boat, a lamp, a lighthouse, or a UFO.
There are 12 options for objects; 30 different material choices, including flowers, fleece, and rhodochrosite (a crystalline mineral); and seven different color combinations. The AI offered me three different fleece lighthouses in coral and tan. By my math, that means the Imaginary category alone can create around 7,500 wallpapers. There are 12 categories, including Imaginary, X-ray, and Volcanic.
Is it a gimmick? No, but it feels like something a really good third-party app could pull off just as well, maybe with even more options. It is generative AI, after all, so the sky’s the limit, and then whatever the computer decides comes after sky. The bottom line is that the wallpapers were pretty, and cool, and unique, and fun to play with. So that’s a win.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
On the Pixel 8 Pro web page, Google says you can “personalize your experience with AI wallpaper,” and that is the heart of the problem that I have with much of Google’s software on the Pixel 8 Pro. I’ve used AI to create a wallpaper, but is it personalized? I chose some options, and swiped through the results. Who is this person?
Google describes its machine language features as if they are created by a real human being disturbingly often. When the machine does the creation, there is no person involved, and there is no experience for a human. When I use Google’s software to write a whole email, or create a group photo that never existed, am I personalizing that email? Have I personalized that photo?
No, I’m using a machine as a tool to help me create or complete a task. And that’s great! That’s useful! But that is not how Google is positioning the Pixel 8 Pro and all of its new AI features. Google is not saying ‘you can create an image,’; it’s saying you can ‘combine’ photos, or ‘reimagine’ photos. There is something missing in that explanation, and it feels like what’s missing is honesty.
The photo-faking tools aren’t the only AI issues I have. Google is pushing the Pixel 8 Pro’s ability to read and summarize web pages for you. That feature will soon come to its Recorder app, so its AI will summarize your past conversations, or lectures you couldn’t attend, perhaps.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
I tried the summarization feature on a story I wrote about taking a family photo at home. Google’s summary got very basic facts wrong. It said that my family visited a photo studio, even though I never mentioned a photo studio, and in fact I explicitly say that my dad hired a professional photographer to come to our house. If I can’t trust a summarization feature the first time I use it, I will never trust it again.
Many of the other new features are simply hard to find. Google’s new call screening feature is great, but it’s hidden under a submenu that you can only find if you open the Phone app; it’s nowhere to be found under the Settings menu.
Even worse, Google has had a Safety Check In feature on its Pixel phones for years, similar to the new Check In feature that I love on iOS 17. Google’s own site gives instructions for the ‘Personal Safety’ app, but my phone doesn’t have an app called Personal Safety. It’s just called Safety, which sounds like it could be a software security suite, or a health and readiness app. It could be an app for the Boy Scouts, for all it stands out.
I’ll stop complaining, because I’ve run out of features to complain about. See, Google is launching the Pixel 8 Pro without a number of key features ready to go. The camera will get Zoom Enhance, Video Boost, and Night Sight video features, after images have been uploaded to Google’s cloud services for Google to work its magic off-device. Recorder summaries are also coming, as well as the smart reply feature, though I’m skeptical of those AI features, as I’ve made clear.
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Great photos with improved macro quality
Upgrades on every camera, especially telephoto
Not as good at night shots as the iPhone 15 Pro
The main camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is considerably better than the camera on the Pixel 7 Pro, but the improvements can be hard to explain.
The lens on the camera has a f/1.65 aperture, which is wider than the f/1.9 aperture in last year’s lens, and while the number is lower, a wider aperture is better because it lets in more light, and the improvement is exponential and not linear.
The f/1.65 lens on the Pixel 8 Pro is an amazIng feat, while the f/1.9 aperture on last year’s Pixel 7 Pro was a thoroughly unimpressive spec. See, the numbers are confusing, and it’s just not an easy spec to boast about. The iPhone 15 Pro uses an f/1.8 lens on its main camera, which won’t let as much light through, but of course there are plenty of other factors to consider.
Compared to my iPhone 15 Pro Max, some photos looked better when shot with the Pixel 8 Pro, but others, especially night pics and low-light images, looked better taken with the iPhone. That’s surprising, but there are still some reasons for Google to brag.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Macro photography is better on the Pixel 8 Pro than on the iPhone, and even if you aren’t going for a macro look you can still get closer to your subject with the Pixel. The Pixel 8 Pro also handled food photos much better than the iPhone. That natural look the iPhone tends towards can make dishes look unappetizing in bad lighting. It’s better to have a camera that can do some enhancements.
Speaking of enhancements, not all of the enhancements coming to the Pixel 8 Pro are ready yet. The Night Sight video enhancement will eventually upload and improve your night-time videos, but it’s not here yet. Neither is the zoom enhancement for the telephoto and main cameras. Those features will presumably come in a feature drop, hopefully before the end of the year.
Once you’ve taken your photos, it’s off to Google Photos to edit them, and Google Photos on the Pixel 8 family is a special app. It has features you won’t find on other Pixel phones, Android phones, iPhones, or even on the desktop.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
We’ve seen Magic Eraser before, but Google is taking this functionality to a new level with Magic Editor. When you launch Magic Editor by tapping the enticing, colorful button, Google opens a new suite of generative AI tools to help you fake your shots like a pro. You can still erase, and here Google does a much better job of creating a background to replace what’s now missing.
You can also easily manipulate objects in your photo. You can move things around, make things larger or smaller, and generally make the image look completely different. If you stop talking to somebody, you can cut them out of the group photo. If you want to say you caught a bigger fish, you can just grab the fish in the photo and spread your fingers to make it grow. Reality doesn’t matter, as long as you have the right tools.
While the results can be somewhat creepy and uncanny, they aren’t flawless. I erased tourists from a shot of the Statue of Liberty, as an example, and it’s clear where the guardrails were drawn incorrectly to compensate. I erased a shadow from my photo of some ice cream at night and a portion of a sign went missing, replaced with a blank, white wall.
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(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Gee, I wish this guy would move his head
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
With Magic Editor, the problem is solved
There’s reason to be cautious and reason to be disturbed by the ease and capriciousness with which Google launches these powerful machine learning features, but for now the quality doesn’t quite justify the fear. It’s possible that some day my phone will be able to make a believable fake that could stand up to scrutiny. For now, though, I’d say Google is just focused on trying to get its promised features out the door.
Google Pixel 8 Pro camera samples
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(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
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(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
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(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Performance
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
No problem running my favorite apps and games
Still lags behind older competitor phones
Machine learning features run slowly with delays
Performance is tough to measure on a Pixel phone. In terms of raw performance, pushing games and graphics to new heights, the Pixel 8 Pro does just fine, but it won’t win any competitions. It handled all of my favorite games and ran high-resolution videos smoothly, but everything looked better on phones like the iPhone 15 Pro or even older Android phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra (which can be found for around the same price as the Pixel 8 Pro, now that it’s eight months old).
On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro is an all-around solid device, especially compared to other phones in this price range. Battery life is excellent, thanks to a larger battery and better power management, courtesy of Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. The display is snappy and smooth, and it makes Google’s interface design pop when you want, or mimic the subdued and natural iPhone tones if you prefer.
There is a temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro, and I cannot figure out why. It is only accurate up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (around 150 Celsius), so it isn’t actually useful for checking the temperature of pans while cooking, as Google suggests. I need my frying oil to be around 350 degrees, and I want to check my oven up to 500 degrees or more. Try again, Google.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
When the Pixel 8 Pro is running Google’s special machine learning features, it stumbles quite a bit. When you edit photos with the new Magic Editor it takes a while to open the app, then longer to create the edits, and it frequently crashes while saving a copy. The AI wallpaper feature is cool, but it took several seconds to create a single set of wallpapers.
I hope to see these features improve over the next seven years as Google upgrades this phone with software improvements, which begs the question: this phone won’t possibly be capable of handling Android 21. Will this phone really be a viable phone in seven years? Google has promised this will be a seven-year phone, the first ever. How will the Google Tensor G3 stack up in seven years, compared to every phone that comes after it?
It’s far too early to say, but I have serious reservations about Google’s promise. First of all, the Tensor chipset already feels like it’s behind the curve compared to Qualcomm’s best Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips, and no phone maker using Qualcomm is offering more than five years of major software updates. And the Tensor doesn’t even begin to compare to Apple’s A17 Pro chipset, which actually feels like it could last seven years, though Apple has never made that explicit promise.
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Second, Google has a terrible track record when it comes to supporting its own products and keeping promises. Google offered a Pixel Pass upgrade program with the Pixel 6, promising an upgrade after 24 months if you subscribed to the program. It killed the program within two years, and nobody got an upgrade. The Pixel 8 should have been the phone subscribers received.
Maybe Google will support this phone for seven years, for real, giving it every software upgrade and every new feature that it invents between now and 2030. Or maybe this phone will only get a portion of those upgrades, and new features every now and then. Or maybe Google will invent an entirely new class of Android for old phones like this one; some disappointing, stripped-down version that will work with the oldest devices.
We just don’t know – and Google hasn’t established a record of trust when it comes to longevity and long-term support.
Performance score: 3 / 5
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Battery life
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Improved battery life lasts all day, no sweat
Aggressive power management and adaptive display
Faster charging would have been nice
Battery life on Pixel phones gets better every year (as long as you avoid the A-series), and I’m happy to report that the Pixel 8 Pro had no trouble lasting through a full day of use. That should come as no surprise, since it has a larger battery than either the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus or the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. Google really packed in the biggest cell it could fit, and you’ll need to buy a gaming phone to find bigger.
The power management can be quite aggressive. That screen is bright, but Google keeps it dialed down to a healthy brightness that won’t strain your eyes or drain the battery too much. There are plenty of baked-in power management features, as well.
You can choose the Standard battery saver or the Extreme battery saver, which limits more apps and background processes. There’s also an enigmatic adaptive battery feature that’s turned on by default. All the better, because that battery really lasts.
The Pixel 8 Pro charges at a respectable 30W, which meant I had a full battery within an hour, and 50% in 30 minutes. Still, there’s some room for improvement, especially if the battery is going to keep getting bigger.
Google includes a USB-C cable in the box and, oddly, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, but no wall charger. You need to buy a compatible Power Delivery charger or wireless stand. I used an Anker Nano charger, which can handle the fastest charging the Pixel can accept.
Should you buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
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Google Pixel 8 Pro score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
More expensive than last year, but still competitive compared to other Android phones, especially with longer software support.
4 / 5
Design
The same old look, now refined with a matte finish and nicer colors. It’s the nicest Pixel yet, but the Pixel look is getting stale.
4 / 5
Display
The standout feature on the Pixel 8 Pro, this bright and sharp display is just as good as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and maybe better.
5 / 5
Software
The good stuff is useful, but some AI features cross the line, when they actually work, and other features are too hard to find.
3 / 5
Camera
Great all-around camera features, with some unique AI editing tools that are more like Photoshop creation than photography. Still, undeniably good pics.
4 / 5
Performance
Good enough performance for now, but it’s unclear if this phone will live up to Google’s seven-year promise, or if Android will cut corners to fit into the Pixel 8 Pro in the future.
3 / 5
Battery
Excellent battery life thanks to a very large cell inside and solid power management keeping that bright display under control.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Google Pixel 8 Pro review: Also consider
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is a fun and unique phone offering features only Google can give you, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best phone for everyone. Here are the best alternatives in the same price range.
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Google Pixel 8 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
Price:
$999 / £999 / AU $1699 for 128GB
$999 / £999 / AU $1849 for 128GB
$999 / £899 / AU $1399 for 256GB
Display:
6.7-inch, 120Hz, 2,400 nits peak
6.1-inch, 120Hz, 2,000 nits peak
6.6-inch, 120Hz, 1,750 nits peak
Cameras:
50MP main (1.2µm pixels); 48MP tele; 48MP ultrawide/macro
48MP main (1.22µm pixels); 12MP tele; 12MP ultrawide/macro
50MP main (1.0µm pixels); 10MP tele; 12MP ultrawide
Battery:
5,050 mAh
3,274 mAh
4,700 mAh
How I tested the Google Pixel 8 Pro
I took the Pixel 8 Pro to homecoming, but my kid wouldn’t let me use any of the photos I took for my international website. I used the Pixel 8 Pro for a week leading up to this review, using the phone as my only device with an active SIM card during this time. I used it for all of my personal and professional needs.
I used the Pixel 8 Pro to take photos, to navigate with maps, and to play games. I used it for phone calls and messaging of all sorts, including RCS messages and various messaging services, including Slack and WhatsApp. I also used Google Assistant to send messages using voice commands, especially while I was driving and using Android Auto.
I played games extensively with the Pixel 8 Pro, and I tested it with a number of streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, and Max.
Normally, I would benchmark a phone using benchmark apps, but these apps are not whitelisted for download on the Pixel 8 Pro before launch. It should be noted that Google makes the final decision about whitelisting apps on the Play Store, so Google is keeping pre-launch reviewers from benchmarking this phone.
I tested the Pixel 8 Pro with various accessories, including the new Pixel Watch 2 and the Fitbit Charge 6. I also used it with Pixel Buds Pro, my MX Master 2 mouse, and an SD card reader. For battery testing, I recorded my usage during the day and noted the times the phone died. I timed the phone during the charging process to verify charging claims.
