9.0 Google Pixel 8 Like
New design
Best Take works properly
The brighter display screen
7 years of OS assist
Don’t like
Higher value
Audio Magic Eraser does not have a reside preview
Magic Editor is hit and miss
Some AI instruments like “summarize” do not work
The Google Pixel 8 is in contrast to every other cellphone you should purchase at the moment. After testing it for practically every week, I spotted that the Pixel 8 and its AI options provide an early glimpse at how images, calling and even our cellphone’s wallpaper may evolve. I would not run out and purchase a Pixel 8 at the moment solely due to these options, but it surely actually reveals how AI will proceed to be built-in into our each day lives. For instance, there is a function known as Best Take (which I preserve calling Face Swap) that works when taking just a few consecutive photographs of an individual or group of individuals. After taking the photographs, I can pull up a face and head editor (my time period, not Google’s) in Google Photos and swap out an individual’s head with a distinct model from one other picture from the sequence to get their finest facial features. The end result is a photograph the place everybody’s eyes are open and smiling, if that is what you need. Philosophically, this picture does not truly exist as a result of the second by no means occurred. And but, right here it’s. This picture by no means occurred. CNET’s Jessica Fierro and Abrar Al-Heeti are usually all smiles. While taking a bunch of photographs of them in a row, I used to be in a position to make use of Best Take and alter their faces with these extra severe ones from different photographs. Can you inform that AI helped make this? Patrick Holland/CNETAt first, Best Take creeped me out. But after making use of it to a wide range of photographs of buddies and coworkers, I feel it is unimaginable and works remarkably properly. I can not see any traces the place the heads have been swapped. (Yep, I truly wrote that.) And I nonetheless cannot totally get my head across the potentialities that Best Take opens up. It’s the beginning of a path the place our images could be much more curated and polished, even when the photographs we take do not begin out that approach. Will Best Take make us extra useless by giving us one other software to current a seemingly very best model of ourselves on-line? Or ought to I simply get pleasure from that I can have a pleasant picture the place my buddies look their finest at that potential second? I’m nonetheless conflicted. This picture additionally by no means occurred. Parts of it did. I used Best Take to combine and match Jessica’s and Abrar’s expressions. Patrick Holland/CNETStarting at $699 (£699, AU$1,199) the Google Pixel 8 is a perfect cellphone for most individuals. And even in case you aren’t within the AI options (and there are loads of them), the Pixel 8’s up to date design, show and cameras make it among the finest non-Pro Google telephones. The larger value appears value it and makes you understand simply how extremely inexpensive the Pixel 6 and 7 have been. Watch this: Review: We Tested the Google Pixel 8 and Its AI Features
10:48 The Pixel 8 is smaller, lighter and brighter The Pixel 8 is sort of a svelte model of the Pixel 7. It’s shorter and fewer extensive, though it is truly 0.2 millimeters thicker. It weighs 10 grams lower than the Pixel 7. Combine all that with the truth that practically each edge is rounded over, and you will find, like me, that the Pixel 8 is extremely comfy to carry, with or and not using a case. My overview unit is the rose coloration, which in most lighting appears peach. The Pixel 8 in rose. James Martin/CNETThe display screen is smaller, however so are the bezels round it. The 6.2-inch show now has a 60 to 120Hz variable refresh charge for smoother scrolling and the next max brightness. It’s simple to see underneath shiny daylight, particularly in contrast with the Pixel 7 and 7A, which look dim by comparability. Watching movies, taking part in video games or simply admiring mundane Android 14 animations have been all pleasant on the Pixel 8’s display screen. The again continues to be outlined by that extensive digital camera bar, which I like. Overall, the Pixel 8 appears dapper and nearly stylish. The Pixel 8 has a brand new primary digital camera sensor The Pixel 8’s rear cameras are nestled in a digital camera bar that spans the width of the cellphone. James Martin/CNETThe Camera app has a slight redesign. There are two icons on the backside: a photograph digital camera and a video digital camera. When I faucet on the picture digital camera, all of the modes underneath the viewfinder change to photo-centric ones like portrait mode and lengthy publicity mode. And once I faucet on the video digital camera image, the modes turn into particular for video like sluggish movement. It took a couple of day to get used to this modification, however I’m a fan of the brand new structure. Also, the Pixel 8 has a brand new macro focus function that kicks in when the cellphone’s primary digital camera is inside centimeters of a topic. I like this addition and located it helpful for meals and occasional snaps, the place I wish to get shut sufficient for the cup or plate to fill the body whereas remaining in focus. The Pixel 8 has a brand new macro focus mode that kicks in while you get near your topic, on this case breakfast. Patrick Holland/CNETThe 12-megapixel ultrawide digital camera is identical because the one on earlier Pixel fashions. The 50-megapixel primary digital camera has a brand new sensor that Google claims can accumulate 21% extra mild. The front-facing digital camera can be new, however nonetheless solely has mounted deal with the Pixel 8 – in contrast with the Pixel 8 Pro’s front-facing autofocus digital camera. Take a glance under at a few of my favourite photographs that I took with the Pixel 8. I took this with the Pixel 8’s primary digital camera at 2x. Patrick Holland/CNET This shot of a canine within the afternoon solar reveals off the Pixel 8’s dynamic vary. Notice the feel within the canine’s fur and the way it contrasts the feel of the ground’s wooden grain. Patrick Holland/CNET The Pixel 8, like earlier Google telephones, takes wonderful photographs of individuals. Patrick Holland/CNET A shot of the Blue Angels flying over downtown San Francisco that I caught with the Pixel 8’s primary digital camera. Patrick Holland/CNET A slice of Medovyk from Veselka in NYC taken with the Pixel 8. Patrick Holland/CNET A Pixel 8 picture taken in Night Sight mode. Patrick Holland/CNET Here are a few selfies I took with the Pixel 8. Patrick Holland/CNETDoes the Pixel 8 take higher photographs than the Pixel 7? Yes. But they are not dramatically totally different. Check out the photographs under of the Manhattan Bridge. Both look nice. Both of those photographs of the Manhattan Bridge have been taken seconds aside. The left picture is from the Google Pixel 8 and the proper one from the Pixel 7. Patrick Holland/CNETBut if I punch in on the place the principle upright part intersects with the deck, you possibly can see that the Pixel 8’s picture under has extra element and sharpness. Notice the person rivets on the metallic uprights in comparison with the Pixel 7’s picture, the place most of them do not present up. Here are 100% crops from the photographs above with the Pixel 8’s picture on the left and the Pixel 7’s picture on the proper. Patrick Holland/CNET The Pixel 8 is outlined by its digital camera AI instruments The Pixel 8’s AI options like Best Take steal the present in terms of the digital camera. By the best way, Best Take not solely works on photographs taken with the cellphone, however any photographs in your Google Photos library in your Pixel 8. I used Best Take to swap out faces in photographs I took on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max as a part of my overview final month. Best Take solely works on a sequence of photographs in a sequence. So you possibly can’t take a photograph of your self at 40 and substitute your head with one from a photograph of while you have been in your 20s. Also, the function works solely on individuals. But I can nearly hear Google’s SVP for gadgets and providers, Rich Osterloh, say on the Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 launch, “we heard you and we now offer Best Take for pets.” Applause and cheers! The Best Take interface in Google Photos on the Pixel 8. James Martin/CNETRemember the Magic Eraser that debuted on the Pixel 6 that allows you to take away a distraction out of your picture like somebody within the background? Now there’s Magic Editor on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, which helps you to do much more. It can take away somebody from the background and even transfer your picture’s topic and resize it. I changed the sky, floor and even all the background in some photographs. Basically, in case you see somebody leaping abnormally excessive in a photograph taken on a Pixel 8, beware: that individual might have used the Magic Editor to magnify issues. For instance, under is a photograph I took of CNET’s Tara Brown and Theo Liggians leaping off a rock. I used the Magic Eraser, which has been round for a few years, to take away the rock. It’s apparent one thing was altered. On the left is the unique picture that I took from the Pixel 8. One the proper is identical picture with the Magic Eraser utilized to the rock. It does not look nice. Patrick Holland/CNETBelow is identical picture after I used the brand new Magic Editor. It’s not good, but it surely’s an enchancment over the Magic Eraser picture. The new Magic Editor did a greater job, however issues may look higher. Patrick Holland/CNETBut why cease there? I attempted the Magic Editor a second time and changed the precise zigzag tiled floor and synthetic turf with one fully made from bricks. This obscured the shadow left from the rock and made all the things look extra uniform. I don’t know the place the Pixel 8 got here up with the substitute floor since there weren’t any bricks within the precise floor and that is one of many downsides to utilizing AI this manner. I used the Magic Editor to interchange the bottom and rock with one made from bricks. There weren’t any bricks at this park, but it surely does make the picture look higher. Patrick Holland/CNETA majority of the time, Magic Editor generations took a matter of seconds. It did not really feel like I waited lengthy. But there have been a few occasions the place it took 10 seconds and one other one time the place I needed to shut the Google Photos app as a result of it appeared caught. Best Take seems like a extra mature function than Magic Editor which nonetheless has an experimental vibe to it. Sadly, my colleague Jessica does not truly float. Clearly this was made with the Magic Editor. Patrick Holland/CNET Here is an occasion the place the Magic Editor went wild, changing the ground and partitions (unsure the place it obtained this artwork deco backdrop from) and eradicating Jessica’s arms and ft. Patrick Holland/CNETThe Magic Editor is loads of enjoyable, and I really imagine it provides one other degree of creativity to cellphone images. But it does so whereas elevating moral questions round picture manipulation. Fortunately, Magic Editor-generated photographs have flaws, or not less than nearly all of the photographs that I used it on did. I can normally spot the variations between photographs I utilized it on versus unedited photographs. The approach the AI tries to fill within the background normally ends in one thing wanting off. But not everybody could also be as photo-savvy as me, and I think about that Google will preserve refining the AI behind it to some extent the place it is exhausting to inform the distinction between an altered picture and an unedited one. Here is an unedited Pixel 8 picture with Jessica (entrance) and Abrar. Patrick Holland/CNET I used the Magic Editor to take away Abrar. Notice the best way it stuffed within the background the place Abrar was, particularly the door and wall. Patrick Holland/CNETThere’s yet another AI-powered digital camera software known as Audio Magic Eraser, which may clear up audio in recorded movies for higher readability. It removes distracting background noise or music that may intervene together with your video’s audio. Watch the overview video that accompanies this text to see examples of it earlier than and after, with and with out the Audio Magic Eraser utilized. Using the software was simple sufficient. However, the reside preview did not replicate the modifications to the audio that I made, which looks like a bug. I needed to save a duplicate of the edited video to listen to the distinction Audio Magic Eraser made – which was spectacular. Taken in whole, the Pixel 8 has an excellent digital camera system with loads of options you simply do not discover on the costlier iPhone 15 and Galaxy S23. It’s fascinating to see Google, who has a superb popularity in terms of getting the perfect photographs out of a cellphone digital camera, nonetheless be capable of match the likes of Apple and Samsung all whereas leaning closely into these hit-or-miss AI digital camera options. My CNET colleague Andrew Lanxon, who’s reviewing the Pixel 8 Pro, wasn’t as enamored with Best Take as I used to be. Pixel 8 efficiency and battery A aspect view of the Pixel 8. Just take a look at how a lot that digital camera bar stands proud! James Martin/CNETGoogle’s Tensor chip has by no means been about pure horsepower. Instead, it targets optimizing particular duties and powering all these AI capabilities talked about earlier. And that is the case for the Pixel 8’s Tensor G3 chip. During my six days with the cellphone, I by no means bumped into any efficiency points. When I used to be downloading Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile and setting them up, the Pixel 8 did get very heat. But that was the one time I observed this occur.The G3 chip together with Android 14 makes the Pixel 8 a delight to make use of. There’s Face Unlock, which is as soon as once more safe sufficient to make use of for contactless funds, even with out the Pixel 4’s fancy radar sensor. There are unusual non-camera AI options like AI Wallpaper that creates an authentic wallpaper to your house display screen based mostly on MadLibs-style prompts. You cannot enter your individual phrases and are restricted to an inventory of phrases for every entry. I may also use Google Assistant to learn articles aloud, and there is a summarize function that I by no means started working. Anytime I requested the Assistant to summarize a narrative I’m met with the message, “Sorry I can’t summarize on this device yet.” Call Screen debuted on the 2018 Pixel 3 and lets the Google Assistant reply a name when you hear in. On the Pixel 8, the Call Screen’s voice feels like an precise human. I can not inform if it is faux or a recording of an precise human voice, which reveals you the way far Google has pushed this expertise over the previous 5 years. The Pixel 8 has a barely greater battery than final 12 months’s Pixel 7. Over the six days, the Pixel 8 had no downside making it by way of a full day on a single cost. I’m nonetheless engaged on working CNET’s arsenal of battery life checks and efficiency benchmarks, so examine again quickly for the outcomes. Final phrase on the Pixel 8 Google Pixel 8 Pro in blue (left) and Pixel 8 in rose). James Martin/CNETThe two largest modifications to the Pixel 8 haven’t got something to do with the bodily cellphone. The first is the value. The Pixel 8 prices $699, which is $100 greater than the Pixel 6 and 7’s launch costs. But the updates you get, just like the refined design, new show and primary digital camera enhancements, are value it. And the Pixel 8’s larger value is extra reflective of simply how ridiculously inexpensive Google priced the Pixel 6 and 7 in contrast with different main smartphone makers on the time. Outside the US, the Pixel 8’s value improve may be steeper.The different large function is software program assist. The Pixel 8 will obtain seven years of OS assist, which is longer than most Android telephones. But the Fairphone 5 takes the crown with 8 years of assist. Will the Pixel 8 survive till 2030? Maybe? I do not know. But in that spirit, I casually polled a few of my CNET colleagues over Slack to ask them what was the longest period of time they owned a cellphone. Most stored their telephones for lower than 5 years, however just a few of my coworkers had practically 6-year-old telephones just like the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8. So maybe there’s an viewers for this profit. I like to recommend the Pixel 8 to anybody coming from a Pixel 6A or older, or any cellphone that is not less than three years previous. If you are making an attempt to resolve between the Pixel 7A and Pixel 8, know that the Pixel 8 is healthier in practically each approach however does price $200 extra. And by way of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, you get 85% of that Pixel 8 Pro expertise on the common Pixel 8. The Pixel 8 Pro has a nicer display screen, a brand new larger decision extremely extensive digital camera, extra RAM and a devoted 5x telephoto digital camera, all of which the Pixel 8 lacks. The Pixel 8 Pro additionally has extra digital camera instruments, like video increase, in comparison with the Pixel 8. With the Pixel 8’s launch, Google’s present lineup has a cellphone for each price range: $499 for the Pixel 7A, $699 for the Pixel 8, $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro and $1,799 for the Pixel Fold. The Pixel 8 is not Google’s most inexpensive machine, but it surely’s a cellphone most individuals ought to take into account. Its AI options, affordable value and 7 years of software program assist assist it stand out amongst its Pixel siblings. Google Pixel 8 specs vs. Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7A, Pixel 7 Google Pixel 8Google Pixel 8 ProGoogle Pixel 7AGoogle Pixel 7Display measurement, tech, decision, refresh charge, brightness 6.2-inch OLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 60-120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.7-inch OLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.1-inch OLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 60 or 90Hz variable refresh charge 6.3-inch OLED show, FHD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) , 90HzPixel density 428 ppi489 ppi361 ppi416 ppiDimensions (inches) 5.9 x 2.8 x 0.4 in6.4 x 3.0 x 0.3 in6.00 x 2.87 x 0.35 in 6.13 x 2.88 x 0.34 inDimensions (millimeters) 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm152 x 73 x 9.0 mm155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7 mmWeight (grams, ounces) 187 g (6.6 oz)213 g (7.5 oz)193 g (6.81 oz)197 g (6.9 oz)Mobile software program Android 14Android 14Android 13Android 13Camera 50-megapixel (extensive), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)50-megapixel (extensive), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (telephoto)64-megapixel (primary), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)50-megapixel (extensive), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), Front-facing digital camera 10.5-megapixel10.5-megapixel13-megapixel10.8-megapixelVideo seize 4K4K4K4KProcessor Google Tensor G3Google Tensor G3Google Tensor G2Google Tensor G2Storage and RAM 8GB + 128GB, 256GB12GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB8GB + 128GB8GB + 128GB, 256 GB,Expandable storage NoneNoneNoneNoneBattery 4,575 mAh5,050 mAh4,385 mAh4,355 mAh Fingerprint sensor Under showUnder displaySideUnder displayConnector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneNoneSpecial options 5G (Sub 6, mmWave); VPN by Google One; 7 years of OS, safety and Feature Drop updates; front-facing digital camera has autofocus; 13W Qi wi-fi charging; 30W wired charging; USB-3.2 speeds by way of USB-C; IP68 mud and water resistance; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on entrance and back5G (Sub 6 and mmWave); VPN by Google One; 7 years of OS, safety and Feature Drop updates; front-facing digital camera has autofocus; 13W Qi wi-fi charging; 30W wired charging; USB-3.2 speeds by way of USB-C; IP68 mud and water resistance; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on entrance and back5G (Sub6, mmWave); IP67 score; 18W quick charging; 7.5W wi-fi charging 5G, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Long Exposure Mode, Action Pan; Hold For Me, Wait Times, Direct My Call Live TranslateUS value off-contract $699 (128GB)$999 (128GB)$499 (128GB)$600 (128GB)UK value £699 (128GB)£999 (128GB)£449 (128GB)£599 (128GB)Australia value AU$1,199 (128GB)AU$1,699 (128GB)AU$749 (128GB)AU$999 (128GB) How we check telephones Every cellphone examined by CNET’s evaluations crew was truly utilized in the actual world. We check a cellphone’s options, play video games and take photographs. We look at the show to see if it is shiny, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing each standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges. All the cameras are examined in a wide range of circumstances from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life through the use of it each day in addition to working a sequence of battery drain checks. We take into consideration extra options like assist for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus assist, quick charging speeds, foldable shows amongst others that may be helpful. And we after all stability all of this in opposition to the value to provide the verdict on whether or not that cellphone, no matter value it’s, truly represents good worth. While these checks might not at all times be mirrored in CNET’s preliminary overview, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.