Google Pixel 8 and Pro – a deep-dive smartphone review

The highly anticipated Google Pixel 8 and Pro share the same basic internals but, as we found, offer different feature sets and user experiences. Are they worth the investment? Read on.

Google wants you to forgo the usual ‘speeds and feeds’ review and take its word that the future is all about AI and what it can do for you. The Google Pixel 8 and Pro certainly have some nice AI camera features, but we question if Joe and Jane Average are ready to use them. If not, they only need a decent phone with a great camera and many of the AI features are making their way into Android and the makers’ UIs.

And its desire to eschew ‘speeds and feeds’ means that it does not want to compete with other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy 23 Ultra (Qualcomm SD8 Gen 2), OPPO FindX6 Pro or N3 Fold (ditto), Motorola Edge+/40Pro (ditto) excellent SD8 Gen 1 flagship from Motorola like its iconic Razr or ThinkPhone.

Regrettably, for Google, CyberShack likes ‘speeds and feeds’, and we find precisely what Google eschews – that no features are flagship class leading.

This is a side-by-side review where we will break down the components and comment on each. If you are in a hurry, just read the comments. ‘Test’ means independently tested regardless of any Google claims.

We recommend that you read our review companion, which deep-dives into aspects of each. Google Pixel 8 Pro and 8 – which one? (review companion).

Australian Review: Google Pixel 8 and Pro

Brand	Google	Google
Model	Google Pixel 8 Pro	Google Pixel 8
Model Number	G1MNW	GPJ41
Price Base	12/128GB	8/128GB
Price base	$1699 Bay, Obsidian, Porcelain Cases from $44.95-$109.99 30W charger and 3W cable $45 Qi 23W Pixel Stand Gen 2 $119	$1199 Hazel, Obsidian, Rose Same
Price 2	12/256GB $1799	8/256GB $1299
Price 3	12/512GB $1999	N/A
Warranty months	24 months	Same
Tier	Flagship	Entry-level flagship
Website	Product Page	Product Page
From	Google Online, Harvey Norman, JB H-Fi, Office Works. Telcos offer monthly phone repayment and mobile data plans: Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone.	Same
Country of Origin	China	Same
Company	Google is a giant company that started with a search engine. It is now one of the largest advertising platforms in the world. It is behind the Android and Chrome operating systems.	Same
More	CyberShack Google news and reviews CyberShack smartphone reviews	Same
Test date	November 2023	Same
Ambient temp	20-25°	Same
Release	October 2023	Same
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Warranty is only valid with genuine Australian stock. Wi-Fi 6E/7 requires Australian firmware for its bands.  A genuine phone has the R-NZ C-Tick About Phone>Regulatory Labels and the AU warranty under About>Phone>Limited Warranty.	Same

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement. Where there are two columns the 8 Pro is on the left.

First impression – Pass+

If you like Google design cues, then you will love these. It is a typical Google Pixel with a rear metal camera bar and earthy colours. The 8 Pro has a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (GGV2) back that seems more fingerprint-resistant than the 8 with a Gorilla Glass Victus (GGV) back.

Screen – Pass

It is a decent, bright, daylight readable colour screen, but at 8-bit colour is quite outclassed by other flagships.

This is an 8-bit/16.7m colour screen, whereas flagships (except for Samsung) have moved to 10-bit/1.07 billion colour screens. We can see the difference between photo and video image previews and the end result. The screen does not support Dolby Vision (it should), and there is colour banding/haloing on HDR10/+ videos.

Screen specs

Size	6.7″	6.2″
Type	LPTO OLED	OLED
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat	Same
Resolution	2992 x 1344 (Screen can run in ‘High Resolution’ – lower pixels 2244 x 1008)	2400 x 1080
PPI	489	427
Ratio	20:9	Same
Screen to Body %	87.4%	85.5%
Colours bits	8-bit/16.7m colours Google calls this 24-bit (3 x 8-bit RGB) – it is not.	Same
Refresh Hz, adaptive	1-120Hz Adaptive	Fixed 60 or adaptive 60/120Hz
Response 120Hz	N/A	N/A
Nits typical, test	Not disclosed (Test 960)	Not disclosed (Test 923)
Nits max, test	1600 nits HDR 100% screen (Test 1460) 2400 nits peak brightness in a 5% window (test 2323)	1400 nits HDR 100% screen (Test 1235) 2000 nits peak brightness in a 5% window (Test 1890)
Contrast	Infinite 1,000,000:1	Same
sRGB	Not disclosed (Test Natural setting 100% sRGB)	Same
DCI-P3	This is an 8-bit/16.7m colour screen, whereas flagships (except for Samsung) have moved to 10-bit/1.07 billion colour screens. We can see the difference between photo and video image previews and the end result. The screen does not support Dolby Vision (it should), and there is colour banding/haloing on HDR10/+ videos.	Test 87% of 16.7m colour gamut)
Rec.2020 or other	N/A Note there are no calibration settings.	Same
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	<1	Same
HDR Level	HDR10/HLG/HDR10+ (No Dolby Vision)	Same
SDR Upscale	No	Same
Blue Light Control	No	Same
PWM if known	120Hz <50% brightness 240Hz >50% Brightness Quite a noticeable flicker that could cause issues for PWM-sensitive users.	Same
Daylight readable	Yes	Same
Always on Display	Yes, and At a Glance	Same
Edge display	No	Same
Accessibility	All Android features	All Android features
DRM	L1 for FHD, SDR and HDR (1080p max)	Same
Gaming	<2ms GTG	Same
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Gorilla Glass Victus
Comment	Disappointing screen preview and photo colour match.	Same

Processor – Pass

The Google Tensor G3 falls well behind current flagships using the Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1, 2, or 3 System-on-a-Chip (40-60% in raw speed). In addition, its modem is only for city use, and you can’t mount a live storage external SSD.

Brand, Model	Google Tensor G3 (made by Samsung based on its older Exynos 4nm LPP technology) Titan M2 security co-processor	Same
nm	4	Same
Cores	1×3.0GHz & 4×2.45GHz & 4×2.15GHz using older ARM designs	Same
Modem	Samsung Exynos 5300 modem	Same
AI TOPS	Google Tensor NPU	Same
Geekbench 6 Single-core	1764	1653
Geekbench 6 multi-core	4584	4218
Like	Single Core SD8 Gen 2 Muti-Core SD8 Gen 1	Same
GPU	Mali-G715 (Ray tracing not supported)	Same
GPU Test
Open CL	5286	4972
Like	SD8+ Gen 1	Same
Vulcan	5963	6050
RAM, type	12GB LPDDR5	8GB LPDDR5
Storage, free, type	128GB UFS 3.1 (95GB Free)	Same
micro-SD	No	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	972 (Jazz Diskbench 1293)	1060 (Jazz Diskbench 1355)
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	206 (Jass Diskbench 207)	134 (Jazz Diskbench 137 – longer disk latency)
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	N/A	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	Files finds it as an OTG for cut and paste but not as a mountable device and it will not speed test.	Same
Comment	What a waste! A USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 interface that does not support mountable drives or Alt DP audio/video/data/charging streams. It is like Google only wants you to use its Cloud and Chromecast.	Same

Throttle test – Fail

We ran several tests on each phone at ambient temperatures from 20-25°. 40% throttling is not acceptable to gamers or power users.

Max GIPS	290498 (258475)	250533 (272569)
Average GIPS	212063 (195924)	167857 (202246)
Minimum GIPS	154544 (177830)	132782 (178260)
% Throttle	40% (29%)	42% (30%)
CPU Temp	50° but case measured 43° (warm)	Same
Comment	We ran several throttle tests and received wildly variable results. The two shown are the best and worst. We suspect the differences are due to firmware updates between tests and the fact that Google appears to have slowed the SoC from 290K to 258K GIPS.	Same

Comms – Pass

We had issues with Wi-Fi auto-ranging between bands requiring disable/enable of Wi-Fi to change bands.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 7 BE Tri-band 2.4/5/6Ghz	Same
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-22/2401 (good)	-20/2401 (good)
Test 5m	-44/2401	-43/2401
Test 10m	-51/1729 (15m -62/1297)	-51/1921 (15m -60/1297)
BT Type	5.3	5.3
GPS single, dual	Dual – accuracy to <2m	Same
USB type	USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 10Mbps is only partially implemented.	Same
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No Supports Chromecast but not USB-C to HDMI or DP.	Same
NFC	Yes	Same
Ultra-wideband	Yes	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes	Same
Gyro	Combo with Accelerator	Same
e-Compass	Yes	Same
Barometer	Yes	Yes
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes	Same
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes	Same
Other	Temperature – not for medical use – varies by up to 1°	No
Comment	We are disappointed that Google persists in not using the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port for video/audio/data. You cannot attach a UBS-C to USB-C/HDMI/DP cable and screen mirror, let alone use Android 14 Desktop mode (Beta). For many, this is a deal breaker. Wi-Fi speeds varied wildly and required disable/enable Wi-Fi to change bands.	Same

4/5G – Pass(able)

For city and suburbs use only – unacceptable for a flagship phone.

SIM	Single SIM and eSIM or dual eSIM	Same
Active	Single Active	Same
Ring tone single, dual	Single	Same
VoLTE	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/30/32/38/40/41/42/46/48/66/71	Same
Comment	World phone	Same
5G sub-6Ghz	1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/25/28/30/38/40/41/66/71/75/76/77/78	1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/40/41/48/66/70/71/77/78
Comment	World phone	World phone
mmWave	US Market only n257/258/260/261	No
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	Would not run	Same
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-87/2pW	Same
Tower 2	No	Same
Tower 3	No	Same
Tower 4	No	Same
Comment	Flagship phones should have good signal strength in all areas. It is disappointing that it is strictly a city and suburbs phone where there is good tower coverage.	Same

Battery – Pass

Performs as expected, but no charger inbox, and fairly slow charging loses points.

mAh	5050mAh	4575mAh
Charger, type, supplied	Not supplied. Claimed 30W chargeable Test 9V/3A/27W	Not supplied. Claimed 27W chargeable Test 9V/2.7A/25W
PD, QC level	3 – any PD or PPS charger will work	Same
Qi, wattage	23W using Pixel stand; otherwise 15W	18W using Pixel stand; otherwise 15W
Reverse Qi or cable.	Yes – <5W	Same
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive	Same
Charge 0-100%	1 hour 50 minutes	1 hour 27 minutes
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	6 hours	6 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	16 hours 56 minutes	17 hours 12 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	13 hours 52 minutes Accubattery 15 hours	15 hours Accubattery 16 hours 37 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Hung – out of memory	Same
GFX Bench T-Rex	352 minutes (5.87 hours) 6209 frames	348.8 (5.81 hours) 6728 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	4 hours 28 minutes	6 hours 29 minutes
mA full load	2000-2200mA	1800-2000mA
mA Watt idle Screen on	300-350mA	250-300mA
Estimate loss at max refresh	Tested on Adaptive	Same
Estimate typical use	Google advertises up to 24 hours of typical use. Heavy users (gamers) will get 4-5 hours screen on. We think it’s a retrograde step not to include a charger inbox. Although tests were done with a Google 30W charger, we found that other PD/PPS chargers did not charge a 9V/3A/27W, tending to charge at 9V/2A/18W.	Same
Comment	The result is commensurate with a flagship phone, e.g., one day’s use.	Same

Sound – Pass(able)

It has a very basic sound system with mismatched top and bottom speakers and no Dolby Atmos, 3D spatial sound or EQ.

Speakers	Forward-firing earpiece and bottom-firing speaker	Same
Tuning	N/A	Same
AMP	Exynos	Same
Dolby Atmos decode	No	Same
Hi-Res	No	Same
3.5mm	No	Same
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, royalty-free aptX and HD, LDAC	Same
Multipoint	Yes	Same
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No	Same
EQ	No	Same
Mics	Three, including one for noise reduction	Same
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	80	80
Media (music)	80	80
Ring	75	71
Alarm	79	78
Notifications	76	75
Earpiece	60	60
Hands-free	Three mics offer some noise reduction, and AI enhances that. Stereo video recording.	Same
BT headphones	Excellent BT signal but only supports a limited range of codecs.	Same

Sound quality – Fail

What can we say? It is fine for clear voice, but that is it.

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil	Same
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil	Same
High Bass 100-200Hz	Almost nil	Same
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Almost nil – a long, slow build	Same
Mid 400-1000Hz	still slow building	Same
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat (at last)	Same
Low Treble 2-4kHz	flattish	Same but clipping
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Declining	Same
High Treble 6-10kHz	Declining	Same
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Flat but too low to make any difference.	Same
Sound Signature type	This is one of the worst music sound signatures I have listened to. No low/mid/high-bass, clipped and slowly building mid (no vibrancy), 1-4kHz for clear voice is fine, almost no significant treble.	Same
Soundstage	There is a bias towards the bottom speaker. The sound stage is as wide as the device. DA content makes no difference at all.	Same
Comment	If you like listening to audio or video on phone speakers, this is not for you.	Same

Build – Pass+

If you like Google design, you will love this. It is just that bit different.

Size (H X W x D)	162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8	150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9
Weight grams	213	187
Front glass	Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Gorilla Glass Victus
Rear material	Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Gorilla Glass Victus
Frame	100% recycled content in polished aluminium housing.	100% recycled content in painted aluminium housing
IP rating	IP68	Same
Colours	Bay, Obsidian, Porcelain	Hazel, Obsidian, Rose
Pen, Stylus support	Not really	Same
In the box
Charger	No	Same
USB cable	1m USB-C to USB-C 2.0 3W cable	Same
Buds	No	Same
Bumper cover	No	Same
Comment	Well-made. No charger inbox loses points.	Same

OS – Exceed

Google sets the bar extremely high, and it will be interesting to see if others follow suit.

Android	14 Includes 7 years of feature drop updates	Same
Security patch date	5 November 2023	Same
UI	Pure Android with some Google modifications	Same
OS upgrade policy	7 years	Same
Security patch policy	7 years	Same
Bloatware	GoPro Quik LinkedIn Spotify TikTok	Same
Other	All Google Suite apps	Same
Comment	Pure Android and the best upgrade policy, bar none. I am still exploring Android 14, but it has many new features.	Same

Security – Pass+

While Google has good security, it is expected in flagships – Samsung Knox, Motorola ThinkShield, OPPO’s private folders and more. Interestingly it uses AI to make 2D face ID secure.

Fingerprint sensor location, type	Under glass	Same
Face ID	Secure Face unlock Uses AI to allow a 2D image to meet security standards.	Same
Comment	VPN by Google One at no extra cost End-to-end security designed by Google Multi-layer hardware security: Tensor security core, Titan security chip and Trusty (Trusted Execution Environment) Anti-malware and anti-phishing protection, including support for passkeys Automatic security checks and privacy controls with Security and Privacy hub Camera and mic toggles Private Compute Core Android System Intelligence Android Messages end-to-end encryption and Android backup encryption	Same

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro rear camera – Exceed/Pass+

Both use the Samsung GN2 50MP2 sensor that bins to 12.5MP, producing pleasing day and night stills and videos. But three things diminish an otherwise excellent performance. Bokeh (background blur), artifacts (from AI processing) and particularly image preview (not matching the screen) need improvement.

The Google Pixel 8 uses the primary sensor for almost everything, so its weakness is zoom (8X digital) and no macro (if you need this). It extensively uses AI to post-process shots and scores well in DXOMark ratings. The 12MP ultra-wide is simply for wider shots, and these are competent. The single-point ToF sensor is for depth – bokeh. If it does not find a human face or a subject large enough to measure distance, bokeh is wrong.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro has three sensors, all of which bin to allow for AI post-processing. It scores very well in DXOMark as fifth best (at test time). While the 50/12.5MP primary sensor still does much of the work it mainly is for the ‘point-and-shoot capability’. The 48/12MP Telephoto takes over for any zoom (5X Optical and up to 30X digital). The 48/12MP ultrawide is for wider shots and doubles as an excellent macro. The ToF 8×8 point sensor allows for background and foreground blur.

The FIR thermometer is not medical grade, and our tests show it can vary by up to 4°C from a medical thermometer. It has a range of about 5cm, and Google says that it will likely use the feature in future AI applications. At the moment it is not the reason to buy.

Photos are presented in brackets to show differences. 8 Pro is the left column or as noted.

Google Pixel 8 and Pro sensors

Rear Primary	Wide	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP	Same
Sensor	Samsung 50MP Quad/Nona Bayer GN2
Focus	Octa PD
f-stop	f/1.68
um	1.2
FOV° (stated, actual)	82
Stabilisation	OIS and EIS
Zoom	1X (above this handled by Telepphoto)	8X
Rear 2	Ultrawide/Macro	Ultrawide
MP	48MP bins to 12MP	12MP
Sensor	Sony IMX787	Sony IMX386
Focus	Quad PDAF
f-stop	f/1.95	f/1.68
um	0.8 bins to 1.6	1.25
FOV (stated, actual)	125.5°	125.8°
Stabilisation
Zoom
Rear 3	Telephoto	N/A
MP	48MP bins to 12MP
Sensor	Samsung GM5
Focus	Quad PD
f-stop	f/2.8
um	0.7 bins to 1.4
FOV (stated, actual)	21.8°
Stabilisation	OIS and EIS
Zoom	5X Optical and up to 30X digital
Rear 4	Time of Flight sensor STM VL53L8 8×8 points	Time Of Flight sensor STM VL53L1 single point measures depth between 4-10m
MP	FIR thermometer MLX90632
Special	DXO Rating 153	DXO Rating 148
Video max	4K@60fps 4K@30fps HDR	4K@60fps 4K@30fps HDR
Flash	Dual	Single
Auto-HDR	Auto HDR still and video	Still
QR code reader	Google Lens	Google Lens
Night mode	AI	AI

Features (supplied by Google)

Items in bold are 8 Pro only

Pro controls High-resolution images Ultra HDR Magic Editor* Best take* Macro Focus Magic Eraser* Photo Unblur* Motion mode Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Night Sight Astrophotography Top Shot Portrait mode Portrait Light Super Res Zoom Motion auto-focus Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Live HDR+ Audio Audio Magic Eraser* Stereo recording Speech enhancement Wind noise reduction Audio zoom Audio Magic Eraser* Video Boost* Night Sight Video* Macro Focus Video 10-bit HDR video Cinematic Blur Cinematic Pan Slo-mo video support up to 240 FPS 4K timelapse with stabilisation Astrophotography timelapse Optical image stabilisation Fused Video Stabilisation 4K Cinematic Pan video stabilisation 4K locked video stabilisation 1080p active video stabilisation Digital zoom up to 20×13 Video formats: HEVC (H.265), AVC (H.264) * requires Google Photo cloud

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro front camera – Pass

MP	10.5	10.5
Sensor	Samsung 3J1	Samsung 3J1
Focus	AF	Fixed
f-stop	2.2	2.2
um	1.22	1.22
FOV (stated, actual)	95°	95°
Stabilisation	No	No
Flash	Screen fill	Screen fill
Zoom	No	No
Video max	4K@60fps	4K@60fps
Features
Comment	The selfie is adequate and overall the true-tone skin colour matches well. It is a wide angle for small groups.

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro ratings

Features	85	80
	This is hard. As a smartphone, it rates below other flagships. As an AI phone, it gains some points, but the question is, will you use these enough to warrant purchasing this over another flagship?	Several software features (mainly the camera) are depreciated compared to the Pro, but overall, it’s a good, serviceable phone.
Value	85	85
	Ditto for Features – it does not stack up on speeds and feeds.	Ditto for Features – it does not stack up on speeds and feeds.
Performance	75	75
	The Tensor G3 throttles badly. The Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1/2 is 40-60% faster.	The Tensor G3 throttles badly. The Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1/2 is 40-60% faster.
Ease of Use	80	80
	A two-edged sword. Tech-savvy users will try the AI camera features, but I suspect most will simply point-and-shoot.	A two-edged sword. Tech-savvy users will try the AI camera features, but I suspect most will simply point-and-shoot.
Design	90	90
	I don’t mind Google styling – it is different in a sea of glass slabs.	I don’t mind Google styling – it is different in a sea of glass slabs.
Rating out of 100	83	82
Final comment	While it is an evolution of the Pixel 7 Pro, it is more about the AI camera features and Google marketing. Regrettably, it is not a class leader in any category.	While it is an evolution of the Pixel 7, it is more about the AI camera features and Google marketing. Regrettably, it is not a class leader in any category.

Google Pixel 8 and Pro – Pro and Con

Pro
1	Great point-and-shoot camera with AI features if you need them.	Great point-and-shoot camera with AI features if you need them.
2	Bright screen	Bright screen
3	Raises the bar on OS and security patch updates	Raises the bar on OS and security patch updates
4
5
Con
1	Camera preview is off due to 8-bit screen	Camera preview is off due to 8-bit screen
2	Throttles badly	Throttles badly
3	Sound is not for music	Sound is not for music
4	Battery life is not as good as claimed	Battery life is not as good as claimed
5	Does not implement USB-C 3.2 Gen2 Alt DP audio/video streaming.	Does not implement USB-C 3.2 Gen2 Alt DP audio/video streaming.