Pixel 8 Pro Review: A Great Gift for the Holidays

The holiday season is approaching, and the Pixel 8 Pro would make a great gift! Released on October 12, the Pixel 8 Pro is the next phone in the Google Pixel series, and we were able to get our hands on one to test it out. Starting at $999, this phone doesn’t disappoint when compared to the previous Pixel 7 Pro.

Unboxing and Design

The product box contains the same items as the Pixel 7 Pro: a phone, a USB-C cable, a SIM card ejector tool, and a Quick Switch Adapter. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in three colors: Bay (blue), Obsidian (black), and Porcelain (white). The power and volume buttons are on the right side of the phone, and the SIM card slot is on the left side. Unlike the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t have a curved screen. The front camera is placed in the center of the screen, and the back of the phone has three cameras and a temperature sensor. The phone’s frame is aluminum, and the back has a matte glass finish.

Display

The Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7” OLED display and has HDR support. Users can increase the screen resolution to 1344 x 2992 pixels and the refresh rate to 120 Hz, but at the expense of increased battery usage. There’s also a Screen Protector Mode, which improves touch input when using a screen protector. The brightness is great; you can truly use your phone in the dark with ease. The Pixel 8 Pro has a crisp display, shows rich colors, and doesn’t lag when scrolling in apps.

Pixel 8 Pro Display

Performance and Battery

The Pixel 8 Pro has great performance when using different applications. The Google Tensor G3 processor is still powerful enough to handle taking multiple photos, watching live videos, and playing 3D games with ease. The 12GB of RAM can easily handle multitasking between high-performance apps. The Pixel 8 Pro comes with Android 14, the latest operating system. There are AI features that help with live translations, photo editing, and audio editing. The new temperature sensor is an infrared sensor that can be used to measure the temperature of objects from a distance of 2 inches. I also noticed that the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t heat up as much as its predecessor. The battery capacity has increased from the Pixel 7 Pro and is now 5,050mAh. Google claims that the battery lasts at least 24 hours, which is true; I was able to go 1.5 days before having to recharge. Overall, I am pleased with the performance.

Camera  

The camera is the main seller for the Pixel 8 Pro. The main lens is 50 MP, and the front lens is 10.5 MP, which allows for crisp, detailed photos to be taken. Camera modes include Action Pan, Long Exposure, Portrait, Night Sight, and Panorama. The Pro controls allow users to set shutter speed and ISO settings, which can create amazing photos in low light. Google AI allows users to edit people and objects in photos; objects and people can be deleted and moved around with Magic Eraser, and faces can be changed with Best Take. As with all Pixel phones, the camera doesn’t disappoint.

Summary

The Pixel 8 Pro is a great gift this holiday. The new features and upgrades from the Pixel 7 Pro make this a great buy. The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999 and is sold everywhere smartphones are sold.