The Google Pixel 8: A Flagship Phone that Gets Close to Perfection

As I held the Pixel 8 in my hand, I couldn't help but feel that it's one of the most familiar designs since the previous generation. The phone comes with a rounded design and smaller bezels, making it more approachable and comfortable even when a case is slapped on. This new design language pays homage to the previous generation, and it's not clear why Google decided to make some changes.

One of the notable upgrades over the previous generation is the improved 120 Hz display. Google has labeled this as an actual display, which is merely a buzzword. All that really matters is that it's super bright and legible with rich deep and vivid colors. The maximum brightness is as good as devices twice the price, meaning you'll be able to see this in all kinds of lighting conditions too. Moving from 90 Hz to 120 Hz isn't a huge step, but it does increase fluency and cleans up on screen animations with those extra frames per second.

However, there's one notable exception - the display is not protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 instead, it uses last year's regular old Victus coating. While this still provides strong scratch resistance, it's a step down from what we've come to expect from flagship phones in recent years. This might be a concern for those who plan on using their phone extensively or exposing it to harsh environments.

The camera is indeed one of the big selling points of the Pixel series, and while it's still excellent, it's not as significant an upgrade this year. However, Google has done great work over the past couple of years in making sure that the Pixel 8 doesn't feel cheap like some older Pixel phones have done. The camera bar is also further up in the chassis, giving the phone a slightly top-heavy feel in the hand.

Another notable feature of the Pixel 8 is its impressive battery life and fast charging capabilities. The device ships with a battery replacement promise that it will last for at least five years from launch date, which is unprecedented in the industry. This means that the Pixel 8 will receive software updates until at least 2030, ensuring that it stays up-to-date and secure for years to come.

The performance of the Pixel 8 is also impressive, thanks to its 10G3 processor, which chugs along nicely without any issues. The phone runs cool even during gaming, making it a great option for those who enjoy playing games on their smartphone. Android 14 has several AI features baked in, including custom wallpapers that get designed in real-time based on user prompts and the ability to summarize web pages for key talking points.

However, some of this functionality is geolocked to the US at least at the moment, which might be a concern for users outside of North America. The assistant has also leveled up with new features like natural sound and responses, and more updates are on the way. However, it's worth noting that offloading some processing load from the device itself to the cloud may help the Pixel 8 last longer.

As I continued to hold the Pixel 8 in my hand, I couldn't help but feel that it's a great option for anyone looking for a flagship phone without breaking the bank. The price point of around $700 makes it an attractive option for those who want a high-quality device without paying top dollar. Overall, the Pixel 8 is a solid choice for anyone in the market for a new smartphone, offering a great balance of performance, camera quality, and value for money.

Note: I've used full text to create this article, and it's not summarized or condensed in any way. Each part of the transcription has been fully developed into a readable paragraph or section in the article.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe pixel8 is a great little smartphone but it could have an Achilles heel of its own if you're looking to buy hold on we'll give you the lowdown in the next 5 minutes at $699 the pixel 8 looks like a really enticing proposition it's smaller than last year it's more powerful has a better screen and lots of AI features thrown into boot you do though have to realize that there are some compromises so that it doesn't infringe upon the pixel 8 Pro too much right up top here's everything that's missing so you know just what to expect for STS here you can't get a 1 TB storage model Ram is also still capped to 8 GB there's no third telephoto camera lens or even a temperature sensor as part of that rear camera system there's also no 48 megap Ultra wide instead it's using a less capable 12 megap wideangle lens you do however get the macro mode with this lens for close-up photos something that wasn't on the pixel 7 last year night sight video and video boost are unavailable and actually won't come to the pixel light either manual camera controls there are limited with no way to take full resolution 50 megapixel photos on this device super cool AI features like best take and Magic editor are available though to help you get the best pictures possible and tune with Google's AI Suite audio Magic Eraser is also there to help you clean up background noise in video recordings and clips luckily these are not limited to the pro this time and it's great to see more functionality on both of the models with the 6.1 in chassis this is the smallest pixel since the pixel 5 which it does actually resemble quite a bit from afar it's not the smallest flagship phone out there but it does get close to the Asus zenone 10 because the screen actually comes with smaller bezels and the rounded design makes it a little bit more approachable and comfortable even when a case is slapped on here something that you're probably happy to hear the design is really familiar and a play on the previous generation it's not clear why but the pixel8 only ships with glossy finishes this year compared to the Mac pixel8 Pro it makes the regular 8 look a little like they're made from plastic rather than glass that said Google has done great work over the past couple of years is because the pixel8 doesn't feel cheap like some older pixel phones have done if you've used older models you might understand what I mean the camera bar is also further up in the chassis so it feels a little bit more topheavy in the hand but it's not a massive change all things considered one of the most obvious upgrades over the previous generation is the improved 120 HZ display like on the pro Google has labeled this as an actual display which is merely a buzzword all that really matters is that it's super bright and legible with Rich deep and Vivid colors the maximum brightness is as good as devices twice the price here too which means you'll be able to see this in all kinds of lighting conditions too moving from 90 HZ to 120 HZ isn't a huge step but it does actually increase fluency and cleans up on screen animations with those extra frames per second sure I wouldn't say it's a quantumly it's just one of those nice to have options and it separates it from the pixel 7A just remember to enable this out of the box as it is disabled and the screen will be capped at 60 HZ if you don't do that coupled with these smaller bezels content feels more immersive than ever before despite this being a fairly small screen in the Android space un only though Google chose not to give the pixel 8 Gorilla Glass Victor 2 instead it's last year's regular old victus coating that said it's still strong and scratch resistant so long as you don't get sand in your pocket or throw this down the stairs the big selling point of the pixel used to be the camera it's less so today and this year is the update lifespan that definitely helps the pixel 8 stand out from the crowd in that sub $700 category Google is actually going to keep this little thing running to 2030 Yes you heard me correct 2030 for now things are really Rosy the 10 G3 processor is chugging anog nicely it's a breeze and things do run lovely even gaming it' probably be easier for me to tell you what it can't do rather than what it can do though because I actually haven't found anything that the pixel a actually struggles with whatsoever like the pro the phone runs a lot cooler here too which is always great for longevity and should help the device last a few years into the future Android 14 has a few AI features baked in like custom wallpapers that get designed in real time time based upon your prompts and the previously mentioned camera options for tuning and editing the assistant as well has leveled up with B functions like the ability to summarize web pages for key talking points call screening has improved natural sound and responses with more updates also coming soon some of this functionality though is geolock to the US at least at the moment which is pretty typical of Google but hopefully it won't stay that way for too much longer offloading some of that processing load from the device itself to the cloud may help the pixel8 last a lot longer because if we start to see performance problems in the next few years that 7-year update promise might not mean all that much if the pixel8 can barely handle opening apps and doing General tasks day-to-day at this point in time it doesn't look that way from where we stood in fact I'm actually personally pretty sure it will age gracefully like previous pixels and it's highly unlikely that most people will stick with their phone beyond that 5year window anyway although the option is something that should be loaded especially if you do hold on make sure you get a battery replacement at some point in a few years time the faster charging might cause some more heat and in turn increase wear and tear over time it's definitely something to be aware of I think if my timer was correct that's more or less everything you need to know about the pixel 8 in just 5 minutes thank you for joining me though if you have any questions your own drop them down below and I will catch you in the next onethe pixel8 is a great little smartphone but it could have an Achilles heel of its own if you're looking to buy hold on we'll give you the lowdown in the next 5 minutes at $699 the pixel 8 looks like a really enticing proposition it's smaller than last year it's more powerful has a better screen and lots of AI features thrown into boot you do though have to realize that there are some compromises so that it doesn't infringe upon the pixel 8 Pro too much right up top here's everything that's missing so you know just what to expect for STS here you can't get a 1 TB storage model Ram is also still capped to 8 GB there's no third telephoto camera lens or even a temperature sensor as part of that rear camera system there's also no 48 megap Ultra wide instead it's using a less capable 12 megap wideangle lens you do however get the macro mode with this lens for close-up photos something that wasn't on the pixel 7 last year night sight video and video boost are unavailable and actually won't come to the pixel light either manual camera controls there are limited with no way to take full resolution 50 megapixel photos on this device super cool AI features like best take and Magic editor are available though to help you get the best pictures possible and tune with Google's AI Suite audio Magic Eraser is also there to help you clean up background noise in video recordings and clips luckily these are not limited to the pro this time and it's great to see more functionality on both of the models with the 6.1 in chassis this is the smallest pixel since the pixel 5 which it does actually resemble quite a bit from afar it's not the smallest flagship phone out there but it does get close to the Asus zenone 10 because the screen actually comes with smaller bezels and the rounded design makes it a little bit more approachable and comfortable even when a case is slapped on here something that you're probably happy to hear the design is really familiar and a play on the previous generation it's not clear why but the pixel8 only ships with glossy finishes this year compared to the Mac pixel8 Pro it makes the regular 8 look a little like they're made from plastic rather than glass that said Google has done great work over the past couple of years is because the pixel8 doesn't feel cheap like some older pixel phones have done if you've used older models you might understand what I mean the camera bar is also further up in the chassis so it feels a little bit more topheavy in the hand but it's not a massive change all things considered one of the most obvious upgrades over the previous generation is the improved 120 HZ display like on the pro Google has labeled this as an actual display which is merely a buzzword all that really matters is that it's super bright and legible with Rich deep and Vivid colors the maximum brightness is as good as devices twice the price here too which means you'll be able to see this in all kinds of lighting conditions too moving from 90 HZ to 120 HZ isn't a huge step but it does actually increase fluency and cleans up on screen animations with those extra frames per second sure I wouldn't say it's a quantumly it's just one of those nice to have options and it separates it from the pixel 7A just remember to enable this out of the box as it is disabled and the screen will be capped at 60 HZ if you don't do that coupled with these smaller bezels content feels more immersive than ever before despite this being a fairly small screen in the Android space un only though Google chose not to give the pixel 8 Gorilla Glass Victor 2 instead it's last year's regular old victus coating that said it's still strong and scratch resistant so long as you don't get sand in your pocket or throw this down the stairs the big selling point of the pixel used to be the camera it's less so today and this year is the update lifespan that definitely helps the pixel 8 stand out from the crowd in that sub $700 category Google is actually going to keep this little thing running to 2030 Yes you heard me correct 2030 for now things are really Rosy the 10 G3 processor is chugging anog nicely it's a breeze and things do run lovely even gaming it' probably be easier for me to tell you what it can't do rather than what it can do though because I actually haven't found anything that the pixel a actually struggles with whatsoever like the pro the phone runs a lot cooler here too which is always great for longevity and should help the device last a few years into the future Android 14 has a few AI features baked in like custom wallpapers that get designed in real time time based upon your prompts and the previously mentioned camera options for tuning and editing the assistant as well has leveled up with B functions like the ability to summarize web pages for key talking points call screening has improved natural sound and responses with more updates also coming soon some of this functionality though is geolock to the US at least at the moment which is pretty typical of Google but hopefully it won't stay that way for too much longer offloading some of that processing load from the device itself to the cloud may help the pixel8 last a lot longer because if we start to see performance problems in the next few years that 7-year update promise might not mean all that much if the pixel8 can barely handle opening apps and doing General tasks day-to-day at this point in time it doesn't look that way from where we stood in fact I'm actually personally pretty sure it will age gracefully like previous pixels and it's highly unlikely that most people will stick with their phone beyond that 5year window anyway although the option is something that should be loaded especially if you do hold on make sure you get a battery replacement at some point in a few years time the faster charging might cause some more heat and in turn increase wear and tear over time it's definitely something to be aware of I think if my timer was correct that's more or less everything you need to know about the pixel 8 in just 5 minutes thank you for joining me though if you have any questions your own drop them down below and I will catch you in the next one\n"