Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro with Tensor G3 and new ultrawide cameras unveiled
After dozens of leaks and teasers, today the time has finally come: The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are here. The most important innovation is the Tensor G3 chipset, which is manufactured by Samsung using a 4 Nm process. It has a 9-core processor with a single Cortex-X3 Prime core, four Cortex-A715 cores and another four Cortex-A510. The Pixel 8 sticks with 8 GB of RAM, while the Pro uses 12 GB in all variants. Both Pixel smartphones are IP68 water and dust resistant and feature fingerprint and face unlocking.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Google Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with a QHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The peak brightness is an extremely bright 2,400 nits, while Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the panel.
There are three cameras on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro, including a 50-megapixel Octa-PD wide camera with Phase Detect autofocus and OIS. There is also a 48 megapixel quad PD ultrawide camera and a 48 megapixel quad PD zoom camera with 5x optical zoom and up to 30x super digital zoom. The selfie camera has a resolution of 10.5 megapixels and, in addition to a wide field of view, also has autofocus.
In addition to the cameras, there is a new skin temperature sensor that Google is installing exclusively in the Pixel 8 Pro. The sensor is reportedly a Melexis MLX90632, whose sole purpose is to measure temperature. There are no clever photo tricks. This is ensured in the new Pixel 8 series by Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Best Take and Macro Focus, which uses the ultrawide. The Pro is also the only model to feature the new Pro Controls feature.
The battery has a capacity of 5,050 mAh and charges via cable with 30 watts and wirelessly with 23 watts.
Google Pixel 8
The Google Pixel 8 is 10g lighter compared to the Pixel 7 thanks to the smaller 6.2-inch FHD+ display. But the new display is better in every way – with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, it’s significantly brighter and finally has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, it only refreshes between 60 and 120 Hz. Gorilla Glass Victus provides protection.
The regular Pixel 8 also gets a new ultrawide, although it’s not the same as the Pros. It is a 12 megapixel sensor with autofocus and macro functions. There is also a 50 megapixel Octa-PD main camera with 8x Super Res digital zoom. The 10.5 megapixel selfie camera is identical, but the 4,575 mAh battery is significantly smaller. At 27 watts via cable and 18 watts wirelessly, it also charges a little slower.
Both new Pixel 8 smartphones come with free VPN via Google One. For most users, however, the seven years of operating system and security updates will be much more interesting, which is the longest runtime in the Android field to date. In fact, this even beats Apple, which only distributes iOS 17 to iPhones that are a maximum of 5 years old.
The Google Pixel 8 with 128GB starts at €800/$700/INR 76,000 in Hazel, Obsidian and Rose. The 128GB Pixel 8 Pro is available in Blue, Obsidian and Beige starting at €1,100/$1,000/INR 107,000. When you buy the basic model you get free Pixel Buds Pro and when you buy the Pro model you get the Pixel Watch 2, which was also introduced today, in Europe and the USA. In India, however, there is only a 50% discount on accessories.
