Google Pixel 8

Technical specifications

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are more expensive in Europe than iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. Apple treats the European consumer significantly more fairly, if one can say that about Apple. After adding VAT, the price is prohibitive, and customers will choose the better-known Samsung or Apple.

@Kostek what are you saying, after all the price of the iphone 15 starts at 949 euros, and the pixel 8 at 799 euros. That is a 150 euro difference.

A month ago, the following review would have been neutral with a positive inclination, but the recent visual and functional changes introduced with Android 16 change the situation significantly. First, the Pixel freezes. Every day. It happens in such a way that it is not even possible to lock the phone. I have never used a device with such a problem before. Truly, there is not a single day without a system freeze. The new design language brings many negative changes, such as new icons on the status bar, although that is a minor detail. The new button shapes in the quick action menu look worse. The rounding angle varies depending on whether the button is active. This turned out very poorly. Options in the settings also have their own shapes, which wastes even more space. The volume sliders are completely incomprehensible. Exactly, the volume. This brings us to a topic that particularly irritates me. Screenshots always make sounds. It is impossible to turn this off. That is, it is possible by setting the call volume to 0. Where is the sense or logic in that? It is similar with the phone unlocking sound. Here it is slightly worse because this new sound pretends to be a vibration. However, it is not: after listening closely, it is clear that the phone emits a subtle acoustic signal. This means one can have the unlocking sound disabled and yet hear it in reality. This is an unsatisfactory situation. The solution for this is a global disabling of vibrations, which also applies to calls and alarms. I will add parenthetically that the unlocking animation itself is now even longer. I have complained enough, so perhaps some positives. The battery is not as bad as I thought it would be after reading reviews of this phone. In fact, it is not bad at all. It lasts from 7:00 to 22:00 and has some energy remaining, although I work mainly from home and do not move around much during the day. On the other hand, it takes a long time to charge, especially wirelessly. The camera is supposedly "good", but "good" must be considered in relation to other phone cameras. In practice, a photo looks acceptable on a screen up to 8 inches. Given the current level of technology, nothing is likely to change here soon. To me, the camera topic is an unnecessary feature; I am not convinced by this, it is pure marketing. But if someone wants to be able to say they take better photos than Samsung and iPhone, the Pixel 8 might be for them. Compared to previous Android versions, the Pixel pleasantly surprised me by not requiring regular restarts. But that was until Android 16. It is likely an issue with early versions that will be resolved in the future. If not for the problems mentioned above, this phone would be a good option. Admittedly in the mid-range category, because 8 GB of RAM is not enough today. However, it is difficult to use the Pixel without irritation, although I tried very hard. A better option with clean Android would be the Zenfone 10; with the 16/512 version, it is a phone for many years, even though it is already two years old.

Pros:
- great screen (HDR!), a pity it is not rectangular
- surprisingly good fingerprint reader; I was afraid it would be a significant downgrade after switching from a phone with a reader in the power button, but it really works well here, even with a protective glass applied
- the battery is acceptable, it easily lasts until night on Wi-Fi, only LTE is capable of draining it earlier
- the camera far outperforms more expensive competitor models, although it is still only Instagram photo quality, nothing more
- you can fit many quick action controls on the first page when their size is reduced by half
- good call quality, practically no problems with VoWiFi/VoLTE
- a rare case where navigation gestures on Android do not cause conflicts with third-party launchers, there are absolutely no problems here
- long manufacturer support period

Cons:
- gigantic size and heavy weight (seriously, it would be appropriate to reduce it by more than 1 inch)
- practically no bezels around the screen, which makes elements too low or too high, but that has been a standard for many years
- glass back (unpleasant)
- screenshot sound that cannot be turned off (who came up with this?)
- it is absolutely impossible to use this phone with out-of-the-box animations enabled; shortening their duration is the minimum, but it is best to disable them entirely
- it takes a long time to charge, but when you plug it in overnight, the problem disappears
- aggressive haptics, and after disabling them, you cannot have alarm/call vibrations; these should be separate!
- visual changes came in Android 16 intended to make the Pixel resemble an iPhone, unpleasant
- Gboard has been disappointing for some time, and for some reason, it works 10 times better on an iPhone
- no jack
- 8 GB is a bit little, processes can already be terminated when we accidentally turn on the camera...
- the processor cannot compete with Snapdragon, but in everyday use, it is not something to be extremely frustrated about

Final rating: if you do not care about the camera, it is better to get the Zenfone 10 with 16 GB of RAM, and if you do, the P8 is the last phone under (insert 4-digit number here) inches on which you will take a nice photo for Instagram.

After switching from realme GT master edition and having experience with the Samsung Galaxy s22, I find the Google Pixel 8 to be a truly great phone. Ever since Google released the Pixel 4, these phones have caught my attention, and when the realme GT started lagging significantly, the battery was depleting very quickly, and I did not receive Android 14 on it, I decided it was time for a Pixel. Immediately after unboxing, I thought the design of this phone was very original. As for performance, it is excellent. My old realme, even when brand new, was not able to function this way, although theoretically, the refresh rate was at the same level; perhaps this is also due to pure Android, and as for that, I miss some of the features found in the realme skin, but it is really possible to get used to it. While playing demanding games, there are no stutters, lags, etc., so despite various opinions about this processor, it really performs well, but unfortunately, after some time of gaming, the phone becomes extremely hot. The photos are wonderful, but the "magic" modifications provided by AI are not always as they should be; I hope they resolve this issue in updates, but even without that, it is manageable; night photos on the realme were a complete failure. The sound is perfect; I had the opportunity to compare it with the iPhone 15 pro max, and in my opinion and others', it was a tie. The battery is unfortunately the main weakness of this phone, as I have to charge it shortly after returning from work, so with normal use, there is no chance of it lasting 2 days on a single charge. Everything else, such as the fingerprint reader, touch response, and connectivity, is excellent. Compared to the Samsung s22, there is a small or slightly larger advantage in favor of the Pixel in every aspect. In summary: the battery could definitely be more durable, the processor could avoid getting so hot during gaming, and the AI could work more efficiently, but the rest is very positive. I recommend it.

Overall rating 7/10, but one must accept the existing flaws.
Plusy:
- Camera 8/10 despite being, in my opinion, just a good sensor, and the phone makes small contrast adjustments and usually crops the photo by 10 percent. A bit better and certainly brighter than Apple 15.
- System 7/10 everything works as it should, it does not stutter, but the processor heats up to 42C during children's games.
- 7/10 Battery life lasts a whole day
Minusy:
- 4/10 Battery charging is a failure!!! The charger is not included in the set, it costs 110 and charges in 1 hour, 20 minutes, a possible replacement is a 33 W Xiaomi charger with the original cable - also 1 hour, 20 min., others despite standards like PD, Qi etc. either show that the phone does not support them or charge at 10 W instead of 27 W.
- 7/10 Display Redmi 11s has deeper colors and much better black, but it is dimmer, Apple 15 has better colors and is brighter, however, in the Pixel the colors are a bit washed out, and there are two modes in the settings.
- 3/10 In-screen fingerprint reader, it works well without protective glass, but with glass it works once in ten times, there is an option to increase sensitivity, but it does not work for the fingerprint. One must enter the PIN very often when it is darker, because when it is brighter, it can be unlocked with the face. In the dark, unlike the iPhone, it will not unlock with the face.
- 5/10 e-sim can unexpectedly request a PIN, no mini jack, no infrared diode.

After 1.5 years and numerous updates, it is time for a well-deserved change of opinion.
9/10- fingerprint reader; I do not know how they did it, but an option for unlocking with a screen protector was added, and it unlocks instantly and recognizes the print 9/10 times even through glass, film, or the thickest Hybrid Glass,
photos plus
9/10 Screen - colors are less saturated than Xiaomi or iPhone, however, the white is better, with a slightly warmer tone, and the text contrast is superior
6/10 Battery. This is the worst element - unfortunately, 5 hours of SOT or 6 hours of just YouTube podcasts in the background. A power bank is necessary, but MagSafe power banks work.
iPhone 15 has 30 percent at a similar charge level when the Pixel 8 runs out of power; although videos show otherwise, creators usually do not use two cards, eSIM and SIM, but instead record battery life comparisons on Wi-Fi.
9/10 photos - undoubtedly, the photos are top quality, only lacking a telephoto lens.
9/10 SIM + eSIM - updates shortly after the previous review was written fixed everything
9/10 Google features, updates, great changes, significant improvement in appearance and behavior.

A year and a half after I bought the phone, a pink line appeared on the screen. I figured it was no big deal and sent it in for a warranty repair. Google quoted the repair at 1,900 PLN. After pushing support for answers, it turned out that for them to replace the screen, I have to pay for the repair of all alleged damages. That's their policy. They listed a bunch of nonsense, like a damaged camera or frame. I sent them a photo taken with the phone just 20 minutes before shipping it to show that everything works perfectly. Their response was that it’s not about functionality, but rather that the camera housing "looks bad," so it needs to be replaced. Seriously. Pathetic. A flagship phone shouldn't have issues like a line on the screen, and if they do occur, they should just fix it without any questions and apologize. Instead, after a year and a half of normal use, they’re telling me to replace half the phone. That says a lot about the quality. Never again with Google hardware, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Chinese-brand phones costing a fraction of the price lasted much longer for me without any issues.

The phone is generally very good. Pros:
+ size - fits excellently in the hand
+ cameras - automation works excellently, I have not had a phone with better camera automation
+ fluidity of performance
+ speakers - they sound sensational
+ haptics / vibrations - perhaps even better than in the iPhone

Some might find the slippery casing bothersome, but I use a case anyway, so it is not a problem.

The problem, however, is the battery. Generally, it lasts reasonably well, but the phone tends to heat up significantly.
But I had a problem with inductive charging - in the car while using Android Auto, the phone would discharge despite being charged. I tested it on another phone and this problem does not exist. That it heats up immensely during the use of Android Auto and charging - I will not mention, but that is probably normal.

And also the screen - good, fluid, but ultimately I chose the Motorola Edge 50 NEO, which for half the price has, in my opinion, among other things, a better and brighter screen.

I do not know what A15 is for since old errors remain. You can still turn off a locked phone by pulling down the notification bar. The panel itself moves reluctantly and you are more likely to turn something on or off than to slide it. Navigation buttons do not disappear like in Samsung and they cover the icons of the graphic editing application; if we switch to gestures it is better, but the bottom bar is visible all the time and also covers things. If we place a shortcut to the camera or flashlight on the lock screen, it will cover the message we place on the lock screen, in my case "Jeśli znajdziesz zadzwoń i nu nr tel". SMS messages arrive in airplane mode. There is no double-tap screen lock, no home screen icon layout lock, and some foolish notification bar on the home screen where no icon can be placed. Photos, especially night ones, are very sharp, sound through headphones is very good, and through speakers also good. To sum up, things that Samsung mastered a long time ago are a tragedy here.