Google Pixel 8 launch event: all the news – The Verge

What’s up with the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro?

2023-10-07T09:30:00-04:00

Temperature sensor. Temperature sensor? Temperature sensor. | Image: Google

The Pixel 8 Pro has an infrared temperature sensor. Why does the Pixel 8 Pro have a temperature sensor?

For an unusual feature on a $1,000 flagship phone, Google really isn't saying much about it. The Pixel 8 Pro announcement mentions it almost in passing:

And on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro, a new temperature sensor lets you quickly scan an object to get its temperature. Use it to check if your pan is hot enough to start cooking or if the milk in your baby's bottle is at the right temperature. We've also submitted an application to the FDA, to enable Pixel's Thermometer App to take your temperature and save it to Fitbit.

Any off-the-shelf …

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The Pixel 8 and the what-is-a-photo apocalypse

2023-10-07T08:30:00-04:00

One of the first known photo fakes, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, was made just decades after the dawn of photography itself. Since then, photographers have found themselves in endless arguments about what truly constitutes a photo - what's real, what's fake, and when is editing too much? Now, as we head into an era where AI-powered tools are everywhere and easily accessible, the discussion is going to be messier than ever. And with the Pixel 8, Google has turned the question of "what is a photo" right on its head.

Google has been leading smartphone photography down this path for many years now. The company pioneered the concept of computa …

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Google’s seven-year Pixel update promise is historic — or meaningless

2023-10-06T11:35:00-04:00

I can't believe Google finally did it. I'm still in disbelief. An Android phone with seven years of updates - not security patches, but real OS and feature updates? It's unheard of. It's historic.

It's the opposite of what we've come to expect from Google over the past decade and change - so many great smartphone features sadly left locked away because of Android fragmentation, so many products buried in the Google graveyard. With "seven years of OS upgrades, security updates, feature drops, and AI innovations," will the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro finally break the cycle?

I was ready to buy a Pixel this week, and I still might. I want to …

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Google’s Pixel 8 launch was a parade of AI

2023-10-06T09:30:00-04:00

A pile of new Pixel 8 devices. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

I don't know if you've heard, but Google's latest products are filled with AI. There's Magic Editor, a photo editing tool powered by generative AI; there's Conversation Detection, an audio transparency feature powered by AI; there are improved heart rate algorithms, which, yes, are also powered by AI.

Seven years of OS updates? Sounds like a great way to get more AI features from Google. New photography features? All AI. Tensor processor? Designed for AI, baby! "As always, our focus is on making AI more helpful for everyone, in a way that's both bold and responsible," Google's hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in an introduction that, by my …

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Here’s how Google’s new Pixel 8 phones stack up to the Pixel 7 lineup

2023-10-04T15:00:46-04:00

The Google Pixel 8 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch display and starts at $999. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

In addition to officially rolling out Android 14, Google introduced the Pixel Watch 2 and a new lineup of phones during its Made by Google Event on Wednesday. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro start at $699 and $999, respectively, and will be available on October 12th.

On the spec front, both phones sport Google’s new Tensor G3 chip, which is an upgrade over the G2 chip that marked Google’s Pixel 7 lineup. Each also comes with a 120Hz max refresh rate and seven years of software support and security updates. The Pro 8 touts a maximum of 1TB of storage as well, along with a new sensor for measuring the temperature of beverages, surfaces, and — perhaps one day — maybe even people.

Of course, we’ve yet to fully test the Pixel 8 models, so we can’t confirm whether the new phones are worth upgrading. That said, we like the new look and feel of both phones in our testing thus far, especially the Pixel 8’s smaller screen and the Pixel 8 Pro’s flatter display. We’ll have full reviews up soon, but, in the meantime, we’ve broken down the biggest differences between the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 lineups below.

The Pixel 8 Pro offers the largest, sharpest, and brightest display in the Pixel 8 lineup. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge" />

Price and size

First up, let’s talk about how much the phones cost and their size. The 6.1-inch Google Pixel 7A is the smallest of all of the phones and also the most affordable, starting at $499. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 are slightly bigger at 6.3 and 6.2 inches, respectively, and start at $599 and $699. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro — like the 7 Pro — is once again the largest at 6.7 inches and starts at $999, which is $100 more than the 7 Pro’s original price. The Pro models also offer more storage configuration, with the 8 Pro maxing out at 1TB and the 7 Pro offering up to 512GB. In contrast, the other phones max out at 256GB.

Design and display

Compared to the last-gen models, the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro offer rounder corners that should make each phone feel a little easier to hold. The Pro 8 also offers a matte finish on the back glass panel, which we liked, along with a flatter screen.

All of the phones also sport OLED displays, but they differ in terms of refresh rates. If you do a lot of mobile gaming, you might want to opt for the Pro models. Along with 12GB of RAM, the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro max out at 120Hz, so scrolling and switching between apps should be much smoother on these phones. The Pixel 8 only offers 8GB of RAM with a refresh rate that can vary between 60 and 120Hz, while the Pixel 8 Pro’s can go from 1 to 120Hz. In contrast, the standard Pixel 7 and Pixel 7A offer a lower 90hz refresh rate.

Interestingly, the Pixel 7 Pro is the sharpest phone with its 1440p display, while the Pixel 8 Pro comes in second at 1344p. That’s still a much higher resolution than the 1080p display found on the Pixel 8, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7A, however. The Pixel 8 phones are also much brighter than the Pixel 7 series, with Google claiming the Pixel 8 Pro offers a peak brightness of 2,400 nits in direct sunlight.

The Pixel 8 Pro comes with even more camera features, including new pro camera controls and AI-powered editing features. | Image: Google" data-portal-copyright="Image: Google" />

Processing power

As they’re powered by the new Google Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8 lineup should be faster than the already speedy Pixel 7 series. The new processor also allows for AI features the Pixel 7 lineup lacks, including Call Screen and Clear Calling, the latter of which is said to improve the quality of phone calls. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will also receive some new Google Assistant updates, with the voice assistant now capable of summarizing and reading web pages aloud.

The new Tensor G3 chip also adds new photo and video capabilities to the Pixel 8 lineup. This includes Best Take, a new feature that Google says combines group photos that are similar into one image where everybody “looks their best.” Another new feature, Macro Focus, magnifies small subjects, while Audio Magic Eraser is supposed to get rid of distracting sounds from videos.

Cameras

Speaking of photography improvements, the cameras on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro offer a few upgrades as well. Unlike the base models, both the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro feature a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 5x optical zoom. The Pixel 8 Pro, however, offers a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera lens that’s now capable of focusing as close as 2cm in macro mode. That’s an upgrade over the 12-megapixel ultrawide camera found in the Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8, as well as the Pixel 7A’s 13-megapixel ultrawide camera.

The Pixel 8 Pro also comes with some new pro controls that’ll allow you to control settings like focus, select which lens you’d like to use, and even access 50-megapixel JPEG or RAW shooting directly from the camera app.

Both Pixel 8 phones also offer 10.5-megapixel front-facing cameras and feature autofocus. Interestingly, that’s slightly lower than the 10.8-megapixel selfie camera found on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, and even lower than the 13MP on the Pixel 7A. All of the phones in both lineups also feature 50-megapixel main shooters except for the Pixel 7A, which offers a 64-megapixel main camera.

When it comes to video, all of the phones are capable of capturing 4K video at 60fps, though only the Pixel 7A’s main camera can do so. The Pixel 8 Pro will also arrive with new video capabilities in December, like Video Boost for more true-to-life colors, which will even work in low-light conditions when using the Night Sight feature.

Software

Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 7 lineups can run on Android 14, and you’ll be able to use its new features no matter which series you own. However, you can only create AI-generated wallpapers by describing them on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at launch. However, other Android 14 features — like the ability to sign in to third-party apps with your fingerprint or use your phone as a webcam — are available on Pixel 7 phones.

With the Google Pixel 8 phones, you can create AI-generated wallpapers by describing what you want.

The two lineups also come with different software support policies. Google says it’ll support both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with at least seven years of Android and security updates. In contrast, the Pixel 7 lineup only offers five years of security updates and three years of Android upgrades, meaning its software will start to go out of date sooner than that of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

Battery life

In our testing, we found the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro offered all-day battery life, while the 7A offered slightly less. Google claims both the Pixel 8 phones should at least last over 24 hours if not up to 72 hours with the battery saver mode on. Of course, we’ve yet to test the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, so it’s hard to tell how long they’ll last in reality.

We do know, however, that the Pixel 8 sports a larger 4,575mAh battery capacity than its predecessor’s 4,355mAh. We also know that the Pixel 8 Pro’s 5,050mAh battery capacity is slightly bigger than the 7 Pro’s 5,000mAh, so it’s possible the Pixel 8 lineup could last slightly longer than the Pixel 7 series.

By the numbers

There are other small differences between the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 lineups, too. Only the latter supports Wi-Fi 7, for example. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro owners can also use Google’s face unlock technology for payments, as well as to unlock their phones.

That’s just a broad overview of what differentiates each Google phone, though. If you want to dig in even further, we’ve gathered all the specs you need to know in the table below.

Here’s how Google’s new Pixel 8 phones compare to their top competitors

2023-10-04T13:38:11-04:00

Google’s new Pixel 8 certainly looks a whole lot like last year’s Pixel 7, which looked a lot like the Pixel 6. | Image: Google

Last year's Pixel 7 phones were an iterative spec bump and nice refinement in the design department (as polarizing as their looks remained), but part of what made those phones special was how much they offered for fairly competitive prices.

Now, Google has announced the $699 Pixel 8 and $999 Pixel 8 Pro (which are $100 price increases over last year's phones), each due to arrive on October 12th, and once again, they look a lot like a slow burn of subtle hardware improvements - albeit in a slick new light-blue color option on the Pro. But the showstopper feature of the new Pixels may be Google's software support, as it's claiming the new pho …

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Google claims its latest smartphone makes the ‘enhance!’ meme a reality

2023-10-04T11:44:05-04:00

During an onstage presentation at today's Pixel 8 Pro launch, Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh showed off how the smartphone is able to retroactively add detail to a photograph when you pinch to zoom in. "So the kind of zoom enhancement you used to see in science fiction? It's right in the phone in your hand," Osterloh said after introducing the feature, which Google is calling "Zoom Enhance."

Osterloh is referring, of course, to the countless sci-fi movies and police procedural shows that have shown characters zooming impossibly far into photos to reveal clues and details that simply could not have been present in the original image. Of …

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Google is launching a generative AI-enhanced version of Assistant

2023-10-04T11:38:06-04:00

During the Made by Google event, where it debuted new Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 hardware, Google also announced it's launching Assistant with Bard, which leverages generative AI to provide personalized assistance to users. The company says the new AI-enhanced assistant can do things like help plan your next trip, find details in your email inbox, and even create a grocery list.

Just like Bard on the web, Assistant with Bard will integrate with some of the company's existing apps, such as Gmail and Docs, to help you find and summarize information. Additionally, you can interact with the tool through text, voice, or images, and it will still …

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Google Pixel 8 launch event: the 7 biggest announcements

2023-10-04T11:28:57-04:00

Google's latest Pixel launch event has come to an end. Even though some of the products Google revealed were leaked well in advance, the company still managed to throw in a couple of surprises.

Here are all the biggest announcements from the Made by Google event.

The Pixel 8 Pro gets a price bump and a temperature sensor

Google has officially announced the Pixel 8 Pro, and it comes with quite a few upgrades. That includes a Tensor G3 chipset, along with an updated rear camera array with a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP telephoto lens with 5x zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide camera. It will even have a new Zoom Enhance feature that can retroactively add …

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Where to preorder the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro

2023-10-04T11:00:58-04:00

You can get a free Pixel Watch 2 if you preorder the Pixel 8 Pro. | Image: Google

Google announced the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on Wednesday during its Made by Google Event, introducing it alongside the new Pixel Watch 2. Both phones will be available on October 12th starting at $699 and $999, respectively, with preorders beginning today, October 4th.

Powered by the new Google Tensor G3, both phones should offer improved performance, audio, and voice quality. The chip also allows for new AI capabilities, like Audio Magic Eraser, which removes distracting sounds from videos. In addition, both phones now feature a max refresh rate of 120Hz and the promise of seven years of software support and Android updates. The Pro model, meanwhile, offers improved cameras and additional bells and whistles, like the ability to measure the temperature of objects.

We still have a few days left until the phones ship, but in the meantime, you can preorder either model from Google and other retailers. We’ll also be publishing our hands-on impressions shortly ahead of our full reviews, so stay tuned.

Where to preorder the Google Pixel 8

The Pixel 8 arrives with a 6.2-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate that can vary between 60 and 120Hz. The phone also now comes with the new, more powerful Google Tensor G3 chip and new capabilities. In addition to Audio Magic Eraser, Google Assistant can now read aloud, summarize, and translate webpages, while Call Screen filters out spam calls. Google claims the phones offer all-day battery life as well as improved rear cameras.

The Pixel 8 starts at $699 and is available in three colors: black, pink, and “hazel,” which is like a light gray with a hint of green. You can buy it with either 128GB or 256GB of storage, and both configurations come with 8GB of RAM. The phone will ship on October 12th and is available to preorder now from Amazon, Best Buy, and Google. Google is also offering a free pair of the Pixel Buds Pro or $200 off the Pixel Watch 2 with each preorder, while Best Buy is including the Pixel Buds Pro and up to $800 off with a qualifying trade-in.

Where to preorder the Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Pixel 8 Pro offers a larger, brighter 6.7-inch OLED screen than the standard model with a variable refresh rate that can go all the way from 1Hz to 120H. Like the Pixel 8, it also runs on the new Google Tensor G3 chip. However, the phone offers a triple-camera array with an upgraded 48-megapixel ultrawide camera lens. It also sports a built-in temperature sensor, so you can take the temperature of cookware, drinks, and other objects.

The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999, features 12GB of RAM, and comes in one of four storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. It’s available in black, light blue, and “porcelain,” which is like a combination of white and beige. You can preorder it now from Amazon, Best Buy, and Google ahead of its October 12th release date. As far as incentives go, Google is offering it with a free Pixel Watch 2 or a pair of Pixel Buds Pro, while Best Buy is throwing in a free Pixel Watch 2 and up to $800 in savings with select trade-ins.

Carrier deals and promotions

If you don’t want to buy an unlocked phone, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are all offering various promotions when you switch plans or trade in an eligible device.

Verizon

If you add a line, Verizon will give you a free Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro when you trade in qualifying phones on certain Unlimited plans. This promo is available to both existing and new customers, though new customers will also get a $200 e-gift card when they switch to Verizon. The carrier is also offering up to $800 off the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro when you trade in select devices on some Unlimited plans.

If you prefer freebies, Verizon is also throwing in a free Pixel Watch 2 when you buy the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro with select trade-ins and Unlimited plans, though you’ll need to add the LTE-equipped watch to a Verizon plan. The carrier is also offering 50 percent off Pixel Buds when you preorder the Pixel 8 as well as a 15 percent discount on chargers, cases, and other select accessories.

T-Mobile

You can also get a free Pixel 8 or an $800 discount on the Pixel 8 Pro from T-Mobile. You’ll either have to add a line or trade in an eligible device on the Go5G Plus, Go5G Next, Go5G Business Plus, or Go5G Business Next plans. Those who switch to T-Mobile on qualifying Business Unlimited plans are also eligible for this deal.

In addition, those trading select devices on eligible plans, including the Go5G and Magenta plans, can get up to $500 off either phone. If you add a line to those plans, you’re also eligible for a $400 discount on either phone. You’ll also get a free Pixel Watch 2 when you preorder either the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro; however, you’ll have to activate a new watch line for the LTE-enabled model via a virtual prepaid Mastercard to get the deal.

AT&T

You can get a free Pixel 8 Pro from AT&T when you trade in qualifying smartphones on select plans. If you prefer the Pixel 8 and don’t mind monthly installments, AT&T will let you pay $15 per month as opposed to $23.34 every month when you buy it on eligible plans.

Update October 4th, 11:46AM ET: We’ve updated this post to include additional preorder details from Amazon, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.