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.
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.
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.
<em>With the Google Pixel 8 phones, you can create AI-generated wallpapers by describing what you want.</em>
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.
]]>
