All You Need to Know About Google Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2

The 8th iteration of the smartest smartphone, Google Pixel is here. Along with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, Google also announced Pixel Watch 2 and Android 14 during its 2023 Google Pixel launch event.

As far as surprises go, Google has had a terrible history of keeping their devices from being leaked. And, most of what the rumors suggested about the Pixel 8 has come true. One of those was the brand-new AI integrated Camera. Before talking more about it in detail, let’s see what the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have to offer.

Here’s a quick look at the hardware specs of both 2023 Pixel devices:

 

	Google Pixel 8	Google Pixel 8 Pro
Display	FHD, 6.2-inch OLED at 60-120Hz refresh rate	QHD, 6.7-inch LTPO OLED at 1-120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Tensor G3	Tensor G3
RAM	8GB	12GB
Storage	128GB or 256GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
Battery	4,575mAh with wireless charging	5,050mAh with wireless charging
Camera	50MP wide angle + 12MP ultrawide rear cameras with laser auto focus and 10.5MP front camera	50MP wide angle + 48MP ultrawide + 48MP telephoto camera with multi-zone laser auto focus and 10.5MP front camera

Now, we all know that the Google Pixel has never been about the flashiest hardware. They’re known to show software magic that takes decently good hardware to match other flagships like the iPhone 15 that launched last month. But, that doesn’t mean Google has let the same hardware slide this year. The all-new Tensor G3 has to be the highlight hardware component this year alongside the new ultrawide sensor upgrade over last year’s Pixel 7 Pro. The Batteries have also seen a minor bump with the RAM, storage, and displays remaining the same.

But, what’s special about these new flagships from Google?

One of Google’s main selling points is its amazing, buttery-smooth software experience. With the Android 14, the Pixel 8 has new features like accessibility options, security improvements, and customization. The most notable features of Android 14 are the notification flashes, built-in health connect app, and better hearing-aid support.

Talking about Pixel 8 exclusive features, there’s a new camera feature called Best Take. It takes multiple photos and uses AI to combine them to get the best shot, hence the name. So let’s say you’re taking a photo and some people’s faces are not correctly captured. Using multiple photos, the feature will automatically adjust and edit those faces.

Sticking to the images, Google is also using generative AI for their new Magic Editor tool that can reposition, resize, and completely reimagine a photo after it’s shot. Other than that, the Google Assistant gets better this year. You can now use it to summarize web pages and read text aloud while automatically translating it. The Gboard also features better suggestions for proofreading your texts.

Google already has a tried-and-tested recipe for a great camera, as it has been one of the best in the industry. Some would even argue that Google’s photos are better in some situations when compared to the iPhone or Samsung’s Galaxy S23. This year’s camera has a few minor hardware upgrades to make it better.

The Pixel 8’s 50MP primary sensor has a wider aperture at ƒ/1.68 to take in more light. The ultrawide lens has a larger FoV to bring in more of the background without distorting the image too much. While that is a decent upgrade, the Pixel 8 Pro has an even better ultrawide sensor at 48MP along with an even wider aperture than the Pixel 8.

When it comes to the front cameras, the Pixel 8 doesn’t see a notable quality upgrade. However, they now have Class 3 biometrics which gives them the same security class as the fingerprint scanners. So, you can use both, fingerprint and face unlock with equal security for banking and locking your phone and apps.

Since its introduction with the Pixel 6 in 2021, Google has used the Tensor G-series processors that they designed and Samsung made. Each year, Google has announced unique software and camera features that were only possible thanks to their Tensor processors. This year’s Tensor G3 enables similar software features that we discussed earlier. It also has a next-gen ARM CPU along with an improved GPU and a next-gen TPU. All of these upgrades in the performance will improve camera quality, battery life, and day-to-day usage. However, it is worth noting that the tensor G3 is still nowhere near Apple’s A17 and Snapdragon Gen 8 processors.

Apart from the processor, everything is exactly the same in terms of storage capacity and memory. The battery life is expected to be slightly better considering a slight bump to the capacity and processor improvements.

The Google Pixel 8 and 8 pro have a 6.2-inch FHD and a 6.7-inch QHD display respectively. Both of them offer slightly better displays than last year. The Pixel 8 now offers a 120Hz refresh rate compared to the 90Hz of the Pixel 7. The Pixel 8 pro now has the capability to use a variable refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz. Other than that, both displays have slightly higher peak brightness.

The design hasn’t changed much at all from the Pixel 7 with the same camera bar on the rear top. However, unlike the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro no longer has a curved display. Some people loved it, some didn’t. Lastly, there are 2 new color options in shades of light blue and pink color.

Along with the Pixel phones, Google also announced the Pixel Watch 2 during the launch event. The 2nd generation smartwatch by Google saw major upgrades over the previous model. It has a new processor, an overhauled sensor array, added safety features, heart rate zone training, and Wear OS 4. The new processor will also increase the battery life to about 24 hours with an always-on display.

For the past couple of years, Google has tried to sink its feet in the higher-tier market just under the ultra-expensive flagship level of Apple and Samsung’s top models. And, they’ve nailed it with the pricing for both of their offerings this year.

The Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will cost around $699 and $999, respectively. Whereas, the Google Watch 2 will go for $349.99.

At these prices, the Pixel 8 makes for a great high-end phone if you’re okay with a slightly less powerful processor. The growing use of Google’s AI solutions is also a great start for the smartphone.

However, the $300 difference between the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro doesn’t offer that much to make it a no-brainer upgrade. Are you in the market for a new smartphone? If so, let us know if this year’s Google Pixel caught your eye.