Google Pixel 8 Pro
The latest and greatest from Google, the Pixel 8 Pro packs in a full range of camera updates to boost performance, it has more power and a more capable display. It’s more expensive, but it’s likely to be worth it.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 Pro has been a great flagship, offering a superb camera experience. That’s likely to be eclipsed by the PIxel 8 Pro, but this remains a solid choice - especially if you’re able to get a good deal on it. You won’t get as many updates, however.
Google has announced its new flagship for 2023,the Pixel 8 Pro. It comes in and replacesthe Pixel 7 Pro, updating the incumbent device with a range of enticing new features and looking to be the best Pixel so far. But what’s actually changed, and importantly, will this phone be worth the update?
The Pixel 7 Pro launched in 2022 and has been Google’s flagship phone for the past year. Both phones launched alongside smaller devices in, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8, and the Pixel Watch accompanied both.
Price, availability and specs
The Pixel 8 Pro launches at $999, which is a $100 bump over the Pixel 7 Pro, which launched at $899. We will reveal whether that price increase is justified as we review the details below. It’s worth noting that the Pixel 7 Pro has seen regular discounts during sales events, and the Pixel 8 Pro likely will too.
The Pixel 7 Pro is widely available now, and the Pixel 8 Pro is now going into pre-order, with availability expected soon. Before we move on any further, below are the specs so you can quickly compare these two devices.
Design and build
The Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 7 Pro are remarkably similar, but these devices have notable differences. The camera bar around the back has been modified, but it remains the defining feature of this phone. The Pixel 8 Pro has all the lenses together, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro has the zoom separated in its own opening.
In terms of size, the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 7 Pro are basically the same size and weight, but the display is now flat on the Pixel 8 Pro, so it doesn’t curve towards the edges like it did on the Pixel 7 Pro. That makes the polished aluminium frame uniform around the edges. There’s achange to the colors: the Pixel 8 Pro comes in Obsidian, Porcelain and Bay (that’s black, white and blue), whereas the Pixel 7 Prowas availablein Obsidian, Snow and Hazel (that’s black, white and green).
The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the rear of the Pixel 8 Pro is now matte rather than gloss as it was on the Victus finish on the Pixel 7 Pro. Both areIP68 protected, however, so they are equally protected against water and dust.
The Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 2992 x 1344 pixel resolution (489ppi). It’s an LTPO OLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, and thanks to that display tech, it offers a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Like the rear, it’s covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It will offer a peak brightness of 2400 nits.
That’s slightly different to the Pixel 7 Pro, but not much. The 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch display but records a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution for 512ppi - so the absolute pixel quality is slightly lower on the new phone. It’s also an LTPO display offering, but on the 7 Pro, this only offered to automatically switch between 60 and 120Hz - so the Pixel 8 Pro display is more sophisticated.
The Pixel 7 Pro also only offers a peak brightness of 1500 nits, so there’s quite a bump in performance here. This should mean that the Pixel 8 Pro is better in bright sunlight while also better at delivering HDR performance. That’s probably worth the minor trade-off in pixel density when compared to the old display.
Hardware and performance
One big change with the Pixel 8 Pro is the move to the Tensor G3. This is the latest version of Google hardware, compared to theTensor G2found in the Pixel 7 Pro. We’ve not had the chance to compare these devices head-to-head yet to see what the hardware brings, but we’re expecting a boost in the speed of AI tasks. The RAM remains the same on these devices - with both offering 12GB.
There’s a minor bump to the battery with a 5050mAh cell in the Pixel 8 Pro compared to the 5000mAh cell in the Pixel 7 Pro. Both promise 24 hours of battery life and 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver. Both support 30W charging, are Qi-certified and offer Battery Share functions.
Elsewhere, both have an in-display fingerprint sensor and offer Face Unlock. But a temperature sensor is a new hardware addition on the Pixel 8 Pro. This will let you detect the temperature of objects in front of the phone. Exactly what you’ll do with that, we don’t know, but it’s there.
On the connectivity front, the Pixel 8 Pro also offers WiFi 7, an enhancement over the WiFi 6E support on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Often, the part of the phone that’s of most interest to buyers - especially when it comes to the Pixel - you need to be aware of some camera differences between these two phones. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera with f/1.68 aperture and 1.2μm pixel pitch. The sensor is a 1.31in-type sensor. This looks like the same sensor as the Pixel 7 Pro - but the Pixel 7 Pro has an f/1.85 aperture, suggesting it has a different lens.
The ultrawide camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is entirely new, now with a 48-megapixel sensor with f/1.95 aperture and 0.8μm pixel pitch. On the Pixel 7 Pro, this was a 12-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 and 1.25μm. So this is a higher resolution sensor for the Pixel 8 Pro for that ultrawide, with a wider aperture, so it should let in more light. Exactly how the quality will change remains to be seen.
Finally, we have the optical zoom. On the Pixel 8 Pro, this is a 48-megapixel sensor with f/2.8 aperture, and 0.7μm pixel pitch. This looks like it’s probably the same sensor as before but with a new lens for the 8 Pro because the Pixel 7 Pro was f/3.5. That should mean that it again lets in more light so that it can offer better performance in less-than-perfect conditions.
Google, however, details that the Pixel 8 Pro gets Pro controls for the camera, will offer high-resolution photos and has new features such as Best Take and Video Night Sight. These could arrive on the Pixel 7 Pro through a software update, but we currently don’t know if that’s going to happen.
There’s another important detail on the camera. The Pixel 8 Pro has autofocus on the selfie camera. In contrast, previously, it was fixed focus - that means it will give you even better selfies, which should make quite a difference to the overall experience.
On balance, there are quite a lot of changes in the camera - and the Pixel 7 Pro had a stellar camera, so there could be a big boost in performance here.
The Pixel 8 Pro will launch withAndroid 14, and the Pixel 7 Pro will be updated to Android 14, too, so we’d expect software parity across the two devices. We’d also expect some of the AI enhancements announced with the Pixel 8 Pro to come to the Pixel 7 Pro - especially if they are part of Google Assistant. However, it’s not currently known what the update experience will be for the Pixel 7 Pro.
However, the Pixel 8 Pro launches with thepromise of 7 years of updates, both Android OS and security updates. This is 2-years more than the Pixel 7 Pro’s promise of 5 years of support. That could make quite a difference, especially as those looking to buy the Pixel 7 Pro now (a year after launch) will only be getting 4 years of updates.
Pixel 8 Pro vs Pixel 7 Pro: Which should you choose?
When you get into the details, these devices have quite a few differences. While on the surface, they look similar and sit in the same sort of position, the additional camera features on the Pixel 8 Pro might be all it takes to convince you that it’s a better phone. But there are other details in the display and the hardware that makes for a better device. But is it $100 better? It probably is.
But when all is said and done, the Pixel 7 Pro is a great phone. The performance is decent, and the camera is exceptional - and that’s not going to change. If anything, the price will likely fall, making the Pixel 7 Pro even better for money. While you won’t get all that hardware in the Pixel 8 Pro, software updates might mean you get a pretty close experience.
Pixel 7 Pro builds on the foundation of the Pixel 6 Pro, offering a more refined design, stunning camera performance and clean software.
