Brand | |
---|---|
Developer | |
Type | Smartphone |
Series | Pixel |
First released | October 12, 2023 |
Availability by region | October 2023
May 2024
|
Predecessor | |
Successor | |
Related | |
Compatible networks | |
Form factor | Slate |
Dimensions |
|
Weight |
|
Operating system | Android 14 Upgradable to Android 15 |
System-on-chip | Google Tensor G3 |
Modem | Samsung Exynos 5300i |
Memory |
|
Storage |
|
SIM | Nano SIM and eSIM |
Battery |
|
Charging |
|
Rear camera |
|
Front camera |
|
Display | |
Sound |
|
Connectivity | |
Data inputs | |
Water resistance | IP68 |
Model |
|
Codename | |
Hearing aid compatibility | M3, T4 |
Made in | India (some models) |
Other |
|
Website | |
References | [2] [3] |
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successors to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively. Visually, the phones resemble their respective predecessors, with incremental upgrades to their displays and performance. Powered by the third-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip, Google placed heavy emphasis on their artificial intelligence–powered features, especially in the realm of generative AI and photo editing.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro were officially announced on October 4, 2023, at the annual Made by Google event and were released in the United States on October 12. They received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised both the hardware and software despite their modest upgrades. The phones' AI features, Google's historic promise of seven years of software updates, and the Pro model's unconventional inclusion of a temperature sensor received significant attention and was heavily scrutinized, drawing mixed reactions.
In May 2023, 9to5Google reported that Google intended to launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in late 2023. [4] The phones were approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August of that year. [5] After previewing the phones in September, [6] Google officially announced the phones on October 4, alongside the Pixel Watch 2, at the annual Made by Google event. [7] Pre-orders became available the same day, [8] and the phones became available in 21 countries on October 12. [9] [10] Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh announced later that month that the company would begin manufacturing its Pixel phones in India beginning in 2024 with the Pixel 8, following Apple's lead with the iPhone 15 series. Bloomberg News reported that Dixon Technologies and Foxconn were among the top contenders for the job. [11] [12]
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are visually similar to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively, [13] with minor refinements such as a flatter screen, more rounded corners, and softer edges. The Pro model also features a matte finish. [8] [9] [14] They were each available in three colors, [8] with a fourth "Mint" color added in January 2024: [15]
The Pixel 8 has a 6.2 in (157 mm) FHD+ 1080p OLED display at 428 ppi with a 2400 × 1080 pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7 in (170 mm) QHD+ 1440p LTPO OLED display at 489 ppi with a 2992 × 1344 pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. [16] The Pixel 8 has a variable refresh rate of 60–120 Hz, while the Pixel 8 Pro has variable refresh rate of 1–120 Hz. Both phones contain a wide and a ultrawide rear camera, with the Pixel 8 Pro featuring an additional 48 megapixel telephoto 5× optical zoom rear camera. The front camera on both phones contains a 10.5 megapixel ultrawide lens. [9] As with the Pixel 7 series, the Face Unlock facial recognition system is enabled by software and the front camera, but adds support for secure biometric authentication. [17] [18]
The phones are powered by the third-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip (SoC), marketed as "Google Tensor G3", and the Titan M2 security co-processor. [18] [19] The OLED display, marketed as "Actua" and "Super Actua" on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, respectively, boasts "better color accuracy and higher brightness". [8] [18] The Pro model also features a temperature sensor on its rear camera bar, an unconventional feature for a smartphone. [18] It was launched with its use on humans pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration. [20] The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro were among the first phones on the market to support Wi-Fi 7, the latest wireless standard. [21]
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro shipped with Android 14 at launch, [14] coinciding with the stable release of Android 14 on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), [22] along with version 9.1 of the newly renamed Pixel Camera app. [23] It will receive seven years of major OS upgrades, with support extending to 2030, a significant extension compared to previous generations that places the Pixel on par with Apple's typical support lifetime for iPhones. [14] [18] Google also stated that it would stock spare parts for the devices for seven years. [24] Wired and The Verge noted that these two commitments were potentially linked to California's impending right to repair act requiring companies to provide support for devices costing $100 or more for seven years. [18] [24]
As with previous Pixel smartphones, artificial intelligence and software advancements took center stage during the Made by Google launch event. New camera features announced include Best Take, an upgraded Magic Eraser, Night Sight Video, Magic Editor, Audio Magic Eraser, and Real Tone on video. [8] [18] Exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro were Video Boost and manual "Pro" camera controls, [14] [25] although the latter was only artificially restricted to the Pro model via software. [26]
As part of Google's ongoing response to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google also announced Assistant with Bard, a new version of the Google Assistant virtual assistant that integrates the company's recently introduced Bard chatbot. [27] Other generative AI features included improved call screening, faster voice typing, grammar suggestions on Gboard, upgrades to the Recorder app, and a new magnifier app. [28] The Pixel 8 Pro was touted as the first piece of hardware to run Google's generative AI large language models fully on-device, [29] with Gemini Nano later being integrated into both models. [30] [31] [32]
On launch day, Google partnered with X Corp. to include an Easter egg on X, formerly known as Twitter, when users searched the hashtag #GooglePixel. [33] In November 2023, Google set up a "Google Pixel Experience Space" pop-up store in Taiwan to showcase the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. [34] In continuation of Google's multi-year sponsorship of the NBA, the Pixel 8's "Built Different" advertising campaign spanned the NBA's 2023–2024 season. A series of commercials, produced in collaboration with Robot Agency, featured numerous NBA athletes and personalities such as Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Chiney Ogwumike, Flau'jae Johnson, Jamad Fiin, Chris Brickley, Cameron Look, Richard Jefferson, and Crissa Jackson. [35] [36] Google also collaborated with The New York Times to capture street-style video for the publication's "Style Outside" column. [37] [38]
To promote the introduction of the "Mint" color in January 2024, Google partnered with street artist Ricardo Gonzalez to paint over a Pixel 8 billboard in New York City. [39] In February 2024, Google released a commercial titled "Javier in Frame" which advertised the Pixel 8's Guided Frame feature, ahead of its airing during Super Bowl LVIII. Directed by Adam Morse and telling the story of a blind man named Javier who uses Guided Frame to "document important moments in his life", the 60-second commercial marked Google's third Super Bowl spot in a row to market the Pixel. [40] [41]
In early reactions, three aspects particularly piqued commentators' interest: the Pixel 8 Pro's temperature sensor, Google's promise of seven years of updates, and the heavy emphasis on AI. The temperature sensor drew varied reactions: some found it a potentially useful novelty, [8] [25] [42] while others were bewildered and dismissed it as a strange gimmick. [9] [13] [43] The response to Google's seven-year pledge was similarly divided: several journalists welcomed the move, hailing it as astonishing and monumental; [44] [45] [46] others questioned whether Google would fulfill its promise. [47] [48] [49]
The Washington Post 's Chris Velazco opined that the phones reflected "a deepening obsession with AI", [50] with The Verge's Jon Porter describing the launch event as "a parade of AI", observing that the phrase "AI" had been invoked over fifty times. [51] As the Pixel 8 was "the first mainstream phone to bake generative AI directly into the photo creation process at no extra cost", computer science professor Ren Ng at the University of California, Berkeley described it as a pivotal milestone in the area of imagery. [52] Nicole Nguyen of The Wall Street Journal raised concerns with the implications of the Pixel 8's photo editing features, fearing that it could lead to an influx in "fauxtography", the malicious manipulation of photographs. [53] The AI features themselves received mixed responses. Writing for Wired, Julian Chokkattu expressed excitement that these features, hitherto limited to those proficient with image or video editing software, were now being made accessible to a wider audience; [54] Ben Sin of XDA Developers found them "fun and scary". [55] Porter felt that some of the features showcased were unnecessary, concluding that Google was continuing to attempt to reassert its position as a leader in AI after ChatGPT's meteoric rise earlier that year had caught Google executives off-guard. [51] Also writing for The Verge, Allison Johnson described the features as "complicated and messy", [56] while her colleague Jay Peters contemplated the question, "What is a photo?" [57]
Reviews were largely positive, though Mashable observed a prevalent discontent with the phones' battery life, temperature sensor, and higher prices. [58] Writing for The Guardian , Samuel Gibbs praised the phones' affordability and build quality, [59] [60] while Digital Spy 's Jason Murdock highlighted their cameras, performances, and displays. [61] [62] Chokkattu was thoroughly impressed by the phones' AI features, but was less pleased with the battery life and Face Unlock system. [63] PCMag 's Iyaz Akhtar echoed these sentiments, [64] [65] while June Wan of ZDNET and Daniel Howley of Yahoo! Finance also emphasized the usefulness of AI. [66] [67] Marques Brownlee thought the phones were a mixed bag, finding the AI features a hit-or-miss. [68] CNN Underscored reviewer Max Buondonno offered glowing praise of both phones. [69] [70] The Verge 's Allison Johnson was more skeptical, finding the AI features "useful [but] troubling", lamenting the higher prices, and questioning Google's seven-year-update promise. [71] Mark Knapp of IGN appreciated the phones' modest hardware and performance upgrades, but felt they were inferior to Samsung's latest Android phones. [72] [73] Ron Amadeo of Ars Technica commended Google for abandoning curved screens in favor of a flat one, as well as praising its commitment to Tensor and software updates; however, he lambasted the Pro's temperature sensor as "embracing the worst of junky smartphone gimmicks". [74] Forbes staff writer Rebecca Isaacs deemed the phones "a solid choice for casual users". [75]
Ryan Reith, an analyst at the International Data Group, predicted that Google could achieve higher sales numbers "if supported by strong marketing", considering its emphasis on AI. [20] An opinion piece published in the Financial Times was headlined: "Price, not AI, will lift [the] Pixel's market share". [76] Multiple publications have labeled the phones Google's latest subdued effort to compete with Apple's dominant iPhone sales. [20] [77]
Google Pixel is a brand of portable consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Pixel version of the Android operating system. The main line of Pixel products consists of Android-powered smartphones, which have been produced since October 2016 as the replacement of the older Nexus, and of which the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are the current models. The Pixel brand also includes laptop and tablet computers, as well as several accessories, and was originally introduced in February 2013 with the Chromebook Pixel.
The Nexus 5X is an Android smartphone manufactured by LG Electronics, co-developed with and marketed by Google as part of its Nexus line of flagship devices. Unveiled on September 29, 2015, it was a successor to the Nexus 5. The phone, along with the Nexus 6P, served as launch devices for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which introduced a refreshed interface, performance improvements, increased Google Now integration, and other new features.
The Pixel and Pixel XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line, succeeding the Nexus line of smartphones. They were officially announced on October 4, 2016 at the Made by Google event and released in the United States on October 20. On October 4, 2017, they were succeeded by the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
Google Lens is an image recognition technology developed by Google, designed to bring up relevant information related to objects it identifies using visual analysis based on a neural network. First announced during Google I/O 2017, it was first provided as a standalone app, later being integrated into Google Camera but was reportedly removed in October 2022. It has also been integrated with the Google Photos and Google Assistant app and with Bard as of 2023.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel and Pixel XL.
The following is a comparative list of smartphones belonging to the Google Pixel line of devices, all using the Android operating system.
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially announced on October 9, 2018 at the Made by Google event and released in the United States on October 18. On October 15, 2019, they were succeeded by the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.
The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as mid-range variants of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. They were officially announced on May 7, 2019 at Google I/O, seven months after the announcement of the original Pixel 3 lineup, and were released on the same day. On August 3, 2020, it was succeeded by the Pixel 4a.
The Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a (5G) are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as mid-range variants of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. The Pixel 4a was announced on August 3, 2020 via a press release, while the Pixel 4a (5G) was announced on September 30, 2020 at the "Launch Night In" event. The Pixel 4A was considered to be one of the best budget smartphones of the 2020 year, being priced at around $400 USD.
The Pixel 5 is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as the successor to the Pixel 4. It was officially announced on September 30, 2020 at the "Launch Night In" event alongside the Pixel 4a (5G) and released in the United States on October 29, 2020. It is the first flagship smartphone in the Pixel lineup not to feature an XL version. On October 19, 2021, it was succeeded by the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed in August 2021, confirming reports that they would be powered by a custom system-on-chip named Google Tensor. The cameras are housed in a horizontal bar on the back, while the front features a hole-punch display notch in the center. They shipped with Android 12, with Google announcing numerous artificial intelligence and ambient computing features during the phones' launch event.
The Pixel 5a, also known as the Pixel 5a with 5G, is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as a mid-range variant of the Pixel 5. It was officially announced on August 17, 2021 via a press release and released on August 26.
Google Tensor is a series of ARM64-based system-on-chip (SoC) processors designed by Google for its Pixel devices. It was originally conceptualized in 2016, following the introduction of the first Pixel smartphone, though actual developmental work did not enter full swing until 2020. The first-generation Tensor chip debuted on the Pixel 6 smartphone series in 2021, and was succeeded by the Tensor G2 chip in 2022, G3 in 2023 and G4 in 2024. Tensor has been generally well received by critics.
The Pixel Watch is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. First previewed in May 2022 during the Google I/O keynote, it features a round dome-shaped display as well as deep integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2021. Two Pixel-branded smartwatches had been in development at Google by July 2016, but were canceled ahead of their release due to hardware chief Rick Osterloh's concerns that they did not fit well with other Pixel devices. Development on a new Pixel-branded watch began shortly after Google's acquisition of Fitbit.
The Google Pixel 6a is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as a mid-range variant of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The device was announced on May 11, 2022 as part of Google I/O's keynote speech.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They succeed the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The phones were previewed in May 2022, during the Google I/O keynote. They are powered by the second-generation Google Tensor chip, and feature a design similar to that of the Pixel 6 series. They shipped with Android 13.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is an Android-powered foldable smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as the successor to the first-generation Pixel Fold. It was officially announced on August 13, 2024, at the annual Made by Google event, and was released in the United States on September 4, 2024.
The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL are a group of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successor to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, respectively. Sporting a redesigned appearance and powered by the fourth-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip, the phones are heavily integrated with Gemini-branded artificial intelligence features.