Google knocks it out of park again with their Pixel 8 Pro

WHEN I reviewed the Google Pixel Fold last year, I was astounded by the quality of the device. It was a fantastic, albeit expensive, smartphone and a great upgrade to Google’s already established Pixel model.

Of course, the next logical step was to take what made the foldable phone great and apply it to older models — happily to much success.

You’ve likely seen the ads for the Google Pixel 8 Pro, the ones where it pushes the artificial intelligence factor — we’ll get to that — but on first impression, the Pixel 8 Pro is a breath of fresh air. Its manageable size makes it comfortable to use one-handed and easy to carry.

The one thing I also really admire and love about Google’s phones is that they don’t look like every other Android phone on the market. They feel and look like Google, while other models all tend to look the same.

Google Pixel phones are also known for their clean and bloatware-free software experience. Here Google continues this tradition with the latest version of Android and guaranteed updates for years to come.

For shutterbugs, Google has consistently delivered impressive cameras on their Pixel phones, and the Pixel 8 Pro is no exception. The main 50MP sensor captures stunning photos in most lighting conditions

The aforementioned AI capability has been marketed as revolutionary and game-changing, it’s not quite, but it is a refreshing change to the term ‘artificial intelligence’ being slapped on everything from vacuum cleaners to blenders.

When using the Google Tensor G3 chip, the main AI feature is enhanced photography.

Things like the magic eraser, which lets you easily remove unwanted objects or distractions from your photos with a simple swipe and magic audio eraser which uses AI to identify and remove things like unwanted background noise in videos — are great, especially for the Selfie conscious.

The best feature is ironically ‘best take’ a clever feature which captures multiple frames before and after you hit the shutter button and automatically selects the best one, ensuring you get the perfect shot, even if there’s a blink or awkward expression. (It’s the feature most widely used in ads, and what I first thought may have been behind a certain royal photo scandal).

There’s also the new (ish, some can be found on other models) features like Live Translate, which translates conversations, menus, or signs in real-time using the power of Google Translate. As well as ‘recorder with summaries’ where the Pixel 8 can transcribe your recordings and even use AI to add summaries, making it easier to find important points later. (As a journalist, this is a dream).

There’s also, of course, Siri and Alexa’s biggest rival Google Assistant, which can leverage AI for tasks like summarising webpages or reading articles aloud. For the more technical spec-minded, the Tensor G3 chip, while efficient, doesn’t quite match the power of some competitors’ flagship processors.

This may not be a dealbreaker for everyday users, but power users who like to game or run intensive applications might find it lacking.

Also, I found while the charging speed has improved over previous models, the Pixel 8 still lags behind some competitors when it comes to reaching a full charge.

I think we all just need to accept we now live in a world where battery life will never be ideal and we’ll be reaching for the charger for decades.

Specs: Available in Obsidian (Black) Porcelain (White/light) Bay Blue (Light Blue) with models in 8GB or 12GB of RAM. =

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