Google Pixel 8 Review: specs and features, camera quality test, gaming benchmark, user opinions and photos

Google Pixel 8 - a potential hit or a passing improvement?

Google smartphones are excellent representatives of the middle and high price categories of the market, which consistently find millions of happy buyers. However, their main competitive advantages in the form of optimized software and impressive photo capabilities are gradually fading away, as opponents from China and Korea are making significant progress in all respects. Will the hero of today's review, which is essentially a slightly improved version of last year's bestseller, be able to give a worthy rebuff to his rivals?

The appearance of the new product continues the design concept of its predecessors, without developing it too much. The familiar design of the photo modules, the similar thickness of the screen frames, and the same texture of the rear glass panel are unlikely to surprise fans of the brand. Among the changes, we note only the updated colors of the monoblocks. The 6.2-inch AMOLED display is not bad, but is inferior to many analogues in the value segment. This is noticeable both in the brightness reserve (1400 nits) and in the standard resolution of 2400x1080 pixels. But color rendition is set up correctly, there is a 120-Hz image refresh rate, and a fairly accurate and responsive under-screen fingerprint scanner.

The role of technical characteristics is given to the latest proprietary Tensor G3 chipset, 12GB of RAM and the Immortalis-G715s MC10 graphics core. This is an excellent solution for both everyday work and more complex tasks. Their list will include not only the instant launch and smooth functioning of applications like instant messengers and browsers, but also games. And even though the processor is worse in performance than top products from MediaTek and Qualcomm, it is enough for maximum graphics settings even in demanding Genshin Impact and Fortnite. Unfortunately, throttling occurs, so after an hour of gameplay, stutters and freezes may still occur. But there are no problems with autonomy. A small, economical AMOLED panel and an energy-efficient chip help the 4485 mAh battery last more than a day and a half without searching for sockets. There is also wired charging, albeit at a modest 24W, and a wireless alternative at 12W. The internal memory is allocated 128/256GB, which could not be expanded.

The main 50-megapixel photosensor and 12-megapixel wide-angle lens are ready to give a head start to almost all camera phones at a reasonable price. The detail of the images is impressive regardless of the lighting; even dynamic events do not lead to blur in the photographs. There are no complaints about the quality of the video recorded up to 8K resolution. The only disappointment is the lack of a telephoto lens. Loud stereo sound, NFC contactless payment, 5G support and protection from dust and moisture according to IP68 standards add to the list of advantages of the device, however, the slight difference with the seventh phone in the line, as well as the not particularly outstanding AMOLED screen and CPU still do not allow us to recommend the gadget to everyone .