Among Android phones, it’s usually the first to get new AI features from Google.
For this reason, the Pixel 8 Pro tops our first ever list of thebest AI phones.
This is a decidedly Android phone, for better but mostly, these days, for worse.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
It can be a confusing mess.
That’s if Google lives up to its promise.
This is very good news indeed.
In fact, its some of the best news Ive heard from the Android camp in quite some time.
Will the Pixel 8 Pro be worth owning in seven years?
Decidedly not, not if youre buying one today.
Theyre buying a phone that could last them, and possibly someone else after them, for years.
Even Apple stops supporting iPhones with new OS upgrades after five years.
Time will tell; and there are other reasons why this phone is worth more than last years model.
Scary, impressive, and I mean that sincerely.
Apples software experience isnt just simplified, its elegant and polished.
The Pixel 8 Pro is more rounded on the corners, and more flat on the display.
This makes the phone easier to hold, while also giving you a better view of your content.
The finish is lovely, and the colors are more classy and inviting than unusual and modern.
I dont mind the Google Pixel camera bump.
Its a very pretty phone, especially if youve never held a Pixel before.
The Pixel 8 is plain old Actua, you see.
In practical terms, it seems this refers to the displays brightness, because it is incredibly bright.
In almost every way, the Pixel 8 Pro display beats that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Thats when I had the Pixel display set to the more vivid Adaptive mode, which the iPhone lacks.
The new call screening feature works impeccably well.
Better a casual robot screening my calls than a stilted digital voice.
The new AI wallpaper is surprisingly interesting.
It seems limited at first, since it isnt actually a free-for-all generative AI creating images.
Instead, it gives you a MadLibs-like selection of categories and prompts.
You might choose an Imaginary scene of A surreal bicycle made of flowers in shades of pink and purple.
The bicycle, flowers, and color options are all part of a multiple choice menu.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
The AI offered me three different fleece lighthouses in coral and tan.
By my math, that means the Imaginary category alone can create around 7,500 wallpapers.
There are 12 categories, including Imaginary, X-ray, and Volcanic.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Is it a gimmick?
The bottom line is that the wallpapers were pretty and fun to play with.
So thats a win.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Ive used AI to create a wallpaper, but is it personalized?
I chose some options, and swiped through the results.
Who is this person?
Google describes its machine language features as if they are created by a real human being disturbingly often.
Have I personalized that photo?
No, Im using a machine as a tool to help me create or complete a task.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
But that is not how Google is positioning the Pixel 8 Pro and all of its new AI features.
There is something missing in that explanation, and it feels like whats missing is honesty.
The photo-faking tools arent the only AI issues I have.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Google is pushing the Pixel 8 Pros ability to read and summarize web pages for you.
I tried the summarization feature on a story I wrote abouttaking a family photo at home.
Googles summary got very basic facts wrong.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Many of the other new features are simply hard to find.
It could be an app for the Boy Scouts, for all it stands out.
Ill stop complaining, because Ive run out of features to complain about.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
See, Google is launching the Pixel 8 Pro without a number of key features ready to go.
See, the numbers are confusing, and its just not an easy spec to boast about.
Thats surprising, but there are still some reasons for Google to brag.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
The Pixel 8 Pro also handled food photos much better than the iPhone.
That natural look the iPhone tends towards can make dishes look unappetizing in bad lighting.
Its better to have a camera that can do some enhancements.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Speaking of enhancements, not all of the enhancements coming to the Pixel 8 Pro are ready yet.
The Night Sight video enhancement will eventually upload and improve your night-time videos, but its not here yet.
Neither is the zoom enhancement for the telephoto and main cameras.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Those features will presumably come in a feature drop, hopefully before the end of the year.
you’ve got the option to also easily manipulate objects in your photo.
If you stop talking to somebody, you might cut them out of the group photo.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Reality doesnt matter, as long as you have the right tools.
While the results can be somewhat creepy and uncanny, they arent flawless.
There is a temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro, and I cannot figure out why.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Will this phone really be a viable phone in seven years?
Google has promised this will be a seven-year phone, the first ever.
It’s far too early to say, but I have serious reservations about Googles promise.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Second, Google has a terrible track record when it comes to supporting its own products and keeping promises.
It killed the program within two years, and nobody got an upgrade.
In our lab-based rundown tests, the numbers were average, around 10 hours of screen time.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
The power management can be quite aggressive.
There are plenty of baked-in power management features, as well.
Theres also an enigmatic adaptive battery feature thats turned on by default.
(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
All the better, because that battery really lasts.
Still, theres some room for improvement, especially if the battery is going to keep getting bigger.
it’s crucial that you buy a compatible Power Delivery charger or wireless stand.
I used anAnker Nano charger, which can handle the fastest charging the Pixel can accept.
Should you buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
If you want an Android that will get updates in 2030, this is the first.
Don’t buy it if…
Here are the best alternatives in the same price range.
It also gets a seven-year promise for more Android updates.
That may be a positive trait for some buyers looking to avoid AI, especially if you value simplicity.
I used it for all of my personal and professional needs.
I used the Pixel 8 Pro to take photos, to navigate with maps, and to play games.
I tested the Pixel 8 Pro with various accessories, including the newPixel Watch2 and theFitbitCharge 6.
For battery testing, I recorded my usage during the day and noted the times the phone died.
I timed the phone during the charging process to verify charging claims.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed October 2023
