So, which phone should you get: the Pixel 8 or the Pixel 8 Pro? I've had
these phones for a few weeks now, and I'm going to take you through
the main benefits of each one and help you decide which one is right for you.
First, let's look at the Pixel 8 and its advantages. Coming in at number five is the smooth
display. Unlike last year's Pixel 7, which didn't have a great screen with its color distortions,
this year Google put a great screen in their non-pro Pixel. The Pixel 8 has a fantastic 428
PPI smooth OLED display that looks great and supports 120Hz smooth scrolling. Now,
while the display isn't an LTPO display like it is on the 8 Pro,
which is just there for better power efficiency and can ramp down to 1 Hertz when you're on a
static screen to help preserve battery life, both of these phones can do 120Hz. When I'm
scrolling on the 8 and then I scroll on the 8 Pro, I can't tell the difference.
Next up at number four is Google Tensor G3. Now, unlike some other phone manufacturers out there,
Google put their latest chip in both of these phones, so you don't have to get
the most expensive phone to get the Tensor G3 enabled features like a more natural speaking
experience with the Google Assistant, a model that runs locally on the phone. The
phone can now read out web pages. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for 5 years
and can even translate them. Managing Editor Tensor G3 also helps power the new video
pipeline that nets you better video quality than previous generations of Pixels, plus new photo
features like Best Take and Audio Eraser. Best Take will allow you to swap out people's faces
in shots that you did multiple takes of, and Audio Eraser can erase certain types of audio
out of your videos, like a person speaking in the background or wind noise at the beach.
Coming in at the number three advantage of the Pixel 8 is the wide camera. Google decided to put
basically the same wide camera in the Pixel 8 this year as they did in the Pixel 8 Pro,
the only difference being the one in the Pixel 8 only supports single-zone autofocus. So far,
I found this wide camera to give you great depth of field, color sharpness,
and it makes your video footage look great too.
The number two advantage of the Pixel 8 is size. The Pixel 8 comes in a great size for
most hands and is easily pocketable with its 6.2-inch display and 187g of weight,
making it 26g lighter than the Pixel 8 Pro, which is a good deal larger.
And coming in at my number one advantage for the Pixel 8 is its price. The Pixel 8 starts at $699,
a full $300 less expensive than the Pixel 8 Pro, making it a great value.
But what about the Pixel 8 Pro? What advantages does it have over the Pixel
8 that might make it worth it to go with the Pro?
Coming in at the number five advantage for the 8 Pro is storage. The Pixel 8 Pro can
be configured all the way up to 1TB of storage, where the Pixel 8 caps out at 256GB. The Pixel 8
Pro also comes with more RAM, with 12GB of RAM versus the 8GB that you get with the Pixel 8.
The number four advantage of going with the Pixel 8 Pro is its back design. The
8 Pro has this awesome matte glass back, which is an improvement over
the glossy design of the Pixel 7 Pro and really feels great in your hand. Though,
of course, if you decide to put a case on your phone, this won't be that much of a benefit.
And coming in at the number three benefit of the Pixel 8 Pro is its selfie cam.
It's noticeably sharper than in previous Pixels, as well as the Pixel 8 selfie cam,
especially in low light. And this is how the 8 Pro's mics sound,
by the way. Let me know in the comments how you think they sound.
The number two reason to get the Pixel 8 Pro this year is Pro Photo controls.
While both the 8 and 8 Pro can do things like adjust white balance to get better
fall colors than phones like the iPhone, Pro Photo controls take the Pixel's adjustments
one step further. You can now adjust things like focus, shutter speed, lens selection,
and ISO manually. Plus, you also get access to high-res photography, Night Sight, video,
and Video Boost, which uploads your video for processing to Google's cloud and then back to
your device. That feature isn't out quite yet but is expected to roll out early next year.
And coming in at this year's number one advantage of the 8 Pro is its better camera
system. Not only do you get the excellent new wide camera with better multizone autofocus,
but a new 48-megapixel quad-PD ultra-wide camera, which has better low-light performance
than the previous 7 Pro. And of course, you get the excellent 48-megapixel quad-PD
telephoto with 5x optical zoom, which is awesome and very usable even with video.
So, in 2023, which one of these should you go with? Well, if you want a smaller or cheaper
phone, the Pixel 8 is actually a great choice this year, thanks to Google finally giving the
non-Pro Pixel a great screen. Now, if you love taking photos and videos, as in years past,
this year, I do think it is worth going with the Pro Pixel. For me personally, because I
really love using the telephoto capabilities of smartphone camera systems and now the Pro tools,
I might go with the 8 Pro. And yes, while the 8 Pro is a larger phone with a 6.7-inch display,
Google did a great job of keeping its weight down compared to the competition. It weighs
213g compared to the monster 234g the S23 Ultra weighs and the heavier iPhone 15 Pro
Max weighing at 221g. The Pixel 8 Pro is a much more comfortable large phone to hold.
So, those are my thoughts on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in 2023. If you think I got it
right or you think I got it wrong, let me know down in the comments. And consider
giving this video a thumbs up if you liked it and found it helpful. Consider subscribing to
the channel to see my full 6 months later reviews of both of these devices and to
see more of my videos on Pixel and other Google devices. You can get to those by
clicking on the videos above. For 6 months later, I'm Josh Teder. Thanks for watching.