Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 8 Pro: Which One Should You Buy? | Tom's Guide
The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are finally here, giving consumers a look into the future that's powered by artificial intelligence. I've spent time checking out the two flagship phones, getting a better idea of what more you're getting by paying the additional $300 more for the Pixel 8 Pro. They share common things like the Google Tensor G3 chip, their designs, Android 14, and new Google AI driven experiences. In my Google Pixel 8 versus Pixel 8 Pro comparison, I detail how they stack up against each other.
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00:00 I've been checking out the Pixel 8 and the 8 Pro for the last few weeks now,
00:03 and the biggest thing I'm hung up about is the pricing.
00:06 300 bucks between the two of them.
00:08 So to me, it makes me wonder how much more you're going to get out of the Pixel 8 Pro
00:12 if you're paying that much.
00:14 Let's find out.
00:15 So let's start off with their design.
00:18 Obviously, the Pixel 8 Pro is larger than the Pixel 8,
00:21 and the other difference here is that I do like the matte finish.
00:24 The matte glass finish of the Pixel 8 Pro just has a cleaner look,
00:28 grippier in hand versus the glossy look of the Pixel 8.
00:32 Another thing about the back here, the camera humps.
00:35 You have a triple camera here with the Pixel 8 Pro,
00:38 and then you have a dual Pixel 1 here.
00:40 And last thing here is the temperature sensor.
00:42 It's exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro only,
00:45 and for me, I think it's more of a novel feature.
00:47 It's great you could take the temperature of an object,
00:50 and then down the road, you'll be able to take your own temperature,
00:52 but to me, I don't use it all that much.
00:54 I just find it impractical for a phone.
00:57 Next up, let me talk about their displays.
00:59 We have a 6.2-inch actual display in the Pixel 8.
01:02 It reaches 1,349 nits in our testing,
01:06 and then the Pixel 8 Pro has the slightly larger 6.7-inch super actual display,
01:11 and it got even a brighter 1,526 nits.
01:15 So if you're going to be using it outside,
01:17 you're going to have more clarity with the Pixel 8 Pro.
01:20 But besides that, they're fantastic displays.
01:22 They have wide viewing angles,
01:23 and they're pretty punchy with their color gamut.
01:25 (upbeat music)
01:28 One of my favorite parts about these phones are their cameras.
01:31 So you have a dual-camera arrangement in the Pixel,
01:34 which is a 50-megapixel main camera paired with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide.
01:38 But if you want more utility, you'd want to go with the Pixel 8 Pro
01:42 because of its triple-camera arrangement,
01:44 and that consists of a 50-megapixel main camera,
01:46 a 48-megapixel ultra-wide,
01:48 and a 48-megapixel telephoto that gives you five times optical zoom.
01:53 The other cool thing I love about these Pixel phones
01:55 is that they share the same Google AI-assisted experiences
01:58 with their cameras.
01:59 So take, for example, Best Take,
02:01 which allows you to take the best shot
02:03 no matter where people are looking.
02:05 You have things like audio magic erasers
02:07 so you can remove any background noise from your videos.
02:10 And then there's also Magic Editor,
02:11 which is basically like having a Photoshop editor in your pocket.
02:16 One of the biggest advantages for the Pixel 8 Pro
02:18 is obviously the telephoto zoom.
02:19 You're not going to get that with the Pixel 8 Pro.
02:22 You're going to get that with the Pixel 8.
02:24 And at five times optical zoom,
02:26 that just gives you a little bit more room
02:28 when you want to punch into something.
02:30 And then there are two exclusive features
02:31 you're going to get with the Pixel 8 Pro
02:33 that you're not going to get with the Pixel 8.
02:35 The first one being Pro Controls.
02:37 It's basically manual controls for photos.
02:39 So it gives you the ability to adjust the shutter speed,
02:42 the ISO, the white balance, the focus,
02:44 all great tools to enhance your photos.
02:46 And the second one being Video Boost,
02:48 which is a feature that'll come later on.
02:50 It'll enhance your video footage so you get better quality
02:53 and better results out of them.
02:54 Powering both phones, you have the Tensor G3 chip.
02:58 You have eight gigabytes of RAM in the Pixel 8.
03:00 You get a little bit more in the Pixel 8 Pro
03:02 at 12 gigabytes of RAM.
03:04 But honestly, we didn't see a whole lot difference
03:06 between the performances.
03:07 We ran a bunch of different benchmark tests
03:09 and they were pretty much consistent across the board.
03:12 You would think that the Pixel 8 Pro,
03:16 being the larger phones,
03:18 can get a lot longer battery life,
03:19 but that's not really the case after we tested it out.
03:23 So it has a 5,050 milliamp hour battery
03:27 versus 4,575 milliamp hour battery in the Pixel 8.
03:31 In our battery benchmark test,
03:33 the Pixel 8 got nine hours and 50 minutes
03:35 versus 10 hours and three minutes.
03:38 So that's barely a whole lot of difference.
03:40 Over on the recharge time though,
03:42 it's kind of the same.
03:43 They're not a whole lot different.
03:44 You do get 27 watt charging with the Pixel 8
03:47 versus the slightly faster 30 watt one in the Pixel 8 Pro.
03:51 But in all honesty, after 30 minutes,
03:53 we got 60% charge out of this phone
03:56 and then this was at 59%.
03:58 And there you go.
04:00 That's how they stack up against one another.
04:02 So what are you really still getting out of the Pixel 8 Pro
04:06 by paying 300 bucks more?
04:08 Well, you get that five times optical zoom lens.
04:11 You get those two exclusive camera features,
04:13 pro controls, video boost, longer battery life,
04:17 brighter display, and I guess the temperature sensor
04:20 if that's something you want to use.
04:21 But for me, since I shoot a lot of photos and a lot of videos,
04:24 I still find a lot of utility
04:26 out of a triple camera system like this.
04:29 So I think it's worth it.
04:30 And that's it for this video, guys.
04:32 If you want to learn more about
04:33 any of the stuff I talked about in this video,
04:35 like some other comparisons with these cameras,
04:38 check out our website, tomsguide.com.
04:40 Don't forget to follow us on social @tomsguide
04:43 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
04:46 And I'll see you in my next video.