Google has unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Google Pixel 8 Pro, in the latest Made by Google event.
During the same event, alongside the flagship, Google introduced the premium mid-range smartphone, the Google Pixel 8, as well as Google’s latest smartwatch, the Google Pixel Watch 2, and new wireless earbuds called the Google Pixel Buds Pro.
The main highlight, however, was the smartphones. The new smartphones now feature the new Google Tensor G3 chipset, which was also shown at the event.
The Pixel 8 Pro is the successor of last year’s Google Pixel 7 Pro. The flagships from Google have been popular recently with the various improvements in the software and experience.
Let us see what the flagship for this year from Google offers.
Specifications of Google Pixel 8 Pro
| Dimensions | Height: 162.6mm Width: 76.5mm Depth: 8.8mm |
| Weight | 213 grams |
| Display size | 6.7-inch |
| Display type | LTPO OLED |
| Resolution | 1,344 x 2,992 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz |
| IP rating | IP68 dust and water resistance |
| Glass protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Chipset | Google Tensor G3 (4nm) Titan M2 security coprocessor |
| CPU | Nona-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X3 & 4×2.45 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×2.15 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Immortalis-G715s MC10 |
| OS | Android 14 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
| Rear camera | 50 MP main camera 48 MP ultrawide camera 48 MP telephoto camera |
| Selfie camera | 10.5 MP |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2.4GHz+5GHz+6GHz,2×2+2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.3 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers 3 microphones |
| Sensors | Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyrometer Magnetometer Barometer Temperature sensor |
| Authentication | Fingerprint Unlock with under-display fingerprint sensor Face Unlock Pattern, PIN, password |
| Battery | 5,050 mAh |
| Charging | 30W wired 23W wireless Reverse wireless |
| Colours | Obsidian | Porcelain | Bay |
| Price (expected) | Rs 150,000 (12/128GB) |
Design and Display
The design aspect of the Google Pixel 8 Pro has not changed very much. It shares a design resemblance with the Pixel 7 Pro with few notable changes. It looks like Google has now opted for this design language.
Its back now features a classy matte finish, with a more premium appearance and a pleasant feel. The back is made up of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 whereas the frame is made up of aluminium. The frame is curved along the back with a flat display.
The camera module, too, sports a subtly rounded design. Though the camera module is slightly larger than the Pixel 7 Pro, it has a comfortable grip for users. On the front, there is a centred hole-punch cutout where the selfie camera is housed. The display is flat and the bezels are equal on all sides.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro has an LTPO OLED display, known as the Super Actua display, which measures 6.7-inch with an aspect ratio of 20:9. It has a resolution of 1,344 x 2,992 delivering 489 pixels per unit, and offers Smooth Display technology with a refresh rate ranging from 1 to 120 Hz.
The brightness can go up to 1600 nits for HDR content and a peak brightness of 2,400 nits. The contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1 has HDR support, displaying a vivid range of 16 million colours with a full 24-bit depth. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover glass and has IP68 dust and water resistance.
Performance and Storage
The Google Pixel 8 Pro packs a powerful performance thanks to its cutting-edge Google Tensor G3 chipset built on a 4nm process. Alongside, it features a Titan M2 security coprocessor to ensure security. The CPU has a nona-core configuration, including one Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.0 GHz for high-performance tasks, four Cortex-A715 cores at 2.45 GHz for balanced processing, and four Cortex-A510 cores at 2.15 GHz for efficiency. On the graphics front, it is equipped with the Immortalis-G715s MC10 GPU. As for the operating system, it runs on the latest Android 14.
It has one RAM option of 12 GB which has been paired with four storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB.
Camera
Google Pixel are always a talk in the camera front. Even though we have seen the sensors and the Mega Pixels in other smartphones, the software and processing of Google Pixel make it special. The Google Pixel 8 Pro’s camera is equipped with a triple camera setup at the back which includes a primary wide camera that has a 50 MP Octa PD sensor, with a pixel width of 1.2 μm and a wide ƒ/1.68 aperture. This camera provides an 82° field of view and the 1/1.31″ image sensor size enhances light sensitivity for low-light performance.
Complementing the primary wide camera is a 48 MP Quad PD ultrawide camera with autofocus which has a pixel width of 0.8 μm and a wide ƒ/1.95 aperture, offering a vast 125.5° field of view.
The last is a 48 MP Quad PD telephoto camera with a pixel width of 0.7 μm and a ƒ/2.8 aperture. This telephoto lens supports 5x optical zoom and Super Res Zoom up to an impressive 30x. It also includes multi-zone LDAF (laser detect autofocus) and a spectral and flicker sensor for clear shots.
For stability, the Pixel 8 Pro employs optical and electronic image stabilisation on both the wide and telephoto lenses. It can record 4K videos at 24 FPS, 30 FPS and 60 FPS and 1,080p videos at 24 FPS, 30 FPS, 60 FPS.
The front camera of the Google Pixel 8 Pro has a 10.5 MP Dual PD selfie camera with a pixel width of 1.22 μm and a ƒ/2.2 aperture with a 95° ultrawide field of view. The front camera can record 4K videos at 24 FPS, 30 FPS and 60 FPS and 1080p videos at 30 FPS and 60 FPS.
Camera features
The Google Pixel 8 Pro has a wide range of features and a lot to play with in photography and videography. On the photography front, it offers many creative options like manual white balancing, panorama shots, and multiple exposure controls.
Specialised modes such as Night Sight Astrophotography and stellar photography enhance low-light and nighttime photos. The Super Res Zoom and Macro Focus allow for detailed and zoomed-in shots.
Portrait Mode with additional features like Portrait Light and Face Unblur, along with Ultra HDR for high-resolution images, adds that natural blur to portrait photography. The innovative Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Photo Unblur features allow users to play and edit or remove unwanted things from the photos and make them natural.
In terms of videography, the Pixel 8 Pro offers a range of video features for creativity and professional videos. Users can record a variety of footage, including slow motion at up to 240 FPS, 10-bit HDR video, and 4K timelapse with stabilization.
Other features include an audio magic eraser, video boost, night sight video, macro focus video, 10-bit HDR video, cinematic blur, cinematic pan, astrophotography timelapse, optical image stabilization, fused video stabilization, 4K cinematic pan video stabilization, 4K locked video stabilization, 1080p active video stabilization and digital zoom up to 20X.
Battery, Security and Others
The Google Pixel 8 Pro has a 5050 mAh capacity. When it comes to charging, wired charging is supported at 30W, wireless charging of up to 23W and also features reverse wireless charging. In terms of connectivity, it features Wi-Fi 7 with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands for internet access and Bluetooth v5.3 for wireless communication with other compatible devices. For audio, the Pixel 8 Pro is equipped with stereo speakers and 3 microphones.
In terms of security, it offers multiple authentication options including fingerprint unlock through the under-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, and unlock through pattern, PIN, and password. It also prioritizes security providing 7 years of OS, security, and Feature Drop updates.
Other security features include VPN by Google One at no additional cost, end-to-end security, multi-layer hardware security, anti-malware and anti-phishing protection, automatic security checks, camera and mic toggles, a Private Compute Core, Android System Intelligence, and encryption for Android Messages and backups.
It is equipped with sensors such as a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyrometer, magnetometer, barometer, and temperature sensor.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is available in three colour options; Obsidian, Porcelain and Bay.
The price of the Google Pixel 8 Pro for the base 12/128GB option is expected to be around Rs 150,000 in Nepal.
