Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Which one is right for you?

The Made by Google event held last night officially presented the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones. As expected, both are very good quality phones.

Although these two smartphones have relatively similar designs and they both work with the Tensor G3 chip, the 8 Pro has a few additional features to justify a higher cost – namely, an additional telephoto lens, a better battery and a larger screen. But are these additional features worth paying more for? We detail the differences to help you decide.

Technical characteristics of the Google Pixel 8

Price: from 799 €
Screen: 6.2 inches
Resolution: 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Rear camera: 50MP main + 12MP ultra-wide
Storage: 128GB / 256GB
RAM: 8GB / 12GB
Battery: 4,355mAh
Water and dust resistance: IP68

Technical characteristics of the Google Pixel 8 Pro

Price: from 1099 €
Screen: 6.7 inches
Resolution: 3,120 x 1,440 pixels, 20:9 ratio, 513 PPI
Rear camera: 50MP main + 64MP ultra-wide + 48MP telephoto
Storage: 128GB / 256GB /512GB
RAM: 12GB / 16GB
Battery: 4,950mAh
Water and dust resistance: IP68

You should buy the Google Pixel 8 though…

June Wan/ZDNET

1. You don t want to ruin yourself;

It doesn’t quite reach the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Samsung S23 Ultra, but the Pixel 8 Pro at €1,099 is the most expensive Google phone to date. So if paying for a four-digit cell phone is not something you can accept, turn to the Pixel 8. The camera is the biggest difference between the two, so if you don’t plan to take advantage of the new camera features, go for the Pixel 8.

2. You want to test Google’s new AI editing features without putting more than €1,000 into it

The Pixel 8 brings a number of AI-assisted editing features, both for photos and videos. Audio Magic Eraser leads the way, a function in which unwanted audio in a video can actually be edited and deleted.

The Best Take function, which allows you to insert faces into an image from other photos, is especially interesting if you have children. Real Tone not only sees more varied faces in more lighting conditions for facial recognition, it also has an automatic white balance model to help determine the color of a photo.

This allows a variety of skin tones to be reflected in the photos and should allow your photos to look as beautiful as possible. These features are available on both the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, but if you want to try them without having to pay extra, you will have to choose the Pixel 8.

3. You want a phone that is easier to hold in your hand.

A bigger smartphone is not necessarily better for everyone. The Pixel 8 is narrower than its 8 Pro counterpart by about 5 mm, and it weighs about 26 grams less. But it’s not just smaller than the Pixel 8 Pro – it’s smaller than the Pixel 7. If you want a phone that’s a little easier to hold, consider the Pixel 8.

You should buy the Pixel 8 Pro though…

June Wan/ZDNET

1. You want the best camera

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will both share a 50MP main camera, but the 8 adds a 12MP ultra-wide camera, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a striking 48MP ultra-wide camera and a 48MP Quad PD telephoto lens.

If you want a phone with a fantastic camera, both of these phones have cameras that are improvements over the previous generation, so you won’t go wrong with one or the other.

But if you want to take pictures of distant subjects, the 8 Pro is the right choice. The 5x optical zoom and the Super Res Zoom up to 30x of the 8 Pro are also a significant improvement over the Super Res Zoom up to 8x and the 2x optical quality of the 8.

But if you have the soul of a photographer, the additional camera functions of the 8 Pro are worth considering. For more experienced photographers, the 8 Pro has a manual mode that allows you to adjust the shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and other parameters.

2. Bigger is better

From a practical point of view, the 8 Pro is simply a little larger than the 8 – 6.7 inches versus 6.2 inches, respectively. If the size is important, it is better to opt for the 8 Pro. For comparison, it is the same size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which means that it is a fairly heavy phone. If you prefer a smaller phone without a lot of extra features, go for the 8. But if you want a big phone that allows you to watch content better, go for the 8 Pro.

3. You want the best autonomy

The Pixel 7 has a 4,355 mAh battery, while the Pixel 8 upgrades it to 4,5000 mAh. It’s not necessarily a huge upgrade. If you really want to upgrade, the Pixel 8 Pro brings an even larger battery, at 5,000 mAh.

This corresponds to what the Samsung S23 Ultra offers and it is more than what the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers. It is also the same-sized battery that is found in the Google Pixel 7 Pro, but between the 8 and the 8 Pro, the latter is clearly the winner in terms of autonomy.

Alternatives to consider

Samsung S23 Ultra – If you want the best camera available

The S23 Ultra is equipped with an absolutely incredible camera, including a 200 MP wide-angle camera, a 12 MP ultra wide-angle camera, a 10.0/10.0MP telephoto lens, a 3x and 10x optical zoom, and a 100x digital zoom.