Pixel 8 Professional Assessment – MobileSyrup

At Google’s current occasion, the corporate revealed its Pixel Watch 2, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional. Whereas my colleague Jon centered on the Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2, I spent the final week placing the Pixel 8 Pro by its paces to find out if it’s a worthy successor to its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro.

Sadly, only a week isn’t sufficient to completely check out the smartphone, however throughout the previous seven days, I’ve hung out with its digicam, skilled what the Tensor chip is able to and put its battery by the wringer.

The Pixel 8 Professional is a stable machine and looks like a step up from its predecessor, but it surely’s positively not sufficient for Pixel 7 Professional customers to expire and purchase a brand new smartphone. Nevertheless, with 12GB of RAM, the Tensor G3, a 5,050mAh battery and new cameras, the Pixel 8 Professional remains to be price contemplating for those who’re utilizing a smartphone older than the Pixel 6.

It’s all about ‘Bay’

The Pixel 8 Professional gives the most effective design Google has launched in years. I benefit from the rounded corners that make the smartphone really feel slim and straightforward to carry. Even Jon, who often opts for smaller handsets, likes how the Pixel 8 Professional feels in his arms.

Additional, Google has introduced a matte again glass to the 8 Professional for the primary time on a ‘professional’ Pixel. It’s tough to clarify how good the again of this telephone feels, but it surely’s so clean it’s nearly like smooth porcelain. Critically — for those who’re strolling by a telephone retailer, it is best to really feel the Pixel 8 Professional your self.

The Pixel 8 Professional additionally sports activities a cultured aluminum body, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and a flat show. I usually favor curved screens as I really feel they’re extra immersive; nevertheless, the brand new flagship development is flat panels, which suggests the 8 Professional follows swimsuit with different flagships just like the iPhone 15 sequence.

The smartphone additionally sports activities the same digicam bump visor to final yr’s Pixel 7 Professional. Nevertheless, there’s a refined distinction because the cameras are collectively now as a substitute of the periscope lens being by itself. I favor this because it makes the Pixel 8 Professional look extra uniform and customarily higher than its predecessor.

The 8 Professional is available in ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Porcelain’ and ‘Bay.’ As I discussed in my hands-on preview with the high-end smartphone, I requested Google why it known as it Bay, and I used to be advised the choice is designed to replicate the blue sky off of Mountain View Bay. It’s good, and I prefer it, however I nonetheless favor the Porcelain handset color.

Higher refresh price, decrease decision

The Pixel 8 Professional now encompasses a 6.7-inch LTPO show with a variable refresh price that may go from 1Hz to 120Hz, which ought to assist with the battery in comparison with final yr’s flagship. The Pixel 7 Professional’s show was additionally variable, but it surely solely went as little as 10Hz in comparison with the 8 Professional’s 1Hz.

Every thing appears to be like nice on the Pixel 8 Professional’s display, from watching content material on Netflix, YouTube and different streaming apps. Oddly, the Pixel 8 Professional encompasses a decrease display decision than the Pixel 7 and 6 Professional gadgets. This yr’s flagship sports activities a 1344 x 2992 pixel decision versus a 1440 x 3120 pixel decision with the Pixel 7 Professional. I can’t inform the distinction between resolutions, but it surely’s odd Google lowered it this yr.

Like final yr, the Pixel 8 Professional sports activities an under-display fingerprint scanner that’s fast and correct. Fortunately, the variety of failed logins could be very low. Nevertheless, this yr, Google up to date Face Unlock, and its biometrics can now be used to authorize funds, which could be very useful. Additional, not like Apple’s Face ID, you may’t use the Pixel’s Face Unlock with sun shades on.

The haptics really feel improved from final yr as effectively. Nevertheless, I’ve spoken about this with Jon, who feels the identical method, in addition to different reviewers, and it’s unclear if it’s truly completely different or if I’m imagining the change. We’ve reached out to Google for clarification.

Professional Digicam

This yr, the Pixel 8 Professional encompasses a 50-megapixel major shooter with an f/1.7 aperture, alongside a 48-megapixel telephoto with 5x zoom, an f/2.8 aperture and 113mm lens, and lastly, a 48-megapixel wide-angle with a f/2.0 aperture.

Photos look phenomenal, are vivid, filled with element, and have correct color. I snapped pictures of gorgeous animals on the zoo, exhibiting vibrant greens on lizards, an unbelievable quantity of plumage element in a fantastic horned owl and even minor particulars just like the grime on a white rhino.

Like years previous, the Pixel 8 Professional’s ultrawide digicam is stable, though I can’t inform the distinction between this yr’s and final yr’s shooters. The colors are nonetheless correct, and the 120-degree angle stays nice.

Google additionally added a macro function this yr. I personally don’t shoot macro footage; they aren’t for me. Nevertheless, it’s nice the handset now contains the performance.

The telephoto digicam hasn’t modified from final yr, but it surely’s nonetheless nice. I’m glad Google is providing 5x zoom. Solely Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, which prices greater than $1,700, gives this from the Cupertino firm. To get 5x optical zoom from Samsung, you’ll want to purchase the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is about $200 dearer than Google’s providing.

Moreover, a professional digicam mode can take full 50-megapixel footage with any of your lenses. Photographs with this function provide much more element and accuracy. It’s price mentioning that the ultrawide and telephoto shooters are each upscaled to 50-megapixels; nevertheless, the distinction between a 48-megapixel and a 50-megapixel shot is negligible.

I’m not a professional photographer and like to take footage within the common digicam mode. That mentioned, I’m glad that Google has lastly added these options. I probably gained’t use the function typically, however I can think about turning it on in some conditions. For instance, you may’t actually make out the buildings on this image I took of Toronto’s Liberty Village. Nevertheless, within the professional model of the picture, you may clearly see the small ‘BlogTO’ emblem; even for those who zoom in, it’s nonetheless fairly clear.

Selfies additionally nonetheless look good. Final yr, I discovered that ‘Actual Tone’ was barely inconsistent, but it surely looks like Google’s software program is extra correct now. It shows my pores and skin superbly and precisely.

Low-light images stays as stable as ever, with footage that look vivid and filled with element. Color accuracy appears to be on level, and the Pixel 8 Professional does an excellent job of brightening solely factors within the image as a substitute of awkwardly brightening a complete picture.

Google additionally has different options coming to the Pixel 8 Professional, together with the ‘Magic Editor.’ I’m wanting ahead to the Magic Editor, which lets customers edit footage with machine studying and AI. Though the function gained’t be accessible at launch, I used to be capable of attempt it. In my testing, it nonetheless appears to be at its base stage. You’ve got some management, like whether or not to resize one thing or take away background folks or objects, however positively not sufficient management on this respect. Additional, the AI-generated choices are restricted per picture.

In some footage, I can change the water and the sky, make it golden hour and extra, whereas others solely let me change the image to a portrait. There are additionally stylized choices that may dramatically change your image, however every try solely made my image worse. I can positively see myself utilizing this function for fast edits, like altering one thing to portrait or making the sky extra dramatic, however I believe the function nonetheless has an extended solution to go earlier than it turns into a device I’ve to make use of. It’s additionally price noting that utilizing Magic Editor warms up your telephone after some utilization. 

Finest Take, one other new AI digicam function, is present in your instruments menu. Finest Take replaces folks’s faces from throughout a sequence of photos to enhance them. So, for those who take many footage of a gaggle of individuals and even simply of your self, you’ll discover the best choice amongst all of them. In my expertise, it’s not at all times an ideal AI edit. You’ll generally discover artifacts, or the image it suggests isn’t all that good. Nevertheless, I haven’t used it very a lot; take a look at Jon’s assessment for a deeper dive into Finest Take.

Movies shot with the Pixel 8 Professional are additionally nice, and the brand new Audio Magic Eraser that removes background noise or somebody’s speech is a pleasant contact. 

I used to be unable to take a look at options like Video Enhance, which sends your movies to information centres and in a few hours, you’ll see a brilliant copy that provides higher HDR and extra. I’m most wanting ahead to this function on the Pixel 8 Professional. 

Tensor G

The Pixel 8 Professional options Tensor G3 and 12GB of RAM, which has resulted in a quick expertise. The 8 Professional can maintain apps open with none points, however I observed some considerations, such because the Photographs app crashing when I attempt to use the Magic Eraser to do away with folks within the background. Or, as I discussed earlier than, the Magic Editor makes my telephone a bit heat.

Battery-wise, the smartphone can final a day. I haven’t seen greater than 5 hours of display time, however there hasn’t been a day when the handset died on me. Even once I took many footage on the zoo, my handset didn’t die on me. On Thanksgiving, I left my place at 9am with my smartphone on 87 % and received again at 10pm and nonetheless had about 9 % battery left.

When it comes to benchmarks, the Pixel 8 Professional nonetheless ranks decrease than a number of the higher-end flagships just like the iPhone 15 Professional Max and the Galaxy S23; nevertheless, benchmarks don’t decide the way you’ll benefit from the handset, in order that’s price contemplating as effectively.

Google additionally added options just like the Thermometer app, which helps you to measure the temperature of objects. I discovered this function to be fairly gimmicky, and it’s tough to inform if it’s actually working. As an illustration, I needed to measure a metallic kettle, so I first tried to measure it by default, and it mentioned that it was about 19 levels Celsius.

I then switched it to particularly measuring metallic, however the studying was nonetheless 26 levels Celsius. And whereas the kettle wasn’t blistering sizzling, it was fairly heat. I put the boiling water from the kettle into my cup and measured its temperature. It initially learn 44 levels Celsius, after which I positioned my telephone nearer to the water — it learn 63 levels Celsius. The telephone warned me that my water was sizzling, however contemplating it had not too long ago been boiling, it ought to have measured hotter than simply 63 levels Celsius.

“What’s superior concerning the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, alongside different upcoming Pixel handsets, is that Google now gives seven years of Function Drops, seven years of OS updates and 7 years of safety patches.”

Google hasn’t obtained FDA or Canada Well being approval to measure pores and skin temperature, however I attempted it out anyway. As I tried to measure my very own temperature, it learn 20.5 levels Celsius, and contemplating I’m nonetheless alive, the studying is certainly flawed. You possibly can put the telephone in your mouth for a greater studying, however that is bizarre and awkward, and even then, the sensor learn that my temperature was 35 levels Celsius. The built-in Thermometer may very well be nice, particularly when it could measure somebody’s temperature correctly, however till then, I most likely gained’t use it. What’s good concerning the app is that there’s a thermometer image within the high left nook that reveals you the place the sensor is, so you understand the place to level it.

There’s one other function I used to be excited to attempt known as ‘Summarize,’ but it surely’s solely accessible within the U.S. proper now. The Pixel 8 Professional may learn textual content aloud for you and translate textual content on the fly. Each are cool functionalities, however I haven’t actually wanted both of them, as throughout the previous week with the machine, there hasn’t been some extent the place I believed, “I ought to take heed to this out loud.”

What’s superior concerning the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, alongside different upcoming Pixel handsets, is that Google now gives seven years of Function Drops, seven years of OS updates and 7 years of safety patches. This implies you may fairly maintain your Pixel 8 or 8 Professional for seven years, although your battery may die by then.