Google Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro: All-in On AI

Google Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro: All-in On AI

Google is leaning into its AI capabilities for its new Pixel 8 phones, stuffing both the vanilla model and Pro flagship with nifty AI tricks that spruce up both photos and video. Unfortunately, just like the devices before it, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will likely not arrive in the Philippines, which is a shame since there are a lot of cool features on tap here.

Let’s start with the Pixel 8: the phone is smaller than last year’s model, with the screen shrinking to just 6.2-inches, though the actual screen quality has improved, with Google providing the diminutive phone with a better OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ capabilities, insane brightness (with peak brightness hitting 2000 nits) as well as Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The phone utilizes a dual-camera setup, with a 50-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture main camera doing most of the heavy lifting, with the 12-megapixel f/2.2 aperture ultra-wide assisting.

The battery is a tad on the small side at 4575mAh, with Google only providing 27W fast charging speeds for the Pixel 8. There’s wireless charging on tap though that maxes out at 18W.

The Pixel 8 Pro meanwhile has a bigger 6.7-inch LTPO OLED panel that’s somehow even brighter than the Pixel 8, with its peak brightness coming in at a eye-melting 2400 nits. It has the same refresh rate and HDR10+ goodies as its smaller brother and is protected by even tougher Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

As far as the camera goes, there are three on the back of the Pro version: a 50-megapixel f/1.7 aperture main camera with OIS, Laser AF and multi-directional PDAF, a 48-megapixel f/2.8 5x optical telephoto lens, and a 48-megapixel f/2.0 ultrawide camera.

The phone has a bigger 5050mAh battery inside of it, and slightly faster charging speeds of 30W and 23W wireless charging compared to its smaller sibling.

Both phones have IP68 ingress protection, and both get Google’s latest version of Android, 14. And just like Google’s other Pixel devices, the new crop of phones is guaranteed to get OS updates far longer than what other manufacturers offer. In fact, both phones will get 7 years of software updates, which is more than what rival manufacturer Apple offers.

Both phones are also powered by Google’s Tensor G3 (4 nm) processor and have been outfitted with some nifty AI tricks. Generative AI is everywhere on Google’s phones, including Google Assistant, where you can use it to TL;DR web pages or documents you don’t have time (or effort) to read. Google’s Assistant can also screen your calls and sort of figure out why they’re calling you, useful if you want to keep your College blockmate Cryptobro out of your hair.

Both phones also get Pro mode for their camera app, allowing you to tweak a lot of the phone’s settings depending on what you want. And if you want an extra hand when shooting video, you can upload your video clips to the cloud for a little extra Google and AI boost via Video Boost, which enhances all sorts of things like HDR+, color grading, and more.

All of these features are nice but ultimately mean diddly squat to Philippine customers, as Google is still stubbornly refusing to bring devices like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to our shores. Aside from the incredibly excellent Nexus 6P (which was brought in by Huawei, not Google), there hasn’t been any Google phone sold in the Philippines officially. Which sucks.

Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro Price Philippines

Google is not officially selling either phone in the Philippines, though if you’re in the US, the Pixel 8 is priced at $700 (Php 39.6K). The Pixel 8 Pro meanwhile is priced at $1,000 (Php 56.6K).

2 Comments

  • opporma , October 6, 2023

    They might have beaten Apple regarding OS updates, but for sales, iPhones still beat them. They should’ve concentrated on more countries getting their phones.

  • Giandg , October 12, 2023

    Will there be an official carrier store here in the Philippines?

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