The Google Pixel 8 is here

You've seen the leaks, now get ready for the real thing.

I’m in New York City once again, this time for Google’s big Pixel 8 launch event. It was my first time getting to attend such an event, so there were plenty of times that I took a second to soak it all in.

Of course, you’re here for the phone, but you might already know what I’m going to say. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro were leaked extensively leading up to their unveiling, so my biggest question was whether Google managed to save any surprises for the event itself.

Reader, they did not. But it was a great time nonetheless.

Pixel 8 and 8 Pro

The big takeaway I had with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is the sheer amount of AI stuff in them. That’s nothing out of the ordinary for Google, mind you; the Pixel series has always been abundantly smart in the artificial intelligence area. But with this generation, there seems to be more AI than ever, perfectly fitting the trendiness throughout 2023 of the acronym.

One of the features I’m looking forward to most is the Assistant with Bard integration. If you recall, Bard is Google’s ChatGPT equivalent which came out after OpenAI and Microsoft went viral for shipping consumer versions of the generative AI chatbot in products like Bing Chat. Bard didn’t seem to catch on quite like Google hoped, but it looks like it has a chance to get a lot more popular thanks to the Google Assistant.

On the Pixel 8 series, Google will be integrating Bard’s generative AI and machine learning technologies directly into the Assistant, so you can do things like ask the Assistant to summarize a webpage, generate a shopping list of ingredients for a party, or manage other features on your device. It’s not only a strong signal that Google wants to reduce the attention Microsoft is getting with Bing Chat, but it also wants to beat Amazon to the punch with generative AI in voice assistants.

Google is also using AI to improve Call Screen. Now, when you get a call from an unknown number, it’ll silently answer those calls using a more natural-sounding voice so it doesn’t seem like the other person called a robot by mistake. It’ll then use generative AI to recognize what the person on the other end is calling about and give you contextualized prompts on the screen to take action through the Assistant. According to Google, this feature can help reduce up to 50 percent of the spam calls you receive regularly.

Google has also improved its voice recording algorithms so that it ignores words like “um” or other filler phrases that don’t add anything to a request or recording.

The flashiest AI features of them all involve the cameras, because of course they do—this is a Google phone, after all.

The feature I think most people will use is Best Take, which can look at a burst of group photos and let you pick and choose the expressions of you and your friends in each for the final image. That way, if someone blinks in photo 3 or another one isn’t smiling in photo 5, you can go back and select an expression from another image so you can get the photo you want.

Magic Eraser is getting upgraded with smarter object recognition, as well as the ability to select objects and move them around or resize them. There’s also Audio Magic Eraser, which can eliminate a very significant amount of background noise in order to isolate the person speaking in the frame or the specific sound at the foreground. Like Best Take, I think a lot of folks will be trying this feature out to clean up their video.

There’s also Zoom Enhance, which uses AI to sharpen digitally-cropped photos to maximize their resolution and detail. I’m not so sure how well this feature is going to work in the real world, but Google seemed pretty confident in it onstage.

The camera feature I’m most curious about is Video Boost, which seems kind of insane. Exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, the feature looks at every individual frame of your video and sends it to Google’s network of data centers in the cloud, processes each frame to improve things like noise and highlights, and sends it back to your phone. In Google’s presentation, it kind of looked like it was just using aggressive HDR and saturation tricks to make it seem like video quality was substantially improved, but that was just a quick demo. We won’t get access to the feature until later this year when it ships in one of Google’s Feature Drops, but you better believe I’ll be toying around with it the moment it drops (pun definitely intended).

All of these AI tricks are powered by Google’s Tensor G3, the latest generation of its in-house processor which is said to offer meaningful improvements to performance over the G2. It’s able to process much more complex machine learning algorithms than before, and general performance when opening apps and multitasking should also be improved. Google didn’t specifically call out any efficiency or heat improvements, but I would bargain there will at least be some: the G2 inside the Pixel 7 tends to get pretty hot and drain the battery quickly, so there’s bound to be some change for the better in the newer chip.

The rest of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are as you’d expect: Pixel phones with a tweaked design and a few neat tricks. The Pixel 8 gets a 6.2-inch “Actua Display” with a Full HD+ resolution and 2,000 nits of brightness. It also gets a 120Hz refresh rate, which is an improvement over the 90Hz refresh rate of the Pixel 7, something I’m sure will entice many people shopping for a phone in the $700 range. The Pixel 8 Pro has a “Super Actua Display,” which means having a variable 120Hz refresh rate that can drop down to 1Hz when not in use. The panel itself is 6.7 inches, has a 2992x1344 resolution, and can go all the way up to 2,400 nits of brightness (400 nits more than the latest iPhones).

I’d also like to mention that both phones come with flat displays, which a lot of people are excited about. I didn’t really mind the curves on the left and right of the Pixel 7 Pro’s screen, but I’m glad that flat is back in style in Google’s hardware design department.

Speaking of which, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro look like curvier, softer versions of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro from last year. The corners are a lot rounder this time, the camera bars are still plenty prominent, and the edges are slightly rounded for comfort. I held both phones at Google’s event, and yes, these are very nice phones to hold without cases. The Pixel 8 gets glossy glass on the back, while the 8 Pro has a new frosted finish that is a lot slipperier but nicer to look at.

Inside the camera bar of the Pixel 8, you’ll find a new 50MP main camera with an f/1.7 aperture. It’s the same sensor as the 8 Pro, so you’ll get identical photos and videos from both. In addition, the Pixel 8 gets a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide with a 125.8 field of view and autofocus, which enables macro photography. Meanwhile, the 8 Pro gets a 48MP ultra-wide camera with an f/1.95 aperture, a 125.5 field of view (ever so slightly tighter than the 8), and autofocus for macro shots. It also comes with a 48MP f/2.2 telephoto lens that enables 5x lossless zoom.

The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro get slightly larger batteries than the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, so there’s a chance they’ll last longer on a charge (although Google still says to expect “all-day” endurance from both). You also get Wi-Fi 7 support, a physical SIM card slot, a USB-C 3.2 port, and an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance.

They each ship with Android 14, which is starting to roll out to all Pixel phones now. But here’s the real kicker: Google says it’ll support the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro with up to seven years of OS, security, and Feature Drop updates, which is simply insane. No other manufacturer has ever supported a smartphone with regular updates for this long, including Apple (unless I’m missing something, the longest-supported iPhone was 2015’s iPhone 6S which got updates all the way to iOS 15 in 2021). That’s a huge flex for Google, which it says is only possible because of the Tensor processor.

Oh, there’s one more thing: the Pixel 8 Pro has a temperature sensor in its camera bar. Why a temperature sensor, you ask? To measure the temperature of things, of course! Rumor has it this was a feature the company was working on during the age of COVID-19 when temperature screening was a daily occurrence for a lot of people. Now that it’s a lot less frequent, it’s hard to imagine many people will be taking their temperature with any degree of frequency, especially since Google is awaiting FDA approval to measure the temperature of humans. In the meantime, you can take the temperature of inanimate objects, which I guess is cool.

Okay, final note: the Pixel 8 Pro comes in Obsidian, Porcelain, and Bay, the latter of which is clearly the best color. The Pixel 8 comes in Obsidian, Rose, and Hazel, the latter of which is the best color. Both phones launch October 12th.

Pixel Watch 2

Alright, the Pixel Watch 2. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like much. It still only comes in one 41mm size like before, it still has super thick bezels around the display, and you still get a side button and digital crown (which now sits a bit more flush with the rest of the watch). But look inside the watch, and you’ll find a number of improvements that should make it much easier to recommend than the original.

There’s a new quad-core CPU that comes with a 40 percent performance boost and better efficiency, so much so that Google says the watch will last comfortably for 24 hours even with the always-on display enabled. Charging is also much faster; Google switched from using a wireless charging puck to one with contact pins, so the Pixel Watch 2 can recharge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes.

There’s a new heart rate sensor on the watch that uses multiple LEDs to read your heart rate with improved accuracy (Google says high-intensity workouts can see a 40 percent improvement in heart rate tracking). It works in conjunction with an improved AI heart rate algorithm for increased accuracy, which can help keep better track of the calories you burn as well.

Google also includes a skin temperature and continuous electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, which can track your stress levels throughout the day by detecting your wrist’s temperature and any molecular levels of sweat. If it detects a spike, it’ll send you a notification and ask how you’re feeling, giving you the ability to track your stress levels throughout the day and meditate for a bit using breathing exercises to calm down. It’s the same Body Response feature as the Fitbit Sense 2.

The Pixel Watch 2 is also getting improved automatic workout detection with certain workout types, an improved stats interface during workouts, and skin temperature monitoring while you sleep. Google is also including a number of safety features like Safety Check, which will ask you to check in after a set period of time. That way, if you’re traveling and want to ensure you stay safe, you can set a timer for when you expect to be home. Then, if you don’t respond to the timer when it rings, your emergency contacts will be contacted automatically with your location. It’s powered by Safety Signal, which keeps the feature online 24/7 and eliminates the need to have an LTE watch. (You will need to have a Fitbit Premium subscription to use it, however.) There are also various new ways to share your medical information in case of an emergency.

The watch runs Wear OS 4 which comes with a number of new apps like Gmail and Google Maps, new customization options, new watch faces, new accessibility features, and more. The software also makes it easier to reset your Pixel Watch 2, transfer it to a new phone, or restore it from previous backups. And of course, the Watch 2 still ties deeply in with the Fitbit app, so you can take advantage of Daily Readiness Scores, Sleep Profiles, Active Zone Minutes, and more.

One final note: the Pixel Watch 2 now uses 100 percent recycled aluminum for its construction, which will make it slightly lighter than the original Pixel Watch and its stainless steel case. It’s available in Polished Silver, Champagne Gold, or Matte Black. It launches on October 12th for $349.99, the same price as the original Pixel Watch.

Pixel Buds Pro

There were also some updates to the Pixel Buds Pro during Google’s event. No, this isn’t a new generation or anything, although they do come in a gorgeous Bay blue now (in addition to Porcelain, as seen above).

The updates strictly apply to the software, and they sound pretty cool. When paired with a Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, the Buds Pro can now take advantage of Bluetooth Super Wideband, which doubles the standard bandwidth for voices so your voice sounds clearer, fuller, and more natural. Clear Calling, Google’s AI trick to reduce background noise when on calls, is also being improved on the Buds Pro with even better noise reduction.

Google is also adding Conversation Detection, which can detect when you start speaking and automatically pause your music and turn on transparency mode. When you stop speaking, your music will resume and Active Noise Cancellation will turn on. The Pixel Buds Pro also get improved latency while gaming (only on the Pixel 8 series), guided suggestions to mitigate hearing loss when listening to music at high volumes, and a companion app for Chromebooks.

In case you were wondering, they still start at $199.99. The new colors, Bay and Porcelain, will start shipping on October 12th. You can preorder them today.

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There’s nothing quite like traveling for tech events. Getting to go hands-on with all the products, meet up with my fellow creators, and watch major executives introduce their products in real life (Rick Osterloh! My man!) is something I’ll never get tired of.

I’ll be back with more thoughts and opinions on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Buds Pro, and Fitbit Charge 6 very soon. ;)