Google is launching its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, premium smartphones with a unique design, fluid display, fast performance, substantial battery life and a sensational camera.
Android has its new champions. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have just been launched by Google, which once again offers us products that make the most of its operating system.
A modern and elegant design
Both models raise the bar even higher in terms of design. Their rounded corners as well as the original photo block integrated into the back panel give them a unique style, not found in any other smartphone brand. The Pixel 8 has a beautiful satin finish, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a polished aluminum frame and a soft-touch matte glass back.
Biometric authentication is provided by an under-screen fingerprint reader and facial recognition. Their water and dust resistance is certified IP68, while they are protected on the front and back by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for the Pixel 8 and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the Pixel 8. Pro.
Compact, easy to handle and store in a purse or bag, the Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch OLED screen with Full HD + display (1080 x 2400 pixels) and a variable refresh rate between 60 and 120 Hz for better fluidity of animations and actions on screen.
The Pixel 8 Pro benefits from OLED LTPO technology, which allows it to automatically vary its refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz according to the needs required by the content displayed, in order to save battery life. The definition is also higher than that of the Pixel 8, reaching 1,344 x 2,992 pixels.
The displays on both devices are HDR compatible and feature 24-bit color depth (16 million colors). They also have high brightness, up to 2,000 nits on the Pixel 8 and up to 2,400 nits for the Pixel 8 Pro, enough to use your mobile normally even in direct sunlight.
Performance and security
One of the special features of the Pixel 8 series smartphones is that they are powered by a custom chip, the Google Tensor G3. Its nona-core CPU includes four energy-efficient cores to perform light tasks without draining battery life, four performance cores for more demanding processes, and a final ultra-powerful Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.0 GHz for the most significant needs. A new 10-core GPU with ray tracing and advanced artificial intelligence and image processing features embellish the picture.
The Titan M2 security coprocessor incorporates multiple layers of security aimed at protecting your personal information. By opting for a Pixel 8, you access the Google One VPN at no additional cost to secure your browsing. Plus, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro include seven years of security (and feature) updates so you can keep your smartphone for a long time without worrying about your data and your device.
Memory is not left out, with 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage for the Pixel 8 and 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512 GB of internal memory for the Pro model. In terms of wireless connectivity, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are quite simply the best-equipped smartphones on the market, with compatibility with the all-new WiFi 7 standard and support for Bluetooth 5.3 with dual antenna.
The autonomy of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is entrusted to a battery with a capacity of 4,575 mAh and 5,050 mAh respectively, offering more than 24 hours of autonomy in standard use, and up to 72 hours of autonomy by activating ultra battery saver mode. Charging power reaches 27 W on the Pixel 8 and 30 W on the Pixel 8 Pro, enough to recharge half the battery in around 30 minutes with the Google 30 W USB-C charger sold separately. Both smartphones also support wireless charging.
Even crazier photos
The Pixels have built part of their reputation on their spectacular photo performances. The new models go even further in this aspect thanks to improvements made to both hardware and software. Both smartphones are equipped with a 50 MP main camera sensor measuring 1/1.31 inch, with Octa PD technology for faster and more precise focusing. The camera benefits from an aperture of ƒ/1.68, large 1.2 µm pixels to capture a large amount of light, and a 2x optical equivalent zoom.
The ultra-wide-angle sensor widens the field of vision to more than 125°. Its definition is 12 MP on the Pixel 8 and 48 MP on the Pixel 8 Pro, with pixel fusion technique on the latter in order to create larger pixels. Exclusive to the Pro model, the 48 MP telephoto lens delivers 5x optical zoom, 10x optical equivalent zoom and up to 30x high-resolution digital zoom. An optical and electronic image stabilization mechanism is integrated into the main sensor of both smartphones and the telephoto lens of the Pixel 8 Pro.
For selfies, we have a 10.5 MP front camera with Dual PD, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 1.22 μm pixel width. Both devices offer the ability to shoot videos in 4K HDR quality at up to 60 frames per second, both with the back sensor and the front sensor.
In addition to this high-quality hardware, the Pixel 8 series can count on extremely powerful image processing to produce very high quality photos. Users are also provided with tools to further enhance the experience, such as Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Anti-Blur, Best Shot, Real Tone, Macro Focus and more.
Pixel Buds Pro or a Pixel Watch 2 as a gift
The different configurations of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are available from Boulanger at the following prices:
- Pixel 8 128 GB: 799 euros
- Pixel 8 256 GB: 859 euros
- Pixel 8 Pro 128 GB: 1,099 euros
- Pixel 8 Pro 256 GB: 1,159 euros
- Pixel 8 Pro 512 GB: 1,299 euros
As a bonus, for any pre-order of a Pixel 8, you get headphones Pixel Buds Pro as a gift.
And if you opt for a Pixel 8 Pro, whatever the version, it’s a connected watch Pixel Watch 2 which will be offered to you.
This article is a publication sponsored by Boulanger.
