Google Pixel 8 & 8 Pro Review: The Smartest, But Incomplete

Imran Khan often said in the 90s that he believed Inzamam was the most talented batter in the world. But the world knows Sachin Tendulkar was the best. Tennis is similar. Novak Djokovic is perhaps the greatest of all time, but in terms of pure talent, Nick Kyrgios is prodigious but inconsistent. F1 has such examples. Fernando Alonso, in the last 20 years, has been a phenomenon. But he was outshined by Hamilton and Vettel. There is a huge difference between being the smartest or the most talented, and being the best.

In the smartphone space, there are no illusions about who is the best - it is Apple's iPhone. Even this year, Apple takes the crown. And when the Pixel business started in 2016, there were hints that Google was doing something very different that most people didn't understand. By the time the Pixel 3 came out, Google had the smartest camera and perhaps the most clever software. But the iPhone still was the best and even when it wasn't, it quickly caught up and was good enough for people to not care.

This is where Google started wavering and question marks about its commitment sprung up. And while Google renewed its commitment to the Indian market last year with the launch of the Pixel 7 and now is back with the Pixel 8, with somewhat questionable pricing, the age-old conversation between talent with consistency over stupendous talent with wavering commitment remains.

Smartest By A Mile

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are the smartest smartphones we have tested. It is not even close. They bring Google's AI-first vision for the Pixel to life and how. For me, when they launched the first Pixel, perhaps, it was the Pixel 8 that they had been trying to sell us. And yes, for some people, especially people who live and die by the camera, these may be the best smartphones in the world. But still, I cannot call these new Pixels the best because that crown remains with the somewhat dimwitted iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Pixel 8 Pro is a maverick's phone because it is a maverick on its own. Some strange decisions mean Google has made it unappealing for many "normal" people–for example, just a 128GB storage variant for a phone that costs Rs 106,999. For a phone that is based on the prodigious Google AI-based camera system, I didn't need to test the phone to tell you that, so if you are like me who gets to experience the magnificence and brilliance of its camera, disappointment comes hand in hand as you run of storage at the speed of light.

You also tend to question the ethics of Google's brilliance. Best Take is a feature that allows you to take a series of group photos. It allows you to swap out the best photos of each individual in one frame to create your perfect shot even though most everyone didn't look the same in each shot. This is not realism. It is make-believe. Magic Editor allows you to not only change the background using generative AI but can remove objects, move them around and resize subjects. It's like an automated Photoshop has been baked into the camera. It is wicked smart. It is unreal, literally! That makes me uneasy about the world I live in - as it has become so hard to understand what's real and what's not. It is becoming true of people and how they behave as well.

Tensor Powers AI & Cameras But….

The Pixel 8 is fast, snappy and elegant to use. You really don’t feel much of difference between the Pro and non Pro Pixel 8 even though the latter provides 12GB RAM instead of 8GB on the standard model. But for gamers, it is not. Google's Tensor chip can do wondrous things for the AI models its software conjures to weave magic. But it cannot transform into a portable gaming console like the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its A17 Pro. 128GB anyway is too low for these high-resolution games which take gazillions of GB of the device. In fact, in its typical whimsical style, the Pixel gets as toasty as the iPhone 15 Pro before Apple issued the software update. And unfortunately, there may be no fix unlike Apple this seems like a hardware issue. Things aren't as bad as the Pixel 7, but it is not ideal, still.

Tensor G3 AI prowess is also quite dependent on the Google cloud as even the Audio Magic Eraser feature needs the file to be uploaded to the cloud. So this is something that Google perhaps is overselling. But you can’t help but be wowed by how this phone corrects or overcomes human error — be it while drafting a mail, while composing a photo or while shooting a video. There is even a whimsical temperature sensor which can tell you the temperature of objects. Google is even seeking FDA approval so that it is allowed to scan humans.

Superb Fundamentals

So yes, it is something for the maverick–someone who is a contrarian, someone who doesn't want the usual, someone who appreciates photography. The Pixel 8, and 8 Pro take stunning photos. Arguably the best we have seen from a smartphone. And this is true for all cameras both the Pixels have. The Pixel 8 Pro levels up the video on Android by harnessing the power of its AI on both the device and its data centres. It allows you to remove unwanted noises from these videos at will.

You will even enjoy viewing content on the Pixel thanks to new Actua screens that are amongst the brightest we have seen on a smartphone. They eclipse even the new iPhone screens which is saying something. You feel every interaction is with a tactile piece of paper due to the supple haptics and vibrant and responsive screens.

The phones also feel gorgeous and comfortable to hold. The Bay Blue on the Pixel 8 Pro is a stunning colour that will harken you back to the surfing movement in California. And the languid compactness of the Pixel 8 makes you wish for a time machine as phones keep getting bigger and bigger. At the same time, you get a sense these phones are not as surgically built as the new or even iPhones from just a couple of years ago. The chrome bits will get scuffed along with the iconic camera bar that Google has stuck with invites dings like a side view mirror on a Mercedes Benz S class in Chandni Chowk.

That's the paradox of being the best because you know when to take those pragmatic decisions like Apple and being the smartest because you will try to do something that no one else is attempting. These new phones are our favourite Android phones of the year, a year which doesn't have many more big launches left in the tank. But are these the absolute, unquestionable best phones in the market - NO. But these new Pixels are surely the smartest ones around, by not a bit - by a mile.