With several camera system upgrades, a brand new super-bright display, a next-generation custom processor, and 7 years of software support – as far as generational advances go, the Pixel 8 Pro delivers more than the bare minimum. However, the 7 Pro from last year was already a capable smartphone, and it may still be the best option for people seeking a high-end Google phone experience at a lesser cost than the latest flagship. Let us examine how the two compare.
PIXEL 7 PRO VS PIXEL 8 PRO: SPECS COMPARISON
The Pixel 8 Pro adds numerous additional capabilities to Google’s flagship smartphone. Let me briefly discuss the hardware differences. The new phone has a substantially brighter display than the Pixel 7 Pro, with a maximum brightness level of 2,400 nits, compared to 1,500 nits for its predecessor. This should improve the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen visibility in bright situations.
The Pixel 8 Pro features a new infrared thermometer on the back. This little sensor powers the Object Thermometer feature, which allows users to use their phones to monitor the temperature of a coffee mug, surfaces, and other environmental objects. The feature has since received FDA permission, so interested individuals can use the sensor to measure their body temperature and upload the results to Fitbit. This is ideal for individuals who do not own a Google Pixel Watch 2. Is this a killer feature? That is not the case, but the Pixel 7 Pro lacks temperature sensor technology.
The Pixel 8 Pro also supports Face Unlock, which is a significant upgrade following our horrific experiences with the Pixel 7 Pro’s counterpart. Google states that the new functionality is of the highest Android biometric class and enables users to make payments. It’s unclear whether this function will be available on the Pixel 7 Pro, but Google says it will be limited to the new phones starting “today.”
CAMERA
The Pixel 7 Pro’s triple camera setup included a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 48MP telephoto. However, Google claims that it will upgrade every lens on the Pixel 8 Pro.
The main camera still has a 50MP rating, but the lens has a larger aperture for enhanced low-light performance. Similarly, the telephoto lens now has a larger aperture to bring in more light during zoom images. (You still get a 5x zoom from that 48MP sensor, as you did with the Pixel 7 Pro).
The ultrawide camera receives a significant increase, now featuring a 48MP sensor. Even better, that camera is capable of taking macro photographs. While the performance boost is always welcome for the Pixel 8 Pro, there are also numerous new photo processing features, with a focus on professional photography. The Pixel 8 Pro, for example, offers full manual controls for both images and movies.
You’ll also see an increase in features akin to the Pixel 7 Pro’s Photo Unblur. Highlights include Magic Editor, which allows you to isolate and reposition a subject in a photo. Similarly, Best Take allows you to swap in faces from other images to ensure that everyone in the final group shot looks their best.
Magic Eraser is also improved on the Pixel 8 Pro, allowing it to remove larger objects from the background without blurring caused by extensive photo editing.
On the video front, Audio Magic Eraser on the Pixel 8 Pro splits the audio from the captured video into distinct layers, allowing you to erase irritating background noise. A footage Boost function will be available later this year, allowing you to upload RAW footage from your Pixel 8 Pro to the cloud for better color grading.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
The Pixel 6 series introduced a fresh design language with its distinguishing camera bar and two-tone finish. Google enhanced this style with the Pixel 7 Pro, which featured a monotone glass back and a polished metal camera bar that contained the main and ultra-wide cameras, separated from the telephoto camera.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s back glass is now frosted, the corners are softened, and the three rear camera sensors are all contained within the same pill-shaped cutout on the polished metal camera bar. It’s a softer and more coherent style that we like, but it falls into the gray area of personal aesthetic preferences.
IP68 dust and water resistance remains, and while the slight shift from a 19.5:9 to a 20:9 aspect ratio may lead you to assume a taller, thinner smartphone, dimensions and weight are nearly identical to those of the Pixel 7 Pro. The edges of the 7 Pro’s screen are also softly rounded, whereas the 8 Pro has a flat display, which is typically considered easier to operate at the price of visual appeal.
Aside from proportions, the Pixel 8 Pro’s display has a wider 1Hz to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (the Pixel 7 Pro’s range was 10Hz to 120Hz) and new higher HDR (2,000 nits vs. 1,000) and peak brightness (2,400 nits vs. 1,500) values, implying that the phone’s ‘Super Actua’ OLED display should serve up better visuals and offer significantly greater outdoor visibility than the 7 Pro.
HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?
Google’s new Tensor G3 processor promises improved performance at lower temperatures. This is critical considering the overheating difficulties experienced by users of prior Pixel generations, particularly during the summer. Only a long-term test will reveal how well the Pixel 8 Pro performs in this area, but based on our early impressions, we can confidently state that the phone stays relatively cool during normal use.
This inevitably changes when you use the Pixel 8 Pro for more strenuous tasks, such as gaming, or when you employ its Magic Editor AI application, both of which are processor-intensive. This is also true while capturing a large number of photos or long films. Overall, it appears that the Pixel 8 Pro outperforms the Pixel 7 Pro in this area.
We can also confirm that the Pixel 8 Pro handles heat nicely. Even during more demanding tasks, the phone remains quick and reliable, with apps operating in the background mainly dependably and no unpleasant shocks in terms of performance.
The Pixel 7 Pro and 8 Pro have substantially comparable hardware. They both contain 12GB of RAM (LPDDR5X on the 8 Pro vs LPDDR5 on the 7 Pro), UFS3.1 storage (the 8 Pro includes a 1TB option at the top of the lineup), the Titan M2 security chip, and the standard 5G antennae. However, the Pixel 8 Pro now supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
In terms of security, the Pixel 8 Pro’s face unlock system now allows you to access secure apps such as your bank. On the Pixel 7 Pro, face unlock could only be used to bypass the lock screen. The Pixel 8 Pro does not use any additional hardware to accomplish this; instead, Google claims it uses more advanced algorithms and machine intelligence. The trade-off is that this unlock mechanism does not operate in low light, unlike IR blaster-based options such as those found on the iPhone. At the same time, the Pixel 8 Pro manages to keep the camera cutout in the display tiny, which is a plus.
GET THE GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO FOR:
- The display is brighter and flatter.
- Improved battery life and charging speed.
- Overall, the camera performance has improved.
- Even extended software support.
GET THE GOOGLE PIXEL 7 PRO FOR:
- The lower price.
- The nicer curved-screen appearance.
