The Google Pixel 8 delivers flagship performance at a great price

Google Pixel 8: At a glance

The Pixel 8 sits in the middle child position. It’s not the best and it’s not the newest, so it’s perhaps the most easily overlooked device. But it has a significant advantage in that it’s often discounted, so it offers great value for money – and that’s not to be sniffed at.

It’s a compact phone with a 6.2-inch display, meaning it’s easier to use with one hand. If you struggle to keep a grip on large devices, then the compact nature of the Pixel 8 should appeal to you. The design is dominated by the camera bar across the rear of the phone, with a nice range of colours – Hazel (pictured here), Mint, Obsidian and Rose.

The back of the phone is glass and it’s a little slippery, so I’d advise getting a case for your phone unless you want to risk dropping it and smashing it. It’s water resistant, so when you drop it and it lands in the bath or swimming pool, it shouldn’t get damaged.

The 6.2-inch display is compact by modern standards and the best phones now seem to come with the biggest displays. This is a good middle ground with enough space to be useful, but not so large you can’t fit it into your pocket. It’s a good quality display too; nice and sharp, with plenty of brightness to make your content look great and to counteract any reflections on sunny days.

What’s perhaps surprising is that this phone is powered by the same hardware as Google’s top phone, the Pixel 8 Pro. That means it has all the power, and in use, it’s slick and fast. It’s not quite as fast as something like the Samsung Galaxy S24, but Google’s phones make up for it in other areas, with some great features.

The combination of that display and good hardware means that the Pixel 8 is a pleasure to use day-to-day. The built-in speakers are good, offering great sound for ad hoc YouTube video watching or when playing games. There’s no 3.5mm headphone socket, so pairing it up with a pair of wireless headphones will give you the best experience.

The battery in the Pixel 8 is also good, lasting around a day without too much of a problem, and quickly recharged via the USB-C connection on the bottom of the phone. It also supports wireless charging and a feature called “Battery Share”, where you can place another device on the back of the phone and let it wirelessly charge from the phone’s battery – that’s great for topping up your wireless earbuds.

That leads us to the camera, which is where the Pixel 8 really shines. Google has pushed simplicity through its camera, so it will give you amazing results (boosted by AI) but without you having to touch any settings on the phone. Point, shoot and get a great photo – that’s what the Pixel 8 is good at.

There are two cameras on the back with the main camera joined by an ultra-wide lens, which is great for expansive shots. There’s no dedicated zoom here, but the main camera will give excellent 2x zoom photos — and looks impressive out to 8x zoom too. The night shots are really good, it’s excellent at portraits and there are some special AI features that are game-changing.

“Magic Editor” will let you edit your photos, removing or replacing parts of the image – or just making it look better. Then there’s “Best Take”, which will help you perfect that group photo and make sure everyone is looking at the camera.

Google Pixel 8 camera sample photos

Open Gallery

The Pixel 8 is a great smartphone, offering solid build and great performance – all for a good price at £699. But it’s now a year old and the Pixel 8a offers much the same and could be found at a lower price – so that’s always worth investigating if choosing between the two.

The Pixel lineup has one of the best user experiences that you’ll find on an Android phone, without the duplication of apps that you find on other devices. Pixel is always the first phone to get updated to the latest software, with seven years of support

Google is one of the AI innovators in phones, with a range of features using AI to – for example – screen your calls, translate languages, identify music it can hear around you and a whole lot more, making for a really smart smartphone experience.

The battery life isn’t the strongest at this price and there are more powerful phones for the same money. But the camera is hard to beat – if you can manage with the lack of longer zoom – and the software support is exemplary, making the Pixel 8 a great choice of phone.

Google Pixel 8 vs Google Pixel 8a

• Both phones share a lot in common – they have similar designs, and come in at around the same size with the 8a having a 6.1-inch screen while the 8 has a 6.2-inch screen
• There’s also only one gram difference in weight, the dimensions are almost identical, and they have the same display resolution too
• The Pixel 8a is rated IP67 for water resistance, while the Pixel 8 has an IP68, making the Pixel 8 the marginally better option if you are worried about protection and durability
• The Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a both use Google’s Tensor G3 chip and while the Pixel 8 has a larger battery, there shouldn’t be a noticeable difference here
• The camera performance on the Pixel 8 should be the better of the two because it has better sensors, although both smartphone cameras have the same AI-based capabilities
• The Pixel 8 is a little older than the Pixel 8a and has a slightly higher price, even with discounts, so it’s likely that the 8a will be the better pick if you’re on a budget

Chris Hall is a freelance journalist who specialises in consumer technology, pursuing a passion that started over 20 years ago. In 2008 he took on a full-time Reviews Editor position at technology website Pocket-lint.com, before stepping up to Editor-in-Chief in 2012. Chris led coverage over a 15-year tenure, exposing him to every gadget, system and technology you’d ever want to know about.   

Chris left the Editor-in-Chief position at Pocket-lint.com in 2023 having published over 4,000 articles on consumer technology. His experience covers everything from smartphones and headphones to cars and computers. Chris doesn’t just test for reviews, he lives with a lot of technology, building a smart home and looking for a simpler solution to a connected home. This is much to his family’s irritation, because everything is always changing, especially the remote controls.  

As a freelance writer, Chris has contributed to The Telegraph, T3.com, TechRadar and Autocar -while launching his own technology website The Disconnekt – writing news about the latest technology, guides to help people make the best choices when shopping for technology, as well as reviewing extensively.   

Chris has appeared on BBC News and Sky News, BBC Radio and The Times Radio talking technology, and even once played a part on The Apprentice. Chris has also been an expert judge at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards and the Uswitch Awards.  

When not writing about technology or rearranging the technology in his home, Chris can be found on his bike, trying to get lost in the Surrey hills.