Here’s how the Pixel 8 Pro compares to the Pixel 7 Pro

At its ‘Made by Google’ hardware event earlier today, Google unveiled the successors to the Pixel 7 series, the all-new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The top-of-the-line flagship, the Pixel 8 Pro, starts at $1,349 and is available to pre-order today, Wednesday, October 4th, and will be available starting Thursday, October 12th.

Say hello to the latest additions to our Pixel portfolio: #Pixel8 and 8 Pro. Powered by the new Google Tensor G3, these phones have even better cameras and more AI capabilities,¹ with all the things you already love about Pixel devices. #MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/pRhwYZo1xN

— Google (@Google) October 4, 2023

If you’re looking to order the new Pixel 8 Pro, you might want to compare it to its direct predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro, to see which device is better for your needs.

Display and design

To start, both the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 7 Pro feature a 6.7-inch QHD+ display. The new flagship features a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, while its predecessor featured a 10-120Hz refresh rate, which means that the 8 Pro can likely preserve more battery when doing less frame-intensive tasks.

Both devices have rounded edges, with a punch hole cut out for the selfie camera. The Pixel 8 Pro is brighter than its predecessor, with 2,400 nits of peak brightness, compared to its predecessor’s 1,500 nits peak brightness.

The differences continue on the rear, too. The rear camera bar on the Pixel 7 Pro housed the wide and ultrawide cameras in a pill-shaped cutout, while the telephoto was housed in a separate circle-shaped cutout. With the Pixel 8 Pro, the two cutouts have merged into a single large pill-shaped cutout.

Reading temperatures from your phone?#Pixel8 Pro has a new temperature sensor so you can conveniently check temps while cooking, warming bottles, and more.#MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/Q5DjFmC3Gi

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2023

Additionally, the camera bar now houses a new temperature sensor, which wasn’t present in the Pixel 7 Pro.

Both devices feature an in-display fingerprint scanner with support for face unlock, along with a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass Victus cover glass with a fingerprint-resistant coating and IP68 dust and water resistance. It’s worth noting that Google improved the face unlock on the Pixel 8 Pro, so now people can use it to unlock high-security apps like banking apps.

Additionally, the Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel 8 Pro both offer HDR support, an always-on display, Now Playing and At a Glance.

The Pixel 8 Pro is available in ‘Bay,’ ‘Obsidian,’ and ‘Porcelain’ colourways. The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, is available in ‘Hazel,’ ‘Snow,’ and ‘Obsidian’ colourways.

#Pixel8 Pro’s color palette is inviting and modern with colors like Bay and our Porcelain shade, which pairs perfectly with the soft gold trim for a luxurious look.

Which Pixel 8 Pro color is your favorite?#MadeByGoogle

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2023

Internals

The two phones have some similarities when it comes to internals. The Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel 8 Pro both offer 12GB of RAM, and have almost identical batteries. For reference, the Pixel 8 Pro runs on a 5,050mAh cell, while the Pixel 7 Pro runs on a 5,000mAh battery. Both devices can last beyond 24 hours on regular use and up to 72 hours with ‘Extreme Battery Saver’ turned on.

Both devices offer fast charging and fast wireless charging, as well as a battery share feature that essentially turns your Pixel into a wireless charger for other devices.

The Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel 8 Pro are both available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, but the Pixel 8 Pro also offers 1TB storage variants with the same Titan M2 security chip, which works in conjunction with the devices’ custom-made Tensor processors.

Tensor G3 is our third-generation chip powering #Pixel8 and 8 Pro to bring the latest in Google AI directly to Pixel. 🤯 That means better photos, videos and smarter features that help you throughout your day¹. #MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/j6VdBhGaMS

— Google (@Google) October 4, 2023

The Pixel 7 Pro runs on the Google Tensor G2 chip, whereas the new Pixel 8 Pro features the all-new Tensor G3 chipset. According to Google, the new chip is all about giving the Pixel 8 Pro improved AI capabilities, enabling on-device machine learning and on-device generative AI. The company says the Tensor G3 can run more than twice as many machine learning models on-device than the original Tensor, which first came to light with the Pixel 6 series.

The new chip is also responsible for the Pixel’s speech and natural understanding, allowing you to talk to the Google Assistant at your own pace, with pauses and “uhms.” It’s also responsible for upgrades to already present features like the Magic Eraser, which can now erase larger portions of a photo, thanks to being paired with the Tensor G3.

Cameras

Cameras have received a significant upgrade with the Pixel 8 Pro, less because of the camera hardware and more so because of the software and the Tensor G3 chipset. The primary wide-angle camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is still a 50-megapixel Octa PD wide camera with a lower f-stop value. The Pixel 8 Pro’s wide-angle camera is f/1.68, while its predecessor featured f/1.85.

Both wide cameras offer an 82-degree field of view with 1.2 μm pixel width.

The ultrawide camera on the Pixel 8 Pro has a 48-megapixel resolution, a solid upgrade from its predecessor’s 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Pixel 8 Pro’s ultrawide offers f/1.95 aperture with a 125.5-degree field of view and a 0.8 μm pixel width, while the Pixel 7 Pro’s ultrwide lens offers a f/2.2 aperture, 125.8-degree field of view and a 1.25 μm pixel width.

Both ultrawide shooters feature automatic lens correction.

The telephoto camera on both devices remains largely the same. The Pixel 8 Pro and 7 Pro’s telephoto cameras are both 48-megapixel and offer 5x optical zoom and Super Res zoom up to 30x.

The selfie camera on the Pixel 8 Pro has a 10.5-megapixel dual PD lens, which essentially combines adjacent pixels into a larger pixel, resulting in more light and information being captured and sharper images.

The new device’s selfie camera offers the same f/2.2 aperture and 1.22 μm pixel width as its predecessor, with the only other major upgrade being support for autofocus, in contrast to fixed focus on the Pixel 7 Pro.

Meet #Pixel8 & 8 Pro—engineered by Google with AI controlled by you.

📷Video Boost, Night Sight Video & Pro Controls on 8 Pro*
🔇Audio Magic Eraser*
🪄Edit pics w/ Best Take & Magic Editor*
✅Protects your info* & saves you time*

*See video & learn more: https://t.co/W5h2L96F0q pic.twitter.com/ymfSrw1A0V

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2023

Paired with the Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8 Pro’s cameras offer some features that its predecessor didn’t, namely:

• Pro controls
• Best Take
• Audio Magic Eraser
• Video Boost
• Night Sight Video

Here are all the camera features that were available on the Pixel 7 Pro and are also available on the Pixel 8 Pro:

• Photo Unblur
• Macro Focus
• Night Sight
• Top Shot
• Portrait Mode
• Super Res Zoom
• Live HDR+

At launch, the Pixel 7 Pro cost $1,179. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, comes in at $1,349, marking a $170 bump within a year.

Overall, the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t feel like a significant upgrade over its predecessor. While the camera and Tensor G3-related improvements are nothing to scoff at, I don’t feel like they warrant a direct upgrade from the Pixel 7 Pro. However, if you’re rocking an older device, upgrading to the Pixel 8 Pro will offer you an experience of Google’s top-of-the-line smartphone offering.

Follow this link for all of our content from Google’s Pixel 8 event.