Google needs to bring its A-game to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro
I’ve long been a fan of Google’s Pixel phones, having used every one since the very first Pixel. That combination of ‘pure’ Android from Google’s perspective, great cameras, and an interesting two-tone design tickles my fancy, especially with the XL/Pro models. Even the not-so-flagship Pixel 5 got my attention with its utilitarian design and impressive feature set.
Each generation of Pixel brought something new to the table, even the gimmick of the Pixel 4’s Soli radar sensor or the Pixel 6’s striking camera bar.
But since that sixth-gen Pixel, Google has moved away from the special features and taken a more iterative approach. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were evolutions of the 6-series. And going by what we know of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, it looks like Google will again be tweaking its latest Pixel formula rather than shaking it up.
In some ways, that’s no bad thing; the Pixel 6 was great, and improving upon it simply made an impressive phone even better.
But things have changed. Samsung has refined the Galaxy S23 range, including the excellent Galaxy S23 Ultra, into a trio of phones worthy of high spots on our best phones list. And Apple’s new iPhone 15 range, spearheaded by the iPhone 15 Pro Max, brings significant enough improvements to the Apple phone formula to make others stand up and notice.
