The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: everything you need to know

Tech giant Google recently unveiled the latest range of its flagship smartphones - the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the two new highly anticipated handsets. 

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro - what’s new?

Here are the latest top features and upgrades that come with the new Google Pixel 8 range.

1. Better camera technology

Pixel 8: The Pixel 8 features a high-resolution 108-megapixel main camera, offering exceptional photo quality and great detail. Another new feature, Audio Magic Eraser, aims to reduce distracting background sounds in videos. And the camera’s AI features, including Super Res Zoom and Night Sight, cater to both photography enthusiasts and casual users.

Pixel 8 Pro: The Google Pixel 8 Pro camera system has three rear-facing cameras and an upgraded front-facing selfie camera. The 50MP main camera has an f/1.65 aperture and 2x optical zoom to capture great-quality images, even in low light.

The 48MP ultrawide camera allows for a wide range of photography modes, from macro imagery to astrophotography. The 48MP telephoto camera has 5x optical zoom as well as up to 30x Super Res Zoom, to ensure exceptional photo and video quality.

Also featured on the camera strip is a clever new heat sensor that lets you quickly scan an object to get its temperature. Use it to check if your pan is hot enough to start cooking or if the milk in your baby’s bottle is at the right warmth. 

2. Display features

Pixel 8: Equipped with a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED display, the Pixel 8 ensures vivid visuals and the 120Hz refresh rate provides a slick user experience. Powered by Google's custom-designed Tensor SoC with 8GB of RAM, the Pixel 8 is extremely smooth to use.

Pixel 8 Pro: Pixel 8 Pro’s 6.7-inch display features are it brightest display yet. Meaning even in direct sunlight, videos and images will look super clear and true to life. It also has a matte glass back with an aluminium frame and comes in three colours: Porcelain, Bay and Obsidian.

3. Extended battery life

Pixel 8: The Pixel 8 features a larger battery than the Pixel 7 and a number of energy-efficient components, promising all-day battery life. Fast charging and wireless charging options are available for user convenience.

Pixel 8 Pro: The Pixel 8 Pro also has a sizeable battery with efficient software that gives you extended battery life. It features fast and wireless charging to support a 24+ hours battery. And its fast charging feature means the Pixel 8 Pro can gain up to 50% charge in about 30 minutes.

Availability and price

The Google Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro have been available for purchase in the UK since October 12th.

At the time of writing, the launch prices for the Pixel 8 were set at £699 for the 128GB model and £759 for the 256GB variant, a £100 increase on the Pixel 7.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is as follows: 

• £999 for the 128GB model

• £1,099 for the 256GB model

• £1,179 for the 512 GB model

How to find the best deal for you

When considering what network is right for you, it’s important to check which one has the best coverage for the area that you live in. You can check how strong each network's signal is in your area by visiting their 'coverage checker' pages.

Another thing to consider is the amount of data that you use each month, so you can ensure you don’t end up overspending. You can use our mobile data calculator to find the right amount of data for you.  

Popular new handsets, like the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, come with an upfront cost on many of their contract deals. Usually, the more you can upfront, the less you’ll have to pay on a monthly basis. So it’s up to you to decide how much you’d like to balance those payments. Checking the ‘total cost’ of each contract deal would help you figure out which offers you might end up paying the least overall for.

Networks like Three and Vodafone offer a Google Pixel 8 with no upfront costs, so if this is something you’d prefer, you can filter your results by upfront cost in our deals tables.

Although it doesn’t reach the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Samsung S23 Ultra, the Pixel 8 Pro still comes with a premium price. So, if you don’t want to pay the maximum for Google’s latest smartphone, look to the Pixel 8. The camera is the biggest difference between the two models, so if you can’t see yourself taking advantage of the new camera features, then the Pixel 8 may be a better option.

In order to find the best deal for your needs, check out our deals for both the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro which features offers from the likes of Vodafone, Three and O2.