The Google Pixel 8 was one of 2023s best smartphone releases. The compact size, excellent camera, and top-notch software made it an extremely tempting purchase especially with a retail price of just $699.

Contents What I still love about the Google Pixel 8My biggest issues with the Pixel 8Is the Pixel 8 still worth it in 2024? But were now five months removed from the Pixel 8s release, and alothas changed. Samsung released its Galaxy S24 series, OnePlus has been on a tear, and were quickly getting a good idea of what the Google Pixel 9 will look like. Given all that, I decided to pop my SIM card back into the Pixel 8 to see how the phone holds up in 2024.

　　What I still love about the Google Pixel 8

It had been a while since I last used the Google Pixel 8, but in the past couple of weeks of revisiting the phone, I never once felt out of step with it. The Pixel 8 is such an easy phone to live with. There are no steep learning curves, no weird software hurdles to overcome, and no game-breaking hardware issues. Everything about the phone just works, and its as easygoing in April 2024 as I remember it being in October 2023.

Related The Pixel 8 has a few particular strengths, one of which is its size. As someone who regularly uses the iPhone 15 Pro Max, coming back to the Pixel 8 has been a treat. It slides into my pocket with room to spare, and I can use it one-handed without a problem. But at 6.2 inches, the screen never feels too cramped. Ive watched numerous YouTube videos and played too manyMarvel Snapmatches on the phone over the last couple of weeks, and not once have I felt like I needed more space. Its a really lovely size, and its one of my favorite things about the phone.

Another reason the Pixel 8 has been so easy to revisit is its software. Googles flavor of Android 14 remains one of my favorites. Its clean, simple, and just so easy to use. Unlike Samsungs One UI or OnePlus OxygenOS which I feel I have to fine-tune and tweak to work the way I want it to Googles Pixel software is effortless. I dont have to hide duplicate apps, ignore dozens of features Ill never use, or anything of the sort. Its just wonderful.

Since the Pixel 8s release, one of the biggest new software features its received is Circle to Search. After launching on the Galaxy S24 first in January, Circle to Search has been a surprisingly handy tool on the Pixel 8. Its not something I use constantly, but whenever I do, it impresses me. Its also my favorite kind of Pixel feature. Its useful when I want to use it, but when I dont need it, it disappears from sight.

And, of course, theres the camera. The 50-megapixel main camera is still a joy to shoot with. Its far from the most advanced camera system on a phone today, but it remains one of my favorites.

Is it the best camera for zooming? Not really. The 2x zoom shortcut in the camera works well, and even at 8x zoom the maximum zoom distance for the phone pictures are still usable. But if you want to go any further, youre out of luck. The 12MP ultrawide camera also isnt the very best weve ever seen. But you know what? None of that really bothers me when Im using the Pixel 8. If I take a picture with the phone, chances are Im going to be happy with the end result. The Pixel 8 handles nighttime shots very well; it handles moving subjects easily, and its colors are just lovely striking a great balance of realism and vividness.

Previous Next 1 of 2

Before Magic Editor Joe Maring / Digital Trends

After Magic Editor Joe Maring / Digital Trends Lastly, Googles Magic Editor continues to impress. Although I dont care about moving subjects in my photos or changing what the sky looks like (although those features are impressive), its object eraser tool is incredibly powerful. Whether its a plastic bag, a trash can, or some other unsightly object, Magic Editor still does a great job of eliminating these things and filling in the background with surprising accuracy. It isnt always perfect, but its one AI feature I really do miss when Im on my iPhone.

　　My biggest issues with the Pixel 8

Thats a lot of praise for the Google Pixel 8! Does that mean its perfect? Not exactly. For as much as I enjoy using the Pixel 8, there are some very apparent shortcomings with the phone.

Surprisingly, one of them is the design. As much as I love the size of the Pixel 8, Im finding other aspects of the design frustrating specifically, the rounded corners. I think they give the Pixel 8 a very cute, soft aesthetic. In practice, however, they can make holding onto the phone weirdly challenging. Its a comfortable phone that nestles into my palm, but I often feel like I have to readjust my grip.

Maybe its because Ive grown used to flat edges on phones like the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24 Plus, but moving back to the Pixel 8s smooth, rounded frame hasnt been completely ideal. Rumor on the street is that the Google Pixel 9 is adopting a very Apple and Samsung-like flat frame, and Imreallylooking forward to that.

Speaking of issues, lets talk about battery life. Its fine. When Andy reviewed the Pixel 8 last October, he managed to get deep into a second day of use on a single charge. In my experience, the Google Pixel 8 lasts for about a day, and thats it. Its perfectly fine battery life, but in a world where similarly priced phones like the OnePlus 12R havemuch betterendurance, its a little bit harder to overlook.

Making it more irritating is how slowly the Pixel 8 chargers. 27W wired charging is not an impressive number in 2024. Once again, when there are options like the OnePlus 12R with 80W charge speeds, going back to something this tepid can be frustrating. I still love having the option for wireless and reverse wireless charging, but I really wish I could juice up the Pixel 8 a lot faster than Im able to now.

Finally, Id like to talk about the Tensor G3 chip powering the Google Pixel 8. Its continued to be a substantial improvement over its Tensor G2 predecessor. It generally runs smoothly, it doesnt get uncomfortably hot, and Ive not had nearly as many bugs/glitches as I did with my Pixel 7 Pro. However, thats not to say its perfect.

While not as big of an issue as it was for the Pixel 7 series, the Google Pixel 8 does still get warm noticeably more so than phones with recent Qualcomm chips. Plug it in to charge for a few minutes or play a couple of rounds ofMarvel Snap, and theres no ignoring the Pixel 8 heating up. Ive also encountered a handful of small software issues here and there such as apps briefly locking up for a couple of seconds and games dont feel quite as fluid as they do on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered phone. Its nothing game-breaking, but theyre all reminders that Google still has plenty of room to grow with Tensor.

　　Is the Pixel 8 still worth it in 2024?

Revisiting the Google Pixel 8 has been an interesting experience. The logical part of my brain knows that if I were recommending a phone to someone today, there are better choices out there.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 costs just $100 more and has a more capable processor. It also adds a proper telephoto camera, better battery life, a nicer screen, and Samsungs own suite of AI tricks. The OnePlus 12 shares the Pixel 8s $699 retail price and has its own slew of benefits be it the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 80W wired charging, or its own excellent camera system. For many people, either of those two phones is likely a smarter purchase over the Pixel 8.

But even so, theres something I find so welcoming about the Pixel 8. Maybe its Googles top-notch software. Perhaps its the tiny, adorable size thats a true rarity in 2024. Part of it might be the oh-so-good camera quality.On a technical level, the Google Pixel 8 has its flaws. But when I pick up the Pixel 8 and am reminded of all the good it does, those issues fade into the background.

I need to remove my SIM from the Pixel 8 to test another phone, but I am reluctant to do so. Simply put, I dont want to stop using the Pixel 8. And for all the ways we can analyze and review a smartphone in 2024, I think thats one of the best signs Google did something right.