Google Pixel 8 Pro First Impressions

Thanks to a coincidence of timing, I’ve waited for over three weeks to get my Pixel 8 Pro, which arrived the day we flew to Mexico, on October 13. And it has been sitting in my Pennsylvania apartment ever since, waiting for my return.

Well, we’re back. And after a routine flight with no issues to speak of and an interminable Uber ride from the airport that took almost two hours because of traffic, we arrived here almost 12 hours after we had left our apartment in Mexico City, a bit wiped out.

But not wiped out enough to not at least unbox the Pixel 8 Pro, take some photos of it, pop on the case I also purchased, power it on, sign in to Google, get it fully updated, and begin some light configuration. And I do have some first impressions.

The first, alas, is surprising and unexpected: After spending over 6 weeks with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I find the Pixel 8 Pro look and feel a bit underwhelming comparatively.

And … I know. Any Pixel fan will tell you that this latest Pixel design style, with its prominent camera bar, is a big improvement over the dull, plastic-like designs of the past. And I agree with that. But as a recent iPhone user, I can also tell you that the Pixel in no way measures up to the iconic look and feel of Apple’s latest flagships. It’s just not in the same league, and doesn’t give off the same premium vibe.

Using a case, as I do, helps to minimize the differences. But even then, the iPhone retains a nice visual advantage, with its flat sides and more square (less tall and thin) shape. Fortunately for the Pixel, however, Google’s entry brings some pragmatic usability wins over the iPhone. That camera bar keeps the Pixel rock steady on a desk or other flat surface, whereas the iPhone’s offset camera bump means it will always be wobbly. And for right-handers like me, having all the side buttons—Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down on the Pixel—on the same side, the right side, of the device makes for easier one-handed use.

In some ways, this comparison of look, feel, and usability says a lot about the iPhone/Pixel debate, as it involves both emotion and logic. The iPhone is prettier for lack of a better word, more luxurious, and the Pixel is perhaps more pragmatic, more obviously a tool. It’s a white-collar/blue-collar thing, perhaps. But I’m surprised by how noticeable this is, given how much Google has tweaked its modern smartphone design since the initial version two years ago.

Anyway. There were few surprises during the Pixel’s software setup, another familiar experience. The only major addition I noticed was a request to set up Face Unlock, Google’s version of Face ID, in addition to Fingerprint Unlock, which still utilizes an in-display fingerprint reader, and a PIN. The implementation of both of these technologies was lackluster in previous Pixels, and my memory of Face Unlock on the Pixel 7 Pro is that it was so insecure that Google wouldn’t let you use it for Google Pay.

But this is not true of the Pixel 8 Pro: It is definitely using Face Unlock to authenticate my access to this payment solution, so something positive has happened on that front. I will look into that, as I very much prefer facial recognition on any phone. (And the iPhone’s Face ID feature is particularly good.)

Beyond that, the Pixel experience is familiar, perhaps too familiar, and it seems that Android 14 is about as minor an annual update as can be. Which, to be fair, was true of iOS 17 as well. These are mature platforms, after all. That said, there was a system update, which I installed, and that process was a healthy reminder of how long these things take to install: Microsoft really figured this out in Windows, but Android and iOS remain in the past in this area, unsophisticated and slow.

I also had to update what appeared to be every single app that came preinstalled on the phone, which was as expected and didn’t take all that long. After that concluded, I examined the camera system quickly. Because of course I did. And what I saw was different enough from what I expected that I turned on the old Pixel 6a to compare. And there have been some interesting changes since I last looked at this.

Some time back, I can’t recall when, Google added a Photo/Video switch below the Camera app’s text-based carousel that lets you switch between modes like Portrait, Photo, Night Sight, and so on. This is preferable to the iPhone Camera app layout, which mixes photo and video choices in its otherwise identical mode carousel. But the Pixel 8 Pro also offers modes that the more lowly Pixel 6a does not—Action Pan, Long Exposure, and so on—as well as unique controls and options.

There’s a nice quick settings icon in the lower right, for example, that pops up a panel with Brightness, Shadow, and White Balance, and, depending on what you’re doing, other choices. (Some of these options were previously available on-screen in the viewfinder.)

And there’s a new Settings button in the lower left that pops up separate general and pro photo (or video) settings for options like Night Sight, Top Shot Timer, Macro Focus, and more.

This was full-featured enough that I started wondering if I had somehow configured this thing for a pro mode or whatever. But looking around at the full app settings, it appears not. (Indeed, there are some pretty advanced options in there I’ll need to research, like social media depth data and enabling the Display P3 color format.) I think this is just what the Pixel Camera app is now, an interesting mix of general and pro features that you can switch between on the fly. I like it.

No real photo observations yet. And I’ve only taken one comparison shot, in low light, with the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Pixel 8 Pro version:

iPhone version:

Today’s a busy day between our having just returned, Windows Weekly this afternoon, and our coming move, which will require some attention each day going forward. But I will install and configure all the apps I use later today and then switch over my T-Mobile eSIM to the Pixel. And soon—today, maybe tomorrow—I’ll also get up and running with the Pixel Watch 2 that I got for “free” with the Pixel 8 Pro purchase so I can give that a go.

More soon.