Google Pixel 8 - Unlocked Android Smartphone with Advanced Pixel Camera, 24-Hour Battery, and Powerful Security - Hazel - 128 GB

I’ve been a very long time iPhone user - since the iPhone 5 era! - and a few months ago I grew tired of it all. The Pixel series of devices is the perfect antidote - performant enough for everything I want to do with amazing long term software support and great photography capabilities. Personally, I don’t game or use a bunch of AI on my phone but from what I heard in general the Pixels are not the best for gaming but really great at the AI stuff (especially if you use Gemini). Initially I tried a Pixel 9a, and it was great, but it felt just as unwieldily as an iPhone. But once I got my hands on the Pixel 8 it was sheer perfection! Despite not being that much smaller, it fits perfectly in my hands and is a joy to hold thanks to the curved sides. Thanks to the size and shape I have little fear of dropping it. Battery life is good - I charge it about every 3 days, but take that with a grain of salt as I’m also a comparatively light user in terms of actual screen-on time. I mostly make calls, listen to music, and will sometimes send a few text messages. A big deal in getting one of these for me is that it is not only carrier unlocked, but also boot loader unlocked. So, I’m currently running GrapheneOS on it. And another big win is that replacement parts are easy to find and affordable, so making it last it’s entire supported lifespan shouldn’t be hard at all :) I absolutely love it and couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for a well made, long term supported phone with plenty of software and repairability options.

First off, I confess to being a Pixel 4a fanatic. To my mind, it is the single best Android phone ever, given the price point, sleek dimensions, and durability. After four years of use, my darling Barely Blue 4a was still going strong. If it were up to me, I would have continued to use it until it would run no more. Alas, as with all things business nowadays, it has a usable lifespan that is shorter than its little-phoone-that-could heart. Google stopped providing security updates for it in August 2023, and I will not wade into the hatchet job the company effected from afar on Pixel 4a users through a forced battery software retool in January 2025. Luckily for me, my 4a was not among the Impacted Devices that imploded after Google's sneaky move. Still, the battery had already degraded, and the battery "fix" meant that it lost power sooner. My 4a is still fine as a backup phone, and I will use it that way going forward. In any case, I had purchased this Pixel 8 over the holidays, after being unimpressed by the Pixel 9 series phones at the significantly higher pricetag. No phone will rival the 4a in my heart (though perhaps the Pixel 5 was close enough), but this is now the most compact feature-laden phone I could find. The Pixel 8a is quite close, and I nearly chose that, but the 8 has significant upgrades that made it worthwhile, particularly as I actually paid less for it than sale prices on the 8a. The Pixel 8 has a sharp screen, snappy performance, and on the tweaks I care about, without any of the pricey additions that do not matter to me. Certainly the screen is brighter, the processor a tad faster, and the battery a bit beefier on the 9 series, but not enough to distract me from my wallet's contentment with the 8's pricetag. The fingerprint reader is a disappointment, particularly coming from the effortless 4a back-of-the-phone version, but again, not worth several hundred dollars more to me for the upgrade. This phone has guaranteed security updates through fall of 2030, smooth scrolling, all the great Pixel camera perks and none of the silly gimmicks. Although the 9a is just around the corner, I am quite content to sit with my Pixel 8 until someone wises up to the niche of folks who want a small (as in 4a size) phone with many but not all of the bells and whistles, or until I give up and purchase another phone with enough to offer to make it worth my while.

It has been a while since I bought this phone but I still have it. It's not flagship today by any means but it does everything I need. Takes pictures, runs apps, plays music and shows maps with Android Auto. It's fast enough between apps. It also allows me to call people. I feel that the screen is really clear. This phone is not locked which was great for when I switched carriers. If it's heavy, I couldn't say. What's a few grams between friends. I've never sat at the end of the day thinking that my phone was too heavy. It's light weight enough. It's got a sturdy build. No flex under normal use. I charge my phone about once a day but I can go two days on a single charge. I'm not a heavy user. I find that google phones to be a good value for me and have been rocking this phone for a long time now. I'm not in the market for a new one yet. I don't need to upgrade this phone as it does everything that I need today.

(4/5) After about 2 days of using, the best features of the Google Pixel 8 are: 1: One of the best cameras in the market. On top of being a great camera, any imperfections in photos are fixed by Google's AI software. 2: Amazing screen brightness & quality. The new OLED screen resolution and quality overall is one of the best I've seen in androids, definitely up there with the newest Galaxy S models. It can get very bright when you need it to and very dark. 3: The design/durability. Google is well known for their unique phone designs, and the Pixel 8 is no exception. Anybody looking at the phone will know it's a Pixel. The back is also scratch resistant and can handle major falls. An added plus on top of its 7 year software updates! Where it falls short: 1: It's G3 Tensor chip. Google has recently started developing their own phone chips, and the processing power in the G3 is good for a $600 phone. However, it unfortunately falls short of other flagship Samsung or Apple phones. It also tends to heat up a bit, but that's an added plus in winter time :) 2: It's battery life. The battery is decent, lasting about 7 - 8 hours of heavy use, but is again outraced by Samsung. Overall, the phone is perfect in its camera quality, durability/design, and new OLED screen. However, it falls behind in its battery and G3 powering chip. Fixing these 2 issues would make it the perfect phone!

I really like just about everything about this phone. The screen is large and high resolution with a sharp image. It takes great pictures and has more options than I need. Being a Pixel, it always gets the latest Android version and doesn't have extra bloatware. I love using Google Lens on it to translate foreign language text. It can cast the screen to any device that supports it, and likewise for playing music. The processor is powerful enough to run graphics-intensive games, but it gets quite warm in the process. The only issue I've run into is when I tried to connect an external monitor via USB-C, it only worked in screen copy mode and not desktop mode like you can on a Samsung device (using DeX). Android 15 has it partly implemented, so I'm hoping it will be fixed in the next update.

Global Connectivity Hurdles: A Formal Review of Google Pixel 8's 5G Limitations As an IT engineer, my profession not only demands but relies on the bleeding edge of technology, particularly in terms of connectivity and mobile computing. Recently, I embarked on a business trip across Asia, with scheduled meetings in Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand, carrying what I believed was one of the most sophisticated tools in mobile technology—the Google Pixel 8. However, my experience highlighted a critical and disappointing oversight by Google: a software lock on 5G connectivity, an unexpected flaw for a company at the helm of Android development. Upon arrival in Japan, a country known for its cutting-edge mobile networks, I was surprised to find my device restricted to 4G services. Assuming a temporary issue, I proceeded with my tasks, only to encounter the same limitation in Hong Kong and subsequently in Thailand. Each location, despite having robust 5G infrastructure, was a reminder of my device's unexpected shortcoming. Determined to find a solution, I reached out to Google support, only to learn that this was not a malfunction but a deliberate design decision—a software lock preventing access to 5G networks in certain regions, regardless of local network capabilities or user needs. This restriction is particularly perplexing and frustrating given Google’s role as a leading developer of the Android platform, which is supposed to champion accessibility and user-centric features. This limitation not only hampered my ability to work efficiently—relying on slower data speeds in bustling metropolitan areas—but also reflected poorly on Google’s commitment to serving its customers, particularly professionals who depend on seamless global connectivity. As a first-party developer, Google has the responsibility to ensure that its devices are not just competitive in terms of hardware but are also free of unnecessary software restrictions that can cripple functionality. In this instance, the Google Pixel 8, although impressive in many aspects, falls short in a fundamental area that directly impacts professionals in IT and software engineering. The inability to access 5G networks due to a software lock is not a trivial matter but a significant oversight that undermines the utility of a device marketed as a tool for developers and engineers. This experience serves as a stark reminder that even the most reputable technology companies can make decisions that profoundly affect user experience and not always for the better. Go buy an IPhone, don't be stupid.

Thankfully technology and smart phones have reached a point that is so high that it's achievable to be a great phone if the manufacturer is willing to invest in it's product and Google has done that here; anyone that requires more, there is no pleasing you.... This is a phone to hang onto for the long run which was the main reason I bought this. Goes great with a leather wallet case and privacy glass screen protector. It also has wireless charging but I don't think I'll ever use that feature, and it gives the option to wirelessly charge other devices. This phone works better than other peoples PCs IMO. Well worth the investment. Also, it has a feature to use "normal" screen color shades or "vivid" color shades and its beautiful. Probably the best Android phone on the market. I also bought this phone refurbished and it's like a brand new phone(don't think people understand someone could open & close a box and thats what makes it "used" for becoming refurbished), sold and shipped by Amazon for 50% off the full price. My previous phone was from 2018. Pros: Water resistant, comes with Google photo editing for free, loads of actual useful security features, amazing camera, nice weight, feels like high quality, AMAZING stereo speakers(sounds like it has a bass speaker inside too and it sounds nice), awesome screen, customizable battery saving mode to disable/enable apps(very nice). Cons: its not invincible, battery only lasts 1.5 days without battery saver mode on, can't extract moister from the air to give me a sip of water?....idk, cant imagine what more I need a phone to do at this point.

Probably the best phone I have ever owned. Purchased new (obsidian, 128gb, first time Pixel user) for $400 on prime day. I think the only phone that might compete price/hardware wise is the Xiaomi14, but at $400 the pixel 8 is a much better value for me personally(compared to $700+ Xiaomi14). This phone is really fast. Really fast. So far it has handled all of my playstore games and emulated games really well. Can even run ps2/dolphin just fine. The battery is great, charges really fast and doesn't drain fast even when gaming. The adaptive battery feature has already proven to be a life saver as well. Reducing how fast the device charges when over 80% (especially for people who charge over night) should help to keep the battery's charge for a while. I switched from the original A50 that I purchased for $300 in 2019 and the difference is night and day. The A50, a value oriented phone with great features, drained power incredibly fast even when brand new. The camera+screen quality is probably the highlight of the phone for me. The camera has a ton of features and very sharp and crisp looking photos. However what really shines about the 8's camera is its photos in low light/night time and the ability to edit photos/videos easily with just a few button presses. The 120hz screen and actua display competes with just about any other flagship phone and really makes the phone much more responsive and expressive. The few cons to this phone aren't enough to warrant knocking any stars, but I will still mention them. When holding/operating the phone, at-least for my hand, its very easy to smudge your camera lens with your fingers on the back of the phone. While not needed, I opted for a glass screen protector that makes any smudges easy to wipe off. Also, being a phone produced by Google, the Pixel sports a google search bar at the bottom of the screen that you are unable to remove, move, or resize. While not a big deal, I did find it odd that non of the video reviews I watched for this phone mentioned this. However I do understand its been a part of Pixel for a long time and most likely was covered for previous models. Having not bought a new, nice phone in 5+ years, I was also very bummed that a charging block was not included. While this is listed clearly on this page and is easily visible, it has been frustrating to track down a power block that can really deliver the 27w to the phone. So many blocks might be advertised as "high speed power bricks" but often I find you don't receive the full listed wattage. Especially if the block has multiple outlets. Even if the price needs to be higher to compensate, with mobile devices becoming more power hungry, new phones should be shipped with both a charging cable and power brick. Google obviously isn't alone in this practice and appears to be part of the cost of upgrading to a new phone. Over all, switching from Samsung to pixel has been incredibly simple and easy. After a couple weeks I have completely taken to my new phone and probably have been converted to a Pixel user for life. I have now become the picture taker in my relationship and can no longer say "yeah but my phone is bad!" to avoid taking them haha. The promise of 8 years of updates, 7 now that the 9 is out, has me excited to keep this phone for as long as possible as well.