Google has been trying for years to turn Pixel phones into the great reference in the Android world. Until now it used to base its differential value on the photographic system and the simplicity (cleanliness) of its user interface. This time, the Mountain View company has put more meat on the grill. There are many keys necessary to gain a loyal clientele. One of the most important in the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro has been to announce 7 years of software updates, the longest period in the Android operating system, which even surpasses Apple in some of the iPhone models, which range from 6 up to 8 years. It thus breaks the company of the search engine with one of the criticisms that has always weighed on the outdated software of its system and the consequent fragmentation between versions.
Once this software guarantee is achieved, the Pixel 8 Pro user has many other attractive features at their disposal. To start, the solid and manageable appearance of the phone, with the personality of its thick rear photography module (to capture the light well you need some space) and its polished aluminum bezel that resembles steel. The next important element is the processor. In recent years, Google has joined the trend of designing its own chip. The Tensor G3 is your great hope. Previous generations did not perform well at all.
In the tests carried out, even without having been subjected to demanding video games, the Tensor G3 does not overheat and handles applications with ease. Google seems to have found the right path with this generation of its processor. Samsung, which for years has developed its own chips, has moved its high-end to the most extreme Qualcomm Snadragon 8 Gen 2. The search engine company prefers to follow its own line, as Apple did, which has allowed it to even carry its computers to the same architecture as their phones. Less dependency and proprietary technology also means lower costs.
The section that is examined with a magnifying glass in each Pixel is photography. Google has been a specialist in successive generations of its phone in mastering artificial intelligence to achieve computational image processing that gives it advantages in low light conditions, for example, but also in post-editing the image. One of the most successful tools is the deletion tool. Any foreign element that we don't like in a photo recently taken with the Pixel 8 Pro is removed in an instant with our finger. It looks like magic, but it's technology.
Google has decided to play artificial intelligence and its bet now goes further. Characters can be moved within the photo to place them in a different place than the original shot or you can do something that Nokia phones already had a few years ago: in group photos, several captures are taken and then the best one is chosen. face of each character. The photograph is false, because it recreates a situation that never happened, but it seems that that is no longer what matters. The user's desire to obtain a "perfect" photograph is what counts above all. It is a fake photo, but it responds to the times we live in. If the user wants a fantasy instead of reality, who are the manufacturers to object?
Computational photography goes further every day, thanks to the neural engines contained in mobile chips, which apply artificial intelligence to a good number of variables in each capture, thus overcoming the limitations that photos have due to the small size. size of the sensors and the limited space available for the lenses to work with the incoming light. The Google Pixel 8 Pro goes further. The proposal of this phone is: "take the photo you want even if it doesn't work out." You can arrange it to your liking.
The Pixel 8 Pro's photographic system consists of a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide angle that is also macro, and a 48-megapixel, 5x telephoto lens. The set has a multi-zone autofocus sensor with laser detection, a spectrum and flicker sensor as well as an optical image stabilizer on the main sensor and the zoom. It is a balanced and versatile set, although in some cases it has dynamic range limitations. Compared to an iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Apple mobile performs better when faced with difficult situations, such as harsh sunlight with a crane in the way.
AI is so present in Google's mobile that it has artificial intelligence models that are downloaded to improve a certain shot but, if Wi-Fi is not available, the phone waits for that circumstance to do it, for example, at night while is loaded. The catalog of possible transformations is enormous. Magic Editor is a generative photo editor that can change the look of the photo by treating any object individually. In video, unwanted sounds can be suppressed, such as traffic, wind or construction. Additionally, the magic eraser has been improved. Removing something (or someone) from an image is quick, easy and effective. It also has an automatic blur system.
All these functions are the dream of many. Being able to get at the right angle of a photo that didn't turn out well, remove the tourist who crossed paths at the last minute in the background of a photo that seemed ideal, or eliminate unsightly elements will make users of this mobile happy. The social trend has been captured by Google like no one else. Although not everything is perfect in the application of AI.
To compare the Pixel 8 Pro, there is nothing better than putting it against the great reference at this time of the year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In the comparison with several shots, Apple's phone is one step above Google in computational photography, because although the apple phones do not have such striking editing effects, their captures are essentially better. In the first example, it is a shot with strong solar backlighting, in which the iPhone resolves the result much better. In the second, this demonstrates a better treatment of the dynamic range in addition to a more natural color exposure.
The Pixel 8 Pro does not take bad photos, but we must keep in mind that we are talking about a mobile phone worth more than 1,000 euros. To play in the super premium range, with a starting price of 1,099 euros, you have to respond in demanding circumstances, and Google's mobile phone falls somewhat short of its rivals. Compared to the iPhone, it showed disadvantages in dynamic range in demanding captures in which there are areas with strong highlights and deep shadows.
Among the new features of the Pixel 8 Pro is a new facial unlocking system, complementary to the fingerprint on the screen, which Google ensures has a high security certification. In any case, recognition is only done from the front camera, which questions that statement. The screen is another of the good improvements of the new Pixel, with a 6.7-inch screen, completely flat and, finally, variable image refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, to provide a clearer view of fast-moving content.
Google has achieved, as a whole, a mobile phone that is more perfected than the previous generation in many aspects, such as screen, cameras, processor and battery, although to access the leading group it seems to have fallen somewhat short and leaves the feeling that it is saving some things. for the future once others that previously did not work very well have been solved. It has even included something designed for the pandemic, a temperature sensor that has not yet obtained permission from regulatory agencies in Europe and the United States to be used to detect body temperature. The largest sections in the battery of specifications of the Pixel 8 Pro, which in a mobile phone today are endless lists, are those that have to do with artificial intelligence, which are where the Pixel 8 Pro stands out the most, although not only AI lives a phone.
