Pixel 8 / Pixel 8 Pro / Pixel 8a

kirbyrj said:
After having used the S23, I can say that it's just google's implementation of the under screen fp reader. The S23 is almost as good as the old capacitive one with the exception of the physical circle to put your finger in so you know you're in the right place.
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After using the power switch FP readers in the flip/fold devices I never want to use under screen again! With no under screen FP reader AND a flat screen, one can finally use any $4 tempered glass without issues, same as iPhone since 12!
 
Zorachus said:
The way I would recommend Google build the Pixel 8 Pro;

- 6.5" screen size
- FLAT display
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 12GB RAM
- 6,200mAh battery
- Newest fastest storage
- Fast charging
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Lol @ 6200mAh battery. I'd rather not have a brick that takes 3+ hours to charge with a standard 15W charger. That's about what it'd take though for the Pixel to be competitive with battery life on Tensor though. With a Snapdragon 8 gen 2 SoC that's really unnecessary.

At this point it's looking like I'm replacing my Pixel 5 with the Zenfone 10 or maybe the S23 still since I don't want an oversized phone. I'll miss some of the Pixel features like song recognition on the lock screen and history so I can easily add songs to my YT music playlists as I hear them. But I'm sure I can find a 3rd party alternative for that too.
 
What I'll miss most if I leave Pixel is Google's phone app. It's the best I've used for managing calls, contacts, do not disturb, etc. I like the song recognition feature, too.
 
Mad Maxx said:
What I'll miss most if I leave Pixel is Google's phone app. It's the best I've used for managing calls, contacts, do not disturb, etc. I like the song recognition feature, too.
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You can use the Phone by Google app on other Android phones. The built-in visual voicemail feature probably won't be available, but you can use the phone manufacturer's app for that (but it probably won't be as good as Google's VV support).
 
skriefal said:
You can use the Phone by Google app on other Android phones. The built-in visual voicemail feature probably won't be available, but you can use the phone manufacturer's app for that (but it probably won't be as good as Google's VV support).
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Nice! Last time I tried a Samsung phone -- I think it was the Note 10 or 20 -- Google's phone app wasn't available on non-Pixels.
 
They changed that about 3 years ago I think. It's installable now through the Play Store. I have it on a Samsung S23 Ultra and have also used it on a Z Fold 3.

For some reason Google limits the Phone app's integrated visual voicemail feature to Pixels and maybe a few other phones. But definitely not on Samsungs.
 
skriefal said:
They changed that about 3 years ago I think. It's installable now through the Play Store. I have it on a Samsung S23 Ultra and have also used it on a Z Fold 3.

For some reason Google limits the Phone app's integrated visual voicemail feature to Pixels and maybe a few other phones. But definitely not on Samsungs.
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I've never used Visual VM, so nothing lost there. I'm good with VMs transcribed to text. Looks like I'll be giving the S23 Ultra a shot. :)
 
cpufrost said:
And ditch the under screen FP reader!
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Was hoping against hope they'd reverse the decision to go with the dumb front finger print reader instead of the excellent rear one, but I guess that isn't the case :(

It's 2023 and I'm still hoping they would consider releasing an updated Nexus 5x instead of chasing the latest in phone trends.

I'm torn on what to do. I currently have the Pixel 5a on Fi and I am coming up on my upgrade date on August 2nd.

The phone is OK. It's not my favorite phone of all time, but but I don't like most of the changes newer phones are making.

If I take the upgrade they will send me a 7a. Not a huge fan of the 7a, at least not on paper. Going to miss the audio port and rear fingerprint sensor.

I figured I could skip the 7a, and hope for the 8a being more to my liking this time next year, when the 5a hits EOL, but looking at these leaks of the Pixel 8, I am not hopeful the 8a will be any better.

It sucks when industries have unilateral group think and none of the players are making anything you like.


On an interesting side note, the Pixel 7 is cheaper than the 7a right now in the Fi store. which is weird. The 7 Pro is only slightly more than the 7a...

Choices choices. Plague or cholera.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Lol @ 50MP camera. What is that possibly useful for with such a tiny lens and sensor.

Sounds like they just want you to fill up your storage faster and buy a bigger google drive plan. :p
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The main camera is already 50MP! That resolution or close to it is becoming common among manufacturers (the iPhone 14 Pro uses a 48MP main sensor, for example).

There are a few advantages, provided the sensor is physically large enough. You can use pixel binning to allow tons of light while still maintaining a usable resolution. You can perform blur-free digital zoom just by cropping into the image. You need at least 33.6MP to shoot 8K video, and you can still use that 50MP sensor to improve the output for 4K video (through software-based stabilization).

I look at it this way: my phone is almost always going to be the way I capture photos of my family. I want the most detail and shot flexibility I can get, since I don't get to retake these photos later. I'd rather have a 48MP/50MP/etc. sensor that's overkill than shoot 12MP and wish I'd had a higher-res camera.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Lol @ 50MP camera. What is that possibly useful for with such a tiny lens and sensor.

Sounds like they just want you to fill up your storage faster and buy a bigger google drive plan. :p
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Samsung has a 200MP sensor in their S23 Ultra.
It is ridiculous.
I have a 5MP DSLR from 1997 that can still do better.
But when you think about convenience, it sure is impressive. The mobile that is.
I wish (Samsung) would fix their post though. Way too aggressive with sharpening and "Ai" noise reduction.
I am awaiting an Xperia 1 mark V which is basically a camera with a phone. Can't wait to try a true manual interface especially with video.

Back on topic, Google still has a long way to go with their hardware. Their chip runs too hot and they are behind the curve when it comes to competing with other "near" flagship devices.

I do like how visual voicemail is baked into the phone app. Like iOS does. It should be that way across the platform. Anyone that uses an android (non pixel) phone with T Mobile knows exactly what I'm talking about! Those visual voicemail apps are steaming piles of horse excrement.
 
Aurelius said:
The main camera is already 50MP! That resolution or close to it is becoming common among manufacturers (the iPhone 14 Pro uses a 48MP main sensor, for example).

There are a few advantages, provided the sensor is physically large enough. You can use pixel binning to allow tons of light while still maintaining a usable resolution. You can perform blur-free digital zoom just by cropping into the image. You need at least 33.6MP to shoot 8K video, and you can still use that 50MP sensor to improve the output for 4K video (through software-based stabilization).

I look at it this way: my phone is almost always going to be the way I capture photos of my family. I want the most detail and shot flexibility I can get, since I don't get to retake these photos later. I'd rather have a 48MP/50MP/etc. sensor that's overkill than shoot 12MP and wish I'd had a higher-res camera.
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I have never once found the 12MP on my Pixel 5a to be insufficient. In fact, it is almost always total overkill.

1080p is about 2MP, and that's kind of overkill for most family photo type scenarios, unless you are going to be printing billboards or doing professional photo editing.

Sure, a few extra pixels for background digital trickery like stabilization might help, but 25x more is just ridiculous.

I'd argue no one, not a single person in this world needs (or could even remotely benefit from) a phone with more than ~5MP.

The reasoning is this:
Sure, you might desire better pictures, but for cropping/blowing up pictures, you are going to be limited by the tiny sensor and lenses that can fit in a phone anyway. No one benefits from millions of pixels of blur, and that's all you are going to get if you view 50mp taken on a phone at natural pixels on a screen.

It's a tiny phone for crying out loud, not a medium format Hasselblad camera. 8k, and even 4k video is pointless out of the tiby lens and sensor on a phone.

It's all an invented marketing number made up to give you FOMO and make you buy both the hardware and pay more subscription fees for the cloud storage necessary to store the files.

There are certainly things I wish my phone camera could do better. Low light performance is one of them, but higher resolution doesn't help here. Pixel vinning hela, sure, but you know what also helps? Having fewer pixels and making each one larger so more light falls on it. In fact, tat is a much better solution to the low light problem, as it is naturally lower noise.
 
I can tell you for a fact there is a HUGE difference between 1080p and UHD. HDR10 even better.

What's bad is pushing the limits without raising bitrate. A 8K video at 70Mbps is worse than a 1080P video at the same data rate.
It's too bad that these devices out of the box don't let the user access these settings.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I have never once found the 12MP on my Pixel 5a to be insufficient. In fact, it is almost always total overkill.

1080p is about 2MP, and that's kind of overkill for most family photo type scenarios, unless you are going to be printing billboards or doing professional photo editing.

Sure, a few extra pixels for background digital trickery like stabilization might help, but 25x more is just ridiculous.

I'd argue no one, not a single person in this world needs (or could even remotely benefit from) a phone with more than ~5MP.

The reasoning is this:
Sure, you might desire better pictures, but for cropping/blowing up pictures, you are going to be limited by the tiny sensor and lenses that can fit in a phone anyway. No one benefits from millions of pixels of blur, and that's all you are going to get if you view 50mp taken on a phone at natural pixels on a screen.

It's a tiny phone for crying out loud, not a medium format Hasselblad camera. 8k, and even 4k video is pointless out of the tiby lens and sensor on a phone.

It's all an invented marketing number made up to give you FOMO and make you buy both the hardware and pay more subscription fees for the cloud storage necessary to store the files.

There are certainly things I wish my phone camera could do better. Low light performance is one of them, but higher resolution doesn't help here. Pixel vinning hela, sure, but you know what also helps? Having fewer pixels and making each one larger so more light falls on it. In fact, tat is a much better solution to the low light problem, as it is naturally lower noise.
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Have to disagree. Cropping is pretty common even for everyday users; even Instagram relies on it pretty heavily. I want to be sure that I'm not losing significant detail just because a tighter framing would look better.

Moreover, sensor tech has improved dramatically over the years, including compared to the Pixel 5a (which is using the same sensor as in the earlier Pixel 4 series). Better color accuracy, more light, less noise. And of course, the phones themselves are getting better at processing those images, making the end results more usable. There are shots I've taken with my iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6 that wouldn't have even been viable with earlier phones.

As for video... I have a 4K TV and a 5K iMac. I'll notice the difference if I'm shooting clips at 1080p, and I don't want the footage to look overly soft as I move to higher-res and (possibly) larger screens over time. I'll agree that 8K is overkill for video right now, but never say never... what's impractical now may be easy in a few years.
 
Aurelius said:
Have to disagree. Cropping is pretty common even for everyday users; even Instagram relies on it pretty heavily. I want to be sure that I'm not losing significant detail just because a tighter framing would look better.

Moreover, sensor tech has improved dramatically over the years, including compared to the Pixel 5a (which is using the same sensor as in the earlier Pixel 4 series). Better color accuracy, more light, less noise. And of course, the phones themselves are getting better at processing those images, making the end results more usable. There are shots I've taken with my iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6 that wouldn't have even been viable with earlier phones.

As for video... I have a 4K TV and a 5K iMac. I'll notice the difference if I'm shooting clips at 1080p, and I don't want the footage to look overly soft as I move to higher-res and (possibly) larger screens over time. I'll agree that 8K is overkill for video right now, but never say never... what's impractical now may be easy in a few years.
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I'd argue that you are going to outresolve the tiny lenses with that kind of resolution anyway, so what is tbe point? Softness from resolution vs softness from the lens? Either way you get softness.
 
From the leaks the Pixel 8 Pro having a FLAT screen, does not look like it's FLAT like a current iPhone or even the new Nothing Phone 2. I think the 8 Pro will have a "flat" screen like the Pixel 4 XL with those slight 2.5 edge or whatever they called that, it's almsot flat but not iPhone 14 flat.
 
cpufrost said:
....I do like how visual voicemail is baked into the phone app. Like iOS does. It should be that way across the platform. Anyone that uses an android (non pixel) phone with T Mobile knows exactly what I'm talking about! Those visual voicemail apps are steaming piles of horse excrement.
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Yes I do know what you are talking about! Yesterday and today I had been speaking with T-Mobile Tech Support over an issue with the T-Mobile Visual Voice Mail app.

And yes, the Pixel's implementation of the features within the Google Phone app is stellar. MadMaxx, myself, and others were frequently pointing out one such feature within the Google Phone app that is not replicated by other Android devices, the call screening feature where you can view in real time the interactive dialogue between the app and the caller.
 
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Supersnake said:
Yes I do know what you are talking about! Yesterday and today I had been speaking with T-Mobile Tech Support over an issue with the T-Mobile Visual Voice Mail app.

And yes, the Pixel's implementation of the features within the Google Phone app is stellar. MadMaxx, myself, and others were frequently pointing out one such feature within the Google Phone appp that is not replicated by other Android devices, the call screening feature where you can view in real time the interactive dialogue between the app and the caller.
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iOS 17 has it now. You can watch a live transcription of the caller leaving a message and decide to pick it up. Reminds me back in the days with Phone Mate answering machines hearing the person yelling Hey I know you're there, pick up! :-D
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I'd argue that you are going to outresolve the tiny lenses with that kind of resolution anyway, so what is tbe point? Softness from resolution vs softness from the lens? Either way you get softness.
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Not necessarily. While mirrorless/DSLR optics certainly help, you can still get tack-sharp imagery from a good smartphone sensor. Take this photo I found from someone who shot on an iPhone 14 Pro in RAW, for example. If you peep up close (you can zoom in twice), in-focus areas remain sharp in a way you won't get from a 12MP camera.

I'll say this: while a modern dedicated APS-C or full-frame camera will still take better photos, phone camera tech is catching up more quickly than you think.
 
Aurelius said:
Not necessarily. While mirrorless/DSLR optics certainly help, you can still get tack-sharp imagery from a good smartphone sensor. Take this photo I found from someone who shot on an iPhone 14 Pro in RAW, for example. If you peep up close (you can zoom in twice), in-focus areas remain sharp in a way you won't get from a 12MP camera.

I'll say this: while a modern dedicated APS-C or full-frame camera will still take better photos, phone camera tech is catching up more quickly than you think.
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It is sharp but the fakeh looks worse than if it were left natural!
Of course I'm biased! When I need super short focal length I break out the F 0.9 Leica prime! 🙃
 
cpufrost said:
It is sharp but the fakeh looks worse than if it were left natural!
Of course I'm biased! When I need super short focal length I break out the F 0.9 Leica prime! 🙃
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I'm not sure if the bokeh is artificial. Phone sensors tend to have a shallower depth of field as they climb in resolution, and the software bokeh is usually more pronounced than this.
 
Aurelius said:
I'm not sure if the bokeh is artificial. Phone sensors tend to have a shallower depth of field as they climb in resolution, and the software bokeh is usually more pronounced than this.
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The focal uniformity is strange. Definitely "Ai" processed. As is the NR in the background. Have to see the actual RAW file before Lightroom! ;-)
Viewed normally, it does look good but a bit oversharpened in the foreground.
 
Honestly Western phones in general are still behind Chinese phones in camera hardware if that's what you're serious about. The Xiaomi 13 using an IMX 989 in conjunction with a lens developed with Leica is a pretty winning combination.
 
NightReaver said:
Honestly Western phones in general are still behind Chinese phones in camera hardware if that's what you're serious about. The Xiaomi 13 using an IMX 989 in conjunction with a lens developed with Leica is a pretty winning combination.
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China, oh China, why the good camera?

The better to spy on you with, my dear :p
 
From my understanding, you don't actually get a 50mp photo at the end of the day. They use like a 4 pixel in 1 to try and get a better color rendition in lower light, my pixel 7 only saves 12mp photos and average about 2.5mb
 
RCoight86 said:
From my understanding, you don't actually get a 50mp photo at the end of the day. They use like a 4 pixel in 1 to try and get a better color rendition in lower light, my pixel 7 only saves 12mp photos and average about 2.5mb
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You can force a 50MP photo, I believe, but in general shooting you're right. That's pixel binning, and it's a pretty common technique in mobile cameras.
 
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RCoight86 said:
From my understanding, you don't actually get a 50mp photo at the end of the day. They use like a 4 pixel in 1 to try and get a better color rendition in lower light, my pixel 7 only saves 12mp photos and average about 2.5mb
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This is true. However actual sensor size is very important and why sensors like the IMX 989 are a cut above. Not so much the mp but the amount of light they can take in, and light is king in photography.
 
Aurelius said:
You can force a 50MP photo, I believe, but in general shooting you're right. That's pixel binning, and it's a pretty common technique in mobile cameras.
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Yeah pixel7 is rubbish, definitely can't go 50MP on their stock app, you choose high or medium quality and that's it :( maybe a third party app gives more control.


Pixel binning, that was the word I was thinking of, thankyou
 
NightReaver said:
This is true. However actual sensor size is very important and why sensors like the IMX 989 are a cut above. Not so much the mp but the amount of light they can take in, and light is king in photography.
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Agreed, the pictures I take on my phone are nowhere near the quality of my 70D. The sensor is just too small.
Yes, the 70D isn't a full frame, I know, but the image is still amazing
 
RCoight86 said:
Agreed, the pictures I take on my phone are nowhere near the quality of my 70D. The sensor is just too small.
Yes, the 70D isn't a full frame, I know, but the image is still amazing
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It's funny when people who "care" about photos complain about the sensor suite size on such phones.

Why yes I noticed, now can I have more? :D
 
NightReaver said:
It's funny when people who "care" about photos complain about the sensor suite size on such phones.

Why yes I noticed, now can I have more? :D
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Haha, horses for courses, if I plan on taking amazing photos, I'll grab my DSLR and lenses, if I'm out and about and see something cool, the photo is more than enough. You can't expect the same level of quality
 
RCoight86 said:
Haha, horses for courses, if I plan on taking amazing photos, I'll grab my DSLR and lenses, if I'm out and about and see something cool, the photo is more than enough. You can't expect the same level of quality
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True, but it's always nice to see the hardware get pushed forward occasionally
 
The best camera is the one you have with you.
And now, with the vast improvements in capture over just the past decade or so, I'm still waiting for clear UFO and Bigfoot pics!
All we get are silly vertical videos.
I got a Quantum bigfoot drive somewhere here, perhaps I can take a good pic of that. :-P
 
I laugh at loud to myself about getting the Pixel 8 Pro. Will I, or won't I? Uh... every October I buy the latest Pixel phone, so who am I kidding.

Now getting the Galaxy S23 Ultra, I'm on the fence, maybe / maybe not, but at this point probably not, until I at least see the Pixel 8 Pro. I haven't owned a Samsung Galaxy phone since the S8, and I'm worried I may not like the S23U.

iPhone 15 Pro Max? The rumored hardware and battery upgrades make it sound like an absolute beast, and top dog of all dogs, a major leap forward hardware wise, truly next gen stuff, with maybe the best battery life ever in the history of smartphones, with an amazing display, and super fast hardware destroying everything else, while also being extremely efficient. The iPhone 15 Pro line is sounding like something from the future. But ... it runs iOS, which is a shame for such great hardware as to me iOS feels like something stuck a decade in the past, and I'm just not a fan of the Apple OS at all, unless a major overhaul / revamped to iOS happens, which isn't.

To me there's some special sauce in the Pixel phones, just so smooth, and fluid, and very minimal UI, no bloat and I'm just so used and comfortable to using a Pixel phone all these years, but they do frustrate me too at times, wishing they had the same hardware as the latest Galaxy phone. Imagine the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the bright display from S23U on the Pixel, that'd be amazing.

Sorry to ramble.
 
I've been reading up on the Nothing 2 phone, lately. Not ready to buy, but it's definitely caught my interest.
 
I will admit the nothing phone to does look pretty intriguing. They copied the design shape and size of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. And I mean that in a good way.

It's basically an iPhone looking phone running stock Android that's more customizable like a ROM.

But... For the price, they did cut some corners though. I don't think wireless charging and it's not waterproof. And it uses the chipset from 2022, and the display doesn't get bright and not as good as the competition.

If I was looking for a phone right now today and I have the Pixel 7 Pro myself, I would be tempted at the Galaxy S23 Ultra and install the new One UI 6 beta.

Otherwise I would just wait for the Pixel 8 Pro.
 
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