Google Pixel 8 reviews are in — 3 things critics hate about the Android device
Pixel 8 reviews have dropped today, including our own in-depth critique on the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, and tech connoisseurs have been applauding Google's new-generation flagship phone line as one of the best — if not the best — Android devices on the market.
But of course, no technological feat is perfect.
While perusing through the reviews, I couldn't help but notice that there's a common thread on what critics don't like about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices. While phone pundits praised the line for its incredibly useful suite of AI features, impressive set of cameras, and seven years of OS support, there are some mixed reactions to the Pixel 8 phones' power efficiency, price hikes, and more.
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Without further ado, allow us to break down the few things critics disliked about the Google Pixel 8.
Note: We only looked at reviews that inspected both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
1. The Pixel 8's battery life isn't all that
If you snag the Pixel 8, don't expect mind-blowing power efficiency. According to tech outlets like The Verge, WIRED, and Whistle Out, the battery life is neither impressive nor abysmal — it's simply OK.
"If battery life is important to you, I don't have great news," WIRED said. "The Pixel 8's 4,575 mAh capacity battery can last about a full day with average use." WIRED recommends carrying a power bank so you can top it up with extra juice throughout the day. The Pixel 8 Pro packs a 5,050 mAh battery, which has a greater capacity than what the Pixel 8 offers, and WIRED claims you can get squeeze a little more out of the Pro model — "a day and then some."
The Verge concurs with WIRED's battery life experience. "I was able to get through a day of heavy use comfortably, but I wouldn't try and push it into two days," Allison Johnson warned.
Whistle Out was a lot more critical about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro's runtimes. The outlet found that the phones lasted four to five hours while connected to a 5G network. However, Whistle Out concluded that the average Joe should be able to get a full day of standard usage out of the phones. "But you'll find yourself dropping into the sub-20% danger zone regularly," Whistle Out warned.
Keep in mind, however, that some outlets actually praised the Pixel 8 line's battery life. Compared to the Pixel 7 line, Engadget noticed an improvement in battery life across the board after its video-rundown test: 20 hours and 16 minutes for the Pixel 8 and 21 hours and 9 minutes for the Pixel 8 Pro.
Mashable also experienced decent battery life on both devices: "I was able to get about a full day of heavy use (I look at Twitter a lot, OK?) out of both devices," our reporter Alex Perry said.
2. Why is there a temperature sensor?!
For the uninitiated, the Pixel 8 Pro features a temperature sensor, which you can use to test the thermals of cookware that could potentially scald you, according to Google. Another use case the search engine giant suggested is testing the temperature of your baby's milk.
If the FDA approves the built-in thermometer, it should be even more useful, allowing you to use it to measure body temperature. Still, several outlets found it to be valueless.
The Verge suspects that the temperature sensor was on Google's 2020 roadmap when COVID-19 was at the top of the news cycle, and now, people are less fearful of the virus, so the built-in thermometer isn't resonating with reviewers as Google may have hoped.
"I didn’t find much use for the temperature sensor while testing the phone; it told me on one occasion that my obviously hot cup of coffee was hot," The Verge added.
HotHardware found that the temperature sensor was accurate during its testing, but struggled to understand its utility. Even if FDA clears the temperature sensor, Yahoo! Finance doesn't see the purpose of the sensor, adding "not sure why [users] would want that."
Mashable agrees with the reviewers here. "I don't really get anything out of learning that my coffee table is 66.8 degrees Fahrenheit," Perry said.
3. It's pricier
The Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro jumped by $100, which means they now cost $699 and $999, respectively. The Google Pixel phones had a reputation of being top-of-the-line, midrange phones, but now that the Pro model is closer to $1,000, "it's all flagship, baby," as The Verge puts it.
The problem with this, however, is that this pits the Pixel 8 phones against dominant devices in this price range, including the mighty iPhone 15. Before, the biggest draw of the Pixel series was its palatable price tag, but now, Google is forced to answer a new question: "Why would a consumer purchase a Pixel 8 Pro over a similarly priced iPhone?"
"It is a bit of a shame that both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro now cost $100 more than before," Engadget said. "Google's smartphones have lost their price advantage over high-end devices from other manufacturers," Teller Report noted.
The Pixel 8 Pro is still slightly cheaper than the likes of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but as Whistle Out claims, "you also end up with a worse battery life and slower processor." However, the outlet suggests that if you prefer top-notch photography, you should snag the Pixel 8 line over any of Apple and Samsung's current-generation offerings.
Kimberly Gedeon, at Mashable since 2023, is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She's drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it's a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.
