Customer Ratings & Reviews

It's less than a year and I have a pink stripe of pixels that come out sometimes

Received bad product again. Don’t know why keep getting used or bad products or dented products everytime we shop Best Buy. I’d shop elsewhere if your wanting for sure new product or not have to do multiple returns to get a good product

Do not care for the phone. Wish I had bought Samsung. Samsung has great customer service. Google Pixel has none.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are the best cell phones on the planet right now. Hands down. I decided on the smaller Pixel 8 and I'm glad I did. I'm giving up a couple of features, but I'm loving the smaller size. So, why should you get it? For starters the new G3 Tensor chip enables advanced AI and amazing photo and video editing features. Don't like something/someone in your picture...use Magic Erasure to get rid of the offending item. You can move things around in the photo using Magic Editor. Audio Magic Eraser lets you remove sounds from wind, cars, even voices from your videos. All on the phone! One of my favorite features, however, is the call screening feature. Google Assistant helps filter out spam calls by screening your calls. You'll know who's calling and why so you can decide if you want to answer the call or not. I get a lot of spam calls, so this feature has been a huge help. Battery life is phenomenal. I can get around 2.5 days with it, using it moderately, but 2 full days with fairly heavy usage. Besides what you can do with photos and video after you take them, the camera is, in my opinion, the best camera available on a cell phone besides the Pixel 8 Pro. At 50MP you can capture tons of detail, even when cropping. This is a fantastic phone. I've been completely happy with it and highly recommend it.

Phone has trouble reading corner screen taps. Likes to close stuff while I'm trying to work.

This phone is complete trash. The must basic functions such as Extend Unlock, Fingerprint Unlock, Quick Tap Gestures, etc DO NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY. The battery lasts less than a day. The most frustrating and useless phone I've ever owned.

I might be among very few … but the one I had start showing battery issues within fews days of use. u-break-ifix , recommend google to cancel their contract .Returned back …. not sure about google phone yet !!!

Like the size but besides that i think my unit is defective

Sometimes the screen doesn't work or I keep touching the screen and it turns off. Has more problems than I ever had with my Samsung.

Had trouble with charging cable. Also screen colors look washed out.

Bought an open box. Excellent condition phone that had damaged pixels on the screen around the front camera. Currently the store refuses to exchange it for a like model.

No looks so good as Google is as per its cost and color

I had Pixel 6 and 7 and I switched to Pixel 8 - Big Mistake, the software is not good at all. I called pixel support complaining about an issue with notifications and they reset my phone to factory reset. Selling that piece of junk and getting a samsung phone immediately.

Absolutely terrible phones just a couple months in and I have the green line running through my screen

Unboxing the Pixel 8 you will find the phone, a 38” USB-C to USB-C cord, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a SIM pin, and some documentation. Looking at the phone itself, the frame is metal and finished in matte black and features softer, rounder corners than both the Pixel 7 and 6 before it. The front and back of the device are both Gorilla Glass Victus 2, making it very durable. The front is mostly flat which should make fitting glass screen protectors fairly easy. At the top, just between the screen and the frame, is an ultra-narrow ear slit and just below that is a cutout for the single front-facing shooter. The back of the Pixel 8 features a satin finish which is very good at hiding fingerprints. On the back you’ll also find the distinctive camera bar. Like the Pixel 7 before it, the camera bar is all metal that extends from the main body frame with cut-outs for the dual cameras and flash (as compared to the 6’s all glass camera bar). On the bottom, flanking the USB-C port, are 2 downward firing speakers. The right side features the power button and volume rocker while the left side is home to the single nano SIM tray. The overall design is both attractive and functional. Being the smallest of this generation of Pixel devices measuring only 5.93” tall, the phone fits well in the hand. The power and volume rockers are placed well and the camera bar keeps the phone from rocking when set down on its back. Construction seems top notch with excellent fit and finish and no noticeable flex in the body. Once powered on, you’re greeted by the beautiful 6.2 inch OLED display. The 2400x1080 resolution offers super crisp images with no perceptible pixels. The 120Hz refresh rate delivers ultra smooth scrolling and gaming. Colors are rich and vibrant and blacks are deep and dark. The screen offers excellent brightness at 2000 nits, making it very viewable, even in broad daylight. The Pixel 8’s speakers have been satisfactory. Playing games or watching videos, the Pixel employs the ear slit as well as the lower downward firing speakers to give a stereo effect. The configuration offers plenty of volume and clarity. Like other phones setup like this, the lower speakers do tend to get covered by your hand when holding the phone in a landscape orientation. Calls on both the handset and speakerphone have plenty of volume and clarity. Battery life has been very good. Typical usage for me includes calls, texts, emails, web surfing, media playback, activity tracking, some casual gaming, and managing smart home items (i.e. robot vacuum, video doorbell, smart outlets, and Google Nest security camera). Through all of this, the battery has lasted a full day with some left over without need for midday top-ups. Wired and wireless charging rates are fast, with a max of 30w depending on your source. Also, the phone allows for battery sharing, which is a nice touch. As with past Pixel phones, the cameras are very, very good. The Camera app launches very quickly with a double-tap of the Power button. There are plenty of modes available including the familiar Portrait and Night Sight but the photo tools have been beefed up to include features such as ‘Best Take’ and ‘Magic Editor’. When combining the strong hardware with Google’s software tools, photos are regularly stunning with great detail and vivid color. Especially surprising to me was the macro ability which allows for incredibly tight focus with excellent detail. Covering a few other features: Bluetooth has been updated to version 5.3 which should result in better battery life when using compatible devices. NFC for contactless payments has been quick and effective. The in-display fingerprint reader has worked quickly and reliably. Its placed well on the front so your thumb can reach it naturally. A couple of other random observations: There is no headphone port, no expandable memory, and video over the USB-C (DisplayPort) is not officially supported (there are articles available that suggest the hardware is capable of this but that its currently disabled in the OS). The Pixel 8 ships with Google’s latest and greatest Android 14. Boot times have been super fast. Voice recognition and transcription has been incredibly accurate. The new Share menu and Lock Screen customization are nice upgrades. 3-button navigation is, thankfully, still available (for those of us old fogeys who don’t like gestures). One final observation: Google has promised 7 years of OS updates for the Pixel 8, which, if it happens, would be an industry first and best policy that could make the phone very long lived. But, to be honest, that’s a big “if” when taking into account Google’s history of program cancellations, such as the discontinuation of the ‘Pixel Pass’ program. Only time will tell. All things considered, the Pixel 8 is the best Pixel ever made, improving incrementally over its predecessors in exactly all the ways it needed to. Its both a worthy upgrade to existing Pixel users or an excellent jumping off point if you’re looking to switch from another brand.

The first thing that pops out at you with the Google Pixel 8 is how well they have managed to replicate the size, appearance and feel of an iPhone. I know phones shouldnt strive to be an iPhone but that is the gold standard that holds it value on the resale market. It holds really well in the hand and it feels premium. I am upgrading from a Google Pixel 6 and I must say that this is a very nice upgrade in this department. The Pixel 6 is big, clunky and heavy. Losing 0.2" of screen size is not a big deal since it now fits in my hand better. The question is not whether the Google Pixel 8 is a good phone or not (it is), it is whether it is a worthwhile upgrade for you. I think that Android phones have now decided to mimic the iPhone upgrade schedule, that being annual refresh and probably every 2 years enough gets changed that warrants an upgrade. Meaning, if you are a Google Pixel 7 user, the Pixel 8 is probably not a worthwhile upgrade. I guess if you MUST have the latest and greatest, go for it - Google had a pre-order promotion that boosted the trade-in values of all phones, and it will happen again on Black Friday. You will essentially pay around $200-$300 or so to upgrade. But I don't think going from the 7 to the 8 for that much is worth it. The camera is a bit better, the battery is a bit better, and the camera is a bit better. Going from the 6 to the 8, on the other hand, is more significant - the biggest being the improved 5G modem (the modem used in the Pixel 6 was terrible, some old module that ate battery). I know Google wants to boast about all the software features that comes with the phone, but at the end of the day all that matters is 1-battery life, 2-camera, 3-physical size/build quality, 4-screen quality. That's it. All those cool software features, like all the camera editing tools, the audio transcription tools, automation tools. They are neat, but all phones have something like this, besides the fact that you can easily download apps on the Google Play store which will provide the functionality if your current phone lacks it. With that being said, the Google Pixel 8 knocks it out of the park with the 4 items I mentioned above. I've already mentioned the build quality - I love how it feels, and the phone is now a mere 187 grams (down from the Pixel 7's 197 grams, and Pixel 6's 207 grams). 187 grams is only 16 grams more than the iPhone 15 (171 grams), whereas the Pixel 6 was a whopping 33 grams heavier (207 to 174). The battery life is A+ even with T-Mobile 5G network running. The camera is great (although it is pretty annoying that Google locks down the ability to take full 50 megapixel pictures with the camera sensor, the same camera sensor that is in the Google Pixel Pro. Just give it some time and someone will release a knocked-up Google Camera app that unlocks it, so I'm not worried). And the screen quality is A+ - the Pixel 8 chose to go with a 120 Hz OLED, which is a beautiful upgrade from the previous 90 Hz AMOLED seen in the Pixel 6 and 7. The next question is: do you get the Pixel 8 or the Pixel 8 pro. It is all the same hardware just a screen that matches the Pixel 6 (non-pro) in size (since the pixel 8 pro bezel is slimmer, the fact that it is 0.3" larger makes the phones exactly the same in size), a camera that has optical zoom up to 5x, a camera app that unlocks the full 50 MP sensor (although, again, someone will find a way to unlock it in the Pixel 8, so I wouldn't really worry about this), 500 mAh of battery capacity, and higher quality glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2 vs 1), besides being 6 grams heavier than the already-heavy Pixel 6 phone. Me? I really want the optical zoom - after seeing it in my wife's iPhone 13 Pro Max, I wanted it. So I will be seeking out the Google Pixel 8 Pro in the near future. The extra battery will also make it worth the additional cost. Finally, I would highly recommend you get the 256 GB version of whatever phone you get. Thankfully, Google makes the cost less than what Apple charges. Apple wants $100 extra for the 256 GB version, whereas Google only asks for $60. 128 GB is starting to become what 64 GB became - just barely enough.

Device already has the pink line issue in less than a year.

I have moved from iOS to Android and experience is no where near. I am disappointed with battery life of Pixel 8. The phone is brand new and doesn’t last for a day.

Standard box accessories, USB-A to C adapter, SIM Pin, Warranty Guide, USB-C to C cable for charging and data transfer. While smaller, the Pixel 8 is smaller, it does fit in your hand very nicely and feels comfortable for use. Google continues to use the elevated camera bar. Aluminum frame with a matt finish to the frame. This phone has a lot of similarities to its bigger brother. Right out of the box, when you finish setting the phone up, you are faced with a massive update to the AndroidOS. The update takes around 40-45 minutes from start to finish, while initial setup takes 10-15 minutes, pending what you’re bring over and any app updates and/or installs. The support offered is around 7 years of AndroidOS updates, compared to others offering less. Personal safety features have been updated for improved life saving options and contacts. Google 1’s VPN is a nice touch if you’re not already running a form of VPN. Supports SIM and eSIM options for those that travel abroad and need a secondary SIM. The contrasts adjust very nicely providing a nice clean and crisp display. At it’s max brightness, it’s comfortable to still see in highly lit areas. The sound quality is good, does seem a little quiet and may distort at times. The Tensor Chip used continues to show ever increasing responsive and load times, stable frames rates across. Some stumbles here and there on the max graphics settings. Phone does heat up a little bit under heavy use, not enough to stop you from playing on. The game dashboard adds options for optimization, not for all games and livestream to YouTube. Battery drain last a full day thus far under normal use, heavy use, will need a touch charge to get through a long day. Photos focusing is very nice throughout most conditions to include low lighting. Has the same similar camera hardware as its big brother, missing some app features on the Pro series. The auto focus feature works very well to bring you shot into focus very quickly. The selfie cam does miss out on autofocus the Pro series has. The Magic Editor allows you to do more than in the past; moving people around and removing extra from your captures. The Audio Magic cleans up any background noise that otherwise ruins your audio captures. Best Take allows you to swamp faces of the same person to a different one to create the perfect photo you’re looking for. This works extremely well with children that change their faces often while snapping photos. Overall, really wnjoy this phone from the way it sits nicely in your hands, its size to pocket ratio, responsiveness, and charge times.

GOOD - Nice display with variable refresh rate - Special AI features for camera - No bloatware - Great options for importing data from other phones BAD - Still no micro SD slot - More expensive than last year TLDR The Pixel 8 is a little smaller than the Pixel 7, has a slightly better display and camera features, and costs $100 more. DETAILS The main benefit of the Pixel series of phones is what you don't get: bloatware and forced apps. Most other manufacturers tend to stuff some extra apps on the phone, many of which you can't remove. The Pixel thankfully doesn't do this. It also uses a normal Android UI and not some weird in-house overlay or change to the navigation. In comparison to the Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 doesn't change a whole lot. The body is a little smaller at 6.2" instead of 6.3". That makes it 5mm shorter and 3mm less side-to-side. I like this change because I thought the Pixel 7 was always at the edge of being too big to use with one hand. The corners are also a little more rounded than they were on the 7, something I don't like as much. The display has the same 2400x1080 resolution, but it now supports a variable 60 - 120 Hz refresh rate instead of the fixed 90hz on the Pixel 7. Most people probably won't notice the difference, honestly, though hopefully being able to use a slower refresh rate will help the battery go longer. A lot of people had complaints about the Pixel 7 battery life, but I wasn't one of them. I could easily get two, sometimes three days on a charge, and I can do the same with the 8. However, I don't use my phone every waking second of the day either, so perhaps my experience doesn't apply to a lot of people. Charging is still done over wired USB-C ( data connection, too ), and wireless charging is also still built-in. Pixels also make it easy for people to transition from other phones. If you're coming from a previous Pixel device, the two will automatically recognize each other when you power the new Pixel on and will ask to start the data transfer. The Pixel also has the option to import data and settings from your old phone over a direct wired connection. In the box is a USB-A to C adapter. You connect your old phone to its data cable, use the A-to-C adapter on the other end of the cable, and plug that into the Pixel. This even works with iPhones. While this grabs your contacts, calendars, mail accounts, Wi-Fi settings, and other things, it still doesn't import all system configuration settings. Even importing from a Pixel 7, I still had to go through system settings to change my display text size or reconfigure some apps. Google still refuses to put a micro SD slot on their phones. I guess they're still trying to force everyone to use their online storage so they have complete control over your data, same as Apple does. Also a bummer is the phone selling for $100 more than the Pixel 7 released at last year ( and still sells for ). Being able to get a flagship phone like the 7 for $600 when so many others were $800 and up was a great deal. Being $700 now is still less expensive than some alternatives, but it's certainly a damper on the value. For someone already on a Pixel 7, the 8 is a minimal upgrade and probably one you don't need, especially after only a year of use.