Google Pixel 8 Long-Term Review: Made In India But Not For India! 

The Google Pixel 8 is available in India for a price of Rs.75,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Furthermore, the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant can be purchased for Rs.82,999. The Pixel 8 is available in Hazel, Mint, Obsidian and Rose colours. It can be purchased on Flipkart.

The Google Pixel 8 packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• Manual
• SIM Ejector
• USB Cable

Before we talk in detail about the device, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.2-inch FHD+ OLED with 120Hz
• Chipset: Tensor G3
• RAM & ROM: 8GB 128GB,8GB 256GB
• Software: Android 14
• Rear camera: 50MP+12MP
• Selfie camera: 10.5 MP
• Battery: 4,575mAh
• Weight: 187 grams
• Dimensions: 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm

The Google Pixel 8 is one of the smallest Pixel phones in recent years, which is great if you are seeking a compact smartphone. It has a smaller screen and body than its predecessor, the Pixel 7.

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If you have huge hands like me, you might find using the phone a bit uncomfortable, although one-handed usage is one of the best. The phone has a minimalistic look, and Google has established a design language for its smartphones, starting with the Pixel 6 lineup.

You get a large steel camera visor on the back that protrudes from the top and bottom of the phone. While it does give the phone a cool look and protect the camera, it also makes holding the phone uncomfortable without a case, as your finger gets rubbed against the protruding edges of the camera island.

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The glass back is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, and I have the Google Pixel 8 in hazel for this long-term review, which easily blends into the rest of your everyday carry. Despite the glass back, you get a good grip thanks to the matte finish on the side of the phone.

The back of the phone is clean as you get the dual camera setup in the large visor and a G logo at the phone’s centre. It is also comfortable to hold in the hand, weighing just 187 grams and measuring just 8.9mm thick.

Coming to ports and placements, the Google Pixel 8 has the volume rocker and power button on the right. The left houses the SIM card tray while the top remains clean.

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At the bottom, you will find the USB-C port and the dual speaker grilles. In addition, the phone has an IP68 rating and NFC.

Google’s Pixel lineup is known for its photography prowess, and the Pixel 8 is no exception. The phone has a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide-angle sensor. There is no telephoto lens, as it is only reserved for the Pro model.

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During the day, the phone takes stunning photos with natural colours and a balanced dynamic range. The shots have plenty of detail and a cinematic feel. Unlike other flagship phones, you don’t get vibrant or saturated colours but balanced ones mimicking the same colour tone as your eyes.

Furthermore, you don’t need to tinker around with the settings to get the perfect shot; just tap on the subject, press the shutter, and you are good to go! It’s as simple as taking photos with a point-and-shoot camera, except that this one has the power of AI features. Features like Magic Eraser can help you remove unwanted objects from photos while Best Take ensures that everyone has the best photo of themselves in a group photo.

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When taking photos of food or flowers, the Pixel 8 takes impressive shots with crystal-sharp clarity. Google’s optimization of software has proven time and again that you don’t need massive 200-megapixel cameras or the latest camera technology to get the best results. The 12-megapixel ultrawide angle now has autofocus, so you can also focus better.

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Similarly, the phone takes stunning pictures in situations with low light or indoor shots. These are further improved when you use the Night mode, which enhances the samples but takes some processing time.

The 10.5-megapixel selfie camera can also take great photos with accurate skin tones and details. You can shoot videos at 4K at 60 FPS from all three cameras, which is excellent. The Google Pixel 8 is perfect for those seeking a no-nonsense point-and-shoot camera experience.

The Google Pixel 8 packs a 4,575mAh battery with 27W wired charging support. Despite the phone’s “smaller” battery than most modern 5,000mAh phones, it can easily last a day on normal usage.

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My usage included playing BGMI, scrolling through Instagram reels, watching videos on YouTube and taking pictures. Moreover, the phone reached 0 to 100 per cent in just an hour using a 120W PD charger, although it only supports 27W wired charging, which feels a bit slow in this modern age. Unfortunately, as a part of the “flagship experience”, you don’t get a charger included inside the box, which is disappointing to say the least.

The Google Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch Full-HD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, it has symmetrical bezels surrounding the screen with a centre punch hole cutout. For protection, you also get Gorilla Glass Victus.

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During the day, the screen is bright enough to use indoors as well as outdoors, thanks to the 2000 nits of peak brightness.

The Samsung panel offers rich and vibrant colours, making it perfect for content consumption. I enjoyed watching Season 1 of The Blade Anime on this smol screen that could easily hold with just one hand.

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The phone also feels smooth during usage with the 120Hz refresh rate. This is a welcome move, as Google only offered 90Hz on the base series Pixel phones until the Pixel 7. The higher refresh rate has only brought it on par with other Android phones.

Unfortunately, unlike other Android flagships, it does not support LTPO. However, the phone uses software to automatically adjust the refresh rate, so you can save some battery power there. Regarding security, you do get an in-display fingerprint sensor, but it is an optical fingerprint sensor instead of an ultrasonic one.

When it comes to audio, you get a stereo speaker setup with a grille located at the bottom and the earpiece acting as the secondary speaker. Despite the phone’s compact size, the speakers are loud enough to fill an entire room.

The Google Pixel 8 is powered by the Tensor G3 chipset, which is paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. This nona-core chipset, based on a 4nm architecture, performs similarly to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. You also get a Titan M2 chipset for security and on-device encryption.

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The phone remains smooth during day-to-day tasks, with no lags or stutters. Furthermore, the app opening and closing animations remain fluid. Thanks to the 8GB of RAM and Google’s software optimization, most apps stay in memory.

When it comes to intensive tasks like gaming, this is where the Tensor G3 starts to fall behind the competition. You can play BGMI at 60 FPS at (HDR+Extreme), but unfortunately, there is no option for 90 FPS. Similarly, you can enjoy CODM at 120 FPS (Medium and Ultra). I also tried more demanding titles like Wreckfest, Car X Street, Hitman Blood Money Reprisal, Warzone and Diablo Immortal.

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The phone did heat up during the installation process of Genshin Impact but remained relatively cool during gameplay. Although the Tensor chipset is infamous for its heating issues, Google has fixed it by thermal throttling it under intense loads. This is noticeable when playing intensive games like Wreckfest, where the FPS will suddenly drop from 60 FPS to 45 FPS to prevent overheating.

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Regarding benchmarks, the phone has a single-core score of 1535 and a multi-core score of 3904 in Geekbench 6. Furthermore, it manages an AnTuTu V10 score of 987295 and gets a score of 80274 in the AnTuTu storage test.

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The phone throttles to 70 per cent of its peak performance in the 15-minute CPU throttling test and has a stability score of 74.8 per cent in the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test. Overall, the Tensor G3 is a decent performer for day-to-day tasks, but if you are a serious gamer, then it’s best to consider other phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or 8 Gen 3 in this price range.

The Google Pixel 8 ships with Android 14 out of the box and is the first Google phone to receive seven years of OS and security updates. The software is the star of the show, as the Pixel lineup is known for its smooth and clean software experience, just as Google intended.

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Not only do you receive timely security updates, but you also get the latest Pixel drops and AI features straight from the Mountainview giant. However, this is where the twist in the tale lies and the reason for the review’s title.

Most of Google’s Pixel-exclusive features are unavailable in India. This is ironic, given that Google has started manufacturing the Pixel 8 in India at the time of writing this long-term review, yet it does not offer all the software features.

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Google’s Call Screening, Wi-Fi 6/7 support, Hold For Me, Summary for web pages, Direct My Call, Gboard proofreading, Gemini-powered intelligent answers in messaging apps and more. Although the company has rolled out Car Crash Detection, and reports indicate that Call Screening is on its way to India, too, the fact that the majority of the features are “unavailable” despite several years after the Pixel lineup made its debut in the country is disappointing.

Once you get over the lack of these features, the rest of the software experience is just pure bliss. There are no ads, no bloatware, and no annoying notifications. It is pure stock Android, which is a delight for Android enthusiasts like me.

However, if you are coming from a featured-pack Android skin like OneUI or Oxygen OS, you might be disappointed by the lack of any “extra” features. Apart from a few gesture tricks and some minor enhancements, there isn’t much customization.I did enjoy the smooth and fluid experience of the Google Pixel 8 during this period of my long-term review of the phone.

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Yes, you do get AI-generated wallpapers, the ability to change icon colours with Material You, plenty of lock screen clocks and more. However, there are no Goodlock modules like OneUI or in-depth customization with various AOD styles like OxygenOS.