Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro released. Thoughts?

I'm excited to see pixel grow but why are we accepting this storage bullshit? 128GB in 2023? Why do we tolerate this storage extortion. Hard drive space costs almost nothing yet they give this unacceptable starting model to sell more cloud bullshit. Apple is even worse at this. Disgusting stuff.

I'm disappointed that so many features seem locked to the Pro and not the regular P8, and a lot of them don't make sense to me.
A lot of the AI stuff they talked about towards the end of the keynote seem to be locked with the P8P, even though the regular P8 shares the same chip so it has no reason not to be able to do the same things. Why?
Video Boost also seems to be locked to the P8P, which is more disappointing since half of it is run in the cloud and not on device, along with manual camera controls, which I think should be a basic feature every phone camera should have.

I was originally eyeing the P8P already, but I'm going to wait for reviews before making a decision. I currently have the P6a, and I already feel frustrated that a few software features like motion mode do not get updated to the earlier models. I feel the same frustration for people who want a regular P8 but are going to be missing out on software features not limited by hardware.

Yuck. Minimal upgrades from last generation yet they increase the price. Artificially limiting software features to the pro.

And those prices are for 128gb? Just so they can overcharge you for more memory upgrades.

Honestly? Really disappointed. Once again Google has done a decent job on the software and AI side and totally phoned it in on the hardware.

There is nothing interesting at all happening on the hardware side. Identical design, no increase in storage or ram, no maglock Qi2 charging, STILL no DP-Alt for display out so no Dex like feature, I could go on. To do such a minimal refresh then have the gall to charge $150 CAD more than last year while locking extra features behind the Pro model?

I struggle to see how this could be considered a good launch. They are trying to command premium prices based on software improvements alone, but with mediocre hardware that will never work. Pixel phones do not hold their value for this reason, and the price will fall with the 8a comes out and has all the identical software features at a fraction of the price.

I will give koodos on the one big thing though, and that's the 7 years of OS updates. That really makes it hard to consider buying a 7 or 7a when the 8 comes with support like that. It will be very interesting to see if the 8a has the same guarantee (same chip so it should) or if they gatekeep that artificially to sell the higher tier.

I also would have liked to see something novel here for repairability. If they had come out with a new design where the battery was easily accessible that would have gone a long way to prove sustainability and comply with the upcoming EU legislation. As it stands I'm not sure 7 years of OS updates are really that important because the phone will not last that long due to already middle of the road hardware and poor repairability.

TL:DR Google has yet again released a mediocre phone with a high price tag.

7 years of updates is incredible. A good step towards actual, meaningful sustainability.

Pixel 8 is still too big for me. If they would release a Pixel 8 Mini I would love to buy that, even at the same price. Even at the Pro price if it had the same features.

Instead I'll keep holding out with my current phone.

I have a Pixel 6 Pro and looking at the raw specs, there is no justification for an upgrade.

The prices differences are weird as well. For my upgrade, it would be $549 for the Pixel 7 Pro and $599 for the Pixel 8 Pro?

Aside from some camera differences, these phones have flat-lined.

I'm disappointed that the Pixel 8 is 6.2" instead of 6". I really wanted to support the smaller form factor, but since it's not as small as I wanted, I may end up going for the 8 Pro.

128GB? Really?

I bought my OnePlus 8T 256GB 3 or 4 years ago! Who seriously sets a flagship phone in 2023 to go with 128GB? That's nonsense. Hard pass.

The specs on the 8 look solid, but I wonder if they've improved cell radio performance and the fingerprint sensor over the previous models.

The new AI features they presented were pretty cool, but the European prices are just pure insanity.

Love my 7 Pro but the screen scratches WAY too easily! It's hardly a year old and the screen is covered in scratches and even has a few deep gouges. This is from normal use, no keys/change in the pocket. From what I understand it's related to a choice for softer glass to avoid shattering.

It's time for me to renew my Pixel 4 XL for a Pixel 8 pro. 7 years for software update, it's just unbelievable! 🥳

Pretty expensive for the value usually provided by the Pixel line in my opinion.

Im due for an upgrade and was waiting for this since they announced 7 years of security updates (makes it such a better value than a used 7).
Any of you guys have experience with black friday sales on pixels? I researched a little, and it seems i wouldnt be saving much more than by selling the free buds that come with it rn.
Also damn google theyre offering $55CAD for my 4a 5G

£1000 for the pro lmao no thanks

Thinking about trading in my P4a for a P8, was offered $200 off if I did. Should I pull the trigger or do you all think Black Friday will have a better deal?

Then I thought of a crazy scheme: trade in my 4a so the P8 is $500 instead of $700, then accept the free Pixel Buds Pro offer and resell them so it's ~$300 instead.

Time to update to a Pixel 7, as they now get into a reasonable price range.

The 8 pro is a fair upgrade from a 6 pro but the display is worse than the previous two generations. I'll be keeping my 6 pro

Are they going to bring the manual camera controls (shutter speed, iso, etc) to the Pixel 7 Pro?

Thats the one thing the camera app needs. 3rd party manual cameras can't seem to access the two other lenses. At least the ones I've tried. And they also don't have the nice AI processing.

For that matter, it looks like the 8 Pro can do 1-for-1 pixel raw files instead of pixel binning down to 25 MP like on the 7 Pro. That's just software, too. They need to bring that to the 7 Pro.

I can get $420 (maybe) as a trade-in credit, and get free Pixel Buds Pro which Ive been thinking of buying anyway. But thats still $380 for some better software.

At least it doesn't appear to have this crappy curved glass! Why google thought that was ever a good idea is beyond me.

I traded my pixel 6 for a pixel 7 for $20 in last year's black Friday sale. If they do that again, I'll upgrade. If not, I'll stick with what I got and see if next year's is any better.

Pre-ordered a Pixel 8 Pro with the watch. I've had this OnePlus 7 Pro since it launched and I want the new features and a really fucking good camera. I'd also like to get away from OnePlus' bullshit, but all in all it's been a fantastic phone. Still very fast.

They have still yet to make a new one that makes me even consider upgrading from my 3. They still haven't made a just as small one (except for the 4a, but that came out not long after I got my 3 so I didn't upgrade).

Glad it has an actual display as compared to all those previous imposters /s.

I'd look at these just to take advantage of pKVM.

I could actually go look at the specs and early reviews but because its Google I automatically hate it just like every previous pixel lol

actual linux based OS for mobile when

At these prices, you're better off buying an iPhone. Check Google's trade-in price, it's a goddamn insult.