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Last year’s Pixel 7 phones were an iterative spec bump and nice refinement in the design department (as polarizing as their looks remained), but part of what made those phones special was how much they offered for fairly competitive prices.
Now, Google has announced the $699 Pixel 8 and $999 Pixel 8 Pro (which are $100 price increases over last year’s phones), each due to arrive on October 12th, and once again, they look a lot like a slow burn of subtle hardware improvements — albeit in a slick new light-blue color option on the Pro. But the showstopper feature of the new Pixels may be Google’s software support, as it’s claiming the new phones will see seven whole years of OS and security updates — rivaling Apple’s reign as the longest-lasting phones.
One thing about iPhones that allows people to use them for years on end without too many issues is the massive headroom their speedy A-series processors allow. So, how do Google’s new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro stack up in the spec department? If these phones are to last users seven years, what kind of specs are they packing to get the job done and not feel like someone ends up in the penalty box of sluggish performance after a new Android OS version drops years down the line?
Here, we’ve put together a spec-for-spec comparison of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, pitting them both against some of their biggest competition: Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra. Is the Pixel 8 generation destined to be the somewhat cost-effective option that goes on frequent sale like its predecessors, or do they stand on their own when it comes to an on-paper comparison?
We’ll know best once our full reviews are in, but for now, here’s the head-to-head.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S23
| Category | Google Pixel 8 | Google Pixel 8 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S23 | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $699 | $999 | $999 | $1,199 | $799.99 | $1,199.99 |
| OS | Android 14 | Android 14 | iOS 17 | iOS 17 | Android 13 | Android 13 |
| Claimed years of software updates | Seven | Seven | Unstated; usually five to six | Unstated; usually five to six | Four (with five years of security patches) | Four (with five years of security patches) |
| Display | 6.2-inch (2400 x 1080) OLED | 6.7-inch (2992 x 1344) OLED | 6.1-inch (2556 x 1179) OLED | 6.7-inch (2796 x 1290) OLED | 6.1-inch (2340 x 1080) OLED | 6.8-inch (3088 x 1440) OLED |
| Max screen refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2,000 nits | 2,400 nits | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits | 1,750 nits | 1,750 nits |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 70.8 x 150.5 x 8.9mm | 76.5 x 162.6 x 8.8mm | 70.6 x 146.6 x 8.25mm | 76.7 x 159.9 x 8.25mm | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm | 78.1 x 163.4 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 187g | 213g | 187g | 221g | 168g | 234g |
| Battery capacity | 4,574mAh | 5,050mAh | Unstated; reported 3,274mAH | Unstated; reported 4,422mAH | 3,900mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes | Yes | Yes, MagSafe | Yes, MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
| Fast charge-capable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 | Google Tensor G3 | A17 Pro | A17 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB | Unstated; reported 8GB | Unstated; reported 8GB | 8GB | 8GB for entry model, 12GB for all other configurations |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Ports | USB-C charging and data | USB-C charging and data | USB-C charging and data port (up to 10Gb/s) | USB-C charging and data port (up to 10Gb/s) | USB-C charging and data | USB-C charging and data |
| Rear cameras | 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide | 50-megapixel main camera, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto | 48-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel telephoto | 48-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel telephoto | 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel telephoto | 200-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses |
| Highest optical magnification | 2x | 5x | 3x | 5x | 3x | 10x |
| Front cameras | 10.5-megapixel | 10.5-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Biometrics | In-display fingerprint sensor, face recognition | In-display fingerprint sensor, face recognition | Face ID | Face ID | In-display fingerprint sensor, face recognition | In-display fingerprint sensor, face recognition |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Satellite SOS feature | N/A | N/A | Yes, with Roadside Assistance | Yes, with Roadside Assistance | N/A | N/A |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dual SIM | Yes, one Nano SIM and one eSIM | Yes, one Nano SIM and one eSIM | Yes, both eSIM | Yes, both eSIM | Yes, one Nano SIM and one eSIM | Yes, one Nano SIM and one eSIM |
Looking at it all side by side, what do you think? Are either the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro the phone for you? Is seven years of updates enough to convince you to upgrade from an older Pixel or even sway you from Samsung’s or Apple’s camps? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Related:
Update October 4th, 3:49PM ET: Table revised to reflect the Pixel 8 and PIxel 8 Pro support Wi-Fi 7, while the other phones top out at Wi-Fi 6E.
