Hi Pixel 8 and 8 pro users, how has your experience with the new line of phones been so far? I’m still rocking a pixel 6 pro, and don’t intend on upgrading this year; however, as a pixel nerd, I am curious about how the new phone is holding up? Has there been any noticeable improvements or compromises compared to your last device? Most importantly are you still enjoying it?
I upgraded from a 6 Pro because I shattered my 6 Pro’s screen a couple of months ago.
Overall I like the upgrade. A lot of it is very similar - but the most noticeable improvement to me is the flat screen vs. the curved screen from the 6 Pro. I also appreciate the 5x optical zoom over the 6’s 4x. It’s also noticeably better at macro shots - did the 6 pro even have a macro lens?
I don’t know if the 6 Pro had an OLED screen or if the 8 Pro just does a better job showing it off, but it does a little lighting effect with my photos that make the per-pixel lighting noticeable in a way I never noticed on the 6 Pro.
The one major downgrade I’ve noticed, which I think also affects the 6 Pro since it’s software, is that they removed the ability to take a photosphere from the camera app. That’s a major disappointment since I was a big fan of that feature, and I’m on the lookout for a competent replacement app for that functionality.
Also a very minor annoying change that I know affects the 6 Pro too: The Calendar widget can no longer be shrunken to be only 3 tall. This is particularly annoying because I had it that size on my 6 Pro, and noticed I couldn’t on my 8 Pro (before trading it in) - so I made it 4 tall on my 6 Pro to test out, and it never let me put it back to 3 tall again. Seems like a pointless change that gives me less space.
Pro tip: If your trade-in phone has a cracked screen, just lie about it. They were offering $200 for a working 6 Pro with cracked screen or $400 for one without a cracked screen. My crack was pretty noticeable but it passed inspection anyways and I got the $400. If they do notice it you’ll just get bumped down to the $200 you’d have gotten with honesty anyways. Also sign up for the $2.50 trial of Google One, which gets you 10% back in store credit for Google Store purchases - that $2.50 one month trial got me my phone case, screen protector, and camera protector for free after the credit from the actual phone purchase.
I feel like I was pretty rambling here. You can ask about specifics if you have any.
The one major downgrade I’ve noticed, which I think also affects the 6 Pro since it’s software, is that they removed the ability to take a photosphere from the camera app.
P6P here and I still have that function. App is up to date as far as I can tell. I really hope they’re not taking that away, I love Photosphere.
You can have a look to AGC 9.1. It has photosphere and is a Gcam mod.
The P6P doesn’t have a macro lens I believe, so that will definitely be a nice quality of life improvement. Also the flat display is going to be something I can’t wait for!
I did hear about the photosphere. I thought that may have been a bug and it was accidentally removed - I suppose not. I love the feature too, especially when travelling.
Good to know about the screen condition and trade in value. My screen has a very small crack near the top and I’m hoping it’s not too much of an inconvenience when it comes time to trade in the phone haha. I’ll have to test my luck using your method I reckon.
I really hope it comes back at some point. At least I can still properly view photospheres so if I find another app that can make them (haven’t really looked yet), it should be okay.
Also, how is the soft touch back? Much less slippery than the old glossy back?
I use a case, so I don’t get much contact with the back - either now or back on the P6P - but it does feel pleasant and satisfying to glide my fingers over. I wouldn’t trust it to not be slippery on an uneven surface, but it’s quite soft. The G logo in the middle of the back is a different smoother finish, though, and it feels kind of bad to glide my finger over it - It effectively feels like a sticky spot.
Honestly can’t say I remember what the back of the 6P felt like.
I have a Pixel 8 with GrapheneOS. No complains from me, battery lasts a couple of days. Phone does what it needs. Camera is amazing for a point and shoot.
Would recommend.
I’m thinking of switching to graphene OS on my 6 Pro, did you lose any functionality you regret? Losing NFC is the biggest downside I see, but I’ll survive that. Anything else?
Nope, I never use contactless payments, or even google wallet so I don’t even notice its gone.
I lost a couple of AI features, but I’m not that bothered about AI wallpaper generation, it was a bit of a gimmic anyway.
I had GrapheneOS on my Pixel 5 too and that saw a good battery life improvement once I finally installed GOS.
hey thats the first time I hear about loss of nfc, can you tell/link me the reason?
From what I understand it seems more like NFC through Google Pay is what’s unsupported. So that means if your banking app relies on Google Pay for contactless payments, those aren’t going to work.
thanks got it, thats what I thought
Anyone know if work profile through company portal works on graphene OS? I know I can’t install non trusted apks so thinking their may be a policy to stop this
Kinda a noob question, but does your phone show a “this phone is running untrusted firmware, don’t put sensitive data on it” screen every boot due to bootloader unlocking? If yes, how annoying is it? I always thought of getting a custom ROM but the idea of that kinda keeps me away from them.
deleted by creator
Yes it does. It appears for like 2 seconds when you boot. It’s completely a non issue. It’s just telling you you’re not running stock.
Is the fingerprint sensor any better? I find the fingerprint sensor on my Pixel 6 leaves much to be desired.
Had Oneplus 7T Pro for 4 years and did a Pixel 8 Pro upgrade, the fingerprint sensor is really bad for a phone that cost this much.
Definitely not any better in my experience, although I do think there is some luck involved in how well it captures your fingerprint when you’re setting it up.
I had a P6P and now have the P8P - I assume what you’re complaining about is the delay it takes for the P6P to recognize your fingerprint compared to some other phones?
If so: I did notice the 8P recognized faster than the P6P did - though still nowhere near as fast as I’ve seen the Samsung Galaxy S21’s sensor work for someone else I know.
The speed benefit of the P8P went away after I added a screen protector though - the ZAGG one from the Google Store. Now it’s just as slow as I remember it being on the P6P, with a bit more unreliability to boot - sometimes I have to reposition or rescan my finger. (I did remember to re-enroll my fingers after applying the protector) (There was no unreliability before the protector or on the P6P)
It’s not miles better than the P6, but it does feel more consistent. Also face unlock makes it a mute point most of the time anyway.
Face unlock is finicky though. You have to be pretty close and it doesn’t work in dim lighting. It also is slower sometimes than just using the FP scanner.
IDK, it’s nice to have, but it’s not great.
*moot point, just fyi
I’ve got a Pixel 6 Pro and I hate the fingerprint sensor. Most of the time it just straight-up doesn’t work. My last phone (a Xiaomi) had it on the side and an old Moto (I think) had it on the back and both were far superior, not just technology-wise but also comfort.
I was considering upgrading from my 6a but the specs don’t seem that much faster to justify the upgrade.
Pixel 8 Pro 265Gb on gOS here. My first Pixel, my last device was an iPhone 8 Plus.
Massive upgrade. Everything is good. Massive battery, no overheating, amazing cameras, beautiful screen and plenty of power for my use case. No issiues with gOS too, pretty much everything works besides the thermometer (planned).
It’s ok, build quality, camera, display and loudspeaker are top notch, but the price is too and SoC is only fine.
It’s my first Pixel, coming from Pocophones with LineageOS, with the last one Poco F3, i gotta say i’ve expected more performance, especially scrolling is not on par with the rest of the experience, we’ll see if they can fix it in post though.
Pixel User since the first. Best phone and pixel I ever had.
Pixel 8 pro here from a pixel 6 pro. Better battery life, haptics, front camera, display. Feels better in the hand.
Pinned for more attention since I was thinking of making such a thread anyway 😁
For those with a Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, how are the photos in particular? (there’s also a Pixel photos megathread if you feel like sharing some shots!)