While it lacks a few of the Pixel 8 Pro's high-end features, the standard Pixel 8 shares a refreshed design, the company's latest Tensor G3 chipset, and a number of new AI features that the processor facilitates.

New Tensor chip, Refreshed design, AI camera tricks

Design changes are minor, Minimal camera upgrades over Pixel 7, No temperature sensor

Smaller but brighter screen leads upgrades for Google's everyman smartphone

Compact body built to a high standard, Finally, a bright display with a high refresh rate, Cameras remain brilliantly capable

Performance, battery a step back from class leaders, Some software being Pro-exclusive feels arbitrary, Even wider gulf in ability to Pixel 8 Pro than previous years

“The Google Pixel 8 packs amazing AI tools, great cameras, and long battery life into a pretty, compact body.”

Great main camera, Amazing AI photo editing tools, Two-day battery life, Slick, fast Android 14, Tensor G3 is cool and efficient, Seven years software support

Wide-angle camera disappoints, Average charge speed

At the end of the day, the Pixel 8 is a really well-rounded phone. It has got almost all the bells and whistles you would expect from a ‘flagship’ phone – competent hardware, excellent cameras, and beautiful display – packed in a cute little shell.

Ergonomic design (splendid display), Cameras are excellent as always, Clean software with a pinch of AI trickery (brownie points for 7 years of promised software support)

Tensor G3 can run hot sometimes

The Google Pixel 8 offers a number of improvements over the last-generation Pixel 7. There’s better AI processing, cooler camera features, and the promise of an impressive seven years of software updates. It’s a meaningful update to the Pixel line, to be sure. The only downside?

Better display, Cool AI camera features, Great software experience, Good battery life

$100 more expensive

Google has delivered a truly intelligent phone with some jaw-dropping features.

Magic Editor really delivers some amazing results, Actua Display gets very bright and refresh rate gets bumped to 120Hz, Excellent images from the camera, Lots of really helpful AI features, At a glance widget lets you see important information quickly, Surprisingly decent performance for games

Battery life is mediocre, No matte finishes, which is a shame

The Google Pixel 8 may be smaller than the Pixel 7 but it packs a bigger punch. Is it worth the higher price?

Better display, Cool AI camera features, Great software experience, Good battery life

$100 more expensive

The Apple iPhone 14 isn’t a huge upgrade on the iPhone 13, yet it still is a great phone with a top camera, good battery life and all the iOS benefits.

Clever safety features, Very good battery life, Reliable camera, Fun colours, You’ve got an ageing iPhone: If you’re on an iPhone 11 or older, then the changes here will make a notable difference.

Stuck on a 60Hz display, Minimal differences to the iPhone 13, You’ve got an iPhone 13: The changes from Apple’s previous phone aren’t enough to warrant an upgrade this year.

While it's a shame that picture and sound quality haven't been upgraded, the iPhone 13 was great in these regards and the iPhone 14 is, too Excellent display Admirable headphone performance Solid build quality No upgrades to picture or sound Familiar design Notch is still present

The Apple iPhone 14 is no match for the just-released iPhone 14 Pro, but if you ignore that, it’s one of the most effective phones around.

Great cameras, front and back, Fast performance, Good battery life, Innovative safety features

Design too familiar, Some average features