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I’ve cherished the Nexus and Pixel expertise for years and have in all probability used nearly each main flagship Google telephone launched within the final decade. However with each Pixel, my expertise has solely worsened after a number of months of use. Sadly, it is the identical story with the Pixel 8.
Whereas Google’s 2023 flagship telephone packs some notable enhancements and nice {hardware}, it struggles with the fundamentals and delivers an inferior expertise to its opponents. Under are 5 issues I hate concerning the Pixel 8 Professional after utilizing it for almost 5 months.
Google Pixel 8 Professional evaluation: Dwelling as much as its identify
If you wish to see the way forward for Google, the Pixel 8 Professional is the telephone to purchase
1 Poor community reception
One other yr of connectivity points on a Pixel telephone
While you purchase a flagship Android telephone in 2024, you anticipate it to supply wonderful connectivity. On paper, the Pixel 8 Professional ticks all of the packing containers, too. It helps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, eSIM, Extremely Wideband, and extra. However the real-world efficiency leaves loads to be desired.
My greatest criticism with the Pixel 8 Professional is the sub-par 5G expertise. There have been quite a few conditions when I’m indoors or in a poor community reception space, the place cell information barely works. It is going to additionally always change between 4G and 5G, negatively impacting battery life. In the identical spot, my outdated Galaxy S23 Extremely or my spouse’s iPhone 15 Professional Max had a constant 5G community and pulled respectable cell information speeds. Switching to 4G helps in such circumstances, however that is not a compromise you must make on a flagship smartphone in 2024.
Moreover the sub-par 5G connectivity expertise, the Pixel 8 Professional is the one Android telephone I’ve utilized in the previous few years that randomly disconnects from my house’s Wi-Fi community. This occurs even when I’m in the identical room because the router or beside it. Initially, I blamed the problem on my outdated Orbi mesh routers, however I’ve seen related random disconnection points at my buddy’s place.
This random disconnection drawback was far more frequent after I bought the Pixel 8 Professional proper after its launch. The December 2023 and March 2024 Pixel Function Drop have helped scale back the issue, however it nonetheless occurs not less than two to a few occasions each day.
2 Heavy battery drain on cell information
All due to the Exynos modem
As if the sub-par 5G connectivity was not sufficient, the Pixel 8 Professional’s battery life takes an enormous hit when used closely on cell information. It is going to additionally warmth up if you end up in an space with a poor community connection and are utilizing the telephone to browse the online.
On Wi-Fi, the Pixel 8 Professional will simply final me by means of a day, which usually contains checking emails throughout three Gmail accounts, replying to tons of of WhatsApp messages, an hour of looking in Chrome, 45 minutes of telephone calls, and extra.
Even when my utilization shouldn’t be as intensive on cell information, the telephone’s battery life drops by 20 to 30%. I’ve but to breach the four-hour screen-on time mark on the Pixel 8 Professional with cell information. Whereas on Wi-Fi, I simply recover from 5 hours of screen-on utilization with some juice left within the tank.
The Exynos modem needs to be the basis reason behind the Pixel 8’s poor 5G connectivity expertise and heavy battery drain on cell information. Based mostly on my testing, it’s nowhere pretty much as good as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon modem.
3 Inconsistent battery life
A staple Pixel challenge
My AP colleague Connor Cawley just lately highlighted the Pixel 8’s inconsistent and poor battery life and the way Google ought to repair this on precedence with the Pixel 9. I’ve had an analogous expertise with my Pixel 8 Professional — inconsistent battery life that may differ wildly each day for no obvious purpose.
All I would like from the Google Pixel 9 is dependable battery life
Good battery life is among the many most vital properties of a cell system, but Google hasn’t been capable of sustain
Typically, a restart might help repair the random battery drain. In different circumstances, the problem robotically resolves itself after a number of days. The issue is that I’ve not skilled such inconsistent battery life on another non-Pixel Android telephone in the previous few years.
Even at its finest, although, the Pixel 8 Professional’s runtime is nowhere near the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, S23 Extremely, or the OnePlus 12. In a yr when flagship Android telephones are delivering higher battery life than ever, it’s a disgrace to expertise the Pixel’s comparatively poor runtime.
4 Sluggish charging speeds
The Pixel’s charging pace desperately wants a lift
The Pixel 8 Professional’s gradual charging worsens the general expertise. Whereas Google’s 2023 flagship Pixel fees barely quicker than its predecessor, the advance shouldn’t be sufficient.
A full cost from an nearly empty battery takes over 75 minutes, which is gradual by 2024’s normal. The Pixel can go from 0 to 50% in half-hour, and that might have been sufficient if the telephone delivered constant battery life.
Contemplating how battery life can differ, you will at all times need further juice within the tank. However with the gradual top-up speeds, that few further p.c can take some time. This may be irritating if you end up in a rush or have restricted entry to a wall adapter.
5 Lack of equipment
The place is the innovation?
Coming from the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely, I used to be greatly surprised by the dearth of case and accent choices for the Pixel 8 Professional. When the telephone initially launched, there have been hardly any covers out there for it, not less than for me in India.
Whereas much more case choices have popped up within the months following the telephone’s launch, you’ll nonetheless get a wider cowl selection for older Samsungs and iPhones than the most recent Pixel. And all the very best to find a MagSafe-compatible case for the Pixel 8 Professional exterior the US — the choices are nearly non-existent.
Greatest Google Pixel 8 Professional circumstances in 2024
This yr’s supersized Pixel wants tremendous safety if you are going to maintain it intact for the following seven years
The scenario is even worse with display screen protectors. Whereas there are alternatives from famend manufacturers like Spigen, they’ve match points. They’ve a black border operating throughout the sides, which eats into the telephone’s show viewing space.
Google must take its Pixel lineup significantly
Over the previous few years, I’ve been disenchanted after utilizing Google’s newest and best Pixel for a number of months. The Pixel 8 Professional isn’t any exception. For all of the enhancements it packs over its predecessor, Google must get its act collectively and clear up the fundamental points first.
There is not any level in a smartphone having cutting-edge AI options or getting seven years of software program updates if it struggles with connectivity points and battery life. This inconsistent expertise can be why it’s laborious for a few of our crew members to suggest Pixel telephones to common customers.