While the Google Pixel 8 isn't quite as popular as its iPhone and Galaxy rivals, it's still a great choice for fans of the Android operating system. Along with an intuitive OS, it offers an impressive camera suite and plenty of nifty AI tools to help you with your daily tasks. Our Google Pixel 8 review found it to go toe-to-toe with the expensive Pixel 8 Pro despite its lower price tag, awarding it 4.5 stars and naming it a "Recommended Product."
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Still having trouble with your Google Pixel 8? Take a look at our roundup of the best Android phones in 2024 for a replacement.
A number of users have noticed the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro aren't lasting as long as their previous Pixel phones. These issues range from the phone having slightly worse battery life than the Pixel 7 Pro to some particularly worrying cases where the phone runs out of battery partway through the day, and seems to be restarting throughout the day too.
There's a big difference between a phone having a disappointingly low battery, and one which is clearly defective, so there are a number of soft "fixes" and solutions for this issue.
It doesn't matter how good the "smart" part of a "smartphone" is if the "phone" part is rubbish, and a lot of people are complaining that cell connectivity on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is spotty, or just flat-out bad. The culprit here may likely be the modem Google is using in its Tensor G3 processor, but it's also possible carrier signal may be weak in your area. Of course, it's also probable it's a combination of the two, especially if you've been using the same carrier on previous phones, and haven't encountered these issues before. One Reddit user noticed their cell network connection shut down when their phone connected to Wi-Fi. If that's the case for you, you may have to wait for a fix from Google.
There seem to be a few gremlins gumming up the works in the Pixel 8 Pro, as a few people have noticed their phone's touchscreens can be slow to respond or even completely unresponsive. We're long past the heyday of having additional navigation buttons on our smartphones, so not being able to control your phone is effectively a death knell if it continues. This issue has only really been reported in the Pixel 8 Pro so far, so it could be because of the new OLED panel Google is using in that phone. One person even noticed the problem only hit them while wirelessly charging their phone, which is oddly specific, but has been confirmed by other users as a problem.
By most accounts, this is a problem that's not as bad as it had been on phones like the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, but some Pixel 8 units are reaching uncomfortable temperatures during use. This is a particularly nasty issue to experience, as it not only stops you from using your phone, but can cause you actual pain. Thankfully, that's unlikely to happen, and as a potential upside, someone else with a Pixel 8 Pro could use their temperature sensor to tell you how hot your phone is. Oh, sorry, too soon?
This may well be one you have to learn to live with. If it becomes a widespread enough issue, Google may issue a patch that ratchets down the processor's power, but that's not likely to happen unless there are a lot of reports of this.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro's display is gorgeous, but a few people have noticed distinct bumps and ridges on their phone screens. While they can be tough to spot, more than a few Pixel 8 and 8 Pro owners have noticed this issue, and brought it to the attention of the community at large. The culprit, while not officially confirmed, looks likely to be a number of springy "arms" that help hold the display panel in place. These arms seem to be putting pressure on the panel, causing small amounts of distortion. While it's possible this may be purely cosmetic and may not cause any long-term damage, a number of buyers have balked at the idea that such a premium phone would have such sloppy construction, and are attempting to return their phones.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro's camera is phenomenal, so it's crushing that it's not working, according to quite a few people on Reddit. While most complaints have only been found in a single thread so far, they're notable enough that it's worth mentioning. Fairly few of these issues are consistent, and a lot of people are having their own different variations on the theme, but the general overview is the same: The camera app simply is not working. One user went to a lot of trouble to try out the usual fixes, and nothing seemed to work. Common factors include the main Camera app not working, though other apps with cameras do, glitches when opening the camera, and weird green lines across the front and back camera views.