The Google Pixel 6 was the first smartphone to lam on Google ’s Tensor crisp , but it ’s now aim a little long in the tooth . The enquiry is , is it worth upgrading to the new Google Pixel 8 ?
The Pixel 8 , which debuted in October 2023 , certainly extend a refreshed experience compared to the older Pixel 6 . It sports not only a third - gen Tensor G3 chipset but also software melioration , new AI pic editing features , and much more .
However , on the flip side , the Pixel 6 is much more affordable now than it once was . That could make it a much more tempting choice if you ’re not fussed about get the latest smartphone tech . We ’ve spent a lot of meter with both thePixel 6andPixel 8 , and here ’s how they equate .
Pricing and availability
The Google Pixel 6 is presently not available to purchase directly through Google and is instead only usable from third - political party sites for as little as £ 179 at the meter of writing .
The Pixel 8 is usable , having only launched in October 2023 , and currently starts at £ 699 / $ 699 / € 799 .
Design
It ’s clean by simply looking at the Pixel 6 and Pixel 8 that the Pixel series has n’t ramble from its traditional design , with both cavort a like signifier component .
Both have a stick out camera bar at the back and a glossy polish , which , unlike thePixel 8 Pro , mean fingerprints tend to show up instantly . The two handset also have an IP68 rating , which means they are water- and dust - resistant .
The Pixel 8 is slightly smaller at 6.2 column inch compare to the Pixel 6 ’s 6.4 inch . It also boasts a high-pitched refresh rate of up to 120Hz , whereas the Pixel 6 has just a 90Hz pace , which means you could expect smoother animations and scroll on the Pixel 8 .
Camera
Both French telephone have a 50MP independent camera and a 12MP ultrawide electron lens at the rearward and vaunt photo - specific AI capabilities , thanks to their various Tensor chips . It ’s perhaps unsurprising , however , that as the young mannikin , the Pixel 8 boasts better AI potentiality .
While both include feature such as the Magic Eraser instrument , which easily removes distraction from trope , the Pixel 8 include more tools such as the Audio Magic Eraser , which hit undesirable background knowledge noise from videos and Best Take , which help group slam by generating an image from everyone ’s good shooting .
Both smartphones are adequate to of taking images in most environments , from well - lit to grim - igniter , with the Pixel 8 especially able to render “ punchy ” shots “ with slew of particular and impressively precise colours . ” In comparison , although we found that the Pixel 6 was adequate to , colours did tend to be either too vivid or slimly dull .
Performance
The Pixel 8 runs on the most late Google Tensor chipset , the G3 , whereas the Pixel 6 discharge on the first Google Tensor chipset , G1 . All three of Google ’s Tensor have focused on AI over carrying out , with the fresh G3 naturally boasting more AI capabilities . This let in the newCircle to Searchtool , which allows you to search for anything you see on your phone sieve , simply by drawing a R-2 around it .
Although the Pixel 8 has more AI - beat back instrument , both are packed with AI mathematical function including voice - to - text version and Google Translate capableness .
Both offer responsive performance for workaday use , however the Pixel 8 by nature scored higher on our benchmark tests than the Pixel 6 . We found the Pixel 6 received a Geekbench 5 single - nub grade of 1040 and a multi - core musical score of 2858 , whereas the Pixel 8 get a Geekbench 6 single - burden account of 1512 and a multi - core score of 4177 .
Battery
Although the Pixel 6 has a slimly larger bombardment size , 4600mAh , compare to the Pixel 8 ’s 4575mAh , the two are moderately equally matched when it come to battery drain .
We detect that an minute of Netflix cyclosis drained the Pixel 6 and Pixel 8 by 8 % . We also found 30 minute of light play saw a drainpipe of just 7 % on the Pixel 8 and 9 % on the Pixel 6 .
Google say that the Pixel 6 can support up to 30W wired and 21W wireless charging whereas the Pixel 8 back 27W wired and 18W wireless charge . Although the quicker charging sustenance makes the Pixel 6 seem as though it should be faster , we find oneself a full charge from 0 - 100 % took 115 minutes , whereas it only took the Pixel 8 80 min .
