Piel 6 Pro user - Upgrade to a Pixel 8 Pro, or wait for the 9Pro?

[Aflaaaak]

I have had my Pixel 6 Pro since 2022 and have been only mildly happy with it. My complaints are:

1. Camera is meh at colors/shadow realism and focus accuracy. My old LG G4 took much better photos, IMHO. Manual camera settings on the P6P are a joke.
2. Screen doesn't get bright enough outside
3. Call reception is mediocre at best, and cellular radio quit working (Google replaced the phone out of warranty for free).
4. Volume level on speaker phone is often not loud enough.
5. Battery charging is slower than I hoped.

I've read the Piel 8 Pro improved on some of these, but are they enough of an upgrade, or is there something coming on the 9 that's worth waiting for? I don't game or do much in-phone photo editing.

 

[rvbfan]

My pixel 6 is still in use to this day by my wife and she is very happy with it coming from a Samsung A71. That being said, I now use a P8P and couldn't be happier with it. The differences are night and day compared to the 6 and will be my daily driver until at least until the P10 rolls out.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

I really liked my P6P, but I absolutely love my P8P, and while some might call moving from the 6 Pro to the 8 Pro an incremental change, I would disagree. The 6 Pro is a fine device, but everything about the 8 Pro is just appreciably better.

Some of the reasons you might consider the 8 Pro over the 6 Pro, include: Sophisticated, premium look and feel (love the rounded corners, matte back, brushed aluminum frame and nicer looking camera bar); brighter display; faster charging; better battery life; better phone call reception; louder, richer and more balanced speaker sound; updates (along with future feature drops) for a minimum of seven years (to 2030); and a flat screen that works better for screen protectors (if you use them) than the curved screen of the Pixel 6 Pro.

While there might be something you would find compelling to tilt in the favour of the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 8 Pro prices will likely fall dramatically and offer even greater value closer to the time the 9 Pro is released this fall.

 

[srvctec]

I went from a P6P to my P8P (pre-ordered it) and couldn't be happier. I was kind of the same way with my P6P- meh. Of course, I hated the stupid curved screen (have loathed them since they came out) and thought the camera manual settings were a joke as well.

The 2 main things for me upgrading to my P8P were the macro capability (which is awesome) and the flat screen. The manual settings within the camera are many times better than what the P6P has. I'm keeping my P8P at least until the P10P or maybe even the P11P; I like it that much.

 

[Aflaaaak]

I really liked my P6P, but I absolutely love my P8P, and while some might call moving from the 6 Pro to the 8 Pro an incremental change, I would disagree. The 6 Pro is a fine device, but everything about the 8 Pro is just appreciably better.

Some of the reasons you might consider the 8 Pro over the 6 Pro, include: Sophisticated, premium look and feel (love the rounded corners, matte back, brushed aluminum frame and nicer looking camera bar); brighter display; faster charging; better battery life; better phone call reception; louder, richer and more balanced speaker sound; updates (along with future feature drops) for a minimum of seven years (to 2030); and a flat screen that works better for screen protectors (if you use them) than the curved screen of the Pixel 6 Pro.

While there might be something you would find compelling to tilt in the favour of the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 8 Pro prices will likely fall dramatically and offer even greater value closer to the time the 9 Pro is released this fall.

I think the price may be a deciding factor, unless there is some major upgrade to the 9 over the 8. Glad to hear you're very happy with your 8 Pro, sounds like a big upgrade over the 6(given it's a two model jump)! Yes, have always hated the distortion on the edges of the curved screen on my 6.

 

[Aflaaaak]

I went from a P6P to my P8P (pre-ordered it) and couldn't be happier. I was kind of the same way with my P6P- meh. Of course, I hated the stupid curved screen (have loathed them since they came out) and thought the camera manual settings were a joke as well.

The 2 main things for me upgrading to my P8P were the macro capability (which is awesome) and the flat screen. The manual settings within the camera are many times better than what the P6P has. I'm keeping my P8P at least until the P10P or maybe even the P11P; I like it that much.

Great! Sounds like they made some really good changes to the camera, I can really use the Macro and better Manual settings. I look back at my old LG and think how good that camera was compared to the Pixel 6 Pro. I would have kept it but everything else was starting to go south.

 

[bhatech]

Wait till 9 Pro, if you can get thru till October. You are mid way thru the 8 Pro release and you'll get a better phone waiting till 9 Pro. My personal take is you buy the new version within the first 2-3 months, if not wait for the next version.

 

[rvbfan]

Wait till 9 Pro, if you can get thru till October. You are mid way thru the 8 Pro release and you'll get a better phone waiting till 9 Pro. My personal take is you buy the new version within the first 2-3 months, if not wait for the next version.

The problem with that philosophy is there's always something around the corner that's newer and better. Eventually you have to commit.
No buyers remorse from me.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

No buyers remorse from me.

Ditto. Buying a new, deep-discounted (because a newer version has been released or is about to be released) phone with 7 years of updates is not a risk at all 6 months in, 12 months - or even more. With Google's new update policies, the Pixel 9 Pro would have to be markedly superior to the Pixel 8 Pro for me to pay hundreds of dollars more for it. So far, it doesn't look like that will be the case.

 

[Aflaaaak]

Ditto. Buying a new, deep-discounted (because a newer version has been released or is about to be released) phone with 7 years of updates is not a risk at all 6 months in, 12 months - or even more. With Google's new update policies, the Pixel 9 Pro would have to be markedly superior to the Pixel 8 Pro for me to pay hundreds of dollars more for it. So far, it doesn't look like that will be the case.

That's what I'm thinking .

 

[Aflaaaak]

For those of you who jumped from the 6P to the 8P, was the slight drop in screen resolution noticeable?

 

[SeeBeeEss]

For those of you who jumped from the 6P to the 8P, was the slight drop in screen resolution noticeable?

The only difference I noticed in the display is that the 8 Pro offers significantly better viewing in direct sunlight. My 6 Pro was almost impossible to use out in the direct sun.

 

[Zorrak]

If you can wait about 1 1/2 years for the Pixel 10 it sounds like they will use TSMC instead of Samsung

 

[Aflaaaak]

The only difference I noticed in the display is that the 8 Pro offers significantly better viewing in direct sunlight. My 6 Pro was almost impossible to use out in the direct sun.

That's what I read, another reason I want to upgrade sooner than later, the P6P sucks in direct sunlight and sick of looking for shade every time I'm out walking my dog and need to read a text

 

[Aflaaaak]

If you can wait about 1 1/2 years for the Pixel 10 it sounds like they will use TSMC instead of Samsung

Maybe that'll be the next upgrade, when the P11 is coming out and the P10 is on sale LOL!

 

[rvbfan]

For those of you who jumped from the 6P to the 8P, was the slight drop in screen resolution noticeable?

Nope. If anything it looks better.

 

[srvctec]

The only difference I noticed in the display is that the 8 Pro offers significantly better viewing in direct sunlight. My 6 Pro was almost impossible to use out in the direct sun.

Ditto.

 

[SeeBeeEss]

Google wants Pixel 6/7 Pro owners to buy 8 Pro with trade-in boost

 

[Jlharper016]

For me it wasn't. But, I'm not a screen person. I'm the, need a great camera person.

 

[Aflaaaak]

For me it wasn't. But, I'm not a screen person. I'm the, need a great camera person.

The camera in the 8Pro is no better than the 6Pro? I am completely underwhelmed with my 6Pro's camera when compared to my old LG G4. Colors have a more brownish tint, shadows are unnaturally brightened, and focus is not the best.