After a plethora of leaks, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are finally here. Sporting a new Google Tensor G3 chip – which unlocks a slew of AI-centric features – along with improved camera capabilities, the updated Android flagships will even get seven years worth of OS and security updates.

Not surprisingly, all of these upgrades do come with a price hike. The Pixel 8 now retails from $699 (about RM3,300), while the higher-end Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999 (approximately RM4,720). Basically, both phones cost $100 (around RM470) more compared to their predecessors, though you do get more phone for the money.

Though Google did not elaborate much on the raw performance of the Tensor G3 chip, it does make the Pixel 8 smartphones…well, smarter. It now has better speech recognition – it can even translate webpages to a different language via text-to-speech – Magic Eraser can remove larger distractions, and the overall camera performance has also been improved.

Speaking of which, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro come with a new 50MP primary camera and 10.5MP selfie shooter. The Pixel 8 also gets a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, while the Pro model has a more sophisticated 48MP ultra-wide lens and 48MP telephoto camera that can do 5x optical zoom.

Beyond that, the Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch 2400 x 1080 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 4,575mAh battery, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a sharper 6.7-inch 2992 x 1344 LTPO OLED panel – with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate – and a 5,050mAh battery.

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are now available for pre-order in the US from $699 and $999 respectively. As usual, it is unlikely either phones will be sold in Malaysia officially, though it’s almost certain parallel importers will offer the phone here in due time.