Phones in general flatlined. There's hardly any real life improvement, and the improvements in spec numbers are eaten up by unjustifiably resource hungry apps.

I have a Nexus 4 in my drawer. Roughly 10 years old, but did everything just fine back then, almost the same apps I use today. But even just starting a reasonably recent Android version on that phone results in 5 fps.

P6P is a solid phone and I've had great luck with it. I haven't maxed anything out so wondering why I should get a faster chip with more memory so I can take photos of my dog and message my friends. Google Fi is doing just $400 off a 8P which I may take because I don't want their watch or buds. I'm not sure what I'll do.

There should be improvements in the idle battery life department along with the camera. Probably not earth shattering. Pixel 6 Pro is still a completely competent device and likely will be till the end of its update lifespan and beyond.

I also have a Pixel 6 Pro, and agree with your arguments. The specs look almost the same. However, the differences that do stick out to me are that the 8 comes with a Pixel Watch 2, better camera software, and 7 years of OS updates. With the trade-in, it seems like it might be worth the upgrade for me.

I'm in the same boat and remember seeing reports that the chipset is not expected to run much cooler which is my main reason for wanting to ditch the P6P.