When Google’s Pixel telephones first hit the market, they have been form of an enthusiast-wonder. Many tech fans cherished them for his or her clear software program and second-to-none cameras, however for most people they have been somewhat unknown, with individuals selecting both Apple smartphones, or going for Samsung telephones.
These items, nevertheless, are slowly altering and, with every new generation, Google’s telephones are getting extra fashionable. The Pixel 4a was a price range marvel, and with the introduction of the Pixel 6, and later fashions that use Google’s semi-custom silicon, issues are actually trying good for Google’s {hardware} staff.
Google Photos Magic Editor: How the AI editor works and where you can get it
Unhealthy Photoshop abilities? No worries. Google’s new Magic Editor makes use of gen AI to erase and change components of your picture. However that is not all it could actually do.
One of many causes that Google telephones are getting extra fashionable is their glorious worth and approachable worth factors that they purpose at. The corporate presently provides seven totally different Pixel fashions, which embrace the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Professional, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Professional and the Pixel Fold. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional are the latest additions to the choice, introduced in October 2023.
Between these, you will discover the correct Pixel telephone for you, selecting from an older mannequin that sells for a wonderful worth, however because of long software support, nonetheless has loads of life left, to the highest-end flagships and even a foldable telephone. Listed below are all of the fashions that Google is presently promoting and all it’s essential know to choose the most effective one for you.
The very best Google Pixel telephones: Our high picks
Google Pixel 8 Professional
1. Greatest Google Pixel telephone general
A game-changing digicam expertise
- SoC
- Google Tensor G3
- Show
- 6.7-inch Tremendous Actua OLED, 2992 x 1344 (489ppi) 1-120Hz, as much as 2400nits
- RAM
- 12GB
- Storage
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Battery
- 5050mAh, 30W quick charging, 12-18W wi-fi
- Excellent imaging providing
- 7 years of software program updates
- Fantastic show
- Battery life nearly okay
- Some software program options nonetheless to come back
At a floor stage, the Pixel 8 Pro is a tweak of the Pixel 7 Professional. Hanging on to that Pixel model design with the digicam bar throughout the again, it is clear that Google has elevated the standard of the design, making this machine somewhat extra refined, and a world aside from the Pixel 6 Professional that first launched with these seems by way of end. So the 6.7-inch OLED show with an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh price won’t sound like a lot of a change, however if you hear it has a peak brightness of 2400nits, one of many brightest in the marketplace, you may look once more.
That peak brightness is partly to spice up the Extremely HDR help this telephone provides, which boosts the visuals from photographs captured on the machine, however it bolsters maybe a very powerful a part of the Pixel 8 Professional: the digicam. Whereas the digicam system is refreshed over the Pixel 7 Professional, somewhat than being totally new, it is the AI powers that it packs which might be noteworthy. Seize is great, however the abilities afforded by Magic Editor are unparalleled on smartphones and solely out there on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, so it truly is one thing particular.
Efficiency is boosted by the Tensor G3 {hardware}, with a 5050mAh battery to see you thru the day. There are storage choices starting from 128GB as much as 512GB, and the Pixel 8 Professional is available in Obsidian, Porcelain and Bay colours, and a new Mint version unique to the Google Retailer. The package deal is protected by IP68 safety, making this a super-smart telephone for everybody.
However past the {hardware}, it is the expertise that sells this telephone. There are seven-years of software updates, with the Pixel all the time being the primary to get the most recent model of Android, whereas the extra options provided by Google for its Pixel line make it a compelling alternative of Android machine. There’s extra to come back too, with Video Enhance and Video Night time Sight options attributable to be added, once more boosting its AI photography skills. The Pixel 8 Professional is the most effective Pixel telephone and the pure alternative if you would like the most effective: this telephone has grow to be my day by day driver.
Google Pixel Fold
2. Greatest foldable Pixel telephone
Folding telephone achieved the Pixel approach
Google’s Pixel Fold is the corporate’s first foldable smartphone and it positive is a looker. It takes a unique method than Samsung’s Z Fold line, and also you’re both going to like or hate it.
- SoC
- Google Tensor G2
- Show
- 5.8-inch OLED, 2092 x 1080, 120Hz (cowl) / 6.7-inch OLED, UTG, 2208 x 1840, 120Hz (foremost)
- Battery
- 4821mA / 30W quick charging, 7.5W wi-fi charging
- RAM and Storage
- 12GB, 256/512GB
- Nice high quality design
- Exterior show could be very usable
- Nice digicam outcomes
- Some software program optimization nonetheless to occur
- Expensive
- Middling battery life
Google’s Pixel Fold, is the corporate’s first smartphone that veers from the standard slab kind issue and includes a foldable show. At $1800, it is also the costliest Pixel. The general design is much like Samsung’s Z Fold 5 in that there is an outer show you need to use for extra routine and mundane duties, however if you want a bigger display screen, the Pixel Fold opens like a e-book to disclose a a lot bigger, tablet-like internal show.
Solely as an alternative of being tall and slim just like the Z Fold 5, Google took a shorter and wider method to the general design of the Pixel Fold. Personally, I like this foldable design as a result of it makes the outer show rather more usable in additional situations, and the internal show is not as tall when the Fold’s open. The Fold is out there in obsidian or porcelain colour choices.
The outer show of the Pixel Fold is a 5.8-inch OLED show with 1550 nits peak brightness. The interior show is a 7.6-inch OLED show with 1450 nits of peak brightness. Each screens have as much as a 120Hz refresh price. The Fold’s hinge closes fully shut, leaving no hole between the display screen, stopping mud and particles from getting inside when it is closed and in your pocket. The record of elements powering the Pixel Fold will look comparable, because it makes use of Google’s Tensor G2 processor, and has 12GB of reminiscence and 256GB or 512GB of storage. The battery is 4,821mAh and has been greater than sufficient to final a full day in my use over the past six weeks or so. That is with combined internal and outer show utilization, I might say 40 to 60 %, respectively.
As for the digicam setup of the Pixel Fold, you may anticipate the same expertise to Pixel 7 Professional. There are three rear-facing cameras on the Fold, with a 48-megapixel broad digicam, a ten.8-megapixel ultrawide, and a ten.8-megapixel telephoto digicam with 5x optical zoom and Tremendous Res Zoom as much as 20x. There are two front-facing cameras, a 9.5-megapixel digicam above the entrance show and an 8-megapixel shooter above the internal show.
You are not going to get the identical general high quality from the Pixel Fold’s digicam setup as you’ll the Pixel 7 Professional, however I’ve captured some actually spectacular photographs with it which have made me all however overlook in regards to the {hardware} variations between the 2. Plus, you need to use the rear cameras to take selfies on the Pixel Fold attributable to how the telephone folds open, and also you’re in a position to make use of the entrance show to border the shot.
The place the Pixel Fold will undoubtedly fall brief for some customers is with app compatibility. All Android apps open and run superb on the Pixel Fold, in fact, however attributable to Google’s option to go along with a widescreen design, not all apps are optimized to take up the whole thing of the interior show. As an alternative, you see black letterboxes on both facet of the app’s window. It may be annoying, and it is certainly not as polished as Samsung’s Z Fold 5.
That stated, in the event you’re somebody who’s bored with Samsung’s considerably heavy-handed One UI Android tweaks and customizations or do not just like the design of the Z Fold 5, the Pixel Fold is a superb alternative for a foldable telephone.
Google Pixel 7a
3. Greatest mid-range Pixel telephone
The apparent alternative of reasonably priced telephone
$475 $500 Save $25
The Pixel 7a is Google’s newest mid-range telephone. It succeeds the Pixel 6a, and sits alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional, providing various nice specs and options and bridging the hole much more between flagship and mid-range.
- SoC
- Google Tensor G2
- Show
- 6.1-inch, FHD+, 90Hz, as much as 1,000nits
- Battery
- 4,385 mAh
- RAM and Storage
- 8GB / 128GB
- Flagship energy
- High quality Pixel digicam (with a caveat)
- Strong construct
- Good clear software program and well timed updates
- Ultrawide digicam switching bug
- Show not the brightest
A number of months after Google updates its core Pixel telephone line, the corporate has a behavior of releasing an A-series mannequin that makes use of a few of the extra engaging options of its newest smartphones however cuts corners to make the telephone extra reasonably priced. The most recent on this line is the Pixel 7a. It comes with a 6.1-inch OLED show with the identical decision because the Pixel 7, however with none form of listed peak brightness. You may nonetheless stand up to a 90Hz refresh price for easy scrolling, nevertheless. It is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 processor, has a 4,385mAh battery, 8GB of reminiscence and comes at a storage dimension of 128GB.
As an alternative of getting a glass again and an aluminum body, the 7a is product of plastic, so it lacks the identical premium really feel and polish as the remainder of the Pixel 7 lineup. Nonetheless, it is the primary A-series Pixel telephone to incorporate wi-fi charging. The housing additionally has IP67 water and dirt resistance. A enjoyable facet of the Pixel 7a is its numerous colour choices, which set it aside from the remainder of the road. The 7a is available in very vivid coral, sea, charcoal or snow.
The bottom of the 7a has two cameras. There is a 64-megapixel broad shooter, after which a 13-megapixel ultrawide. The front-facing digicam is 13 megapixels. In my expertise, the photographs you get from the 7a are clear and sharp however lack a few of the general high quality you get from the remainder of the Pixel 7 line and even the Pixel Fold. That is to not say you will not be pleased with the photographs. They’re nonetheless high of the road, not even for the value level, however can even simply compete with flagship competitors.
At its $499 common worth, you are saving no less than $100 in comparison with the Pixel 7, or $400 when in comparison with the Pixel 7 Professional, and it is a wholesome drop from the newer Pixel 8 mannequin too. The Pixel 7a is a superb mid-tier smartphone from Google that does a implausible job of blending affordability with efficiency.
Google Pixel 7 Professional
4. The very best Pixel telephone to purchase within the gross sales
It isn’t the most recent, however the worth might be nice
Pixel 7 Professional builds on the muse of the Pixel 6 Professional, providing a extra refined design, gorgeous digicam efficiency and clear software program.
- SoC
- Google Tensor G2
- Show
- 6.7in, LTPO, 3120 x 1440 pixels, 120Hz, as much as 1500nits
- Battery
- 4500mAh, Quick charging, Wi-fi charging
- RAM and Storage
- 12GB / 128, 256, 512GB
- Nice digicam efficiency
- Improbable show
- Clear software program expertise
- Aggressive worth
- Not many adjustments from Pixel 6 Professional
- Restricted HDR sharing
- Face unlock restricted
Changed by the Pixel 8 Professional, which is the most effective Pixel telephone general, the Pixel 7 Professional remains to be worthy of your consideration for various causes, particularly if you may get it at a terrific low cost. Google’s Pixel 7 Pro includes a 6.7-inch OLED show with as much as 1500 nits of brightness, and as much as a 120Hz refresh price. All of which means you should have no points trying on the display screen in direct daylight, and the excessive refresh price of the show ensures easy scrolling and high-action scenes in movies or strikes are buttery easy. The Pixel 7 Professional is out there in some fairly distinctive colour combos because of the horizontal steel bar that runs throughout the again of the telephone, as is the remainder of the Pixel lineup. The 7 Professional is available in hazel, snow or obsidian.
The Pixel 7 Professional makes use of the Tensor G2 processor, a 5000mAh battery, IP68 mud and water resistance, comes with 12GB of reminiscence, and ranges in storage from 128GB to 256GB to 512GB. The Pixel 7 Professional additionally has a complicated digicam setup. Contained in the Pixel 7 Professional’s digicam bar is a triple digicam setup, that includes a 50-megapixel broad digicam, a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam, and a 48-megapixel telephoto digicam with 5x optical zoom and as much as 30X Tremendous Res Zoom. It is a terrific performer, solely now outclassed by the Pixel 8 Professional.
There’s nonetheless a lot going for the Pixel 7 Professional, however as an older flagship, the factor to essentially be careful for here’s a decreased worth. The Pixel 7 Professional is more likely to be actually engaging throughout the upcoming spring-cleaning gross sales, so hold your eyes out for the most effective offers.
Google Pixel 8
5. The very best Google Pixel telephone for many
Attractively reasonably priced, however very succesful
The Google Pixel 8 may get missed because it sits within the shadow of the Pixel 8 Professional, however this telephone is extra compact, extra reasonably priced, and nonetheless packs in most of the similar abilities.
- SoC
- Google Tensor G3
- Show
- 6.3-inch, Actua OLED, 2400 x 1080, 428ppi, 60-120Hz, as much as 2000nits
- RAM
- 8GB
- Storage
- 128GB / 256GB
- Battery
- 4575mAh, 30W quick charging, 12-18W wi-fi
- Glorious new design
- Brighter, quicker show
- Face Unlock works in every single place now
- Nice cameras
- Sluggish charging velocity
- Face Unlock can battle at evening
- Is there comparable to factor as an excessive amount of AI?
Sharing many options with the flagship Pixel 8 Professional, the Pixel 8 runs the chance of getting missed. This smaller, extra compact model packs in a lot of the identical expertise, has the identical energy because the Tensor G3 {hardware}, however takes a number of steps again in different areas. The 6.2-inch show is not as superior, with its 60-120Hz refresh price, neither is it as vivid at 2000 nits (which remains to be glorious, thoughts you).
Then there’s the digicam, which misses out on the optical telephoto lens, and retains an older 12-megapixel ultrawide, somewhat than the 48-megapixel ultrawide of the Pixel 8 Professional. It additionally misses out on the autofocus on the entrance digicam. However behind it, there’s nonetheless a terrific AI imaging system, in addition to options like Magic Editor, though the Pixel 8 would not get the Professional Controls that the Pixel 8 Professional options. So it is a terrific digicam, it is simply not fairly as nice. In fact, the primary sensor remains to be the star of the present, and this one will not be downgraded from the 8 Professional. It is as fantastic as a telephone digicam may be these days.
However you continue to get a terrific expertise and may relaxation assured that you’re going to get seven-years of updates for this telephone, in addition to getting that uncluttered Android interface that Pixel homeowners relish. It is a terrific all-rounder performer, whereas the marginally decreased spec positioning additionally makes this telephone somewhat extra reasonably priced than the Professional mannequin. For a lot of, that may make it a beautiful possibility for a Pixel machine.
Google Pixel 6a
6. Greatest price range Pixel telephone
The most affordable path to Pixel telephone possession
$200 $349 Save $149
The Pixel 6a is Google’s price range smartphone that brings a lot of the identical Pixel 6 expertise, condensing it right down to a extra reasonably priced package deal. Despite the fact that it has been changed by the Pixel 7a, it is nonetheless a implausible possibility.
- SoC
- Tensor G1
- Show
- 6.1-inch, OLED, Full HD+, 60Hz
- Battery
- 4410mAh, Quick charging
- RAM and Storage
- 6GB / 128GB
- Lovely kind issue, even for a price range telephone
- Flagship energy
- Nice updates coverage
- Pixel digicam magic
- Storage restricted to 128GB
- Show solely 60Hz
When Google introduced the Pixel 7a, it saved final yr’s A-series telephone within the lineup. Priced at $349, the Pixel 6a has a robust case for being thought of the most effective price range smartphone out there by anybody, not to mention Google. The 6a matches lots of what the 7a is supplied with by way of specs, however be mindful, that it’s a yr older than the 7a, so the interior {hardware} will not fairly be on the similar stage of efficiency.
With the 6a, you may anticipate a 6.1-inch OLED show, as much as 60Hz display screen refresh price, and a 4410mAh battery. It lacks wi-fi charging and is made with the identical plastic materials because the Pixel 7a. You’ll be able to decide from three totally different colour combos with the 6a, that are sage, charcoal and chalk. Contained in the telephone is 6GB of reminiscence, Google’s first Tensor processor, and 128GB of storage.
The 2 rear-facing cameras are a particular weak spot within the general Pixel 6a expertise, with a 12.2-megapixel broad digicam and a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam, whereas the front-facing digicam comes with an 8-megapixel sensor.
Basically, all of those specs imply that with the Pixel 6a you are getting a dependable telephone that may run any of the present apps and companies from Google and the Play Retailer, has loads of battery life with a digicam setup that is going to take ok photographs for on a regular basis use.
The underside line: What’s the greatest Pixel telephone?
For my part, the Pixel 8 Professional is the most effective Pixel telephone general. It is the latest, packing in the newest know-how from Google, together with a digicam system and picture expertise that is like nothing else you may discover on different smartphones – together with Google’s older Pixel units. It is a telephone that is actually worthy of the flagship telephone badge, with a stellar show, nice frosted end to the rear and loads of energy from the brand new Tensor G3 {hardware}. It is costly, positive, however with seven years of software program help, it is going to final a very long time. Maintain an eye-on trade-in provides to carry the value down and get an ideal Pixel in your pocket.
Google Pixel 8 Professional
Editor’s Alternative
How I select the most effective Pixel telephones
I’ve reviewed smartphones for the final 15 years, again when the BlackBerry thumb was a sizzling matter. I’ve used a whole lot of telephones over these years, spanning each Android and iOS, together with having used each Pixel telephone Google presently sells and all of them that in the end made this record. I drew on my private expertise not solely with these explicit fashions but additionally with smartphones as an entire over my profession to assist decide which Pixel telephones are greatest suited to particular sorts of customers.
You’ll be able to’t go fallacious with any of the present Pixel telephones. They every have one thing distinctive about them, be it a low worth level or extra superior cameras. Discovering the correct one for you requires realizing all of the finer particulars.
FAQ
Q: What makes Pixel telephones totally different from Samsung?
Samsung is the main Android smartphone maker, and so it is pure to match Google’s Pixel telephones to Samsung’s Galaxy lineup. The most important distinction between the 2 manufacturers comes right down to the software program expertise.
Samsung telephones use Android, simply as Pixel telephones do, however Samsung’s One UI closely customizes the general expertise, including Samsung’s personal apps and companies alongside Google’s. Some individuals actually take pleasure in Samsung’s method, whereas others want the light-handed method of Google’s Pixel software program that tightly integrates with Google’s apps and companies.
Moreover, each time there is a main software program replace, comparable to Android 14 or the upcoming Android 15, Google’s Pixel lineup is normally the primary to obtain any main updates together with quarterly Pixel Characteristic Drops the place Google provides new options and capabilities to its Pixel line.
Q: How usually do Pixels get software program updates?
When you will have one in all Google’s Pixel telephones, you may anticipate month-to-month software program updates, sometimes together with safety enhancements and bug fixes. As soon as 1 / 4, Google releases a brand new Characteristic Drop that provides new options to its Pixel line. For the Pixel 8 fashions, Google has dedicated to 7 years of updates; for earlier units, Google dedicated to five years of updates.
Trending Merchandise