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Our top pick for the best Google Pixel phone is an excellent choice for Android fans or iPhone users looking on the other side of the fence, but Google’s variety of phones has never been more expansive or worthwhile.
One of the main allures of Pixel devices is camera quality. While many Pixel phones available have varying camera hardware, you always get Google’s signature results — beautifully balanced lighting that captures more detail and depth than any other phone camera, as well as natural-looking colors. That said, one Pixel is better for heavy camera users than the others. The same applies to battery life, price, and size.
The best Google Pixel phone overall, or that “most people” can get behind, is the Google Pixel 8, which offers an exceptional balance of price, performance, camera quality, and features. Our top budget pick is the Google Pixel 7a, which is basically a smaller version of the previous-generation Pixel 7 flagship phone and offers outstanding value.
Our top picks for the best Google Pixel phone
Best overall: Pixel 8 – See at Amazon
Best budget: Pixel 7a – See at Amazon
Best budget alternative: Pixel 6a – See at Amazon
Best camera: Pixel 8 Pro – See at Amazon
Best battery life: Pixel Fold – See at Amazon
Best small phone: Pixel 8 – See at Amazon
Best overall
The Pixel 8 delivers an ideal balance of performance, premium features, and camera quality for its $699 starting price. It’s the first Pixel we’d recommend for most people. Those who prefer larger screens will be happier with the Pixel 8 Pro.
Google’s Pixel 8 wins the top spot as the best Google Pixel phone overall thanks to its combination of performance, camera quality, features, and design at a relatively affordable price in the premium range. For a $699 starting price, the Pixel 8 offers excellent value for the proverbial “most people.”
The Pixel 8 runs on the same Google Tensor G3 processor as the pricier Pixel 8 Pro and takes equally excellent photos with the same primary camera. It has a different ultrawide camera that’s 12MP instead of 48MP, but it somehow manages to take comparably good ultrawide photos. Just note the Pixel 8 doesn’t include a dedicated zoom lens like the Pixel 8 Pro.
Oddly enough, according to our battery test, the smaller Pixel 8’s battery life is about as good as the larger Pixel 8 Pro’s. That’s to say, the Pixel 8 has excellent battery life that should last you throughout the day.
The Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch display also runs at the same 120Hz refresh rate as the Pixel 8 Pro for that super-smooth premium experience. Starting at $999, the Pixel 8 Pro will only be a better option if you prefer a larger display or a dedicated zoom lens. That’s a steep $300 premium for those two variables, but the Pixel 8 Pro is still priced similarly to other large high-end Android phones.
See our guide to the best Google Pixel 8 cases to protect the phone.
Best budget
Google’s Pixel 7a is like a premium phone at a major discount with its 90Hz display, flagship Tensor G2 processor from the previous Pixel 7 generation, and two cameras that take stunning photos with natural colors and beautiful lighting and depth.
The Pixel 7a is Google’s mid-range option that runs on the Tensor G2 processor from the previous flagship Pixel 7 generation. Though its MSRP is $499, the Pixel 7a is our top pick among the best budget Android phones, and more often than not, you can find it for around or below $400.
With cameras that compete with phones twice as expensive, strong performance, and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate display, the Pixel 7a is a wonder for its price, especially if you find it in the $400 range.
Apart from a smaller 6.1-inch screen size, the most noticeable difference between the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8 is a thicker build and thicker black borders around the display of the former. The Pixel 7a’s back is made of plastic instead of glass, but the difference is remarkably slight. These design characteristics mean the Pixel 7a isn’t quite as hardwearing or visibly “high-end” as the Pixel 8, but they won’t make you regret buying the Pixel 7a for $200 to $300 less than the Pixel 8.
Otherwise, most other compromises aren’t so noticeable. The Pixel 7a’s display doesn’t get quite as bright as the Pixel 8, though we’d argue it’s bright enough for most people’s needs, even under bright sunlight. You’re also not getting Google’s Battery Share feature that lets you wirelessly charge devices from the back of the phone, among other minor differences.
If $500, or even $400, doesn’t fit your definition of “budget,” check out our alternative budget Pixel phone below, the Pixel 6a.
Read our full Google Pixel 7a review.
Best budget alternative
Google’s Pixel 6a offers tremendous value with performance and camera quality that punch far above its price tag.
The Pixel 6a ignores its price and performs like a much more expensive phone. It’s the finest phone you can buy for under $400, Android or iPhone.
For $349, we have a hard time finding any faults with the Pixel 6a. It runs on Google’s Tensor processor that ran the company’s premium Pixel 6 lineup, so it’s snappy and powerful, especially considering its price.
The Pixel 6a also comes with two of Google’s finely tuned 12MP main and ultrawide cameras, which the company used in several generations of Pixels past, and they deliver stunning results that belie its $349 price tag.
The 6.1-inch display runs at a more traditional 60Hz refresh rate, which is becoming rarer these days, even among other budget Android phones. Still, a faster 90Hz or 120Hz display is a worthy tradeoff for the Pixel 6a’s performance and camera quality relative to its price.
The biggest consideration to make for the Pixel 6a is its shorter support window for security updates (July 2027) compared to the Pixel 7a (May 2028) and Pixel 8 (October 2030).
Read our full Google Pixel 6a review.
Best camera
The Pixel 8 Pro has a top-end slate of specs for an Android phone. It sets itself apart with Google’s Pixel-exclusive smart AI features, which can do amazing things for your photos, or even pick up the phone for you to check who’s calling.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro share the same main cameras and take identically excellent photos. Yet, the Pixel 8 Pro’s dedicated 5x zoom lens makes it the most versatile Pixel model for taking photos or video, simply because it lets you take sharper and better photos of objects and subjects further away.
With its 5x 48-megapixel zoom lens, the Pixel 8 Pro can take impressively sharp and detailed photos, even at higher magnifications like 10x. If you often use your current phone’s zoom lens or take zoomed pictures or video on a phone without a zoom lens, you’ll deeply appreciate the Pixel 8 Pro’s additional zoom lens.
Google also addresses the degrading photo quality that most phone cameras suffer when you zoom in between the 1x main camera and the 5x zoom lens when inferior artificial “digital” zooming is used. The Pixel 8 Pro combines images from the ultrawide and main camera lenses to produce a sharper and clearer picture, and it works amazingly well.
The Pixel Fold lets you take a selfie with the higher-quality main camera while using the exterior display as a viewfinder, which makes it worthy as an option for the best Pixel camera. However, we only add it as a secondary option, as foldables are still rather niche, and the Pixel Fold is rather expensive.
See our guide to the best Google Pixel 8 Pro cases to protect the phone.
Best battery life
The Pixel Fold is one of our favorite foldable phones, as it delivers an equally excellent experience as a traditional phone as it does a small tablet, which not all foldable phones can boast.
If battery life is your top priority, the Pixel Fold should be at the front of your list. It ended our battery test with 69% in the folded position and 65% unfolded. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro achieved around 60%.
That’s a stunning result for the Pixel Fold in the folded position, where its 5.8-inch display is in use. Most phones with similar display sizes end our test with around 60%.
It only makes sense that battery life is shorter in the unfolded position, where the Pixel Fold powers a huge (for a phone) 7.6-inch display. Still, the Pixel Fold in tablet mode beats out the Pixel 8 Pro and its 6.7-inch display.
The Pixel Fold is one of our top picks among the best foldable phones thanks to its exterior display that takes the form of a familiar phone display compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s unusually narrow external display.
We realize that foldable phones aren’t for everyone, not to mention the Pixel Fold is also the most expensive option here. If you’re looking for a non-foldable Pixel with the best battery life, the Pixel 8 Pro is your best bet, as its 62% score in our battery test slightly edged out Google’s other three current “flat” phones.
Read our full Google Pixel Fold review.
Best small phone
This accolade could go to three different Pixels, including the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, and Pixel 8, as they’re all similarly sized with similar screen sizes.
Since we’re picking one model as “the best,” we have to look at specifics. With that in mind, the Pixel 8 is effectively the most compact Pixel you can buy. It has a 6.2-inch display compared to the Pixel 7a and Pixel 6a’s 6.1-inch displays, but it’s also ever-so-slightly shorter overall, thanks to its slimmer borders around the display.
While the Pixel 7a and Pixel 6a have 6-inch heights, the Pixel 8 is 5.9 inches tall, making for a technically more compact experience.
If you’re looking for less expensive compact Pixel options, the Pixel 7a and Pixel 6a are ready for your hands and pockets.
See our guide to the best Google Pixel 8 cases to protect the phone.
Best Google Pixel phones compared
FAQs
Which is the newest Google Pixel phone?
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, released on October 12, 2023, are the latest Google Pixel phones.
The Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold, Google’s previous most recent releases, were announced on May 10, 2023, and released on May 10 and June 27 of last year, respectively.
How long are Google Pixel phones supported?
Until recently, Google has surprisingly had some of the shortest support windows for its entries among the best Android phones, even though Google develops Android. However, with the Pixel 8 series, Google is finally offering a long support window that competes with and surpasses most Android phones, with seven years of Android upgrades and security updates.
Previous Pixel models have shorter support windows for Android upgrades and security updates, and most also receive security updates longer than they get Android upgrades. Below is when Google says it will discontinue support for each phone listed in this guide.
- Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: October 2030 for Android upgrades and security updates.
- Pixel 7a: May 2026 for Android upgrades; May 2028 for security updates.
- Pixel 6a: July 2025 for Android upgrades; July 2027 for security updates.
- Pixel Fold: June 2026 for Android upgrades, June 2028 for security updates.
