GOOGLE’S PIXEL PHONES are our favorite Android phones here at WIRED, and they have been for a few years. They have industry-leading cameras, get speedy software and security updates directly from Google (like iPhones do from Apple), and are priced competitively. But choosing the right model can be tricky. Should you get the Pixel 7A? The Pixel 8? What about the crazy-expensive Pixel Fold?
Don’t fret—here we break down the differences between the best Pixel phones battery and sort out the right one for you. We also have Pixel-exclusive tips to help you get the most out of your new phone, and we recommend some cases and accessories we’ve tested if you want protection.
Updated October 2023: We’ve added cases from Spigen and Burga.
The Best Pixel for Most People
The Pixel 7A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our top choice for most people because it has pretty much everything you need, setting a new standard for mid-range smartphones. (Though it is a little pricier than the Pixel 6A from 2022 .) This iteration includes wireless charging, which is really uncommon for phones under $500. You also get a 90-Hz screen refresh rate, which makes the onscreen interactions look and feel more fluid, as there are more frames per second than before.
Its design and build are similar to its predecessor, though Google claims the aluminum mid-frame is slightly more durable. There’s Gorilla Glass 3 on the front 6.1-inch screen, which isn’t as scratch-resistant as the glass on pricier Pixels, but at least the rear is a plastic composite that won’t crack. This model comes in Charcoal, Sea, and Snow, but a Google Store-exclusive Coral has caught my eye.
You won’t run into any problems with performance. It’s powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chipset, which is the same one that’s inside the Pixel 7 series. It’s plenty fast for everyday tasks and most mobile gaming, and it also allows for a few new software tricks, like Photo Unblur, which can use machine-learning algorithms to unblur people’s faces in those late-night pics. (It actually did this really well when I tried to capture a photo of a bride and groom on the dance floor!)
Speaking of the camera system, a 64-megapixel sensor leads the pack joined by a 13-megapixel ultrawide, and while these are not as good as the cameras in the Pixel 7 , the results are nearly imperceptible (you have to look really close) It’s easily the best camera phone for the money, whether you’re using it in low light to capture the stars or shooting a landscape on a sunny day.
One reason we recommend Pixel phones is that they include many great software features that are genuinely helpful. We’ve collected most of them below, but my favorites are Assistant Voice Typing for much faster and more accurate voice transcriptions using the built-in keyboard; Now Playing to find out what music is playing around me; and Call Screen, which has pretty much stopped all spam calls coming my way. You’ll also get five years of security updates, so your Pixel 7A will be supported for quite a while Unfortunately, Google promises only three OS upgrades.
The only things that are iffy on the Pixel 7A are the fingerprint sensor, which isn’t as snappy or reliable as I’d like, and the battery life. The 4,385-mAh cell can take you through a full day of average use, but on busy days you will most likely need to top up before the sun goes down. There’s also no microSD card slot or headphone jack, so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want a phone with those features.
Works on all three major US carriers.
Best Pixel Upgrade
If you want the latest and greatest, then go for Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends). These flagships are slightly more expensive this year, but they’re the only Pixels to receive a software commitment of seven years. That’s right, Google is finally promising seven years of security and Android OS upgrades to these phones, outclassing all its Android peers. That even includes stocking up on spare parts for repairs to the hardware.
The 8 series has the brightest OLED displays ever on a Pixel, which means no need to squint when staring at the screen on a sunny day. They have a more rounded design that makes ’em comfy to hold, though this is more evident on the 6.2-inch Pixel 8, which is smaller than its predecessor. It has a glossy glass back, whereas the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro has a matte soft-touch glass back. Both have 120-Hz screen refresh rates, but only the Pro model can adjust this from 1 Hz to 120 Hz depending on what’s on the screen, which is more battery-efficient.
These phones now have secure Face Unlock, making them the first since the Pixel 4 to have a biometric authentication tool like Apple’s Face ID. You can use your face or the in-display fingerprint scanner to access sensitive apps like your banking app. It just doesn’t work well in darkness, so you’ll still have to rely on your thumbs.
Inside is Google’s Tensor G3 processor, which hasn’t given me any trouble with any of the apps or games I threw at it. It remarkable powers new smart imaging features, like Magic Editor, which lets you move subjects around in your photos and even change the type of sky; Best Take, for fixing people’s faces in case they blinked and Audio Magic Eraser, to remove unwanted sounds like a fire truck’s siren from video clips. I go into a little more depth about these features in this story.
The cameras have been upgraded all around, too. The Google Pixel battery Pixel 8 has a 50-MP main camera that crops into the center to offer a high-quality 2X zoom. There’s also a 12-MP ultrawide now with autofocus, allowing it to utilize Google’s Macro Focus for close-up shots.
The Pixel 8 Pro has the same main camera but an upgraded 48-MP ultrawide that lets you go even closer to subjects for Macro Focus, and it’s overall more effective in low light. You still get a 48-MP telephoto 5X optical zoom camera, and the Pro also exclusively has a front-facing camera with autofocus, allowing for sharper selfies. It’s the only one with Pro camera controls in case you want to have more control over your photos, and it will eventually get a new feature called Video Boost , which will send your clips to Google’s cloud servers for processing—you’ll be sent back footage that is brighter with better stabilization, less noise, and brighter colors.
The 4,485-mAh and 5,050-mAh Google Pixel battery batteries in the Pixel 7and Pixel 7Pro aren’t anything to write home about. With average use, you can expect them to last a full day, but anyone using their phone heavily will want to carry a power bank. At least they can recharge slightly faster.