UPDATE: 10/17/2023 14:00 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI

We added the new Google Pixel 8 series of flagships and updated the article to keep it up-to-date.

Google entered the smartphone business in 2016, and the company has been taking off in recent years with increased sales and market share. Google has been growing its smartphone business steadily, and it seems like it’s not slowing down anytime soon. The company unveiled the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro flagships on October 4, 2023, featuring impressive new hardware and AI software features, taking the entire Google and Android experience to a whole new level.

To help you find the best Google Pixel smartphone, we wanted to take a look and explain the pros and cons and the specs in a few paragraphs. Whether you’re looking for the best Android smartphone, or the best smartphone in general, the Pixels tick a lot of boxes, making them viable alternatives to the best Samsung phones, best iPhones, and many other devices.

These are the best smartphones from Google

If you’re looking for the best all-rounder Android smartphone, the Google Pixel 8 Pro will likely be at the top of your list. It has a large 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with up to 2400 nits of peak brightness. It’s more curved than the previous Pixel 7 Pro and easier to hold. It’s also available in several new colors, making it a great refresh in 2023.

The Pixel 8 Pro is powered by the new Google Tensor G3 chipset with 12GB of RAM. It can easily multitask with ease, and it’s perfect for hardcore gamers and casual users. It has a beefy 5,050 mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging, which Google says can go from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes. It also supports 23W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The phone comes with a 50MP primary, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. It’s fair to say, this is Google’s best and most advanced smartphone, not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of support. The device will receive 7 years of OS and security updates – alongside the Pixel 8 – and it has a plethora of unique and cool features that enable you to be more productive, and make life easier.

Related: 10 hidden features of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro

The Pixel 8 Pro is perfect for anyone looking for a solid and best Google Pixel experience. It has an impressive camera setup, a large battery, bright & colorful display, and all the features you need to make life easier.

The Google Pixel 8 is an excellent compact smartphone. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a small, powerful, and compact device that’s easy to handle. It’s powerful enough to play all demanding games, and it looks like it can take a beating, lasting all day on a single charge.

The device is powered by the new Google Tensor G3 chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It runs Android 14 and has a 6.2-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 2000 nits of peak brightness. All content looks beautiful on this device, and the panel even supports HDR10+, meaning that supported games, movies and TV shows will look pixel-perfect.

When it comes to the camera, the new Pixel 8 features the same 50MP primary sensor as its larger sibling, the Pixel 8 Pro. It also has a 12MP ultrawide, making it excellent to capture the entire shot on a single photo. There are various improvements both on the software and hardware, and the Pixel 8 can capture better photos in low-light, and improve your photos and video in just a few taps thanks to the new AI features.

The Pixel 8 comes with a 4,575 mAh battery. It supports 27W wired charging, and Google says it can go from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes. The phone still supports 18W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The Google Pixel Fold is the company's first foldable high-end smartphone. It's a beautiful foldable, packed with the latest and the greatest from Google. It's powered by the Tensor G2 chipset, coupled with 12GB of memory and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It has a large 5.8-inch cover screen, and 7.6-inch main display, both featuring 120Hz refresh rate, excellent viewing angles, and a large comfortable size to browse the web, play games, and consume content.

If the Pixel 8 Pro is too small for you and you want something bold and more unique, the Pixel Fold will provide just that, in a unique, foldable form factor. The device is perfect for those who want a Pixel Tablet and a Pixel smartphone, all-in-one neat package.

The device sports a 48MP primary, a 10.8MP ultrawide, and a 10.8MP telephoto camera capable of 5x optical zoom. While the camera isn’t as impressive as the one on the Pixel 8 Pro, the Pixel Fold still captures breathtaking photos in all lighting conditions. It’ll also receive most of the same features as the Pixel 8 series, and it uses computational algorithms to take filming and stills to a whole new level – coming from a foldable.

On the front, the Pixel Fold has a 9.5MP sensor on the cover screen, and an 8MP front camera on the main screen to take selfies and video calls.

The Fold comes with a 4,821 mAh battery, supporting 30W fast wired charging, and wireless charging. It's not the fastest charging foldable we've ever seen, but it should help provide a comfortable charging time and top up the device within two hours.

The phone is also IPX8 rated, meaning it can survive water and has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Unlike the Pixel 8 series, the Pixel Fold will be supported for five years, instead of seven. Google promises three years of OS upgrades, and five years of security updates in total, making it slightly less appealing than the Pixel 8 series, so that’s certainly something to keep in mind.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro might be over a year old, but it’s still widely available at retailers, making it a solid choice for those on a slightly lower budget. If the latest price hike from Google is too much to ask for, the Pixel 7 Pro remains a solid contender in 2023 and even in 2024.

The Pixel 7 Pro has a large 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display and 120Hz refresh rate, and 1,500 nits of peak brightness. It’s excellent for watching movies, videos, reading, and playing graphics-intensive titles. Speaking of games, it’s powered by the new Google Tensor G2 SoC, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 128/256/512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

The device is powered by the latest Android version, and it has a 50MP f/1.9 primary camera, a 48MP f/3.5 telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor. On the front, the punch-hole display houses a 10.8MP f/2.2 sensor.

The Pixel 7 Pro is perfect for those looking for a premium flagship device for less. It supports most of the same AI-powered features as the Pixel 8 series, and the camera will provide an excellent performance in all lighting conditions, whether it’s day or night.

The phone sports a 5,000 mAh battery, and Google claims it can last for up to 72 hours using the Extreme Battery Saver mode. The device also supports fast wired charging, which promises 0-50% charge to take just 30 minutes. The Pixel 7 Pro also supports 30W fast wired charging, 23W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The Google Pixel 7 rocks a slightly more compact design than the Pixel 6, but it’s slightly larger than the new Pixel 8. The device comes with a 6.3-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 1400 nits of peak brightness. If you have a lower budget and don’t care much about the 120Hz that’s on the Pixel 8, the 90Hz refresh rate will still provide a great overall experience with a snappy and smooth performance.

The Pixel 7 feels premium, and it promises high-performance. It’s powered by the Google Tensor G2 chipset, made on the 4nm process, promising more performance and efficiency. The device comes with 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

On the back, it hosts a 50MP f/1.9 primary sensor with OIS and laser autofocus, as well as a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor. The camera has better skin tone support and lets users take better low-light and night photography, even in challenging and pitch-black environments.

The Pixel 7 has all of the latest features that you would expect, and it comes with the latest version of Android. It’ll have five years of support, including three years of OS and five years of security updates from its release. It has a 4,355 mAh battery, which Google promises can comfortably last for a full day. The device also supports fast wired charging, 20W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The Google Pixel 6 Pro might no longer be sold at many retailers and carriers, but it’s still available at some places, such as Amazon, Swappa, and other online storefronts.

The 2021 flagship features the first-generation Google Tensor processor. It holds up well, and it’s still excellent if you’re on a tight budget. It features a 6.71-inch LTPO display with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It also has a 5,003 mAh battery, and it supports 30W fast wired charging, 23W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

While the phone had a rocky beginning, Google solved many of the issues within a year of releasing the phone, and while some small issues remain, the Pixel 6 Pro still offers a lot of value at an affordable price tag.

The device features a 50MP primary, a 48MP telephoto capable of 4x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. If you don’t mind going for an older model, the Pixel 6 Pro will still offer great value, especially as the device will receive security updates for a few more years.

The Google Pixel 6 is the smaller sibling of the Google Pixel 6 Pro. It has a smaller, 6.4-inch AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. Like the higher-end Pixel 6 Pro, the vanilla Pixel 6 is also powered by the same Google Tensor chipset, and it comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of base storage. The device is smaller than the Pro model and more compact.

It also has fewer camera sensors on the back, featuring a 50MP primary sensor, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. It’s an excellent point-and-shoot smartphone and one of the best-performing camera smartphones, even in 2022. The selfie shooter sports an 8MP sensor in the punch-hole cutout on the front center of the display. Speaking of the display, it has an under-display fingerprint sensor, and a 4,614 mAh battery. It supports fast wired charging and 21W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

For those who want to save money, and don’t require the telephoto camera, as well as the larger display, the Google Pixel 6 makes it one of the cheapest and best high-end smartphones on the market in 2023. It comes at an affordable price, and the software will continue to receive updates for the next few years.

The Google Pixel 7a is the latest affordable midranger in the Pixel lineup. You can read our first impressions here. The Pixel 7a is powered by the Tensor G2 chip, the same chip that powers the Google Pixel 7 series, as well as the Pixel Fold. It has power for days and is one of the best smartphones at a price that's hard to beat.

The Pixel 7a has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a dual camera array on the back. It consists of a 64MP primary, and a 13MP ultrawide camera. While it lacks a telephoto sensor, we can easily look past it as the phone comes with Google's own zooming technology that provides impressive results for up to 3x digital zoom. It's not the best solution, but it's great if you want to pinch in a little to get a closer look.

The device has a 4,385 mAh battery, and its the first in the A-series to support wireless charging, albeit, at 7.5W. It's not the fastest, but having the option is great, and we love to see it. The phone also supports 18W wired charging, which, once again, isn't fast. That said, it's an excellent affordable device, and unless you're looking for faster charging speeds and a slightly larger battery, the Pixel 7a is the phone to get if you want to save money.

The Google Pixel 6a is one of the best mid-ranger smartphones from Google. It’s powered by the same Google Tensor chip that powers the Pixel 6 series of flagships, and it sports 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. Despite the plastic materials, it looks and feels premium and is still undeniably a Pixel.

The Google Pixel 6a sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with 60Hz refresh rate and a punch-hole cutout in the top center of the display for the 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera. Like other Pixel phones, the Pixel 6a supports 5G connectivity, and IP67. Despite the low price, the phone even supports the Always-on Display feature.

As for the camera setup, it features a 12MP f/1.7 primary sensor, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide. It can take breathtaking photos and videos in all lighting conditions and capture beautiful night photography. If you’re looking for a phone that excels at everything and needs minimal sacrifice, then the Pixel 6a is one of the best phones you can buy on a budget.

Which Pixel phone should you buy?

The Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 8 are the latest and greatest smartphones from Google’s lineup, and they’re undoubtedly the best devices the company has ever made. If you’re looking for the best of the best, the Pixel 8 Pro will provide everything you need with plenty of power, a beautiful display, and an excellent camera setup.

The Pixel 8 will also provide an equally great experience, which now also comes with a new 120Hz AMOLED display, and a powerful 50MP primary camera on the back. However, this is only recommended for those who can’t handle large devices, and those who want to save a few hundred bucks.

Speaking about bucks, if you have a lot of money and you’ve been itching to try a foldable, the Google Pixel Fold will seem like an excellent smartphone. It has all of the Google-exclusive features, and while it doesn’t come with the same 7 years of OS and security update timeline as the Pixel 8 series, it still provides a great value for the money.

For those with a lower budget, the previous years’ flagships will do an excellent job, especially the Pixel 7 series. The Pixel 7a and the Pixel 6a are also great alternatives at different prices, offering the best experience from Google in a compact and small form factor.