Google Pixel telephones are our favourite Android telephones right here at WIRED and have been for a number of years. They’ve industry-leading cameras, get speedy software program and safety updates straight from Google (like iPhones do from Apple), and are priced competitively. However which of the brand new Google Pixel telephones do you have to purchase? The Pixel 9a? The Pixel 9? What in regards to the crazy-expensive Pixel 9 Professional Fold? Don’t fret—I will break down the variations between the most effective Pixel telephones and type out the fitting one for you.
You may additionally discover Pixel-exclusive suggestions that can assist you get probably the most out of your new telephone, plus some accent and case suggestions for cover. For extra, learn our different cellular guides, together with the Greatest Pixel 9 Instances, Greatest Samsung Telephones, and Greatest Android Telephones.
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Up to date April 2025: We’ve added the Pixel 9a and new options from the March 2025 Pixel Drop.
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The Greatest Pixel for Most Individuals
Google’s Pixel 9a (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is all of the telephone most individuals want. The 6.3-inch display screen won’t be as compact as its predecessor, but it surely would not really feel too huge. There is a new design to offer the A-series its personal look, although the iris and peony colours are performing some heavy lifting. In black or white, it is pretty boring. At the least you get a digital camera module that does not stick out.
The OLED display screen will get brighter than ever, and it has a 120-Hz display screen refresh charge for these fluid animations (one thing Apple nonetheless limits to its Professional iPhones). Google’s Tensor G4 chipset powers all of it, the identical as within the flagship Pixel 9 sequence. And efficiency is just about similar—easy and quick, whether or not gaming or multitasking.
The caveat is that the Pixel 9a has solely 8 gigabytes of RAM, so two Pixel 9 options aren’t current: the Pixel Screenshots app, which makes use of AI to prepare your screenshots, and Name Notes, which gives a textual content abstract of your telephone calls. These are useful options, so it is a disgrace they’re unavailable, but it surely’s not a deal-breaker.
In any other case, you get all the identical digital camera options from the flagship lineup, together with Add Me, Reimagine, Greatest Take, and the improved Audio Magic Eraser. Talking of, the 48-megapixel is joined by a 13-MP ultrawide and 13-MP selfie digital camera, and so they’re all dependable. Like most Pixel telephones, you could be protected understanding many of the photos you snap will come out wanting nice.
One of the best improve is battery life. The 5,100-mAh cell comfortably lasts a full day. I routinely ended my nights with 30 to 40 p.c remaining, although heavy customers should must tote an influence financial institution simply in case.
There’s Qi wi-fi charging and an improved IP68 water-resistance score, to not point out safe face unlock along with fingerprint unlock, providing you with two biometric authentication strategies to unlock your telephone and shortly entry delicate apps. The Pixel 9a additionally will get seven years of software program assist—the longest you may discover on an Android telephone underneath $500. All of that for $499? It is probably the greatest smartphone bargains round.
Greatest Pixel Improve
The Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are an honest step up from the Pixel 9a and firmly put you in flagship territory. You get extra options, higher construct high quality, extra cameras, nicer specs—you get the concept. That is the primary time you may have measurement choices for the Professional fashions, and they’re the identical telephone regardless of which you select, barring battery and display screen measurement. The 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Professional is my favourite, because it has all of the Professional options I need in a compact bundle, however in case you favor a big-screen expertise, go for the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Professional XL.
On the {hardware} entrance, these Pixels have LTPO shows, that means the display screen can refresh from as little as 1 Hz to 120 Hz, making them power-efficient. They’re additionally the brightest OLED panels on a Pixel up to now, and I had no hassle studying them on sunny days. Between the 2, the Pixel 9 Professional XL can cost quicker, getting roughly 70 p.c in half-hour, whereas the Pixel 9 Professional will sit at round 55 p.c in the identical interval. An even bigger 5,060-mAh battery means higher battery life too, and the XL mannequin often had slightly extra juice on the finish of the day. Neither telephone will final two days on a single cost with heavy use, however each will get you thru a full day.
