Become a TechRadar Insider
It's very easy to recommend the best Pixel phones, as they are pretty much the best way to get one of the cleanest and smartest takes on Android around.
A general rule of thumb is to get the latest Google Pixel phone and rest safe in the knowledge that you've got a great smartphone. But as we've tried and tested all of these phones, we've dug a little deeper to help reccomend the specific Pixel phones that should work for you depending on what you're after.
The best Pixel overall
The Google Pixel 10 Pro takes the premium design language introduced last year and polishes it to near-perfection. It feels solid and high-end, and the new color options, like the Lemongrass green, are a welcome splash of character.
The biggest hardware change, however, is invisible until you use it: Pixelsnap. The inclusion of magnetic charging (compatible with Qi2 and MagSafe accessories) is endlessly useful. Being able to snap the phone onto a desk charger or attach a magnetic wallet changes the daily experience for the better.
The display is another massive win. Google’s Super Actua screen is brighter and sharper than the competition - including the iPhone 16 Pro. Whether scrolling through menus or framing shots in bright sunlight, the screen looks incredible.
The software complements all of this hardware goodness with AI that feels genuinely helpful. Features like Magic Cue work quietly in the background to pull up reservation details or contacts when you need them, and the call screening and note-taking features remain the best reason to own a Pixel.
On the camera front, the Pixel 10 Pro creates images that often beat the iPhone in detail and color, especially in low light. The 5x optical zoom is crisp, and the new AI editing tools in Google Photos let you make complex edits using natural language.
However, the camera is where the phone's main weakness shows up. The Pixel 10 Pro admittedly falls behind in performance. The Tensor G5 chipset is the bottleneck here. It lags behind the competition, and I found frustrating delays between pressing the shutter and the phone actually taking the shot, especially at high resolutions.
Battery life is decent enough to get through a day, but it hasn't made the leap we saw in other Android flagships this year. Thankfully, the convenience of magnetic charging makes keeping it topped up much easier.
At $999, the Pixel 10 Pro offers a competitive package with 16GB of RAM standard. While it may not be the fastest phone on the block, the combination of a stellar screen, superior camera, and genuinely smart software makes it a joy to use.
Read my in-depth Google Pixel 10 Pro review
The best Pixel cameras
If you want the absolute best Google has to offer, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the winner. While it shares the same camera hardware as the smaller 10 Pro, the photography experience here is superior thanks to the larger 6.8-inch Super Actua display, a total stunner.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL display is the brightest, sharpest screen I’ve used, making it an incredible canvas for framing shots and editing photos on the fly.
Photography is where this phone truly shines. It might just be the best camera phone on the market, particularly when the lights go down. Low-light performance is mind-bogglingly clear.
The AI editing tools are present and useful, though the camera app itself can be frustrating; the Tensor G5 chip sometimes struggles to keep up, causing the shutter to stall after taking high-res shots.
Photos taken with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
On the plus side, the Pro XL offers the best battery life of the new Pixel lineup. It’s not a massive leap forward compared to the competition, but it gets through a full day, and the addition of 45W fast charging and Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging makes topping up a breeze.
Unlike the smaller Pro, the XL starts with a generous 256GB of storage, which helps justify the higher $1,199 price tag. It’s a big, premium device that feels refined and durable, making it the most satisfying Android phone available right now.
Read my in-depth Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review
The best Pixel for everybody
The Google Pixel 10 is a compelling choice for anyone looking to switch from an iPhone or simply get a great Android experience without breaking the bank.
It keeps the excellent design of the Pixel 9 but adds the new Pixelsnap magnetic charging system. Just like with Apple's MagSafe, being able to snap the phone onto a stand or car mount is a convenience you won't want to give up once you've tried it.
Google didn't skimp on the hardware here. The 6.3-inch Actua display is one of the brightest I've tested, making outdoor visibility excellent.
More importantly, Google finally added a dedicated 5x optical zoom lens to the base model's camera system. While the resolution is lower than on the Pro models, the photos look nearly identical in terms of color and balance, meaning you get fantastic shots without paying the Pro premium.
The software experience is clean and snappy for daily tasks, with useful new AI features like Magic Cue offering helpful shortcuts. However, performance is fine for everything except heavy gaming, where the Tensor G5 chip shows its limitations.
Battery life remains unchanged from last year - it's just okay - but the ease of magnetic charging mitigates this significantly.
At $799, the Google Pixel 10 is a solid value, though Google often discounts these models heavily throughout the year, so keep an eye out for deals.
Read my in-depth Google Pixel 10 review
The best Pixel for work
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a specialized tool, and for the right person, it replaces both a phone and a tablet. For work, the massive 8-inch inner display is a revelation; web pages, spreadsheets, and documents have room to breathe, and multitasking feels genuinely productive rather than cramped.
It’s also the most durable foldable we've seen, boasting an IP68 rating that protects against dust and water—a first for tablet foldable phones. Samsung is water resistant, but its Galaxy Z Fold 7 can't keep out dust as well as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
Google also fixed one of the biggest annoyances of foldable ownership by adding Pixelsnap. Being able to magnetically attach this large device to a car mount or a desk charger makes it infinitely more usable in a daily workflow.
The design is refined and comfortable, with an outer screen that feels exactly like a normal phone rather than a narrow compromise.
However, you are paying a foldable tax. At $1,799, it is incredibly expensive, even more than if you bought the best Pixel 10 Pro XL and a very nice tablet together.
The cameras are also technically inferior to those on the cheaper Pixel 10 Pro XL. The photos are fine, but heavily reliant on AI smoothing, and you lose some resolution. The software, while charming and polished, still has some bugs and lacks features that truly take advantage of the massive canvas.
Forget those complaints - this is still a great foldable phone that will satisfy Pixel fans looking for the ultimate, big screen experience. If you need a durable, two-in-one device to get things done, this is the Pixel to buy.
Read my in-depth Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold review
The best budget Pixel
Packed with basically all the AI features of its bigger and foldable stablemates, the Google Pixel 10a eschews a telephoto camera and some of the plusher design elements of the more expensive phones all in order to deliver one of the best Android phones for a budget price.
If you have a Pixel 9a, then the Pixel 10a isn't offering you much to upgrade to. But if you're on an older Pixel phone or want a great Android phone for a fantastic price, then the Pixel 10a is the phone to get.
Its cameras won't let you down, unless you're super-keen on telephoto photography. And the performance is more than enough for most phone tasks and even a lot of mobile gaming.
Simply put, this is the best bang for your buck when it comes to a Google Pixel phone and a lot of smartphones in general.
Read our full Google Pixel 10a review
FAQs
What is the best Pixel phone right now?
The Pixel 10 Pro is the best Pixel phone overall because it gives you all of the best Pixel features, in a size that is more pocketable and a price that is easier to afford. The Pixel 10 Pro XL offers all of the same features, with a larger battery and slightly faster charging, and its bigger display makes it the better viewfinder for photos, so the XL is our best Pixel camera pick.
How to choose the best Pixel phone for you
When you are choosing a Pixel phone the important question is how much AI you want to use. The better the Pixel phone, the more AI features it will have, both now and into the future. If you want to always have the latest Google AI features, I would suggest a Pixel 10 Pro or Pro XL. On the other hand, if you want to avoid AI or Google AI isn't important at all, you can save a lot of money buying the Pixel 10a, which still has great cameras and solid performance for such a bargain-priced phone.
How we test
We've thoroughly reviewed every Pixel phone on this list, and we test them alongside other Android phones and iPhones.
We also mix in various Pixel peripherals and other accessories like wireless earbuds and Xbox controllers to put the phones through their paces.
And all these Pixels get subject to Future Labs' stringent performance, display and battery life testing, alongside our own anecdotal and experiential testing.
- You've reached the end of the page. Jump back up to the top ^