Mid-2023 Pixel Buyer’s Guide: How to pick the phone you need [Video]

In mid-2023, we have five (yes, 5) Google Pixel phones to choose from. There’s the entry-level Pixel 6a, the step-up Pixel 7a, the default Pixel 7, the top-of-the-line Pixel 7 Pro, and, now, the Pixel Fold. How do you choose? Here’s everything you need to know.

• 2022 Pixel buyer’s guide: Which is the right Pixel for me? [Video]

Although the Pixel 8 is on the not-too-distant horizon, we have a firm set of devices for the next few months. There’s even the first-generation Pixel Fold to consider – which probably warrants a full explainer of its own. Because each phone has its own strengths, weaknesses, and even a few differences, it’s not as hard as you might think to differentiate.

What size smartphone do you want?

One of the easiest ways to determine which Pixel device you should buy at this stage of 2023 is in what size screen or chassis you prefer. There are five devices – four available right now – all at varying ends of the scale.

• Pixel 7a vs. Pixel 7: Blurred lines on a budget [Video]
• Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 7a: Big moves in budget circles [Video]
• Pixel 7 vs. Pixel 7 Pro: Which is the right choice for you? [Video]

If you want a device that can act as a tablet and a regular 5.8-inch phone, then you already have your answer. Put in a pre-order for the Pixel Fold and you will have everything you need in one – expensive – package.

For those wanting a “regular” Pixel smartphone at this stage of 2023, then it boils down to small-ish, medium, and large. We say “small-ish” as there isn’t really an outright small phone in the lineup.

The Google Pixel 6a is hanging around in the lineup for 2023 but with good reason. It’s the smallest and lightest Pixel phone you can buy. It has the same screen size as the Pixel 7a, but with a marginally smaller chassis and is almost 15g lighter.

At 6.3 inches, the Pixel 7 is the middle ground option and weighs 197g – 3g more than the brand-new Pixel 7a. Save the Pixel Fold, the Pixel 7 Pro is the biggest with a curved 6.7-inch screen. It also weighs in at 212g.

What about the display refresh rate?

With the Pixel 6a sticking around, the 2023 Pixel lineup hits all of the refresh rate bases for a modern smartphone. If you want high-refresh-rate panels, it’s a little easier, but you might not have ever tried a display tuned above 60Hz. For most people, the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 should be fine. A 90Hz screen ensures that all areas of the UI are smooth and slick.

The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED screen. This is a major step up in quality over the others in the lineup – including the Pixel Fold. All four screens are excellent at their respective price points. What’s interesting is that this year you can actually drop the Pixel 7 Pro’s display to 1080p if you wish. That is a useful function that should help save battery life day-to-day.

Google slapped two 120Hz screens on the Fold. This means that there should be cohesion between the smaller outer screen and when opened and unfolded. These are of varying resolutions as the outer display is just above 1080p while the inner display is technically 1440p owing to the strange 17.4:9 aspect ratio.

Another thing to note is that the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a, and Pixel 7 come with flat screens. This might be important to you. The curved screen on the Pixel 7 Pro is the highest fidelity and those side curves are not quite as pronounced as they may initially seem. The Pixel Fold features a flat outer and flat inner screen.

What specifications do you require?

Not all chipsets are created equal, and that is certainly true of the Tensor and Tensor G2. While the latter is based on the former, there are some performance boosts that do make a difference day-to-day. Google claims it’s up to 60% faster and more power efficient than the first-gen chip. Only the Pixel 6a ships with that processor onboard this year.

Storage is capped at 128GB on the Pixel 6a and 7a. You get multiple storage options on the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, and the Pixel Fold. Only the Pixel 7 Pro and Fold have 512GB variants though. Memory is now tiered. There’s 6GB RAM on the Pixel 6a, 8GB on the Pixel 7a and 7, while the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Fold come with 12GB. If you are using lots of apps at once or multitask heavily, then the higher the memory allocation the smoother the performance – or at least that is the theory.

Objectively, the two most expensive devices will offer the best performance. However, the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 are still silky smooth and not too far behind.

What do you want from a camera system?

Camera quality is a core selling point for just about all phones these days. The best camera is the one you have with you all day, and Google has truly adopted that mantra with the Pixel series. At this stage of 2023, there are some things to consider and there are some surprises when is comes to the camera systems of the latest Pixel devices.

At the bottom of the totem pole is the Pixel 6a. It has the oldest and lowest resolution 12.2-megapixel main camera, which is paired with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide. The selfie lags behind at 8 megapixels here too – which means no Face Unlock functionality is available.

The Pixel 7a has a 64-megapixel main sensor which is a huge upgrade for the budget line. This is paired with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and an upgraded selfie shooter that enables software-based Face Unlock.

Despite being the most expensive, the Google Pixel Fold will not be the biggest and best when it comes to cameras. The main sensor is rated at 48 megapixels, while the ultra-wide is the lowest resolution at 10.8-megapixels. You can only zoom in up to 20x with the somewhat odd 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto on the Pixel Fold. It’s also important to note that you get two (yes, 2) selfie cameras on the foldable. There’s an inner 8-megapixel selfie camera while the outer screen has a 9.5-megapixel selfie camera.

Despite all of this, if you want the outright best Pixel camera system at this stage of 2023, then look at the Pixel 7 Pro. While it shared the main 50-megapixel sensor, ultra-wide, and selfie camera with the regular Pixel 7, it has a 5x 48-megapixel periscope zoom lens. This is capable of punching in up to 30x with digital cropping.

All core features are identical on the Pixel 7a, 7 series, and Fold. Because of the older processor and camera system, the Pixel 6a does lack some of the newer functions including Real Tone 2.0.

TL;DR – Which mid-2023 Pixel device should I choose?

It boils down to what your budget can handle as to which Pixel you should opt for. For most people, the Pixel 7a or Pixel 7 will provide the most bang for your buck. Even without using the Pixel Fold extensively, it’s easy to see that this will be a niche product and is not going to be worth it for the average Joe.

Similarly, the Pixel 6a is a great entry path into Android for someone searching for a phone that will do most things without making a dent in your wallet. The Pixel 7 Pro has won numerous accolades and we believe it’s the best smartphone hardware that Google has produced to date. With discounts and rebates, it is still one of the best phones that you can buy today.

Given we’re mid-way into 2023, you might want to hold out a little longer until the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are unveiled in the fall. This could facilitate some substantial discounts on the current generation, and you’ll see just were the Fold stacks up against the biggest and best for late-2023 and beyond. That said, if you use this guide, we’re sure that you’ll get the phone that suits you best.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.