Since 2016, Google has been making its smartphones but its latest Pixels are now beginning to show more than promise compared to rival Android flagship smartphones.
And while the Google Pixel smartphones are officially sold in limited markets outside the U.S., you can still grab one right here in the country.
So if you’re looking to buy Google’s devices, then these are the best Pixel smartphones to pick from PhonePlace Kenya.
Google Pixel 8 Pro – Ksh 128,000
With the Pixel 8 series, Google switched things up in design to have an identity different from its past pixel smartphones.
Google picked a rounded design for the Pixel 8 Pro with polished metal rails that fuse with the iconic camera bar. The Pixel 8 has a glass back with a frosted matte finish with nice colours like Bay, Mint Obsidian and Porcelain.
It has IP68 rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the display and back and an aluminium frame.
For the screen, we get a slightly curved 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED QHD+ 1440p panel with 2400 nits brightness and 120Hz refresh rate. It has HDR10+ support and sadly no Dolby Vision.
Powering the phone is Google Tensor G3 processor, 12GB RAM and 128/256/512/1TB storage running on Android 14 with Google AI features such as AI wallpapers, Summarize, high-quality Gboard Smart Replies, Zoom Enhance, Contextual Replies, Assistant with Bard(now Gemini) and more.
Google is also promising to bring 7 years of software support to the Pixel 8 Pro. This was a first for Android smartphones – Samsung later announced that they too would offer seven years of Android upgrades and security updates to its S24 series. It’s worth noting that Apple offers 5 years of software support.
For photography, the Pixel 8 Pro has a 50MP main with OIS, a 48MP telephoto with OIS and 5X optical zoom and a 48MP ultrawide. It comes with a 10.5MP selfie camera. All the cameras can shoot 4K video with 10-bit HDR recording.
Pixel 8 Pro has a 5050mAh battery and support for 30W wired charging and 23W wireless charging. Charging from empty to full will take an hour and 23 minutes which is 30 minutes faster than the Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Pixel 7 Pro – Ksh 87,500
Released in 2022, the Pixel 7 Pro is a great value pick over the Pixel 8 regarding features.
Pixel 7 Pro has a glass design – both front and back protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and an aluminium frame plus an IP68 rating. It also has the iconic camera visor, part of the aluminium frame.
It comes in Obsidian, Snow and Hazy.
The front is a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1500 nits peak brightness.
Pixel 7 Pro ships with Google Tensor G2 chipset with 12GB RAM and 128/256GB storage. It launched with Android 13 and got upgraded to Android 14.
For cameras, it has a 50MP main with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide and a 48MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom and OIS. You get a 10.8MP selfie camera at the front. Both the rear and front cameras can shoot 4K video.
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 5000mAh battery that supports 23W wired charging and 23W wireless charging.
Google Pixel 7 – Ksh 67,500
Pixel 7 comes with nice upgrades over the base Pixel 6 – both in design and software.
Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, and 1400 nits brightness and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. It has an aluminium frame and a glass back that is also protected by Victus as well. It is rated IP68 ingress protection.
It comes in Snow, Lemongrass and Obsidian.
Pixel 7 has Tensor G2 chipset with AI capabilities, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It launched with Android 13 and got upgraded to Android 14. It is going to get three years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches.
For optics, the Pixel 7 has a 50MP main camera with OIS and a 12MP ultrawide plus a 10.8MP selfie camera. They support up to 4K video recording.
Pixel 7 has a 4355mAh battery and 20W wired and wireless charging. To get to 100%, you’ll need an hour and 40 minutes and a quick toss for 30 minutes will charge to 48%.
Google Pixel 7a – Ksh 71,500
Released 8 months after the flagship Pixel 7 series, the Pixel 7a has some specs that put it in tow with the 7 Pro.
Pixel 7a comes with a 90Hz screen as opposed to the usual 60Hz refresh rate slated for the a series. This is a 6.1-inch OLED panel protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The screen supports HDR10 and HDR10+ and is Widevione L1 certified.
It has a plastic back and aluminium frame and also has IP67 rating. The camera visor is made of satin-finished aluminium.
It is available in Charcoal, Snow, Sea and Coral.
It has a Google Tensor G2 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It launched with Android 13 and got upgraded to Android 14. It is going to get at least three years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches.
You get pixel-exclusive features like Call Screen, Direct My Call, Now Playing, Top Shot, Face Unblur and other Pixel Feature Drops.
For cameras, it has a 64MP primary camera with OIS and a 13MP ultrawide. It comes with a 13MP selfie camera. All the cameras shoot 4K video as well.
Pixel 7a has a 4385mAh battery and support for 18W wired charging and 7.5 wireless charging. the battery is bigger than the Pixel 7 but less than the Pixel 6a. It charges slowly with 30 minutes getting it to 36% from empty. For a full charge, you’ll need less than two hours.
Google Pixel 6 Pro – Ksh 81,000
Google set itself back on the right path with the Google Pixel 6 series, especially with the new custom Samsung-made Tensor processor instead of Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship chipsets. It’s a 2-year-old smartphone with some features that still make the device worth checking out as it wraps our list.
Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ screen with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. Like the usual Pixel, you get an aluminium frame and a glass back too with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
It ships with Android 12 and got upgraded to Android 14. This was the first Google phone with the Tensor chipset, Titan M2 security coprocessor and also has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It is going to get at least three years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches. Android 16 will be its last update.
For cameras, it has a 50MP main with OIS, a 48MP telephoto with OIS and a 12MP ultrawide. There’s an 11.1MP selfie camera too. All cameras shoot 4K video.
Pixel 6 Pro has a 5003mAh battery and support for 23W wired charging and 23W wireless charging.
The phone comes in Stormy Black, Sorta Sunny and Cloudy White.
Here’s Why You Should Buy Google Pixel Smartphones From PhonePlace Kenya
If you’re in the market for a Google Pixel device, then PhonePlace Kenya is the online retailer to go to.
They have a seamless online and offline customer experience from buying to checkout. The e-commerce platform provides original smartphones and accessories. They also offer country-wide delivery, and the phones have up to 2 years warranty.
Phoneplace Kenya is located at Bazaar Plaza, Mezzanine 1, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya. You can reach out on their social platforms and call them as well here: 0726 526375.
