Google Pixel in Poland. The best phone up to PLN 2,500 and its delayed brothers debut (opinion)

Google Pixel smartphones have just entered Poland. Do fall 2023 models still evoke positive emotions? And what about the new Google Pixel 8a?

Pixels have loyal fans in Poland

The situation with Pixels in Poland is the same as it used to be with Xiaomi, when the manufacturer's phones had to be ordered on their own from China. The phones were not available in Poland for a long time, at Google's whim, which we can certainly blame. But on the other hand promotion hunters brought them to our country. Google was so restrictive in its policy that it did not even allow its phones to use it logging in to Polish 5G or using VoLTE and VoWiFi — so fans' love for Google's phones was difficult. Service of the above-mentioned standards were implemented some time ago, giving hope for the official appearance of phones and the manufacturer's Polish service – now, after many years, it has finally happened.

Phone prices are:

From PLN 4,999 for Google Pixel 8 Pro
From PLN 3,559 for Google Pixel 8
From PLN 2,449 for Google Pixel 8a (new)

The devices were first released in the Polish version of the Google store, MediaExpert and the Play network. Looking at Polish prices, one thing comes to mind – you can get it cheaper on Amazon and other sites. But the starting prices don't seem bad, you won't have to cut much from them to make it very good.

Google Pixel highlights and shadows

A special feature? Up to 7 years of update supportthe fastest access to new versions of Android and the latest Google features and Clean as a whistle Android. However, we also have a patchwork of disadvantages sold as advantages. Google Tensor G3 chipsetwho is expected to excel in AI, is not a rocket in synthetic tests.

This performance is much lower than last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, not to mention the currently dominant 8 Gen 3 or Samsung's new Exynos. In short we pay for new flagships, but looking at dry benchmarks we get performance from 2 years ago.

Pixel processors are manufactured by Samsung, in the 4 nm technological process, they have the form of a cluster of 1 + 4 + 4 cores, with the main Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3 GHz, four Cortex-A715 at 2.45 GHz and four Cortex-A510 also 2, 45 GHz. In this edition, the graphics are no longer handled by the Mali-G710 MP7, but by the brand new Immortalis-G715s MC10. The Pro variant of the phone has 12 GB RAMand the basics – 8 GB RAM. Quite quickly starting throttling means that Pixels are not the best option for long periods of playing graphically advanced games. However, when combined with bare Android, Tensors work just fine – the interface just flies, not works, and the long support will cover up any shortness of breath for 7 years after the premiere.

Pixels come to us only with a USB-C to USB-A adapter (rare accessory), SIM card needle and USB-C cable. There is no charger, just like there is no great charging speed. We have Power Delivery 3.0 here, but it is closer to the speeds of iPhones than Android phones. Up to 30W on Pixel 8 Pro and up to 27W on Pixel 8 these are values ​​that are far from worth bragging about. 5050 mAh and 4575 mAh batteries however, they seem competitive, were it not for the fact that in practice, they achieve noticeably shorter operating times than the corresponding iPhones (15/15 Pro and 15 Pro Max) or Samsung (S24 and S24 Ultra).

I also have to add something about displays – the default settings keep the brightness relatively low in everyday use and I had the impression of clearly worse brightness than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Huawei P60 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S24. But don't worry, Pixels can be bright, only the high brightness registers are higher on the sliders than the rest.

However, it is an annoyance that requires getting used to inverted arrangement of volume and power buttons. On the right side of the case, there is a volume button at the bottom and a power button at the top. I don't fully understand this system – I reach for the power much more often than I adjust the volume. Samsung and Huawei have the opposite arrangement, while Apple has only the power button on the right side. You can probably get used to it, but the first days are difficult and, for example, instead of locking the phone after taking a photo, I took subsequent photos using the volume button.

AI and security

Although looking at the media coverage recently, one may get the impression that Samsung invented artificial intelligence in the phone, in fact the company only implemented mostly functions already known from Pixels to its Galaxies. Well, everyone can install Google Lens and the advantage of Pixels is limited only to specific functions, such as: turning heads in group photosso that everyone looks perfect. It's also worth noting removing ambient noise from videos After recording them, this function will save many holiday videos. However, we are just before Google's global conference and Pixel's advantage may increase even further.

Once we're in the software, that's it pure Android in the Pixel version is considered by developers to be as safe or, by some, even safer than iOS. This may be a shock for apple lovers, but it is quite logical. Of course, our security decreases with each additional application we install on the phone, but if someone is looking for security, they have come to the right place. The limited number of models, as in the case of Apple, makes it even easier for Google to ensure the highest possible standards, and the culmination of these efforts is Titan M2 chipset with additional hardware security layers. The battery is supposed to be enough to charge once a day or even once every 72 hours in extreme energy saving mode, but we will check this carefully for you.

And these cameras

There are legends surrounding Pixel cameras, which we will devote an additional article to (maybe they are not so much legends after all?) – one thing is certain, the Google application knows how to use the equipment, and the threshold of decency has definitely been exceeded.

And Google Pixel 8a – as if tailored for Poles

While you can complain about the Google Tensor G3 chipset in the case of a phone costing PLN 4,000 or PLN 5,000, it is exactly the same processor in the Google Pixel 8a at a price of PLN 2,449, it positively surprises. Of course, there are some savings here in materials, cameras and 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of internal memory in the cheapest phone option.

However, we are still dealing with the most durable phone in the entire, charmingly small (6.1-inch OLED screen) A series. You get IP67 — water and dust resistance, scratch-resistant Actua display, and the hardware is made of aluminum, glass and recycled plastic. It's also the same security kit with the Titan M2 chipset and endless updates (for up to 7 years), plus these stylish, colorful cases.

Summary – it's great that you're here, but I still have a bad taste

We'll finally be able to include Pixels in our phone rankings. Originally, there were no phones without a Polish warranty, but now Pixels finally have it. And it's such a bittersweet hurrah, because It's good that Google has started taking our market seriously, but the question is, why only now?

Pixels are weird phones. People fascinated by numbers will turn up their nose at benchmarks, on the other hand, pristine Android with full freedom of additional applications and extremely long support (until 2030-31) are arguments that may attract technology enthusiasts. They now have their new kingdom in which they will sigh for Pixels, completely blindly forgetting about their flaws.

But are these phones for the average person? I think it's a lot a safe choice for people who simply want peace of mind and do not want to replace their phone every two years. Performance, cameras, and overall hardware quality won't be solid selling points here. However, you can complain about shorter operating times than those of the competition and not the fastest charging.

I guess the biggest breakthrough here is Google Pixel 8a, because even though the competition's flagship models also have some support (not that they are 7 years old, but they are), the companies hold the mid-price range in high regard. Usually, when we choose a phone priced up to PLN 2,500, we have no chance of more than 2 years of manufacturer support. So if you can't afford another disposable, the Pixel 8a may be for you.