Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Great phones don’t need to cost anywhere close to a grand. In fact, they don’t even need to cost $500! The mid-tier smartphone market is thriving, and we now have excellent options like the Google Pixel 9a, which offers a great overall experience. The best news? It is currently discounted; you can take it home for just $449!
Buy the Google Pixel 9a for just $449 ($50 off)
This deal is available from Amazon, but you can also get the same discount straight from the official Google Store. The discount applies to all color models: Obsidian, Iris, Porcelain, and Peony.
Google Pixel 9a
All the Pixel essentials for less.
The Google Pixel 9a brings built-in Gemini, an incredible camera, all-day battery, and seven years of updates for under $500.
The Google Pixel 9a is already a great phone at its full retail price of $499, and we would recommend it even if you paid full price. This $50 discount is a really tasty cherry on top. It’s also pretty new, launched only last March 2025. We first saw it on sale early this week, but it’s such a good deal we thought we should remind you it’s still on sale.
If you read our Google Pixel 9a review, you’ll see that it is a really outstanding phone considering its price. It essentially gets really close to offering a high-end experience at a fraction of the cost.
For starters, the performance is outstanding, as it features the same Google Tensor G4 processor you’ll find in the higher-end Pixel 9 series. It has 8GB of RAM, which is slightly less than its bigger brothers, but it is still a decent amount for multitasking. Most casual users won’t even notice the difference, anyway.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
This screen is on the smaller side at 6.3 inches. That said, many prefer smaller phones (including myself), and it is actually a really nice display. The P-OLED panel offers deep black and vibrant colors, and it has a Full HD+ resolution, as well as a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
The design is also really nice. It looks sleek, comes in a really fun selection of colors, and there’s no camera bump! That last bit is what excited me the most, honestly. There’s still an aluminum frame in there, and while the back is made of plastic, it feels far from cheap. And it still has an IP68 rating, so you won’t need to baby it.
We know many of you care for the camera system. The good news is the Pixel line-up has always been known for its excellent camera performance, and this is no exception. Sure, it’s not as good as the camera systems found in the main Pixel 9 series, but it can still shoot some fantastic photos.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Battery life isn’t stunning, but it is pretty good. It has a 5,100mAh battery, and the Tensor G4 offers some handy battery optimizations. Based on our tests, it lasts about a whole day on a full charge. In fact, our tests show that it generally beats its competitors in the battery department, including the Apple iPhone 16e and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
As if all of that wasn’t enough to convince you, the Pixel 9a also holds one of the best update promises in the industry. You’ll get a whole seven years of updates, a commitment only matched by Samsung.
Any casual user will love this phone. It is pretty powerful, and the general experience is really good. The deal has been around since early this week, and it’s its first true discount. Make sure to get yours before the price jumps back up! It will likely happen pretty soon.