WIRED's top smartphone recommendation for most people is Google's Pixel 9a (9/10, WIRED Recommends), thanks to its incredible balance of performance and features for its $499 MSRP. But Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days October sale event has brought the first major discount on Google's smartphone, slashing the price to a mere $349. That's shockingly amazing.
Hunting for more sales? Check out our Absolute Best Prime Big Deal Day Deals roundup for all the top discounts, and our lively Prime Day liveblog for up-to-the-minute deals on our favorite gadgets.
Google's A-series Pixel phones have been our top recommendation for a few years, because these devices pack a lot of capabilities despite the mid-range price. In recent years, Google has added the same processor as its flagship sibling. Here, that means the Pixel 9a is powered by the Tensor G4 chip that's in the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro series, and you can expect excellent performance. It may not be the best option for heavy mobile gamers (who play the most demanding titles), but it'll handle most apps with ease.
Pixel phones are known for their cameras, and you will be hard-pressed to find another dual-camera system like this for $350, let alone $499. The 48-megapixel main camera can deliver sharp, colorful, and bright photos, even in low light, and you get a 13-MP ultrawide for good measure. The selfie shooter ain't too bad, either. Better yet, the camera system is completely flush with the back of the phone. If you hate camera bumps, you'll love the Pixel 9a.
The 6.3-inch display gets incredibly bright and has a 120-Hz screen refresh rate (something Apple finally added to its iPhone 17). And Google stuffs a lot of nice-to-have features, like Qi wireless charging, an IP68 water resistance rating, day-long battery life, and 7 years of software updates. That last one is a big deal because software updates mean your phone can last longer and stay secure.
It's not just about the hardware, though. Google Pixel phones have tons of genuinely useful smart software features, and many of them are available on the Pixel 9a. For example, Google's excellent Call Screening technology is present here, helping limit the number of robocalls that ring your phone. It can automatically detect the music that's playing around you and surface it on the lock screen, and Assistant Voice Typing delivers a more accurate voice-to-text transcription than what you'll find on most smartphones. You can read more about these features here.
The elephant in the room is the long-term performance of the battery. Google has issued software updates to the older Pixel 4a, Pixel 6a, and Pixel 7a devices, cutting their battery life short for safety reasons. It doesn't seem like that will happen to the Pixel 9a, as Google has introduced a plan to lower the charging speed gradually after 200 charge cycles, which will help maintain battery performance for longer, but it's still something to keep in mind.
If you grab this Prime Day Pixel deal, make sure you snag a case and screen protector! The Pixel 9a's screen isn't very durable and will scratch easily, so a screen protector is a smart investment.
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