The latest mobile phone isn’t always the greatest. Despite a series of newer, updated Pixel 10 models, we still think the previous generation’s Pixel 9a is more than enough phone for most people. Not only does it have great battery life and feature support, but it often goes on sale for well under $500. In this case, Best Buy has the 128GB Pixel 9a discounted to just $399, and it’s available in all four colors: Iris, Obsidian, Peony, and Porcelain.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
While we also like the newer Pixel 10 phones, which sport faster wireless charging and a better zoom for the camera, the Pixel 9a offers an excellent value with more than enough features for most people. It has an excellent 6.3-inch OLED screen with a buttery smooth 120-Hz refresh rate, and it’s more than bright enough for daytime use. The G4 Tensor chip at the heart of the 9a keeps it running without any hiccups, although only 8GB of memory limits access to some of Google’s newest AI features, for better or for worse.
Despite lacking the 5X optical zoom found on the Pixel 10, the two cameras found on the 9a take top-notch photos, and as a Pixel owner, I can tell you that getting great shots is totally effortless. The rear has both a 48-megapixel standard camera as well as a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera to help catch any situation on film. If you do want to take advantage of the AI-powered photo editing tools, the Pixel 9a has access to all but the most advanced features found on the newer models.
The battery life for the Pixel 9 series got a huge boost, and the 5,100mAh in the 9a was able to last a full day with no issues, which our reviewer Julian Chokkattu noting that it sometimes lasted longer than the newer Pixel 10. It has Qi wireless charging, where the Pixel 10 has Qi2, but that’s not so important when you have a full day of juice already. It’s even IP68 water resistant, so you can take it with you in the rain without a worry.
