While the Google Pixel 9a faces delays, the Pixel 8a sees discounts

By John Alexander Published March 25, 2025

It’s a tale of two phones. The Google Pixel 9a (seen on the left in the image above) is set to release soon, with pre-order deals ready to launch at any moment. Unfortunately, the anticipated budget phone has run into delays. The good news is that we can now get the Google Pixel 8a (seen on the right in the image above) for a much cheaper price, down $100 to $399 for an unlocked phone and $200 to $299 for a locked phone from Best Buy. Those are both from the base price of $499, which is what the 9a will retail at as well, so it is incredibly easy to do a cost comparison. Here, we’re going to make the case for getting a Google Pixel 8a on a discount instead of waiting for the delayed, full-price Google Pixel 9a. If you don’t need any reassurance, however, you can tap the button below to start shopping.

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First and foremost, one of the big appeals of Google’s ‘-a’ series Pixel phones is that they are quality, affordable smartphones. So, getting a slightly older one at a huge discount makes a lot of sense. The 8a has scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on its display and the Google Pixel 8a’s IP67 weather resistant case that’s nearly as good as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pros’ IP68. Likewise it has a nice OLED screen and a 120Hz refresh rate that puts many similarly priced tablets to shame. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (there’s a 256GB storage version, too, but the deal is for 128) make this a decently powerful machine, too.

When some of the best phones can cost close to $1,000 or more, getting a Google Pixel 8a at $399 or even $299 is not a bad deal at all. And, as mentioned in our Google Pixel 8a review, the phone has a long update commitment window and an AI photo-editing suite you’ll certainly have fun with.

But at times like these, the question isn’t what the Pixel 8a is, it is what it is not. Are you going to be missing out on greatness getting an 8a ahead of the 9a launch? Our exploration of the Google Pixel 9a vs 8a certainly shines a bright light on the 9a, as it should. The Google Pixel 9a is the better phone. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t exist. But, with the 8a down $100 or even $200 (that’s $399 or $299 from $499) and available now, it is hard to overlook the 8a’s charms. If you’re a budget lover, this is a glorious moment to buy the Google Pixel 8a, and you can do so by tapping the button below.

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