Why This $350 Google Pixel Is My Sleeper Pick For Best Prime Day Phone Deal

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The Pixel 9a launched earlier this twelvemonth arsenic a midrange Android telephone that balanced capacity and price. So, it was only a matter of clip earlier things dramatically shifted toward nan latter, arsenic vacation deals made nan already affordable Google telephone moreover much so. 

Case successful point: nan Pixel 9a for $349 is nan champion telephone woody this Amazon Prime Day, and I guidelines by it.

Also: Best Amazon Prime Day deals 2025: Our 75+ favourite income this October

I put it champion successful my review: The Google Pixel 9a skips nan flashy features, but nails nan essentials -- a reliable look for lasting appeal. If you're connected nan marketplace for a caller phone, particularly 1 that's someway some affordable and will apt clasp up good complete nan coming years, I'd put nan Pixel 9a supra competing models from Samsung, OnePlus, and Motorola. 

I'd moreover put it up of Apple's iPhone 16e, which costs $250 much (versus nan existent waste price) and offers an inferior characteristic set. For nan Prime Day value of $349, nan Pixel 9a comes pinch a sizeable 6.3-inch OLED show that refreshes astatine 120Hz and gets plentifulness bright, a dual camera system, and 8GB of RAM and Google's Tensor G4 chipset to grip astir AI workloads.

Review: Why I urge nan Google Pixel 9a complete competing models from Samsung and OnePlus

While nan creation is arguably stale, nan telephone does travel successful a playful lineup of colors, from safer picks for illustration Obsidian (Black) and Porcelain (Beige) to nosy ones for illustration Iris (Blue) and Peony (Pink). I handled each of them astatine merchandise time, and you really can't spell incorrect pinch immoderate colorway. Even though nan Pixel 9a is considerably smaller than nan Pro Max and Ultra handsets retired there, it's impressively enduring pinch a 5,100mAh battery.

But astatine specified a bargain price, location are bound to be some caveats, right? Fortunately, nan Pixel 9a's aren't nan biggest deal-breakers. For example, nan 23W charging tin return a bully 2 hours to afloat complaint nan device; it doesn't person nan aforesaid Qi2 magnetic capabilities arsenic nan much modern Pixel 10 bid devices; and you'll person to settee for immoderate heavy bezels surrounding nan display.

Still, if you tin carnivore those drawbacks, you really won't find a amended telephone woody this vacation season. Amazon is presently discounting $150 from nan Google Pixel 9a, bringing it down to conscionable $349 for nan 128GB variant. That's nan lowest value connected nan telephone we've seen to date.

Looking for nan adjacent champion product? Get master reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.

How I rated this deal

This woody qualifies arsenic a 4/5 by ZDNET's scoring criteria, arsenic it's a important discount that puts nan merchandise astatine its lowest value yet. Will we spot a amended woody successful nan coming month? Possibly, but Amazon will apt connection value adjustments if you determine to bargain nan telephone up of clip and interest astir promotional changes later.