Last week, Best Buy offered the Google Pixel 9a with a $100 gift card – now Amazon has matched that offer. But before you settle on the 9a, we have to look at the other Pixel 9 models.
There were no good offers on the Google Pixel 9 last week – like we noted then, we had seen it as low as $650 for the base 128GB variant (which has 4GB more RAM than the 9a). Now it’s even lower at $600. That’s $100 more than the 9a, $200 including the gift card.
Both models have similar screens, though the Pixel 9 has thinner bezels, better glass (GG Victus 2 vs. GG3) and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader (vs. optical). It also has the better main (50MP 1/1.31” vs. 48MP 1/2.0”) and ultra-wide cameras (48MP vs. 13MP), but the selfies are similar enough (10.5MP 1/3.1” vs. 13MP 1/3.1”, both with 20mm lenses).
The video recording modes are the same since they use the same Tensor G4 chipset (with more RAM on the 9). The Pixel 9a has a bigger battery (5,100mAh vs. 4,700mAh) but with slower charging (23W/7.5W vs. 27W/15W). The 9a lacks Satellite SOS and Wi-Fi 7, which the Pixel 9 does have.
For higher end models, there is the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, both with $200 discounts (going up to $250 for the 256GB XL). We have a detailed Pixel 9 Pro vs. 9 Pro XL comparison, as well as Pixel 9 vs. 9 Pro.
Going back to the Pixel 9a, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is also $500 for the base 8/128GB model, though without a gift card. The S24 FE has a bigger 6.7” display with GG Victus+ glass and an optical fingerprint reader. The Exynos 2400e chipset is faster than the Tensor G4. The Galaxy has a better set of cameras (50MP 1/1.57” main, 12MP ultra-wide and 8MP 3x telephoto), but a smaller battery (4,700mAh with 25W wired and 15W wireless charging).
Last week, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ was $880 for a 12/256GB phone and $1,000 for a 12/512GB unit – now those are $850 and $900, respectively.
In the same price range is the OnePlus 13 for 256GB and 512GB models (note that the latter has 16GB of RAM, while the Samsung only has 12GB). The OnePlus has a larger 6.82” 1440p+ LTPO display, comparable Snapdragon 8 Elite chip (the “for Galaxy” chip has higher clocks) and a much larger 6,000mAh battery with much faster 100W wired and 50W wireless charging (vs. 4,900mAh with 45W/15W charging). The OnePlus 13 has shorter software support window – 4 OS updates compared to 7 for Galaxy flagships.
With triple 50MP cameras (1/1.43” main, 3x periscope and 120° ultra-wide), the OnePlus 13 has the S25+ beat. But how does it compare against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra? Check out our OnePlus 13 vs. S25 Ultra comparison article and video for an answer. Of course, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is pricier, but it has a nice $230 discount to soften the blow.
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