For $100 More, Google’s Discounted Pixel 9 Is a Better Buy Than the Pixel 9a

Look, the $499 Pixel 9a just came out on April 10, 2025, and it’s a fine phone. The budget version of Google’s Pixel 9, which came out on August 22, 2024, would be a solid purchase for a budget-minded customer when lined up against its more expensive, $799 older sibling.

But right now the Google Pixel 9 is $200 off, making its sale price of $599 only $100 more than the Pixel 9a’s non-discounted price of $499. When the difference is that close, the choice is obvious. Go with the Pixel 9.

much more performance for not much more money

The Pixel 9a’s features and specifications were scaled down from the Pixel 9 to account for its $499 starting price. It shares the same Google Tensor G4 chip, but with 8GB RAM instead of the Pixel 9’s 12GB. Having 50% more RAM makes the Pixel 9 a markedly faster device.

The budget phone’s Wi-Fi 6E is slightly older than the Pixel 9’s Wi-Fi 7, and the Pixel 9’s camera is more advanced. Both phones’ rear cameras can handle shooting at up to 4K resolution video at 30 or 60 frames per second (FPS), but only the Pixel 9 offers 4K/24FPS. That achieves a more cinematic look common to movies, which also shoot at 24FPS.

Their front-facing cameras can shoot at up to 4K resolution at 30FPS, but only the Pixel 9 can shoot 4K/60FPS.

When it comes to still photographs, the Pixel 9a offers 48 megapixels (MP) through its main f/1.7 lens, 13MP through an f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, and 13MP through a front-facing f/2.2 selfie camera. The Pixel 9 has a 50MP f/1.68 lens, 48MP f/1.7 ultra-wide lens, and 10.5MP f/2.2 front-facing selfie camera.

The Pixel 9 outclasses the Pixel 9a most notably in its ultra-wide lens department, meaning you can capture those wide-open nature landscapes or shots inside tight indoor rooms with much greater detail. Its main camera is a bit better, and the pricier phone only loses out when it comes to the selfie camera, and not by much.

Samsung initially positioned the affordable, mid-priced Pixel 9a well when it released on April 10, 2025, giving it a price tag of $499 that slotted in comfortably below the Pixel 9, a higher-end phone, which retails for $799. The Pixel 9a wasn’t counting on the Pixel 9 gaining a $200 discount, though.

At $599, the Pixel 9 is plainly a better deal than the non-discounted Pixel 9a. With 50% more RAM, support for a newer Wi-Fi protocol, and a better camera, $100 more is a small price to pay for the Pixel 9’s boost in performance and photo/video quality.