I had a terrible time explaining which budget Pixel 8 phone you should buy when I reviewed the Google Pixel 8a. In the end, I decided on the Pixel 8a is the cheap Pixel phone you should buy … except for those times when you don’t.
Google is responsible for this confusing situation and it’s really terrible for us as consumers. This isn’t entirely related to the phone’s specs and design, but to the uncertain pricing of the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 and the delayed release dates for both.
Prices are not set in stone
The Pixel 8a retails for $499 and the Pixel 8 retails for $699, which doesn’t sound complicated at all. When I wrote my review of the Pixel 8a, I had a hard time pinning down exactly why you should spend the extra $200 to get the Pixel 8, which isn’t a slight to that pricier phone, but more of an endorsement of how good the Pixel 8a is in comparison with him. It does almost the same things, just with small changes that may not bother everyone, so why spend more?
So that’s it, then? A simple situation where you can compare the specs and decide if the Pixel 8 has enough value for you personally to spend that extra bit of cash to own it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and this is where it becomes quite difficult to say which phone is the best to buy — all because the price of the older Pixel 8 varies quite a bit.
Just a few weeks before the Pixel 8a was announced, the Pixel 8 was available at Best Buy and Amazon for $549 — a significant reduction from its regular retail price and just $50 more than the Pixel 8a. At this price, you should definitely choose the Pixel 8 over the Pixel 8a, and even if these two deals aren’t valid by the time you’re reading this, I’d expect them to happen again, if they happened once, as retailers scramble to drum up interest in the old phone.
Release date chaos
That’s right, I said aging, because the Pixel 8 is making some progress. It was released in mid-October 2023, more than six months before the Pixel 8a hit the scene. That leaves the phone poised for discounts as the soon-to-be-announced Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro make the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro suddenly (and wrongly) far less desirable. Arousing interest in a 2023 smartphone halfway through its lifespan is common practice.
This gap between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a is already a conundrum, and the resulting discounts on the Pixel 8 make the 8a a tough sell when you’re forced to ignore pure retail prices like this. What’s more, deals on the Pixel 8a have already started happening, with Amazon throwing in a $100 voucher with the phone, effectively knocking it down by that amount. Why has this already happened? When a slightly better version is available for just a little more money, lowering the regular retail price of a “weaker” but newer phone (or sprinkling it with a tempting offer) will help ensure it doesn’t languish on the shelves.
What should you, the eager customer, do in this frustrating situation? You could wait for a deal on the Pixel 8 instead of buying the Pixel 8a, but also keep an eye out for a deal on that phone, which might not sell quickly due to the Pixel 8 deals that have been spotted recently. The Pixel 8a is a very good phone, but you should buy the Pixel 8 if it’s only $50 or even $100 more. But also, if the Pixel 8a suddenly shows up for $399, then It is also a great buy. The fact of these scenarios they have already happened makes recommending one over the other virtually impossible.
It’s not just Google
Google’s delayed release dates for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a only add to the pricing and decision-making chaos, but various other manufacturers are also playing with prices in a way that makes it difficult to make a final and informed choice. Motorola is endlessly slashing the prices of its phones, including the Razr Plus and Razr (2023) flip phones, to the point where it should just call the lower price the retail price and stop messing around.
Samsung’s retail prices are also indicative only, especially during the pre-order period, where trade-ins and additional discounts can make upgrading to a new model look very attractive. But wait and there will be more discounts or offers, so just be patient if you prefer to buy your next phone at a lower price.
Motorola’s and Samsung’s price games are less irritating because the phones in question are released at the same time, and price structure adjustments generally apply to all models. You choose your phone and decide whether to wait for a better price or not. That’s not the case with the Pixel 8a, as it was released many months after its closest competitor, and the retail prices are much less relative to the older phone, which in turn affects the price of the new phone.
Which Pixel 8 to buy?
It’s still good advice to buy the tech product you want now and not wait for the next big thing, because you’ll just be waiting forever if you don’t. In addition, getting the latest model is also a good tip. But in the case of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, it’s not that simple, so what should I do really Recommend?
If you can find the Pixel 8 for less than $600, or you’re willing to wait until you do, then it’s a great buy. If you see the Pixel 8a under $400, it’s also a great buy. If they’re both at full retail price, then the Pixel 8a is very good, but if I bought one, I’d always think about what the Pixel 8 would have been like if I’d had a little more patience. If I had bought a similarly very good Pixel 8 at full price, I’d always wonder if I could have saved some money and still been just as happy with the Pixel 8a.
There you have it, a clear as mud recommendation on which one to buy, all because of aggressive pricing and annoying release date strategies that make it really frustrating to choose a Google Pixel phone. Until Google releases the entire Pixel range at the same time, maybe buy the iPhone 15 instead. That way, at least the incredibly rare and usually insignificant discounts on Apple devices mean you always know where you stand.
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