Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If you had to ask us which the best budget phone is, the most straightforward pick would be the Google Pixel 8a. At just $499, it offers a fantastic balance between value and price. It’s currently $100 off, though, slashing the price to just $399. This is a total steal, and it just so happens to be a record-low price for this device.
Buy the Google Pixel 8a for only $399
We’re linking to the Amazon offer for convenience, but this deal is also available directly from the Google Store and Best Buy. The discount applies to all available color versions: Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Aloe.
Google Pixel 8a
Best possible Pixel experience for the price.
With the Pixel 8a, Google put all of its focus on value. A 6.1-inch display is backed by the Tensor G3 chip and decent specifications, a 64MP main camera is backed by most of Google’s latest AI-powered features, and a 7-year update promise will keep this moderately priced phone ticking for years to come.
The Google Pixel 8a is already our favorite budget phone, even without a discount. At $399, it is kind of a steal. The lower price point wouldn’t suggest it, but it has some elements that would make it seem more like a higher-end device.
The performance is very good, considering it has a Google Tensor G3 chip. This is the same processor found on the previous-generation high-end Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. It also has 8GB of RAM, which isn’t exactly impressive, but it’s a healthy amount of multi-tasking power. I’ve personally used this phone for testing and found no slowdowns on any apps and even some mobile gaming.
It’s also a pretty nice phone to use all around. The design is similar to that of the Pixel 8 series. While the materials aren’t as premium, it still has an aluminum frame. While it has a plastic back, it actually feels like good-quality plastic with a good grip. It even gets an IP67 rating, which is a nice treat considering it’s a budget phone.
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
You’ll also get a pretty nice 6.1-inch OLED screen, which features a Full HD+ resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Again, affordable phones usually don’t get the best screens around, but this one is surprisingly good. If you care for battery life, we were able to push it past 10 hours of web browsing in our Google Pixel 8a review testing. This is pretty nice, considering it has a relatively small 4,492mAh battery.
This is still a Pixel phone, so you will get some added benefits. For starters, the camera system is pretty good for an affordable handset. It will also be among the first to get Android upgrades, and it has an industry-leading seven-year update promise.
All things considered, the Google Pixel 8a is kind of too good for just $399. Again, this is also a record-low price, so you might wasn’t to act quickly before the price bounces back up. Of course, you can also check out our list of the best budget phones if you want to consider other alternatives.
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