Last week saw the big launch of the Pixel 9 series. Pre-orders for the standard Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL have now ended, and they’re now available in stores. You can still get credit from Google and Amazon ($150 for the standard model, $275 for the XL). The small Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are still available for pre-order, with their launch set for early next month.
Here are the two models available starting this week, the Google Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
This week we wanted to focus on what you can get instead of a Pixel 9. How about a Pixel 8a? With a Tensor G3 and only 8GB of RAM, it lacks many of the device features that the 9 series offers. Still, it’s a small Pixel phone and much more affordable than the Pixel 9. Just like its more expensive siblings, it’s supported for 7 years.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 trio offers more direct competition, and all three models are currently $220 cheaper. These three, like the Pixel 7, get years of software support and have a variety of AI features, often provided by Google itself. Still, One UI offers some advantages (e.g. DeX, Good Lock) and you can get more storage for less money. However, the Galaxy S24 phones have less RAM compared to their Pixel counterparts, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the AI.
Right now is the worst time to buy a new iPhone – the iPhone 16 series isn’t out for another couple of weeks, and once it’s out, the current models will start to drop in price. We’ll be back to the Pixel vs. iPhone topic in about a month.
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