The Pixel 6a is so cheap right now, it's the best Amazon Prime Day phone deal by far

Deals
By Philip Berne
published

Our favorite bargain phone is the best bargain yet

Google Pixel 6a lowest price ever banner with TechRadar logo and phone front and back in green
(Image credit: Future)

The Google Pixel 6a has long been such a great phone for its low price that it earned a spot near the top of our best phones list. With a further $100 price cut on Amazon Prime Day, this $249 phone goes from being a great value to being one of the best bargains in mobile, maybe ever. 

With the Google Pixel 6a, you aren't just getting a bargain phone. You're getting a bargain phone that is signature Google. It has Google's Android 13 operating system on board, and it should be eligible for a few more updates, even though it came out a year ago in July, 2022. It also uses Google's exclusive Tensor G1 chipset, the same platform found in the Pixel 6 Pro premium flagship phone.

Google Pixel 6a

Seriously, does that look like a bargain phone?! Nope (Image credit: TechRadar / Stephen Lambrechts)

Google's Tensor may not be the fastest platform around, but Pixel phones with Tensor chips get exclusive features that even the best iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones envy. You get features like Photo Unblur in the Google Photos editor, as well as recording features that can identify individual speakers.

Plus, Google loves to drop features periodically for Pixel phones, and even older Pixel devices and the bargain phones get new features from time to time.

With Pixel phones it's all about the camera

While the best iPhones and the best Samsung phones rely on periscopic zoom, advanced sensors, and multiple camera lenses, Google Pixel phones tend to keep the technology simpler and rely on advanced computational processing to make great images. In short, this pays off big time no matter which Pixel phone you buy. 

We were as surprised as anyone to find the Pixel 6a score highly on a blind image survey conducted by popular YouTube star Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD). In a blind image survey, a whole bunch of people check out a ton of photos and vote on their favorites, without knowing anything about how they were taken. It's the most impartial way to judge camera quality.

The Pixel 6a produced images that beat phones twice and three times as expensive when it comes to everyday photography. There are more specialized cameras, for sure, but when you buy a Pixel 6a, you know you're going to get reliable shots. If you mess up, you have great editing tools to make your pics better.

All the Pixel phones on sale

Amazon has great deals on a bunch of the best Pixel phones, including the newest Pixel bargain phone, the Pixel 7a. That phone has even better cameras and a faster processor, but the improvement may not quite justify the higher price, even with the Pixel 7a's current $50 Prime Day discount.

Of course, the Pixel 7a is a year newer, which means it will get an extra year of major OS updates from Google, and that may justify spending more for some folks. If you have more to spend, the Pixel 7 Pro is at its lowest price ever right now, and that phone has some of the best cameras you can find on any smartphone, not just Pixel phones. 

Google Pixel 6a: $349$249 on Amazon

Google Pixel 6a: was $349 now $249 on Amazon
The Pixel 6a is such a remarkable deal, offering amazing Google-exclusive features and plenty of power to take great photos. At its old price, it was on our list of best phones because it was already such a strong bargain, but at $50 lower than the lowest price we've seen, this phone is now a steal. Buy two instead of whatever $500 phone you're also considering, you'll be happier.

View Deal
Google Pixel 7a: $499$449 on Amazon

Google Pixel 7a: was $499 now $449 on Amazon
When we first reviewed the Pixel 7a, we liked the power and the photos but suggested waiting for a price drop. Well, here's that price drop, and it isn't huge but it makes the Pixel 7a an even better buy if you want the latest Google Tensor G2 chipset and all the exclusive features it brings at the lowest possible price. It might get cheaper eventually, but this is the best price we've seen so far.

View Deal
Google Pixel 7 Pro: $899$649 on Amazon

Google Pixel 7 Pro: was $899 now $649 on Amazon
The only thing we like more than the great cameras on Google's flagship Pixel 7 Pro is a great price drop on the Pixel 7 Pro. This Amazon Prime Day deal brings the best Pixel camera phone to its lowest price ever by $50, making it a great bargain. There are new Pixels coming in a few months, but we don't expect much lower prices to follow, so this is a great Prime Day phone deal.

View Deal
Philip Berne
Philip Berne
US Mobiles Editor

Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, having reviewed his first device (the Sony D-EJ01 Discman) more than 20 years ago for eTown.com. He has been writing about phones and mobile technology, since before the iPhone, for a variety of sites including PCMag, infoSync, PhoneScoop, and Slashgear. He holds an M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Phil was the internal reviewer for Samsung Mobile, writing opinions and review predictions about top secret new devices months before launch. He left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. He has been a High School English teacher at Title I schools, and is a certified Lifeguard. His passion is smartphones and wearables, and he is sure that the next big thing will be phones we wear on our faces.