In most smartphone upgrade situations, you will want to look at whatever the newest of the new is and find the best deal. The newest phones have the most amount of support, the newest specs, and typically have some piece of hardware that makes it worth spending on. With the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 10, that’s not exactly the case.
When Google introduced the Pixel 10 last year, they gave us what many would suggest is a downgrade in the camera from the Pixel 9 the year before.
The Pixel 9 carries the same 50MP main and 48MP ultra-wide sensors as the Pixel 9 Pro, it just lacks a telephoto. But overall, it’s a close-to-pro camera setup. With the Pixel 10, Google downgraded the camera system to the 48MP-13MP setup of the Pixel 9a, while adding a 10MP telephoto to show some form of upgrade.
What I’m getting at here is that a Pixel 9 may be the better buy, even in 2026 with the Pixel 10 sitting on shelves right next to it. It becomes even more tempting with an incredible deal like we are seeing today.
You can currently buy a Pixel 9 in Obsidian for just $449. That’s a $350 off discount or 44% price reduction from its original $799 price. This also puts it at the same price as the Pixel 10a, except it has a Pro-level camera setup.
Worried about it not getting updates in the near future? You shouldn’t. Google has promised 7 years of updates, so you still have another 5 years worth of updates that’ll take you into 2031.
If you need a refresher on the Pixel 9, go read our review.
