Deals: the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL are now out, but here are some alternatives

2024-08-25

Last week was the big Pixel 9 series launch. Pre-orders have now ended for the vanilla Pixel 9 and the 9 Pro XL and they are now available for sale. You can still grab store credit from Google ($100 for the vanilla, $200 for the XL) or a gift card from Amazon. The small Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are still on pre-order, their launch is early next month.

Here are the two models that are available as of 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 - for starters, a Samsung Galaxy S24 model. These three will get 7 years of software support, just like the Pixels, and they have a host of AI features that are often powered by Google itself. Still, One UI offers some advantages (e.g. DeX, Good Lock) and you can have more storage for less money. That said, the Galaxy S24 phones are short on RAM compared to their Pixel counterparts, but that shouldn’t be an issue for AI.

Right now is a terrible time to buy a new iPhone – the iPhone 16 series is a few weeks away and once they arrive, prices of current models will drop. We will revisit the Pixel vs. iPhone issue in about a month.

OnePlus will refresh its lineup soon too, but the brand is not as allergic to discounts as Apple. The OnePlus 12 is cheaper than the Pixels and even the Galaxys, but uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which handily beats the Tensor G4. And there’s a version with 16GB of RAM, unlike the Samsungs (they do have 8 Gen 3 “for Galaxy” chips, which run at higher clocks).

Come to think of it, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the OnePlus 12R is still quite punchy. There’s no telephoto camera on this one, but it does have an LTPO display, unlike the base Pixel 9. This one is much larger than the Pixel 9, though, with a 6.78” display. Also, software support will be shorter – 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches for the 12R and 4 OS updates and 5 years of patches for the flagship 12. That said, the OnePlus 12 and 12R started with Android 14, just like the Pixels, so at least they are not a step behind.

The new Moto Edge (2024) is powered by the slow Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which lets down the fancy curved OLED display and faux-leather back. Last year’s Motorola Edge+ (2023), however, is $500 for a 512GB phone and comes with the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the 12R. It doesn’t have an LTPO display (6.67” FHD+ 120Hz OLED), but it does have a 12MP 2x telephoto lens and a 50MP ultra wide, in addition to the 50MP main. Also, there is a 60MP selfie camera. Software support will not be as good as Google or Samsung phones, even the OnePlus models.

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