Google has long been known for offering smartphones that are cheaper than its competitors. How much cheaper they are has always depended on the model. But if you look back at any point in the last 14 years, you’ll see that Google’s phones were considered the cheaper alternative when compared to devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S and Apple’s iPhone.
While there were some outliers—the Nexus 6 actually cost $50 more than the iPhone 7 of the same year—even as Google’s flagships got more expensive, you could generally get a pretty solid phone without spending quite as much money.
But that changed this year. The Google Pixel 9 series has seen another price increase, bringing the cost of Google’s entry-level phone up to par with comparable flagships.
Price increases and shrinkflation for Pixel 9
Go back to 2022 when the Google Pixel 7 launched: you could have gotten this phone for $599. Back then, that price was $200 lower than the cheapest models of the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S22. While the Pixel 7 had a whole host of problems, the price was definitely not one of them. While the Pixel 7 Pro’s $899 price tag was significantly higher than the standard model, it still managed to enjoy a $100-$200 discount compared to other Pro and Ultra-labeled phones of the year.
Fast forward a year, when the Pixel 8 series pushed Google’s prices up by $100. The Pixel 8 cost $699 compared to $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro, while iPhone and Galaxy S23 prices remained more or less unchanged. The higher-priced Pixels weren’t ideal, but the Pixel 7 remained a more affordable option while offering many big improvements.
Now, a year later, Google has done it again.
This year, the cheapest Pixel 9 will cost $799—$100 more than the Pixel 8 and the same price as the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24. The Pixel 9 Pro looks like it will be the same price as last year’s Pro model, until you realize that’s not the case. That’s because this new version has a smaller screen and battery than the Pixel 8 Pro, making the Pixel 9 Pro XL the only true successor to that model.
The XL model starts at $1,099, which is $100 more than a Pixel 8 Pro would have cost at launch. And once a phone crosses the $1,000 mark, you definitely shouldn’t call it cheap – even if you preface the word with “relatively.”
The crazy thing is that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is still cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max – those two premium models also saw their own price hikes. The key difference is that Samsung and Apple also eliminated the 128GB storage option and kept the price of a 256GB model the same as last year. So while the starting price has gone up, from a certain perspective it has also stayed the same.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL does not have this advantage and has the same tired, increasingly useless 128 GB storage option.
Pixels are now less attractive
There are many reasons why buying a Pixel phone is a good idea. You’ll be the first to get all the latest Android updates, regular feature drops add more features to your phone throughout the year, and current models offer seven years of software support – something not even Apple can claim.
We also expect some of the latest AI features introduced on the Pixel 9 to trickle down to older models like the Pixel 8, so current Pixel users can take advantage of the capabilities of the latest phones while still keeping their existing device. While not all features will trickle down to last year’s flagships or won’t work as well as they would on a Tensor G4-powered device, it’s still a great little perk.
The problem with that is that the lower price has always been one of the main reasons people have recommended Google phones. The ability to get a comparable premium phone experience to an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy without having to pay quite as much is undeniable – especially when you consider the other Pixel advantages.
Over the years, other Android phone makers have caught up and matched Google’s offering. Of course, no one can compete with Google when it comes to delivering software, but Samsung has done its best to deliver updates much faster. Similarly, we’ve seen other Android phones offer longer software support, and Samsung has even matched Google’s promise of seven years.
Other budget flagships that have come out over the years have made great technological advances. OnePlus is a good example, as it was always considered a fantastic brand that was often let down by camera performance. Today, the OnePlus 12 is one of the best camera phones around, and while it’s not quite as good as flagships from Google, Samsung, and Apple, it’s clear that the phone maker isn’t going away anytime soon.
On top of that, Pixel phones are often riddled with problems. Not just general teething issues that make headlines right after launch, but also very inconsistent performance in many areas. Battery life has always been Google’s biggest weakness. The Pixel 8 lasted less than 10 hours in our custom battery life test – compared to 13.5 hours for Samsung’s standard Galaxy S24.
Add to that the fact that Google has rarely, if ever, used a flagship chipset – even before the launch of the custom Tensor series. With Pixel prices on the rise, this performance drop seems much less attractive. Pure performance may not be everything, and Tensor’s focus on AI optimization and security is very important, but we still wonder if Google could have done much better if it tried.
Conclusion
There are still reasons to like Pixel phones. The AI-centric approach that Google is taking will play a very big role in the future, and Google still offers some of the best software support of any Android device. While we haven’t done any official testing on the Pixel 9 models yet, we have high expectations for the camera and image quality.
But that higher price is like the elephant in the room, and it means Pixels are no longer the bargains they once were. I mean, Google has given the cheaper options a pretty big advantage. The OnePlus 12 in particular may still cost $799, the same as a Pixel 9, but it’s also effectively the Pro model under a different name—a phone that’s comparable to much more expensive rivals. As long as OnePlus can resist the temptation to raise the price of the OnePlus 13 early next year, it could help the company win over some Pixel holdouts who are put off by the higher prices of the Pixel 9.
At least we’ll always have the A-series Pixels as a cheaper option. Or at least if Google can resist raising the price of the Pixel 9a when it launches next spring.
