Google Pixel Is No Longer the Cheap Alternative to Flagships — and This Proves It

Google has long been known for offering cheaper smartphones than its competitors. The price always depends on the model, but if you go back to any point in the last 14 years, you’ll find that Google’s phones were considered the cheaper alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy S devices and Apple’s iPhone.

While there were a few exceptions — the Nexus 6 actually cost $50 more than that year’s iPhone 7 — you could generally get a pretty solid phone without having to pay that much money, even as Google’s flagships got more expensive.

But things have changed this year. The Google Pixel 9 series has seen another price hike, bringing the price of Google’s entry-level phone in line with comparable flagships.

Pixel 9 Price Hikes and Shrinkflation

Fast forward to 2022, when the Google Pixel 7 arrived: You could have gotten this phone for $599. At the time, that price was $200 less than the cheapest iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S22 models. If the Pixel 7 had its share of issues, the price certainly wasn’t one of them. The Pixel 7 Pro’s $899 price tag was significantly higher than the standard model, but it still received a $100 to $200 discount compared to other Pro and Ultra phones of the year.

A year later, the Pixel 8 series bumped Google’s prices up by $100. The Pixel 8 cost $699 compared to $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro, while the iPhone and Galaxy S23 kept their prices more or less static. The most expensive Pixels weren’t ideal, but the Pixel 7 was still a cheaper option while offering many important improvements.

It’s been a year now and Google has done it again.

This year, the cheapest Pixel 9 will cost $799, which is $100 more than the Pixel 8 and the same price as the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24. The Pixel 9 Pro seems to be the same price as last year’s Pro model, until you realize that’s not the case. 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 the Pixel 8 Pro cost at launch. And when a phone breaks the $1,000 barrier, the last thing you should be saying is that it’s cheap, even if you prefix it 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, two high-end models that also saw price hikes. The main difference is that Samsung and Apple also dropped the 128GB storage option and kept the 256GB model priced the same as last year. So the starting price has gone up, but it’s also stayed the same in some ways.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL doesn’t have this advantage and has the same tired screen, 128GB storage option increasingly useless.

Pixels are less attractive now

There are plenty of reasons why buying a Pixel phone is a good idea. You’re the first to get the latest Android updates, regular feature drops add more functionality to your phone throughout the year, and recent models offer seven years of software support, something even Apple can’t boast.

We also expect some of the new AI features debuting on the Pixel 9 to carry over to older models like the Pixel 8, giving existing Pixel users the chance to take advantage of what the newer phones have to offer while keeping their existing device. While not all of the features will migrate to last year’s flagships or work as well as they might on a Tensor G4-powered device, it’s still a nice little perk.

The problem here is that the lower price has always been one of the main reasons people recommend Google’s phones. The fact that you can get a premium phone experience comparable to an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy without having to pay as much is undeniable, especially when you consider the Pixel’s other benefits.

Over the years, other Android phone makers have caught up to what Google has to offer. Sure, no one can match Google in terms of software rollout times, but Samsung has done its best to push out updates much faster. Similarly, we’ve seen other Android phones start to offer longer software support, with Samsung even matching Google’s seven-year commitment.

Other budget flagships that have come out over the years have made great strides in technology. OnePlus is a good example of this, as it has always been considered a fantastic brand that was often let down by its camera performance. These days, the OnePlus 12 is one of the best camera phones around, and while it’s not as good as flagships from Google, Samsung, and Apple, it’s clear that the phone maker isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

On top of that, Pixel phones are often plagued with a host of issues. It’s not just general teething issues that make headlines right after launch, but also wildly uneven performance across many areas. Battery life has always been Google’s biggest weakness, with the Pixel 8 lasting less than 10 hours in our custom battery life test, compared to 13.5 hours for Samsung’s standard Galaxy S24.

There’s also the fact that Google has rarely, if ever, used a flagship chipset, even before adopting the custom Tensor series. With the Pixel’s price tag rising, that performance drop seems a lot less appealing. Raw 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 had tried.

In conclusion

There are still reasons to love the Pixel phones. Google’s AI-centric focus is going to be a big thing going forward, and Google still offers some of the best software support of any Android device. While we haven’t done any official hands-on testing with the Pixel 9 models yet, we have high hopes for the camera and image quality.

But that higher price is like the elephant in the room, and it means Pixels aren’t the bargains they once were. I think Google has given a huge advantage to cheaper options. The OnePlus 12, in particular, may still cost $799, the same price as a Pixel 9, but it’s also effectively the Pro model by a different name — a phone comparable to much more expensive rivals. As long as OnePlus can resist raising the price of the OnePlus 13 early next year, it could help the company capture some Pixel exiles who are turned off by the Pixel 9’s higher prices.

At least we’ll still have the Pixel A-series as a more affordable option. Or we will if Google can resist raising the price of the Pixel 9a when it comes out next spring.

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