Deals: The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL are now available, but here are some alternatives

Last week was the big launch of the Pixel 9 series. Pre-orders for the vanilla Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL are now over and they’re now available for sale. You can still get store credit from Google ($100 for the vanilla, $200 for the XL) or gift cards from Amazon. The smaller Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are also still on pre-order, with their launch coming early next month.

The two models available this week are: the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

This week we wanted to focus on what you can get in exchange for the Pixel 9 – for starters, the Samsung Galaxy S24 models. All three will get the same 7 years of software support as the Pixels, and have many of the AI ​​features that are often powered by Google itself. Still, One UI offers some benefits (e.g. DeX, Good Lock) and you can get more storage for less money. The Galaxy S24 phones are lower on RAM than their Pixel counterparts, though, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the AI.

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

OnePlus will also be refreshing its lineup soon, but the brand isn’t allergic to discounts like Apple. The OnePlus 12 is also cheaper than the Pixel and Galaxy, but it uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which easily outperforms the Tensor G4. And unlike Samsung, there’s a version with 16GB of RAM (they have 8 Gen 3 chips for the Galaxy, which run at higher clock speeds).

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oneplus 12

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12/256GB – $700 at Amazon US 16/512GB – $800 at Amazon US

If we think about it, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the OnePlus 12R is still quite powerful. There is no telephoto camera on it, but it does have an LTPO display unlike the base Pixel 9. However, it is much bigger than the Pixel 9, which has a 6.78-inch display. Also, the software support will be lesser – 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches for the 12R and 4 OS updates and 5 years of patches for the flagship 12. However, the OnePlus 12 and 12R started with Android 14, just like the Pixels, so at least they aren’t a step behind.

The new Moto Edge (2024) is powered by the slower Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which undermines the fancy curved OLED display and faux-leather back. However, last year’s Motorola Edge+ (2023) 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, it has a 60MP selfie camera. Software support won’t be as good as Google or Samsung phones, even OnePlus models.