Google is pricing itself out of the budget smartphone market

Summary

• Google’s budget Pixel A-series phones have seen a significant price increase in just a few years, now costing up to $550 at launch.
• Despite the rising prices, Google’s budget smartphones do not offer impressive specs or features compared to competitors like OnePlus and Samsung.
• Other manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola offer more affordable options with better value, making it hard for Google to justify its higher prices for budget devices.

One short decade ago, smartphones were expensive no matter where you looked. What few cheap devices existed didn’t offer experiences good enough for daily use, leaving anyone on a budget stuck between a rock and a hard place. Luckily, as smartphones matured, more powerful components trickled down into lower-end phones, creating some truly great experiences for well below the price of your standard flagship device. Google’s Pixel A-series was a good example, offering similarly great phones with just enough caveats to stay pleasingly affordable for the average buyer.

Unfortunately, as the best budget smartphones have been priced lower and lower over time, Google has seemingly refused to keep up, raising the prices on its budget lineup despite the industry getting cheaper and cheaper. Now, rumors suggest the Pixel 8a might be poised to cost nearly as much as a flagship from just a few years ago, leaving A-series fans wondering if they can rely on Google for affordable smartphones in the future at all.

Google’s Pixel prices just keep rising

The A-series has gone from $350 to over $500 in just a couple of years

The Pixel started out as a darn good deal as far as budget smartphones were considered. The Pixel 3a cost only $400 at launch as the first A-series device from Google. The Pixel 4a was even cheaper, dropping the price as low as $350, the lowest we’ve seen so far. The Pixel 5a and Pixel 6a both jumped all the way up to $450 the following years, with the Pixel 7a topping out at $500 last year. Now, the Pixel 8a is reportedly going to cost as much as $550 at launch based on German retailer leaks, bringing it within a mere $50 of what the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 cost at launch just a couple of years ago.

That sure seems like an unsustainable trend emerging from Google. Whether it be inflation or the infallible hand of the market, the Pixel A-series smartphones are increasing in price at a rate that will see them costing more than an iPhone in five years. Obviously, a plateau has to come at some point, but Google seems more than willing to completely price itself out of the budget smartphone market.

Even worse, Google’s high price isn’t in service of any impressive specs or groundbreaking features. Yes, the Pixel A-series is filled with smartphones sporting OLED displays and high-powered cameras — not to mention identical chipsets to their flagship siblings since the move to Tensor — but display quality and battery life remains poor compared to the rest of the industry. Compared to something like the OnePlus 12R, the Pixel 7a is a pretty terrible deal on paper, and it’s unclear if making the Pixel 8a more expensive will change that.

All that to say, Google’s higher prices for budget devices aren’t justified in any meaningful way, which is why some users might stray to their competitors. Because the reality is, they’re one of the few manufacturers — other than Apple — that doesn’t have a smartphone under $300.

Other budget smartphones are more affordable

From Samsung and Motorola to OnePlus and Nothing, competitors are keeping it cheap

If you’re after something affordable, there’s a lot to offer if you’re willing to look beyond Pixel. The most obvious place to start is the comparable Samsung Galaxy A-series, which is as expansive as it is affordable. The Galaxy A54, for example, costs only $450 and offers a beautiful display and a big battery, and we expect the upcoming A55 to follow suit. To go even cheaper, the Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A25 cost only $200 and $300, respectively, and also include an OLED display, a full camera array (albeit without the Pixel’s excellent processing), and a bigger battery than the Pixel 7a. Samsung has done well to provide a lot more options than Google, though, which likely gives them a bit more flexibility in terms of actual price.

That doesn’t give Google a pass, though, as other less robust smartphone manufacturers have managed to keep prices low too. Motorola has made a niche for itself as a popular budget alternative to Samsung, with a similarly expansive lineup of affordable devices, like the Moto G Stylus, a stylus-equipped device that costs only $200. Heck, the Nothing Phone 2a only costs $350, and while you won’t find it in carrier stores in the US, it’s still far cheaper than the rumored price of the upcoming Pixel 8a.

And while it might be easy to look to the inclusion of Tensor G3 as a reason for Google’s likely price hike, the aforementioned OnePlus 12R renders that argument moot. At just $500, it includes a flagship-worthy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, a display leagues beyond what’s on the Pixel 7a, and a massive multi-day battery. It’s a specs sheet good enough to earn our Editor’s Choice award, even if OxygenOS can’t hold a candle to the Pixel’s software experience.

Suffice to say, Google appears to be leaving its budget-conscious users in the dust. Sure, they could pivot to offering an even more affordable phone in the long run, or simply chance the goal posts for its phones moving forward. Either way, you’ll have plenty of other budget options to use on the rebound, because it seems that any Pixel phone is going to be a bit out of your price range for the foreseeable future.