Phone recommendation?

[Vectraat]

Looking at the Pixel 9 or 9a. So an Android phone within this price range. $679-$949 before taxes. 

I've had some terrible experiences with Samsung in the past and I used to buy OnePlus phones but my previous OnePlus phone seemed to have a lot of software/hardware problems (even the replacement.) Bad batch? Not sure. So I'd probably want to avoid both of these companies. 

Is there any other phone/company within this price range worth recommending? I don't want a phone from China even if it's incredible value for the $. So is Pixel really the best bet with the options that are left? 

[dizmo]

Country? There's many that use $.

[Vectraat]

27 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Country? There's many that use $.

Canada

[dizmo]

6 minutes ago, Vectraat said:

Canada

Is there a reason you're not going with a carrier provided phone?

[Vectraat]

Just now, dizmo said:

Is there a reason you're not going with a carrier provided phone?

I bought my phones outright. I got a cheap phone plan. Don't want to pay more for a plan just to subsidize the cost of the phone (which in the past always cost more than buying the phone outright). 

[dizmo]

14 minutes ago, Vectraat said:

I bought my phones outright. I got a cheap phone plan. Don't want to pay more for a plan just to subsidize the cost of the phone (which in the past always cost more than buying the phone outright). 

Yeah, it's worth checking out deals though. I got an S24 FE for $0/mo, with a $350 gift card from Bestbuy. Sold the phone for $500, bought a OnePlus 13 for basically $500 (with the value of the free phone taken off)...$150 if you include the value of the gift card.

 

How cheap is your plan? I highly doubt it'd be cheaper than the difference in plan price once you factor in the value of the new phone.

 

As for your actual question, if you cut out the largest player in NA phones, you're really going to limit your options. So yeah, the Pixel line is probably going to be your only option. I wouldn't buy one now though, we're only a few months away from new launches. If you stretch your budget a bit you can pick up a Sony Xperia from Swiftronics, especially if you wait for an open box model to show up.

 

[Vectraat]

5 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Yeah, it's worth checking out deals though. I got an S24 FE for $0/mo, with a $350 gift card from Bestbuy. Sold the phone for $500, bought a OnePlus 13 for basically $500 (with the value of the free phone taken off)...$150 if you include the value of the gift card.

 

How cheap is your plan? I highly doubt it'd be cheaper than the difference in plan price once you factor in the value of the new phone.

 

As for your actual question, if you cut out the largest player in NA phones, you're really going to limit your options. So yeah, the Pixel line is probably going to be your only option. I wouldn't buy one now though, we're only a few months away from new launches. If you stretch your budget a bit you can pick up a Sony Xperia from Swiftronics, especially if you wait for an open box model to show up.

 

$29 per month is the cost of my plan. Gives me everything I need. 

I did consider waiting to see if I could get a better discount on a Pixel 9/9a but will it go lower than the current $150 discount on the Pixel store? Dunno. Maybe on sale for $200 cheaper. Third party sellers would probably offer a better discount when a new Pixel is released, but I can't ever seem to snag any of those deals as they're instantly snapped up. Maybe It's a mistake buying a 9/9a and not a 10, but regardless, the 10 will be more expensive (Probably more $ than I'd want to spend). 

[dizmo]

20 minutes ago, Vectraat said:

$29 per month is the cost of my plan. Gives me everything I need. 

I did consider waiting to see if I could get a better discount on a Pixel 9/9a but will it go lower than the current $150 discount on the Pixel store? Dunno. Maybe on sale for $200 cheaper. Third party sellers would probably offer a better discount when a new Pixel is released, but I can't ever seem to snag any of those deals as they're instantly snapped up. Maybe It's a mistake buying a 9/9a and not a 10, but regardless, the 10 will be more expensive (Probably more $ than I'd want to spend). 

I pay $34 for 50GB/unlimited everything else/1 perk.

 

The Pixel will be free on Black Friday, possibly sooner. Not sure if they do Canada Day sales, but it wouldn't surprise me. I'd just wait for that, and sign up for a contract. You might pay $10 more a month, but $10 over 24 months is only $240. Plus they usually throw in a gift card.

 

BestBuy also has a trade in bonus right now; $300 off a Pixel 9, $400 off a 9 Pro.

[Lurking]

14 hours ago, Vectraat said:

Looking at the Pixel 9 or 9a. So an Android phone within this price range. $679-$949 before taxes. 

I've had some terrible experiences with Samsung in the past and I used to buy OnePlus phones but my previous OnePlus phone seemed to have a lot of software/hardware problems (even the replacement.) Bad batch? Not sure. So I'd probably want to avoid both of these companies. 

Is there any other phone/company within this price range worth recommending? I don't want a phone from China even if it's incredible value for the $. So is Pixel really the best bet with the options that are left? 

I recently switched to Pixel 9Pro XL from a P6 Pro. If you need zoom camera, do yourself a favor and get the Pro. The 5x optical (30x digital) zoom is fantastic and miles ahead of the P6Pro. Like, you still get somewhat decent pics at 30x zoom. I taka a lot of animal/nature pics and that was my main reason to not get the regular Pixel. 

 

Everything else (battery life, charging screen, speed...) also is much more refined compared to the P6Pro. I'm very happy with it. 

 

I also came from Samsung before the P6Pro. Never again that stupid Bixby and OneUI.... A clean OS is nice to have!!!!

 

Think of long term support. i think Pixel promises 7 years now? Double-check that, though. If you find a cheaper phone than the Pixel, i promise you, some corners were cut and you should be aware of if you want those features. 

[fabians_life]

Pixel phones are fine. I have a pixel 6a and it works  and it still gets Software support for another 2 years, so pixel phones also last long and are good enough, that I can use it until than. I never had any big issues with it. I can say from my own experience and the experience of a friend, that pixel phones overheat quickly, so don't leave it in the sun, because it will shutdown, if it is too hot. The OS was kind of annoying, the last time I used it, so I switched to a custom rom, but maybe that changed. It is probably not the best value, considering that you can get an iPhone 16 on sale for like 700 bucks (might be even cheaper in Canada, I don't know) or a Samsung s25 for 600 bucks, but if you don't like them, a pixel isn't a bad choice. Even the pixel 6a has a gigantic camera bump and from pictures, I would say the pixel 9 also has one. Only the pixel 9a has a small one and it is also cheaper. I think the biggest differences between the 9a and 9 are the bigger bezels and worse camera on the Pixel 9a.