As a Pixel superfan, these are the devices I’d actually buy during Prime Big Deal Days

The holiday season marketing seems to creep closer and closer every year, and Amazon is back again, trying to outpace everyone before Black Friday with its Prime Big Deal Days. Lucky for us geeks and tech lovers, though, this is an excellent opportunity to grab some great products at a discounted price to start enjoying them a bit earlier than holiday shoppers.

I’ve been a Pixel user since 2017 and have tried nearly every Pixel, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds out there. So, I’m here to help you weed out the dud deals among Google’s discounted hardware, and find the ones that actually make the most sense — you know, the ones I’d actually buy if I didn’t already have them in front of me.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL was just released in August, and it’s already on sale at a price lower than the pre-order deal. The starting version with 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage is down from $1,199 to $949 at Amazon, a discount of $50 more than the pre-order bonus. All four colors are down, and so are the larger storage variants, but the deal is less appealing there. You can grab the 512GB for $1,019 instead of $1,219, and the 1TB version for $1,249 instead of $1,449 — only $200 off for either.

So what does nearly-a-grand get you in phone features? For starters, this is the phone I’m using right now and will continue using for the next 12 months. It’s the best Pixel out there with Android 16 out of the box, an excellent display, good battery life, an AI-tailored Tensor G5 processor, built-in Qi2.2 with magnets, and a dependable camera that can zoom up to 100x. Personally, I think it does better at 30x-50x, but you can go further if you prefer. At 5x-10x, it’s easily one of the best cams I’ve ever used for travel, sports games, concerts, and even simple portraits. And thankfully, Google has fixed the lifeless colors problem of the Pixel 9 Pro here.

I’m going to skip the smaller Pixel 10 Pro. It’s down $200 in Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, but if I were looking for a real deal, I would pay less and get the base Pixel 10 instead. At $649 at Amazon, down from $799 ($150 off) for the 128GB version, it’s an easy recommendation because there’s literally nothing like it in this price range in the US market. Plus, you can get it in that dashing Indigo color!

You get the same processor, same Android 16 features, same built-in Qi2, same charging speeds, a slightly larger battery. All of that only comes with a few minor compromises compared to the 10 Pro. No Ultrawide band, no LTPO display, only 12GB of RAM compared to 16GB, no thermometer on the back, a less capable selfie cam, and a less powerful triple-cam setup on the back. However, you still have a very decent zoom lens that can handle 5x very well and go up to 20x, which is one of the most significant improvements over the dual-cam Pixel 9 last year. And if you think you don’t need a zoom lens, trust me, everyone wants zoom. You need to try it to realize how crucial it is, even if it’s just to capture the dog rolling in the grass or your kid jumping on a trampoline from a few feet away.

I hear you, you want an even better deal? Well, then look no further than the Google Pixel 9a, which is down to a very affordable, almost no-brainer price of $349 at Amazon. This is also the lowest price we’ve seen on this phone — it fell from $499 to $399 a couple of times, but not lower than that.

A 30% discount on a relatively cheap phone that’s only a few months old is already a good deal, but it’s even better when you consider all that you’re getting with it. A super large 5,100mAh battery, a bright display, an update to Android 16 with nearly seven years of support still remaining, an excellent and reliable camera (no telephoto zoom, though), and the Tensor G4 processor. Plus, it has Google’s best smart features, including call screening, Magic Editor, At A Glance, and more. This very unassuming phone reminds me of the Pixel 5 in the best way. It doesn’t look the part, but it packs a punch, which is why my colleague Joe barely noticed a difference when he ditched his OnePlus 13 for the Pixel 9a.

If you lived in Europe or Asia, I’d tell you there are competing phones out there, but if you’re looking at Prime’s Big Deal Days, then you’re in the US. Options there in that price bracket are more limited than that, and there’s almost nothing like it. The iPhone 16e is more expensive and has a worse camera, the OnePlus 13R is only down to $499, which puts it in another ballpark, and that leaves the Moto Edge 2024 at $299. I’d still pick the $349 Pixel 9a over it.

The Pixel Watch 4 will be released in a few days, but if it’s too rich for your blood at $399+, there’s a cheaper way to see what all the fuss is about with the Pixel Watch 3, down from $300 to $229.99 at Amazon for its Wi-Fi only, 45mm version. This watch was priced $399 at launch and this is its lowest price yet.

Why this particular model? Well, for one, I think the larger 45mm is worth it on all fronts, even if you have slim wrists. Large analog watches have been a fashion statement for years now, so embrace the larger smartwatch like I have! I’ve been wearing the 45mm version of the Pixel Watch 3 for a year, and I wouldn’t go back to the 41mm, even if you paid me. A larger battery and a larger display mean this model is easier to use, more enjoyable to use, and lasts longer on a charge. All wins in my book. Plus, if I’m wearing a display on my wrist, it should at least be functional; 41mm is too limiting.

Although I currently have the LTE model, I’d opt for the Wi-Fi version because I don’t use the LTE functionality as much as I thought. There is never a time when I’m without my phone, and the few times my phone’s battery was dead don’t justify paying $60 more to get the LTE model.

As for what you get, this is the best way to have a Fitbit tracker and a smartwatch in one. Google Maps notifications when driving, walking, or using transit, messaging notifications from important people, call vibration if you leave your phone silent like I do, easy and fast wallet payments, quick smart home controls, and so on. But for me, what counts most are the fall detection, car crash detection, and loss of pulse detection. $230 to potentially save my life is an easy bargain.

It’s not as cheap as the first Chromecasts, but the Google TV Streamer is easily one of the best smart TV options you can opt for if you’re a Pixel fan. It’s rarely on sale and the lowest it has dropped to is $79, which is quite close to today’s deal at $79.99 at Amazon, $20 off the retail price.

The Google TV Streamer is easily the most powerful Google TV option on the market right now. It has a faster processor than most TVs with Google TV, more RAM, more storage, a built-in Thread router, a very ergonomic remote with a cool Find My Remote option, and a built-in Ethernet port. My colleague C. Scott called it the new gold standard when he reviewed it, and I personally use it every day to stream YouTube, sports, and movies. The only reason I connected my Samsung Frame Pro to the internet was the photo frame — I use none of its built-in smart TV functions. Everything else goes through my Google TV Streamer.

This being an official Google hardware means that generally, it gets Google’s latest software and features first… well, except for some Gemini features, which are coming to TCL TVs first for some reason. But other than that, you should expect more support and faster updates than any Sony or TCL TV.

The Pixel and Google deals I’d skip

Amazon has even more deals on Google and Pixel hardware, but not all of these are good deals in my opinion. Let me quickly run you through the ones I’d skip:

• Google Pixel 10 Pro at  $799 at Amazon ($200 off): I’ve already mentioned it in the Pixel 10 section, but I think most people would benefit from paying $150 more for the XL version or paying $150 less for the non-Pro version if they’re looking for a deal. Not that the Pixel 10 Pro is a bad phone, but the Pixel 10 is such a good deal that it makes the Pro a little overkill. Unless you need the extra camera capabilities, the regular Pixel 10 is a better buy. Go Pro if you’re 100% sure about your camera needs.
• Google Pixel 9 at  $549 at Amazon  ($250 off): Once again, you get more bang for your buck with the Pixel 10, including the zoom camera that you will surely love once you use it, built-in Qi2, a faster processor, and a larger battery.
• Google Pixel 9 Pro at  $699 at Amazon ($300 off): This isn’t the best price ever, the phone previously dropped to $599.
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL at  $749 at Amazon ($350 off): A very decent deal, but if I’m paying this much, I’d probably go for the Pixel 10 Pro XL, get more storage, a more powerful zoom camera, a better processor, built-in Qi2, and so on. It’s still a very good deal, though, if you want a flagship and don’t mind that it’s one year old.
• Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 at  $169 at Amazon ($60 off): Not the best price, historically, and there’s no reason to pay this much when the Pixel Buds 2a will be released in a few days for  $129 at Amazon.