This excellent budget Pixel phone is now $300 off at Amazon for Black Friday

When I’m buying a new smartphone, I’m looking for great performance, sharp cameras, and a long battery life, all at an affordable price. One of the best phones that hits all these right notes is the Google Pixel 9, which is on sale at Amazon for $499 (was $799).

The Pixel 9 is a four-star mid-range smartphone that boasts premium materials, cameras to rival the best, and AI smarts that are guaranteed to enhance anyone’s user experience. Now with a $300 discount for Black Friday that brings it down to a record-low price, there’s no better time to pick up your next budget Android phone.

Despite the release of the Pixel 10, the Pixel 9 is still one of the best Pixel phones and best Android phones around. In our comprehensive Google Pixel 9 review, we were impressed by its performance, the suite of AI features for writing messages and editing photos, and the fantastic set of cameras.

If you’re interested in utilizing AI on your phone, then you’ll love Gemini Live for transcribing what you say instead of typing. There’s also Pixel Screenshots, which identifies key information from pictures and screenshots, generates summaries about them, and even makes suggestions when applicable.

As impressive as these features are, my favorite thing about the Pixel 9 is the camera system, which includes a 50MP main sensor and a 48MP ultrawide camera with Macro Focus. The AI upscaling and editing options also make it ideal for post-processing.

If this Google Pixel 9 deal isn’t what you’re looking for, then our best phone and best camera phone guides will help you narrow down your options.