Best Google Pixel 8A Deals: Trade-In Offers Can Basically Get You This Phone for Free
Google's flashy new Pixel 9 phones are tempting, but many people don't really need $1,000 of cutting-edge hardware in their pocket. If you're looking for a more affordable alternative with a lot of the same features, the Pixel 8A is our absolute favorite. We love it for Android users and it boasts many of the same features as Google's more advanced flagship models at a fraction of the price. With these offers in full swing right now, you can get your hands on one for even less.
Adrian Marlow has years of experience helping CNET readers take advantage of the best tech deals and has rounded up some of the best places to score savings on the already-affordable Pixel 8A. These include straightforward discounts on unlocked models and new lines, plus trade-in offers for those looking to sign up with a carrier right away. We'll continue to update this page as deals come and go, so check back often.
The Pixel 8A has many of the same features as the line's higher-end models, from similar battery life to comparable processors. It also boasts the ability to run Audio Magic Eraser, Best Take and Gemini Nano model, which is something Google's budget-tier phones haven't been able to handle in the past. The Pixel 8A even provides the same display brightness as the standard Pixel 8, offering up to 2,000 nits of brightness (1,400 nits in HDR). It's fairly close in size to the line's flagship too. The Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch display, while the 8A comes in at 6.1 inches.
At the moment, the overall best Pixel 8A deal is being offered by T-Mobile. This is one of the only retailers or carriers that is offering you a chance to snag one of these budget-friendly Androids completely free. You'll have to jump through a few hoops to take advantage of this offer, as it requires either a new line or an eligible trade-in. That's still slightly better than Google's current offer, which is exclusively for new customers.
If you're a new Google Fi customer, you can snag the Pixel 8A completely free when activate the phone on a qualifying plan. The discount is then applied as bill credits over a 24-month period. If you don't want to sign up with Google Fi, you can still grab an unlocked model for $100 off.
See at Google
T-Mobile is offering both new and existing customers a chance to get their hands on a Google Pixel 8A for free right now. This offer is available to those adding a new line on just about any plan, or those on a Go5G, Magenta or ONE plan with an eligible device to trade in. All the heavy hitters are included, and any iPhone 11 or newer or Samsung Galaxy S9 or newer will get you the full $500 credit. Just note that the discount is applied in the form of monthly bill credits for the duration of the two-year contract term.
See at T-Mobile
There aren't any direct discounts on the 8A right now but, you can save up to $500 when you trade in another phone. You'll get the most value from popular models like the iPhone 15. Depending on the condition of your phone, you could get enough trade-in credits to score the Pixel 8A for free.
See at Best Buy
Target currently does not have any direct offers on the Pixel 8A but, you can use your Target Circle Card* to get this phone for 5% off. It's not much but it's still a way to save.
See at Target
Discounts on phones typically fall into one of two categories, and CNET's dedicated deals team has scoured the web for both to help you take advantage of the best Pixel 8A offers available at any given time. The first kind of deal includes straightforward or "no strings attached" discounts on unlocked models. These deals typically feature smaller discounts, but they don't require a trade-in or a contract with a carrier. The second kind of deal includes carrier offers, which typically require you to have, or switch to, an eligible service plan and will lock you into a two- or three-year contract. These deals usually feature substantial discounts, and sometimes they'll even score you a new phone for free. We've highlighted the best deals in both categories above so you can choose the one that works best for you.
*All information about the Target Circle Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
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an hour ago
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Android Authority
2 hours ago
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Google Maps Go Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Google Maps is one of the most-used apps on my phone, but it has one glaring flaw: It becomes useless the moment I start navigation. I can't do a proper search, nor can I look up the details of a place I'm walking by. I have to completely stop navigation to do that, then search for my destination again and start nav a second time. Google Maps Go solves this by providing a second, lighter, smaller, less resource-intensive instance of Maps on my phone. So when I'm already following step-by-step directions to walk, drive, or take transit somewhere, I can just launch Maps Go to do anything else I might need Maps for. Passing by a cool-looking restaurant? I look it up and see if it has a good rating and bookmark it. Need to find specific details about some places while I'm on the subway? I can do my research without messing up my train times and journey. 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Google Translate Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Do I even need to introduce Translate to you? I don't know why Google has left out this essential app from its preloaded Pixel apps, forcing us to install it on every device manually, but here we are. Google Translate does what the name says: It translates things — text, audio, photos, full conversations — from one language to another. It can easily auto-detect the input language and supports offline translations for dozens and dozens of languages. I speak three languages nearly natively, and I can figure my way around two other languages, but that's not enough for a frequent traveler or culture addict like me. So when I'm in a country where I don't speak the language, like Hungary, Albania, the Czech Republic, Turkey, or Nepal, I resort to Google Translate to communicate with people who aren't very confident using English. As a matter of fact, my taxi driver in Turkey pulled out his phone and launched Google Translate by himself to organize my pick-up and drop-off — a proper border-crossing solution. Google Go Rita El Khoury / Android Authority There might be a pattern here; Google Go is the third light version of a default Google app that I use, and once again, there's a good reason for that. Google Go was built for less powerful phones and more limited internet connections, and that's part of its appeal. It's faster and lighter than Google's main app, but it still does the job. What I love about it, though, and the reason why it's earned a spot on my Pixel is that it supports two features that aren't available in the regular Google app. One of them is incognito searching. It's a tap away and allows me to do a quick search without it showing up in my Google history and without launching Chrome and rejecting Google's cookie pop-up each time. The other is the built-in reader mode, which is also available in Chrome but requires a few tweaks with flags to enable (and even then isn't as straightforward). In Google Go, any article page immediately shows a bottom bar with a play button in the middle. It starts reading the article for me so I can go about my day, make coffee or prepare lunch, start a new laundry cycle or brush my teeth, all while listening to the article. There are speed controls, 10-second skip and rewind buttons, too, plus an easy translation menu. It's sad that all these nifty additions aren't available in the main Google app because I'm sure a lot of people would love them and use them as much as I do. Honorable mentions Before ending this article, I wanted to mention some other Google-made apps that are not pre-installed on Pixel phones (or rarely are) and are still worth testing and adding to your phone. Google News is the most obvious one, if you like to stay on top of what's happening in the world of politics, tech, or any other topic you're interested in. Google Tasks is a basic but efficient task manager. It combines very well with Assistant voice commands when you set up reminders. Google Fit has lost a lot of its shine since Google bought Fitbit, but it remains an excellent way to aggregate data from various health apps. I also used it when I was tracking my blood pressure after a brief scare earlier this year. Find Hub (previously Find My Device) is essential if you own other Pixel or Android gear; it allows me to locate my Buds Pro 2, Watch 3, and other Android phones, as well as my Google-compatible Bluetooth trackers like the Chipolo POP or moto tag. Photoscan is a secondary Google Photos tool that lets me scan physical photos to add them to my library. It automatically crops and rotates the image and removes all glare, saving me from manually doing this tedious work. I have yet to digitize my old photos, but for the rare time when I get handed a physical photo as memorabilia from a place or adventure, it's my go-to solution. And there you have it; all the great Google apps that you should consider adding to your Pixel, even if they didn't come preloaded on it. Have any other favorites? Let me know in the comments!
