Google Slashes Pixel 9 Price In Major New Black Friday Sale

12 Nov 2024 by Janhoi McGregor · Forbes

13 August 2024, USA, Mountain View: New Pixel 9 smartphones from Google are shown at the company's ... [+] headquarters. The display of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can be unfolded. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa (Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images)dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

This story was updated on November 12th with a major new Amazon deal for the Pixel 9.

Google has been circling around dropping the Pixel 9 price with surprise vouchers and enhanced trade-in prices in recent weeks. But the company has finally, officially, slashed the price of its flagship phone in an early Black Friday sale.

For those that were able to hold off, there are some serious savings to be made. The Pixel 9, Pixel 8a and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are all significantly cheaper at Google’s U.S. store.

Pixel 9 - $649, $150 off
Pixel 9 Pro Fold - $1,499, $300 off
Pixel 8a - $399, $100 off

Curiously, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL are not currently on sale. Nor are Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. This is an early Black Friday deal so that may change as we inch closer to the actual shopping holiday. I don’t think the discounts will be bigger for the devices listed above in two weeks, but I do expect all of Google’s smartphones to be on sale.

Up until today, Google has steadfastly held on to the Pixel 9's launch prices. Instead, it repeatedly discounted the Pixel 8 series, dropping the price of both devices by hundreds of dollars on a regular basis.

Considering the company’s penchant for selling its hardware at a discount soon after launch, Google’s August release date now makes more sense because it gave the company more time to ship handsets at their highest possible price.

Previously, Google would launch its Pixel phone in October and discount it a month later for Black Friday, with frequent price drops thereafter. This is why I have typically advised against buying Pixel 9 devices at launch. In 2024, Google was able to sell the Pixel 9 at full price in August, September and October.

If you are looking for a Pixel 8 Pro deal, Best Buy is running one right now. The retailer has come flying out of the blocks with a handful of Samsung, Apple and Google offers ahead of Black Friday. Check out my story on that here.

Update November 12th: Amazon is currently running a Pixel 9 deal that could prove to be the best of the holiday shopping period. The retailer has knocked a huge 31% off the the base Pixel 9 phone, knocking the final price down to $549. That’s $100 cheaper than Google’s own deal that ends today, which was already $150 off.

Amazon’s price is the Pixel 9’s new floor and I expect we will see similar discounts in the coming days, weeks and months from rival shops. It’s worth pointing out that Amazon’s trade-in prices are often poor and Google is running an enhanced trade-in valuation promotion right now. So if you have a device to handover, buying directly from Google might still be the cheapest option.

Amazon hasn’t discounted the Pixel 9 Pro, Pro XL or 9 Pro Fold yet. These deals appear to be popping up randomly and don’t last for very long, so keep an eye on Amazon's site. Or hit the follow button below for the latest deal news.