These are the only 4 Android phones I’d recommend buying on sale during Prime Day
by Will Sattelberg · Android PoliceEven in a market dominated by ecosystems, picking out a new smartphone can be tricky. Sure, it's tempting to stick with whatever seems familiar — like, say, jumping up from a Galaxy S21 to a Galaxy S24. But when you factor in price, design, refresh cycles, and the ability to jump from one Android OEM to another without breaking a sweat, things get a whole lot more complicated.
Here's the good news: every major Android phone for 2024 is on the market well ahead of the holiday shopping season, and with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, finding a discount on a new smartphone right now is really, really easy. Whether you're looking for the biggest, best display money can buy or you're ready to jump into the world of foldables, there's something here for you. As Android Police's resident Phones Editor, I'm here to help you tell the difference between a good deal and a great deal. Here's the four phones I recommend during Prime Big Deal Days.
At $600, the Pixel 8 Pro is worth every penny
Don't even think about the Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google's latest hardware isn't on sale quite yet — you'll probably have to wait until Black Friday to see the first meaningful discounts on the Pixel 9 lineup — but that doesn't mean you can't save some cash on last year's collection. The entire Pixel 8 series is on sale for Prime Big Deal Days, but it's the high-end Pixel 8 Pro that deserves your attention. At just $600, you're looking at a phone that delivers a similar experience to this year's Pixel 9 Pro XL at nearly half the price.
This phone should be familiar to any Android Police reader, but in case you forgot what made the Pixel 8 Pro so special, here's a reminder. With a 6.7-inch Super Actua display, frosted matte glass, and a trio of excellent sensors, the base experience isn't all too far off from what you'd find on Google's latest flagship. It's supported for seven years of OS and security upgrades, so despite its one-year anniversary falling next week, you're still guaranteed support until October of 2030. And plenty of Google's best AI tools, including Gemini and Magic Editor, are ready to go right out of the box.
If you're looking for something cheaper, the Pixel 8 is a steal at $450, while the Pixel 8a is back down to just $400. Both of those phones offer great experiences in their own right, but in my eyes, you can't beat the value provided by the Pixel 8 Pro at $600. As long as you're okay with using a device as large as this, it's the flagship to get during this week's two-day sale.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
$600 $999 Save $399
The Pixel 8 Pro might not be Google's latest smartphone, but it's still a great buy in 2024. With an excellent trio of lenses, a bright 6.7-inch display, and plenty of AI features, this could be the steal of Prime Day at just $600.
Upgrade to a foldable with the $1,140 OnePlus Open
Even with an older processor, it's a steal
If there's one thing that keeps Android fans away from upgrading to foldables, it's the price tag. As futuristic as they may feel, the usual $1,800 price point is a tough pill to swallow for an experience that is more fragile and more finicky than any other smartphone. If you've been holding out, the OnePlus Open is down to just $1,140 for Prime Day, making it one of the cheapest current-gen foldables we've ever seen in the US.
A year on from its launch, the OnePlus Open remains in contention for my favorite foldable ever. While the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has given it a solid run for its money, it's undeniable that OnePlus blazed a path for the future of folding phones — and, I hope, the future of multitasking on Android. Open Canvas is a game-changer of an idea, one that turns the 7.81-inch inner display into a series of expansive apps, all at your disposal.
Now, there are a couple of caveats for this deal. This is 2023 hardware, which means it's not as thin as Google's latest folding phone. That said, it's aged particularly well over the last 12 months, and its internals — including a beefy battery and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — still feel flagship worthy in 2024. Its software support also isn't quite up to par with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's seven year promise, but with four promised OS upgrades, you'll at least get Android 17 before updates begin to peter out.
Finally, this deal isn't on the recent 1TB Apex Edition launched by OnePlus as, seemingly, a placeholder model ahead of the OnePlus Open 2, but it is good for both the black and green models that include up to 512GB of storage.
OnePlus Open
$1140 $1800 Save $660
OnePlus' first foldable packs an impressive specs sheet and boasts some equally remarkable features. The lightweight design, the super-bright cover and folding screens, the high-end internals, and the triple-camera setup make the OnePlus Open a great alternative to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold lineup.
Pick up Samsung's Galaxy S24 for just $600
Take note, Google — this phone actually feels small
To plenty of smartphone shoppers, Samsung is practically synonymous with Android, despite it being the real brainchild of Google. The Galaxy S24 isn't the most exciting phone on the market, but it might just be the default Android experience at the moment, and for $600, it's tough to beat, particularly if devices like the Pixel 8 Pro are just too big for you.
While I'd hesitate to call the Galaxy S24 truly "small," it is noticeably more compact than the vast majority of modern smartphones. It's much smaller than the Pixel 9 Pro, despite that being Google's "small" flagship for this generation. It's smaller than Apple's iPhone 16, despite having a larger display. Despite this, there's no obvious downside to choosing the Galaxy S24. While a couple of its specs are downgraded compared to its larger siblings, there's nothing here that'll make an impact on daily use. It's a good, solid phone that'll fit in your pocket, and at $200 off, it's hard to pass up.
Samsung Galaxy S24
$600 $800 Save $200
The smallest of Samsung's 2024 flagships packs possibly the most significant upgrades of the series, with a significantly brighter and 1-120Hz adaptable refresh rate screen, cameras that finally match the S24+, and an even more polished build than the last two years.
Grab our favorite of the Galaxy S24 trio for $750
The Galaxy S24 FE should feel like an afterthought
If you want something bigger and more powerful than practically anything on this list, allow me to recommend the Galaxy S24+. At $750, it's not quite the steal that I think the Pixel 8 Pro is, but it's not far off. This is still part of Samsung's most recent flagship trio, and although it's due for a refresh in January, I wouldn't expect enough to change for any buyer's regret to set in. Whether you're looking to
As AP's Google Editor Taylor Kerns wrote back in January, the Galaxy S24+ feels like the one to buy. It's a little smaller than the Galaxy S24 Ultra — which, if you're interested, is on sale for $1,000 right now — and its curvier design makes it a lot more comfortable to hold. You don't get the 5x telephoto lens seen on the Ultra, but cameras aren't exactly Samsung's forte at the moment anyway. The end result is an S Pen-less flagship available at a pretty reasonable price, but this sale only gets better the closer you look.
At the end of last month, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S24 FE, a budget-friendly take on this exact smartphone. While its $650 price tag looks pretty appealing when the S24+ is at full price, for just $100 more, you get a better display, a more premium build, larger sensors, a much faster chipset, and double the storage. With One UI 7 due to launch in 2025, expect plenty of new features coming to this phone in just a short few months.
Samsung Galaxy S24+
$750 $1000 Save $250
With a plethora of AI-powered tools, a brighter screen, and a sleek one-piece design, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ offers the big screen and fuller features of the S24 Ultra without its price tag being nearly as much of a gut punch. Seven years of updates and the continued revisions of One UI 6.1 help the software shine on a phone with largely the same hardware.
There are plenty of good deals to be had
Right now and through the rest of 2024
While we're bound to see plenty of mobile discounts between now and the end of the year, Amazon's two-day sale represents our first taste at some really tantalizing sales. Whether you're opting for generation-old hardware with the Pixel 8a and OnePlus Open or scooping up a Galaxy S24 a few months before its successors arrive, this is as good a time as any to buy a new smartphone. And if these deals aren't doing it for you, Prime Big Deal Days has plenty to offer everyone else.
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