This is the Cyber Monday phone deal I would jump on

If you’re looking for a great Cyber Mnday phone deal, look no further than the Google Pixel 6a, which you can grab at a very attractive $150 discount (opens in new tab). That brings the price of this already affordable $449 phone down to $299.

The discounted Pixel 6a price was prompted by Google’s own Black Friday sale, which has reduced prices on other Pixel phones, Nest gear and Chromecasts. But retailers like Amazon (opens in new tab) and Best Buy (opens in new tab) quickly followed suit, dropping the price of the Pixel 6a to $299 at their respective stores.

There’s some urgency to jumping on this Pixel 6a deal. Google’s sale runs through November 28, at which time I’d anticipate the Pixel 6a’s price will return to its usual $449 level. And I imagine retailers are likely to drop their own discounts around that time, too.

I’ve been keeping track of phone deals since the build-up to Black Friday through the onslaught of Cyber Monday deals. Here’s why the Pixel 6a stands out as the phone to get this shopping season.

Why you should buy the Pixel 6a this Cyber Monday

Let’s start out with the fact that the Pixel 6a is the best cheap phone you can buy — and one of the best phones overall. Thanks to the Tensor chip that powers the Pixel 6a, you enjoy the same experiences that Pixel 6 owners do. Alas, some of the features powered by the Tensor G2 in the new Pixel 7 won’t be available to you, but that’s the sacrifice you make with a lower-cost phone.

Most importantly, you get excellent camera features — the Pixel 6a benefits from the computational photography features that Google includes with all its phones. In our Pixel 7 vs. Pixel 6a camera face-off, we found that the more expensive flagship phone takes the better phones, but the Pixel 6a’s output is not that far off the mark. It can more than hold its own with much more expensive camera phones.

So the Pixel 6a is a top midrange phone, as our Pixel 6a review concludes. But this $150 discount is also appealing because of the lack of conditions tied to the deal.

As I wrote in a piece examining how to find a good deal on smartphones, you want as few strings attached to your purchase as possible. This means a deal that requires no trade-in, which can affect the amount of a rebate you get on your new device. You also want a deal that doesn’t tie you to a particular wireless carrier, leaving you to take your new phone to the wireless provider of your choice.

The Pixel 6a offer meets both criteria. The phone comes unlocked, so you’re not obligated to sign up with any particular carrier. And you don’t have to do anything to qualify for that $150 discount other than hand over your payment information.

There’s one last consideration that makes this a good deal on the Pixel 6a. A successor phone, the Pixel 7a, likely won’t appear until the middle of next year. Until then, you’ve got the best budget phone in Google’s lineup, one that’s already running Android 13 and in line for a couple more years of Android updates.

Google Pixel 6a bottom line

Apple fans may want to look elsewhere for their next phone, but if you’re an Android phone fan on a budget, the Pixel 6a is the best device you can buy. And if you act quickly, it can be yours for less than $300.