Deals: Pixel 10a arrives, but the Galaxy S25 FE and OnePlus 15R might be better deals

The mid-range smartphone market in the US is not in a good place – the most exciting launch in a while happened earlier this week with the unveiling of the Google Pixel 10a (though note that the phone will become available a couple of weeks from now).

The Google Pixel 10a is mostly the same as the 9a. It uses the same 6.3” 1080p+ display (slightly brighter) now with Gorilla Glass 7i (replacing GG3), runs on the same Tensor G4 chipset and has the same 48+13MP camera. The battery capacity is the same too, 5,100mAh, though Google increased the wired (from 23W to 30W) and wireless (from 7.5W to 10W) charging speeds.

Perhaps the biggest upgrade over the 9a is the addition of Satellite SOS support, though that is available only in some regions. Pixelsnap is not supported.

So, here’s the deal – you can pre-order the Pixel 10a and get a $100 gift card or pick up a free pair of Pixel Buds 2a alongside the phone (they are valued at $130). The phone will ship on March 5.

Speaking of the buds, here’s a closer look at them. While they are the “basic” option, they offer ANC and spatial audio. There’s also an official silicone case for the Pixel 10a from Google, but again, there are no magnets here.

Predictably, deals for the Pixel 9a evaporated overnight. A couple of weeks ago, we saw the 9a at $400 for the 8/128GB variant and $500 for the 8/256GB one. Unless you really wanted that satellite messaging, this would have been the better deal. “Would have been” – right now you can only find the Pixel 9a on Amazon from third-party sellers. That said, some of them offer pretty low prices, so they are worth a look.

Similarly, Amazon stock of Google Pixel 10 units is MIA, the phone is available only from third-party sellers. Last week, we saw it at $650 for a 12/128GB phone and $700 for a 12/256GB one. The Pixel 10 has the newer Tensor G5 chip, Satellite SOS and even a dedicated telephoto camera (10.8MP 5x). It might be worth waiting for the regular Pixel 10 deals to return.

You can look outside of Google’s stable, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is available at $450 for an 8/128GB phone. That’s technically $50 more than the Pixel 10a if you count the $100 gift card (the price difference is even higher if you subtract the Buds 2a price instead).

The S25 FE is a larger device with a 6.7” display (vs. 6.3” on the Pixel 10a), but the battery is actually 200mAh smaller (4,900mAh). It supports faster 45W and 15W wired/wireless charging. Also, it has the faster Exynos 2400 chip and a dedicated telephoto camera (8MP 3x). However, there’s no satellite messaging.

Alternatively, the OnePlus 15R also has a deal with a $100 gift card available. However, its base price is $200 higher than that of the Pixel 10a. This is a larger phone too with a 6.83” display – at least it comes with a massive 7,400mAh battery that supports fast 80W wired-only charging. This phone has a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset but, unlike the previous R model, it lacks a dedicated tele camera.

Before we go – you still have a couple of days to reserve a Galaxy S26 phone. All it takes is signing up for an email reminder and you will be eligible for a $30 discount on the new phones. Note that this isn’t a pre-order, so if you don’t like what you see when Samsung unveils the S26 models, you can just ignore the email.

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