The best smartphone for students just crashed to a record LOW price at Amazon, making Prime Day look goofy as hell

Prime Day 2025 came and went just a few weeks ago, and I remember being confused that there weren't any tempting Google Pixel 9a deals. Well, better late than never, I suppose, as Amazon is now slashing 20% off the unlocked phone, knocking the price down to its lowest point ever recorded.

That's our favorite smartphone for students clocking in at just $399 for the 128GB version, no trade-in required and no strings attached. We've been seeing a lot of great back to school deals lately, but this Amazon offer truly takes the cake.  

Google Pixel 9a 128GB: $499 $399 at Amazon

For a limited time, Amazon is carving a straight 20% off the Google Pixel 9a, which is the biggest discount that the unlocked phone has ever received. There's also up to $725 of trade-in credit up for grabs (in the form of an Amazon gift card), so consider sending in your old phone to score some additional savings. 

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✅Recommended if: you want a powerful smartphone that won't break the bank; you want a device with great battery life, cameras, and seven years of guaranteed software support. 

❌Skip this deal if: you need a phone with expandable storage; you suffer from PWM sensitivity; you can afford to spend a bit more on one of the best Android phones.

As described in our 4.5/5-star review, the Google Pixel 9a is basically the perfect example of a midrange masterpiece. Starting at $499 for the 128GB configuration, the device sports a bold design with IP68 ingress protection, a brilliant 6.3-inch pOLED display, and some of the best battery life found on any Pixel phone to date. 

You also get exceptional cameras for the price, flagship-level performance from the Tensor G4 chipset, and 8GB of RAM as standard. And of course, like the majority of the best phones released this year, the Google Pixel 9a guarantees seven years of OS and security upgrades.  

Sure, the Pixel 9a's charging is a bit slow and on-board AI features are limited, but these are small sacrifices when you consider the overall bang for the buck offered here. Thanks to this Pixel 9a Amazon deal, you're paying $400 less than you would for the base model Google Pixel 9 while enjoying a mostly indistinguishable experience. Feel free to compare the two phones to learn more, but if you're looking for a student-friendly smartphone today, this might be the best deal on the web.