For someone who wants to spend the absolute amount. least on a phone and not have to think about buying another for a long time, I will always recommend Google's A-series Pixel phone. That's doubly true now with the Pixel 8A being $100 off for the Black Friday cyber shopping holidays or whatever we're currently experiencing. The 8A is a solid value at its full price of $499, and reduced to $399 it's a ridiculously good deal.
Here's the kicker: Google promises to update the Pixel 8A with OS version updates and security patches. through May 2031. That means you can expect it to run Android 21. If you bought the 8A now for $400 and had it for six years, that's $66 per year. You would have to use a $1000 flagship phone to 15 years to obtain the same return on investment. See? You're practically making money with the Pixel 8A.
More importantly, the 8A is the kind of phone I recommend to friends and family who don't care about fancy features and don't want to bother buying a new one every few years. Seriously: my mom has a 7A and my dad has an 8A.
It's also much more feasible to buy a $400 phone out of pocket than a flagship phone, Pixel or otherwise. If you don't want to be bound by the terms of a wireless carrier's promotion in exchange for a “free” phone, the Pixel 8A is a good deal, no strings attached.
