Google's refurbished Pixel 9 might be the smartest phone purchase of 2026

The state of the smartphone market in 2026 is quietly getting quite worrying. Sure, we have Apple finally jumping onto the foldable phone bandwagon with the iPhone Duo, and brands like OPPO and vivo continue to deliver some excellent camera smartphones. But there’s no denying that rising memory prices, and consequently higher smartphone prices, are starting to affect the market.

Samsung recently increased the prices of its Galaxy S26 series, which means even the base Galaxy S26 now starts at a whopping $1,000 in the US. And the impact is starting to show in sales figures as well, with the smartphone market reportedly seeing a 20% decline in sales, the biggest drop in nearly 14 years.

But what if you’re planning to buy a new smartphone in 2026? Are there really no good options left without spending close to $1,000? I actually think there is one, and it involves buying a refurbished Google Pixel 9.

Google’s refurbished Pixel 9 prices are hard to ignore

In case you haven’t heard, Google recently added the Pixel 9 series to its Certified Refurbished program on the Google Store in the US. This means Google is now selling pre-owned Pixel 9 phones that have been professionally inspected, tested, and restored to meet the company’s quality standards. If any parts need replacing, Google uses genuine replacement parts to bring the devices back up to its standards.

But the best part about these phones is their price tags. The base Pixel 9 with 128GB of storage starts at just $499, while the Pixel 9 Pro is $649 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is $699. And even though these are technically two-year-old Google flagships, those prices are pretty tempting in the current smartphone market.

You don’t get many genuinely great smartphones in the US around the $500 price bracket anymore. But with the refurbished Pixel 9 series, Google is offering a proper flagship phone (albeit from two years ago), with premium hardware and plenty of features that still hold up in 2026.

You still get all the benefits as you would when you buy a new phone

One of the best parts about buying through Google’s Certified Refurbished program is that you’re not getting a standard refurbished phone. Google puts these devices through its own inspection and refurbishment process, and more importantly, they come with the same one-year limited warranty you’d get with a brand-new Pixel phone.

And that’s not all. Google is also sweetening the deal by offering six months of Google AI Plus with the refurbished Pixel 9 series, including 2TB of cloud storage.

Sure, it’s not the higher-tier Google AI Pro subscription that the company offers with some of its newer Pixel phones. But considering you’re already saving quite a few dollars and still getting an official one-year warranty, having a free AI subscription thrown in makes the deal even better.

I’d buy this over the Pixel 10a any day

But let’s forget about the free subscription for a moment. Even if you compare the refurbished Pixel 9 series directly with Google’s newer mid-range phones, you’ll quickly realize why I think buying an older flagship makes more sense.

Take the Pixel 10a, for example. The phone now starts at $599 in the U.S., which is actually $100 more than the refurbished Pixel 9, despite offering very similar hardware in several areas. With the Pixel 9, you get a more premium metal-and-glass design compared to the Pixel 10a’s plastic back. You also get 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB.

And perhaps the most interesting part is that both phones use the same Tensor G4 chipset. Google didn’t upgrade the Pixel 10a to the Tensor G5, so spending an extra $100 on the newer phone doesn’t even get you a newer processor.

Now, if you’re willing to spend a little more, the refurbished Pixel 9 Pro at $649 makes an even stronger case. For just $50 more than the Pixel 10a, you’re getting a proper telephoto camera, which the Pixel 10a lacks, alongside double the RAM at 16GB.

It’s also worth remembering that Google originally promised seven years of software updates for the Pixel 9 series. That means these phones will continue receiving Android OS and security updates until 2031. So, even though you’re buying a two-year-old phone, you’re still getting nearly five years of software support, which is better than what most similarly priced Android phones offer.

All things considered, Google’s refurbished Pixel 9 series is quietly one of the best Android phone deals you can get in 2026. Sure, these aren’t the latest Pixel phones, and you’re missing out on newer hardware and AI features, including Rambler (though you can now add it to any phone).

It’s also worth remembering that the Tensor G4 isn’t the most efficient chipset on the market. But despite those compromises, I still think the Pixel 9 is a pretty great buy at $499.