{"id":289524,"date":"2026-02-18T06:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T06:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/289524\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T06:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T06:36:11","slug":"not-a-typo-this-insane-73-off-deal-makes-the-pixel-fold-cheaper-than-the-pixel-9a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/289524\/","title":{"rendered":"Not a typo \u2014 this insane 73% off deal makes the Pixel Fold cheaper than the Pixel 9a"},"content":{"rendered":"

All of the Pixel 10a<\/a> rumors I\u2019ve been reading hint at meager upgrades for Google<\/a>\u2019s upcoming budget phone, which my colleague Tom Prichard<\/a> says could ‘break the record for laziest phone upgrade in history.’<\/a> Unless the leaks are completely wrong, the current Pixel 9a looks like the better buy \u2014 at least until I found this deal.<\/p>\n

Woot currently has the original Google Pixel Fold on clearance for the jaw-dropping price of $479<\/a>, down from its $1,799 launch price. This 73% discount makes it a much better value than the Pixel 9a (and possibly the Pixel 10a) for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n

It’s foldable and already has way more utility<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Beyond its core features, the Pixel Fold\u2019s form factor adds utility you\u2019ll never get with slate devices like the Pixel 9a. When closed, you can use it much like an ordinary phone via its 5.8-inch outer display \u2014 but opening it reveals a sprawling 7.6-inch OLED.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve always found the larger canvas way more suitable for watching videos. If that\u2019s not enough, you can fold it halfway and apps like YouTube<\/a> will adapt so that videos remain in the upper half of the screen \u2014 acting much like a built-in kickstand.<\/p>\n

Because there’s so much more room, the inner display also makes side-by-side multitasking a breeze. It\u2019s one thing to switch between apps, but my workflow completely changes when I can access two at once on the same screen.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll continue to get software updates<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Secondly, Google pledged five years of software support<\/a> for the Pixel Fold. Since it launched in June 2023, it will continue to receive security updates until 2028. This is a vital window, especially given how Google\u2019s frequent Pixel Drops<\/a> often breathe new life into older hardware with fresh capabilities.<\/p>\n

Even though it lacks a few of the latest on-device AI tricks, you can still access one of my favorite tools via Google Photos: Ask Photos<\/a>. This allows you tou make complex photo edits by simply typing or describing what you want with the help of generative AI. I’ve tested it out with fantastic results.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, the Pixel 9a offers newer AI tools that the original Fold skips, such as Add Me for group photos, Magic Editor to remove backgrounds, and Best Take for picture perfect smiles. But unless you find those specific tools indispensable, the Fold’s hardware advantages far outweigh the software gap \u2014 and you can always find third-party apps to pick up the slack.<\/p>\n

The price is just unbelievable for a foldable phone<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Foldable phones are notoriously expensive, but it\u2019s even crazier to know that this deal makes the Pixel Fold cheaper than the best cheap phone<\/a> around. I\u2019ve tested practically all of them, including the Pixel 9a that currently tops the list, but it\u2019s hard to recommend it over the Pixel Fold at this $479 price point.<\/p>\n

This is even more affordable than flip-style phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 7,<\/a> which costs twice as much. In today\u2019s market, where new phone prices are unpredictable due to the RAM crisis<\/a>, there\u2019s nothing wrong with looking at older models. With this Woot offer, you\u2019re getting a brand-new, factory-unlocked Pixel Fold for less than the cost of a new Pixel 9a.<\/p>\n

Who knows if Google will raise the price of the Pixel 10a <\/a>when it eventually debuts? That uncertainty is exactly why you shouldn\u2019t overlook this deal. It\u2019s also worth noting that the Fold comes with 256GB of storage \u2014 double the 128GB found in the entry-level Pixel 9a.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All of the Pixel 10a rumors I\u2019ve been reading hint at meager upgrades for Google\u2019s upcoming budget phone,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-289524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}