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T-Mobile's 'free' Pixel 3a deal can't beat Best Buy's, but it's the only one you get there

By Daniel Petrov

Published: May 08, 2019, 6:11 AM

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The conditions of the deal/s may have changed since the initial publishing of this post.

The newest members of the Pixel phone family are barely out of the gate, yet there are already good deals and discounts to be had. While the Pixel 3a/XL deal that T-Mobile offers is not as good as what Best Buy can give you, the animosity between the Un-carrier and Best Buy is legendary, so you can only find the promo on T-Mobile.

Somewhat misleadingly, Big Magenta advertises the Pixel 3a given as freebie, while the truth is that to get it without paying anything, you would have to trade in your current phone for "up to $400" in savings, and it has to be a fairly modern device at that:

T-Mobile's 'free' Pixel 3a deal can't beat Best Buy's, but it's the only one you get there

Given that T-Mobile doesn't have the audacity to include phones like Galaxy S10e or iPhone XR in the roster, swapping your two-year-old device for a brand spanking new Pixel 3a seems like a decent tradeoff. You get one of the top mobile cameras, and a refreshingly durable polycarbonate body that you don't have to baby all the time.

If that is not enough to climb down from your Galaxy S9 perch, perhaps the fastest version and security updates will convince you, now that Android Q comes with gesture navigation and dark mode, not to mention some Pixel exclusives like time lapse creation in the camera app. Any takers?

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.