The Pixel 3 is a fantastically well-rounded smartphone with an industry-leading camera — and you can get it on the cheap for Amazon Prime Day.
Currently just $539 on Amazon, the Pixel 3 normally costs $799. That means you're saving $260 on one of the finest handsets money can buy. And, being as this is the unlocked model, you'll have the ability to take your Pixel 3 and use it on any carrier that allows you to bring your own phone to their network.
To clarify, this deal covers only the base 64 GB model — the larger XL version is also on sale, but costs $639. Unfortunately, the Pixel 3 does not include a microSD card slot for expandable memory, so you will be stuck with what you get in the box. However, you do get two years of unlimited, full-resolution Google Photos storage with every new Pixel 3 or 3 XL, so the capacity limitation isn't quite as bad as it may sound.
Additionally, this Prime Day deal — which runs for the entirety of July 15 and 16 — covers just the Clearly White and Just Black models. The third color, Not Pink, is available on Amazon, though not at the $539 price. Rather, Amazon is offering that particular variant, exclusively in the 128 GB spec, for $639.
Why do we love the Pixel 3 so much? It really comes down to two things: the camera and the software. The Pixel 3 has only one 12.2-megapixel lens on the back, but the photos it can paint with those optics and Google's computational photography know-how are consistently impressive. Couple that with Android 9 Pie — soon to be Android Q — in all its pure Google glory, plus exclusive features like Call Screen and Night Sight, and the Pixel 3 still feels cutting edge. That's the case, even if some other devices have newer processors, and the Pixel 4 is right around the corner.
That said, if Google isn't your cup of tea, there are other excellent smartphone deals on Prime Day. Samsung has slashed up to $300 off various models of the Galaxy S10 series, and the LG G8 ThinQ is cheaper than it's ever been at $499. If you happen to like the Pixel 3, but $539 is still a bit too high, Amazon also is giving away a $100 gift card with the purchase of a $479 Pixel 3a XL. The Pixel 3a series features a camera that is almost exactly as good as the one in the more premium Pixel 3, but also has a lower-spec CPU and plastic build to cut costs.
