(Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag)
One of the best budget Android phones is getting less affordable. Google has quietly raised the price for the Pixel 10a by $100.
The Pixel 10a, which earned a PCMag Editors' Choice award as "the best option in the $500 range," initially landed in March at $499 for the 128GB model and $599 for the 256GB version. But Google’s website now lists the pricing at $599 and $699, respectively.
Media outlets in Japan first spotted the price increase on Google’s online store there. The price hike has since appeared on the US online store, as noted by 9to5Google. That said, Walmart still appears to be selling the Pixel 10a for $499, although supplies are slim.
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the ongoing memory shortage is no doubt to blame. The surge in new AI data center construction has depleted memory and storage supplies, leading to higher prices across the industry, including consumer electronics. Last month, Apple raised prices on the iPhone 17, 17e, and iPhone Air by $100, and Samsung did the same for the Galaxy S26 line earlier this week.
Last month, Google discounted the Pixel 10a to $424. It likely got a new batch featuring fresh memory at a higher cost. The latest Google Pixel 11 lineup is also pricier than the Pixel 10.
The recent wave of price increases suggests it might be better to buy sooner, rather than later, if you’ve been eyeing an electronics product. This week, one of the leading memory suppliers, Micron, warned that it expects the shortage to worsen in 2027 and 2028 and couldn't predict when the RAM crunch might end.
About Our Expert
I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.
Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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