Things have quieted down after last week’s Amazon Big Spring Sale, but there were a number of important announcements this week that are worth keeping an eye on.
For one, Google set an availability date for the Pixel 9a – April 10 for the US. The phone will start at $500 for the 8/128GB model, pricing for the 256GB variant hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Meanwhile, the vanilla Google Pixel 9 is down to $650 for the base 12/128GB model and doubling the storage costs only $50. That still leaves a decent gap between the 9 and 9a and both models use the same Tensor G4 chipset. The Pixel 9 is more capable, however, with a better main camera (50MP 1/1.31” vs. 48MP 1/2.0”) and ultra-wide (48MP vs. 13MP), plus faster charging – 27W wired, 15W wireless vs. 23W and 7.5W – but with a smaller battery (4,700mAh vs. 5,100mAh).
Samsung’s premium mid-ranger is even closer – the Galaxy S24 FE is $550 for the 8/128GB model and 256GB storage is $60 more. This model has the more capable Exynos 2400e and a larger 6.7” display. Plus, there’s a dedicated telephoto camera – just an 8MP 3x (75mm), but still. The 12MP ultra-wide is comparable to the Pixel 9a UW camera, but no match for the Pixel 9. The 4,700mAh battery supports 25W wired and 15W wireless charging.
The Galaxy A56 will be available in the US, but at a later date. The Galaxy A36 is already available, though, currently with a $50 gift card from either Amazon or Best Buy in lieu of a discount. The A36 also has a larger 6.7” display (vs. 6.3” on the 9a), but its Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is well behind the Tensor G4 in terms of performance. There’s no telephoto camera here, just a 50MP main (1/1.96”) and an 8MP ultra-wide.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10 FE duo this week, but the two tablets aren’t available in the US just yet. You can reserve a unit on Samsung.com and score $50 credit. In terms of pricing, the 10.9” Tab S10 FE starts at $600, while the 13.1” Tab S10 FE+ starts at $650 (this is for 128GB Wi-Fi tablets).
You can find the older (from 2023) Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE at just $300 for the base 128GB model and the upgrade to 256GB is $70. The Exynos 1380 is showing its age against the new 1580, but both feature a 10.9” 1440p+ 90Hz LCD and 8,000mAh battery with 45W charging.
The chipset considerations apply to the Galaxy Tab S9+ FE too, but note the size difference – the old model is smaller at 12.4”, while the Tab S10 FE+ is 13.1”. Either way, it’s a 90Hz LCD (with 1600p+ and 1800p+ resolution, respectively). Note that the Tab S9+ FE has an 8MP main and 8MP ultra-wide camera on the back, but the new model has only 13MP main. The batteries on both tablets are 10,090mAh and support 45W charging.
For $50 more than the price of a 128GB Tab S10 FE+, you can have a 256GB Galaxy Tab S9+ instead. This is with a faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset (GPU performance especially) and a 120Hz OLED display – a 12.4” panel. The battery is the same at 10,090mAh with 45W charging. This one does have an ultra-wide camera. Both the Tab S and Tab S FE tablets have microSD slots.
The current generation 12.4” Samsung tablet is the Galaxy Tab S10+. This one uses a MediaTek chip, Dimensity 9300+, which is about the only difference between Tab S10+ and Tab S9+.
Nintendo revealed specs for the long-awaited Switch 2 handheld console. It’s bigger than its predecessor with a 7.9” LCD – a 1080p HDR10 panel with 120Hz refresh rate and VRR – and features a new Nvidia chipset with DLSS and ray tracing support. While it’s mainly a portable console, the upgraded chip promises 4K @ 120fps gaming in docked mode.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be available from June 5, but it is already showing up in stores for an early look. Just the console is priced at $450, but you can get the MarioKart World bundle for $50 more. The game on its own will cost $80 (as will many other Switch 2 games, game prices have gone up compared to the original Switch).
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