Used flagship vs new midrange — which is the smarter buy if camera is all I care about?
My Pixel 6a camera is finally dying. Budget is ~$400. I'm torn between a used Pixel 9 Pro / iPhone 15 Pro and a new Pixel 10a or Galaxy A56. I basically only care about the camera — photos of my kid indoors, low light. Spec sheets all say 'AI camera' now which tells me nothing. Is a 2-year-old flagship sensor still better than a new midrange one, or has the gap closed?
2 answers
- Used Pixel 9 Pro — the camera is still the benchmark
I went through this exact choice last month and ended up with a used Pixel 9 Pro for around $380, and honestly the camera blows away every new midrange phone I tried. The main sensor is physically bigger than anything in a $400 new phone, and Google's photo processing is still ahead of the pack. Just check battery health and make sure the camera lenses aren't scratched, and buy somewhere with a return window. New midrange phones win on battery life, but if camera is ALL you care about, a 1-2 year old flagship wins every time.
- Used flagship, and it’s not close indoors
Pull up the sensor specs: a Pixel 9 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro has a sensor roughly twice the size of anything in a $400 midrange phone. Bigger sensor = more light = better indoor kid photos, and no amount of ‘AI camera’ processing changes the physics. Check real sample galleries for each phone before you buy. The one legit argument for the new midrange is battery health and a warranty, so buy the used flagship from a seller with a return policy.