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?
1 answer
- 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.