Google is exhibiting the Pixel 8 and Pixel 7a, two of its smartphones equipped with Android … [+]
Google has been repeatedly slashing the price of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro since late last year. But its newest promotion might be its biggest yet.
The company has knocked £300 ($378.87) off the Pixel 8 Pro for U.K. shoppers, which is one of the biggest discounts the company has launched since the phones landed last October—far outstripping the last sale in the U.S. This is combined with enhanced trade-in prices for your old device, that can knock a further £665 ($839.84) off the handset—more on that below.
Elsewhere, the base Pixel 8 gets a less blockbuster discount with £150 ($189.44) off, while the Pixel 8a is £50 ($63.15) cheaper. Google has kept its long-running discounts for the Pixel 7 range going, with £150 off both the base and Pro units. The Pixel 7a is also down to £799 ($1009.07), which is a good deal for an impressive Pixel phone that’s barely a year old.
Google is also offering another £50 voucher towards buying a Pixel 8. The only catch is that you have to earn it through a tedious football game to commemorate the Euro 2024 championships. I played it so you don’t have to and in essence, you may win the voucher, or another prize, if you’re selected amongst other participants in a prize draw. It takes about a minute to play so it’s worth entering anyway, but don’t hold your breath.
For the trade-in deal, as is typical, Google is offering the most amount of money for Apple devices. The iPhone 14 Pro Max nets the full £665, which considering it’s about to be two years old, that’s not a terrible deal. But an Apple handset that still has years of software support left is rarely worth being traded in. A more realistic phone to handover, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, is valued at a very reasonable £537 ($678.18). Similarly, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is worth £450 ($568.31) according to Google.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is valued at £317 ($401.07), while the Galaxy S23 Ultra will only net £320 ($404.13). Google similarly doesn’t hold its own devices in much esteem when it comes to trade-in, with the Pixel 7 Pro and 6 Pro netting £258 ($325.83) and £194 ($245.00) respectively. Interestingly, Google doesn’t appear to be accepting the latest Samsung or Apple flagships, which might be a tacit admission that (reasonable) people rarely trade in new phones for other new phones.
As is the case with Samsung, the goal for Android device makers like Google is to win over lucrative iPhone owners, especially in the era of AI subscription services. This is why we’ve seen so many enhanced trade-in deals in recent months, especially for Apple tech.
Google took this practice to the next level last month when it launched a trade-in deal that valued the sixth-generation Apple iPad, which was being sold on eBay for under $100, for $399 when buying the Pixel Tablet. The deal caused such a frenzy that Google pulled it the next day, but Google confirmed to me that it would honor that price for the lucky few who made it through the gate. The lesson here is to hold on to your old tech and keep an eye on the latest offers by hitting the follow button below.