With the launch of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL set to happen in a little over a month from now, both Verizon Wireless and Best Buy have started clearing the available stock of the original Pixel and Pixel XL phones.
If you do remember well, Verizon is the only carrier that got the okay from Google to directly sell the Pixel phones. Since the carrier also sells its devices via Best Buy, you can also grab this deal through the giant retailer’s channels. Perpahs this is the perfect timing for those Google Nexus 6, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X users who have been holding out for a price drop before they can pounce.
Rather than pay the usual $649.99 for the Google Pixel, you can now have it for as little as $420, about the same price the Nexus 5X was priced at launch. This is, however, not payable outright. Verizon will tie you to a two-year contract with this deal, where you pay $17.50 per month. If you want the bigger Pixel XL, the carrier has discounted it by the same margin, which brings it to $22.50 per month for two years – a total of $540. The retail (outright) price for the XL remains at $769.99.
If you go through Best Buy, the smaller Pixel will set you back $17.41 per month for the same period of time while the Pixel XL costs $21.41 per month. In the end, you’ll be saving a cool $230 on each model, which is not bad if you are okay with using Verizon.
This is a great way for Verizon and Best Buy to get ready for the launch of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which are just about six weeks away. It’s also a great opportunity for Nexus users, who had deemed the initial prices of the Pixel and Pixel XL too expensive, to finally make the switch. Whether the search giant will follow the same path and throw in some discounts for the unlocked models on the Google Store is still unknown, but at some point, it’s going to happen, just like it did with respect to the Google Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X before they ran out of stock.
Even though they are approaching their first anniversary, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are still among the best. In fact, the pair has already started getting the new Android 8.0 Oreo OTA update while others will have to wait for weeks or even months before the OS starts rolling out. The phones will also get the next update to Android P, which means they are still in Google’s good books for one or two more years.
At $420 and $540, the Pixel and Pixel XL have now hit the price that Google Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X users have been waiting for, at least those who will have no problem using the phones on Verizon.