Google Pixel 8

[mikejeep]

I pre-ordered the new Pixel 8 at Best Buy and plan to pick it up today. It is $699 for 128GB unlocked, same as most other retailers.

They are also including a set of Pixel Buds Pro for free, which retail for $199 and is the same offer as ordering direct from Google. Not a bad option, but I prefer the $100 BB gift card they offered last year -- you could use it on the phone purchase itself, which I thought was generous.

As they did last year, Best Buy is offering a trade-in bonus that bumps up my Pixel 7 to $450. Can't beat that, as it's significantly higher than resale value. Plus, my P7 only cost $19 thanks to their trade-in offer last year. The drawback is you have to hand the phone over at purchase if you are picking up in-store; no opportunity to activate your new device first and manually move your content over. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but requires pre-planning.. because when you go to add the new phone to your Google account, by default it will send 2FA confirmation to your old phone! That was a headache I wasn't ready for last year. eSIM activation was also tricky from scratch and required a visit to a corporate T-Mobile store; hopefully that has improved this year. If you have your new phone shipped instead, you have a period of time to ship back your trade-in so that avoids some hassles.

I'm disappointed in the $100 price increase (especially since the specs on paper are not a significant jump from the P7) and I don't need new earbuds, but $249 out the door for nearly $1000 in new release products is a good deal these days, especially when it's upfront and not tied to bill credits or a contract. Will share thoughts on the phone once I have had a chance to try it out.

[S4GRU]

4 hours ago, mikejeep said:

Will share thoughts on the phone once I have had a chance to try it out.

I look forward to reading them!

Robert

[Dkoellerwx]

7 hours ago, mikejeep said:

I pre-ordered the new Pixel 8 at Best Buy and plan to pick it up today. It is $699 for 128GB unlocked, same as most other retailers.

They are also including a set of Pixel Buds Pro for free, which retail for $199 and is the same offer as ordering direct from Google. Not a bad option, but I prefer the $100 BB gift card they offered last year -- you could use it on the phone purchase itself, which I thought was generous.

As they did last year, Best Buy is offering a trade-in bonus that bumps up my Pixel 7 to $450.

My dad pre-ordered from Google. He's trading in his S21, Google was offering $350 for while Best Buy and T-Mobile only appeared to offer $250. Interested to see how it turns out! I'm on the S23 Ultra, so don't expect to change that out for anything any time soon.

[floorguy]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:48 AM, Dkoellerwx said:

My dad pre-ordered from Google. He's trading in his S21, Google was offering $350 for while Best Buy and T-Mobile only appeared to offer $250. Interested to see how it turns out! I'm on the S23 Ultra, so don't expect to change that out for anything any time soon.

Got my wife 1, replacing the s20. Sammy only offered 200, Google 260 (255 5 hours later in the day, wth?? LOL)  My son swapped out his 7 for an 8 like Mike, he wanted a new watch anyway, so did that deal. I am on the S22 Ultra, so probably no swap out soon for me.  But have an extra line with my Note 20 Ultra. I am surprised by the hot trash offer for it. Around that 350 I think.

[Dkoellerwx]

16 hours ago, floorguy said:

But have an extra line with my Note 20 Ultra. I am surprised by the hot trash offer for it. Around that 350 I think.

Trade-ins values have really sucked for what seems like the last year. That $350 is probably a bump over what they're offering now. Seems the values have crashed again for some reason.

[Dkoellerwx]

On 10/16/2023 at 11:48 AM, Dkoellerwx said:

My dad pre-ordered from Google.

Apparently it was delivered on Monday, but he doesn't want to switch over until I'm around so I guess the review is delayed! 😂

[IrwinshereAgain]

Anyone still using this phone?  Just wondering if it is better than my aging s22.

[mikejeep]

Well it's the newest Pixel, so I'm guessing at least a few of us are out there, myself included! I have had almost every Google phone since the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 might be my all-time favorite for what it was at the time, but I love my Pixel 8. No real drawbacks for me, but I can't give a personal comparison to the S22.

[IrwinshereAgain]

My favorite is the nexus 6.  Love the form factor also.

[PedroDaGr8]

On 6/30/2024 at 7:14 AM, IrwinshereAgain said:

Anyone still using this phone?  Just wondering if it is better than my aging s22.

 My wife has a Pixel 8 Pro and has no complaints. I have an S22U and I get slightly better signal than her but 99.9% of the time, its not noticeable.