will people really shell out almost $1,000 for a Pixel XL with 128gb? ($947 after tax)

[ladybrown35]

I always buy phones at full price and the price is in line with majority of other phones available. I just spent 950 on the Note 7 which has no resale value and it's only a couple months old due to the recall and all of that and frankly I don't want it anymore either. The price doesn't bother me I just don't want to pre order anything ever again so I will head to Verizon once the phone has been released.

 

[LailaAK]

Thought the V20 was going to start at $650?

if you can wait 3 to 5 months, I'm pretty sure the V20 will go down to $349, perhaps even lower.
(based on past history with G4, G5, V10)

 

[FlyBri]

Re: will people really shell out $869 for a Pixel XL with 128gb?

Quote Originally Posted by Joe the Insider
"I just did. It was an easy decision. It's got better specs than any phone available, Completely unlocked plus you get Daydream VR included. Goodbye Note 7 and IPhone 7P"

It's got SOME better specs (processor), maybe camera, by a small margin, so for that -- maybe 5%, 10% if you're being generous. But then it loses on other specs -- no SD card, no water resistance, no wireless charging, etc.

So based on your reasoning, in general, it's FAR from an easy decision. Glad it was an easy decision for you though.

 

[FlyBri]

They are premium priced becasue they are premium phones!

Pixel = $650

Pre-order and get a free Daydream ($80 value) PLUS you get free unlimited high resolution storage for photos and video (including 4K video) now depending on how much you use this it could be an astronomical value.. A TB of drive space cost $10 a month.. Times that by lets say 2 years of phone ownership and that's $240 value right there alone..

I don't get the hate. Do people act like this when Samsung releases a $800 phone? If they do, I hardly ever see it...

Oh well.. To each their own! I haz one pre-ordered and I am pumped!

I'll explain it to you. Specs, while premium, don't blow the competition out of the water. And compared to Samsung phones, the Pixel lacks SD card support, wireless charging, water resistance, and for the Note 7, pen support. That's why there is less backlash against Samsung in that regard. To many, the Pixel has nice specs, and what seems to be a very good camera, and that's it. Nothing else is head-and-shoulders above a Samsung phone, it lacks features Samsung phones have, yet in many instances it costs almost the same or more than a Samsung phone.

The Snapdragon 821 is, at most, 10% faster than the 820, and it looks like Google is clocking it down, so it'll probably be less than 10% faster or so (maybe 5%), so really not a big improvement at all, and most likely unnoticeable for the vast majority of users.

Yes, the Pixel comes with a Daydream VR headset, which is nice, but a lot of people won't care about that too much. The unlimited full res storage is nice, but for some people they already have enough cloud storage, For example, I have terabytes of OneDrive storage included with my Office 365 subscription, so I'm already good to go. Amazon Prime also offers good storage options included with the Prime subscription, or you can get full unlimited storage for $60/year, which is half the cost you quoted.

I have a phone (Axon 7), which shares a lot of what the Pixel has (or is extremely close) spec wise, but also has some features the Pixel lacks (dual-sim/SD card support, dual front facing speakers, for example), and literally costs less than half of the comparable Pixel XL config.

So is the Pixel worth more money arguably? Yes. Does it have value-add? Yes -- more for some people, less, or none, for others. But I think it can be easily argued that for many people, there is little to no value-add, and for whatever value-add there is, it's not worth the price that is being charged.

 

[Clocks]

Thought the V20 was going to start at $650?

I just read $830?

 

[Markxmlx]

I assume Google can get at least 1 in 10,000 iPhones users to buy the Pixel?

Maybe. It depends on how seriously they take advertising. Given the price I assume they're going all in with advertising and since some newspapers have full page advertisements for the phone displayed I believe that I am assuming correctly.

I hope it does well. I've always wanted to see a vertically integrated Google phone (Nexus phones were never as vertically integrated as this).

 

[LailaAK]

Maybe. It depends on how seriously they take advertising. Given the price I assume they're going all in with advertising and since some newspapers have full page advertisements for the phone displayed I believe that I am assuming correctly.

I hope it does well. I've always wanted to see a vertically integrated Google phone (Nexus phones were never as vertically integrated as this).

My local Verizon store has already cleared out a space between the Samsung and Moto phones. The ixel will be on display in the far dark corner of the store... at least it will be between Moto Z and S7 edge. (near the Verizon self-pay machine) This space was formerly occupied by the discontinued LG V10. In contrast, the iPhones/iPads alwasy occupy the bright corner next to a corner window, two feet from the store entrance. The store manager said the display Pixel phones should be here by the last week of October.

 

[Tbayrgs]

Well, count me as one of those longtime iPhone users who pulled the trigger on the Pixel--bought a black XL 128GB right after the keynote ended. I've also had a half dozen Android phones dating back to the Galaxy Nexus, always favored the Google flavor (stock vanilla until the Pixel's version) but was always disappointed with some aspect of the Nexus hardware (my Nexus 6P came the closest). I'm personally glad to see Google try to make hardware that best fits its idea of what Android should be and can't wait for my Pixel.

 

[badMojo69]

Well, count me as one of those longtime iPhone users who pulled the trigger on the Pixel--bought a black XL 128GB right after the keynote ended. I've also had a half dozen Android phones dating back to the Galaxy Nexus, always favored the Google flavor (stock vanilla until the Pixel's version) but was always disappointed with some aspect of the Nexus hardware (my Nexus 6P came the closest). I'm personally glad to see Google try to make hardware that best fits its idea of what Android should be and can't wait for my Pixel.

I'll keep an eye on you to see if you keep it past 14 days.

 

[raqball]

Well, count me as one of those longtime iPhone users who pulled the trigger on the Pixel--bought a black XL 128GB right after the keynote ended. I've also had a half dozen Android phones dating back to the Galaxy Nexus, always favored the Google flavor (stock vanilla until the Pixel's version) but was always disappointed with some aspect of the Nexus hardware (my Nexus 6P came the closest). I'm personally glad to see Google try to make hardware that best fits its idea of what Android should be and can't wait for my Pixel.

Congrats! I am super excited for mine.. I had the iPhone 7 for a week before I returned it.. The phone was okay but I was not diggin iOS 10 and that new home button was terrible..

Don't mind all the negative nancys here, I am sure you will dig it..

 

[Tbayrgs]

I'll keep an eye on you to see if you keep it past 14 days.

I very well might return it...but it likely won't be because of the price but rather the overall experience.

I put heavy emphasis on timely software updates, reliability and company support and I'm long past dealing with custom ROMs and tweaking the minutia of my phone...don't have the free time I used to. While devices like the OnePlus 3 offer comparable specs for far less or the Galaxy S7e may have more features (i.e. waterproof, wireless charging), I don't trust OnePlus as far as I can throw 'em, really dislike Samsung's interpretation of 'software' and failure to sell unlocked, carrier free devices in the US and like to know I'll see timely updates for a couple years vs. the chance my software won't ever be updated.

I'll put the Pixel XL through it's paces for two weeks and if it doesn't stand up to my experience with the 6s+ or doesn't offer enough on top of what I get with the 6P, it'll go back. But I don't see the value in ******** about it before it's even out.

I certainly don't begrudge anyone who sees it differently...buy and use what appeals to your preferences.

 

[badMojo69]

I very well might return it...but it likely won't be because of the price but rather the overall experience.

I put heavy emphasis on timely software updates, reliability and company support and I'm long past dealing with custom ROMs and tweaking the minutia of my phone...don't have the free time I used to. While devices like the OnePlus 3 offer comparable specs for far less or the Galaxy S7e may have more features (i.e. waterproof, wireless charging), I don't trust OnePlus as far as I can throw 'em, really dislike Samsung's interpretation of 'software' and failure to sell unlocked, carrier free devices in the US and like to know I'll see timely updates for a couple years vs. the chance my software won't ever be updated.

I'll put the Pixel XL through it's paces for two weeks and if it doesn't stand up to my experience with the 6s+ or doesn't offer enough on top of what I get with the 6P, it'll go back. But I don't see the value in ******** about it before it's even out.

I certainly don't begrudge anyone who sees it differently...buy and use what appeals to your preferences.

Well....Samsung Galaxy S7, 32GB, (Unlocked), Black Onyx Phones - SM-G930UZKAXAA | Samsung US

 

[raqball]

If you buy a Samsung make sure they include one of these as well:

Rumor has it this will be included in place of the promo SD card / VR with all future Samsung purchases...

 

[Tbayrgs]

Well....Samsung Galaxy S7, 32GB, (Unlocked), Black Onyx Phones - SM-G930UZKAXAA | Samsung US

Yup, and if I recall correctly, it wasn't available until at least 3-4 months after initial release. Not acceptable, IMO.

 

[Feldon]

Re: Where is Google going with the Pixel?

From first hearing about these phone my main thought was "Google is pulling an apple", then the thought"is that a bad thing?" . The main criticism android gets is fragmentation, so maybe this is Google trying to say This is android and how it should be.

It's now been announced that Verizon will control software updates and preinstalled software, so not sure how this is "android how it should be".

 

[mrsafety7]

Single people maybe.... married people he'll no!

will people really shell out almost $1,000 for a Pixel XL with 128gb? ($947 after tax)

that sounds a little insane to me...

 

[Trilla585]

Only the diehard Android heads will drop almost a g for this new phone. Which is too expensive for me. I'll stick to my v10 for now. Besides it's numerous affordable options on the market currently.

 

[Roostaapp]

Re: will people really shell out $869 for a Pixel XL with 128gb?

I always thought the main attraction to android phones is that they are much cheaper than iphones! i recently bought a nexus 5x and really enjoying it! nice ergonomics and it was very cheap in comparison to iphone! i think iphone will die out soon the new update is terrible and the new phone is so unimaginative!

 

[Aquila]

Re: will people really shell out $869 for a Pixel XL with 128gb?

I always thought the main attraction to android phones is that they are much cheaper than iphones! i recently bought a nexus 5x and really enjoying it! nice ergonomics and it was very cheap in comparison to iphone! i think iphone will die out soon the new update is terrible and the new phone is so unimaginative!

That's previously the reason for the global market share command that Android has, cheaper prices for budget devices. Flagship progress have always been similar between the two systems except when OEMs like moto rocked the boat.

 

[bsannes]

Re: Where is Google going with the Pixel?

It's now been announced that Verizon will control software updates and preinstalled software, so not sure how this is "android how it should be".

Yeah I posted that before I heard about that. I feel Google dropped the ball on that one. Verizon has gotten better with updates, my S7 has had constant updates since launch, true not major updates but security updates have been good. I just hope the did some sort of contracts on the updates where verizon can test them for some time period but they have to push them out before the time period is up, one can dream right?