After giving away vouchers for money off the Pixel 8 in December, and discounting the upfront price in January and February, Google is running yet another major sale.
The company has slashed the price of the Pixel 8 by £100 ($127) and the Pixel 8 Pro by £150 ($190.84). This is part of Google’s spring sale, which is also currently running in the U.S. The company has reserved the biggest savings for American shoppers, knocking $200 and $250 off the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro respectively.
This story was republished on March 21st. Update below.
It’s not just the Pixel phones that are on sale in the U.K. The Google Pixel Watch 2 (£50 /$63.61 off), The Pixel Buds Pro (£69 / $87.78 off), the Pixel Tablet (£120 /$152.67 off) and the Pixel 7a (£120 / $152.67 off) have been discounted too.
That Pixel 7a discount is particularly good because it brings the overall price down to £329 ($418.57), which is a steal for a still technically accomplished phone with Google’s impressive camera technology. Check out my review here. The reason for the Pixel 7a’s price being slashed by more than the Pixel 8’s, is likely because Google is planning to release the Pixel 8a imminently.
The new handset recently received FCC certification and Google announced its I/O developer conference will be taking place on May 14th. The 7a was launched at last year’s I/O event. Google is likely clearing stock before the new device takes center stage, so this is the best time to get a brand-new Pixel phone for cheap directly from the company.
Google isn’t the only company cleaning out its warehouse, Motorola is also running a major sale right now ahead of upcoming spring launches. The company launched the deals in early March, which saw up to $300 off major devices like its foldable Razr phone. Motorola then extended the sale for St Patrick’s Day with similar sale prices. That ended on March 17th, but it looks like the company still has most of its devices discounted according to the website.
Samsung has also discounted its Galaxy S24 range by 10% when buyers use the code “7Days” at checkout, which ends today. The Korean company is letting shoppers stack vouchers for bigger savings. If U.K. deal hunters buy the Galaxy S24 through Samsung’s shopping app and use the long-running “APP5” code, they will get a further 5% off the final price.
Samsung is isn’t shy about competing with other smartphone makers by aggressively pricing its latest devices. After the Pixel 8a launches, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the rumored Galaxy S24 FE make a sudden appearance, alongside high trade-in prices and heavy pre-order discounts.
Update: If you’re planning on picking up that Pixel 7a deal, your buying decision just got easier. Thanks to a major Pixel 8a leak, via Android Authority, we now have some details about the new handset’s specifications.
According to Android Authority’s sources, the Pixel 8a will have a 120Hz refresh rate display, up from 90Hz on the 7a. That should mean a smoother display experience, particularly when it comes to navigating around the device. The screen is also slightly larger than the Pixel 8 at 6.2-inches (versus the 6.1-inch Pixel 8 base unit). It also has a 1080 x 2400 resolution and a max brightness of 1400 nits of brightness with HDR.
As expected, the Tensor G3 chipset will be powering the 8a. But it won’t be the exact same processor in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro because it uses a cheaper packaging technology, which may impact heat and performance. The camera sensor loadout is also the same on the 8a as it was on the 7a, which includes a 64MP main camera, 13MP ultra-wide and a 13MP selfie snapper. The processor and display are the clear major upgrades here, but what we’re still missing is the price. We’ll know more in a couple of months.