Several commentators in last week’s poll have pre-ordered one of the new Pixels – the 2022 models have proven to be very popular, or at least loved. Google may be right to set a record for Pixel 7 units.
If you want one, but haven’t pre-ordered one, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro (and Pixel Watch) are now available for direct purchase. You’ll find pricing details in this post (note: it looks like the 512GB Pixel 7 Pro isn’t available in Europe for some reason).
A Pixel 6 survey last year showed that there are plenty of potential buyers of Google phones, but the company doesn’t have the retail footprint of other major smartphone makers, so many fans can’t buy the Pixel locally. Things are a little better this year as the phones are officially available in more countries.
Interestingly, there is no clear favorite – both the 7 and the 7 Pro have an approval rating of 67%. The cheaper model has its proponents like the bigger, more expensive model and no one is stuck in the question “this or maybe this…”. Perhaps other companies can learn something about not over-saturating the market with dozens of nearly identical phones.
Also, Google did not raise European prices compared to last year (unlike Apple) and this did not escape the notice of fans.
Not everyone is convinced that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are a big enough upgrade over the 6 and 6 Pro. However, Google accepts trade-offs — a 128GB Pixel 7, for example, costs $600, but you can get $440 for a Pixel 6 (also 128GB) if it’s in good shape. This makes the upgrade only $160. In Europe, the equation doesn’t look quite as good, €650 – €300 = €350 for the same Pixel 6 to Pixel 7 trade, but it’s still a decent discount.
Phones from other brands are also accepted of course, for example, the iPhone 12 Pro (128 GB) is $620 / €620, which is more than the base Pixel 6 costs in the US (and almost the same as in Europe).
The Pixel 6 series’ positive reception didn’t lead to record sales for the Pixel family, but the numbers rebounded from the Pixel 5. The Pixel 7 duo received a warm welcome as well and could become even more popular.
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