I’ve upgraded my Pixel XL every year from the 6 to the 9 (pro). Say what you will about that financial decision. Each year I’ve told myself I only did it because it was such a “great deal” either for the sale price on the pixel or the “boosted trade-in value” from the previous.

I thought it would be fun to look at the prices for each in the context of the others and see how they varied from year to year.

Each year I bought the XL model with the lowest storage space (except the 9 pro), and pro when it was offered. Only one of the years I received a promotional item and I’ll note that. The total price is listed with tax.

Pixel 6 Pro 128gb

10/19/2021
Total: $969
Trade-in: $175 (of two year old Pixel 4XL)
Pixel Buds A: $99 (retail)
Net: $695

Pixel 7 Pro 128gb

11/7/2022
Total: $968
Trade-in: $500
Net: $468

Pixel 8 Pro 128gb

12/26/2023
Total $753
Trade-in: $315
Net: $438

Pixel 9 Pro 256gb

11/6/2024
Total: $904 (with "gold" play  points discount)
Trade-in: $699
Net: $205
Net (If I had bought the 128gb): ~$105

Originally I’d planned to keep my 8 pro another year, but looking at it this way it makes more sense why I couldn’t help myself and go with the update again.

On another note, I find it annoying the way Google plays around with “boosted trade-in values.” I get that they do a lot of sales to encourage purchases, but changing around the trade-in values to create a sense of urgency and price confusion – especially on their own phones! – seems distasteful to me. They should stick with what they think is the actual value of their phones, and admit whether they do or don’t hold that value over time.

  • BossDj@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 month ago

    I would have done the 8 to 9 if I’d gotten the offer. I actually checked hopefully haha. The fact that you’re gold says you really make use of your device, making the upgrade worth more to you than others I’d imagine.

    I like that they do favorable offers to people who support their services. I received an offer targeting Google One users, but it wasn’t as nice as yours!

  • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    3·
    1 month ago

    Trading in a P8P for $699 is wild. The Google store offers $360 in Canada. And the P9P costs CAD$1,349.

  • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 month ago

    The 8 to 9 upgrade wasn’t terribly expensive but the rest were a lot more. Do you think the individual upgrades were worth it? What were the biggest jumps in usability?

    I still think of the 4A as the last good Pixel, since it has a headphone jack. So I’ve been wondering if it can run current versions of Graphene.

    The main attraction of the 9 from my perspective is NTN (satellite) messaging, but older models might get that later. I certainly don’t want AI in my phone.

    I see there are some fairly affordable older Pixels on woot right now, particularly refurbs, but some new units too. Refurb 6 is $145 and refurb 7 is $200. New 9 Pro XL is $900, way more than I’m willing to pay. I wonder whether the older ones are basically as good if you don’t care about AI or the fanciest cameras.

    • sacbuntchris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      1 month ago

      I tell myself I do the upgrades for the camera improvements since I take a lot of pictures of my daughter.

      For 6 to 7 the biggest reason was the awful modem and I had trouble with phone calls. I was dating at the time and it was awful to have women tell me they couldn’t hear me over the phone. The phone also overheated a lot.

      If I were you I’d go with the 7. The modem wasn’t perfect but it was a lot better.

      For 7 to 8 it was the improved wide angle camera.

      For 8 to 9 it’s the improved selfie camera, improved camera zoom performance, battery life, and because it was so cheap.

  • Eeyore_Syndrome@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    3·
    1 month ago

    I’m trading in a 8Pro and a 7Pro and getting 2x 9s for $~150 🥹 because of the pre-black Friday sale.

    I had 0 plans to do this, until I saw the values. And figure it’s easier to flash new phones then my current in-use-daily-driver.

    And flashing GraphineOS on em yay.

    • sacbuntchris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      See the other comment chain, looks like you can still get the 30% off deal by signing up for Play Pass.

    • sacbuntchris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      1 month ago

      No. Knock on wood but I’m generally pretty careful with my phones and have had good experiences with support when they need a warranty replacement.