The Pixel phones are out and about and they’re Google’s finest smartphones to date, but the press and consumer market are curious to see just what Google has in store for buyers. Sure, Pixel phone pre-orders bring a free Daydream View VR headset (an $80 value), but Google is trying to set itself up as “the Apple of Android.” Everything from the phone’s design (by HTC, by the way), to the front panel, uniform icons, and well-crafted Google services (Allo and Duo are designed to compete with Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime) are designed to show that there is an Apple-like competitor in the wonderful world of Android. With that said, the new same-day Pixel phone repair will only add to that impression if Google plays its cards right.
The search engine giant has teamed up with a company called uBreakiFix to provide same-day Pixel phone repair for Pixel phone customers. Customers who have broken screens, damaged ports, and other components in need of a quick fix can stop by any of the repair service’s 250 retail locations in the US and Canada and get their devices back to normal in no time. “We are pleased to provide Pixel customers with the quality repair service and exceptional customer experience that have come to define our brand. A broken device shouldn’t have to ruin someone’s day,” said uBreakiFix CEO and founder Justin Wetherill.
Of course, Pixel phone repair will cost you. If you have a 5-inch Pixel phone, you’ll pay $129.99 for a screen replacement; $149.99 for Pixel XL screen replacement. To replace the battery and USB-C port, you’ll pay $79 for each USB-C and battery repair. To replace the screen, battery, and USB-C port, prepare to pay around $300 for a total repair. I don’t know about you, but $300 can get you a new phone nowadays.
In any case, it’s good to see Google take this step to allow customers to stop in for a repair service. Google is even allowing Pixel phone repair orders to be sent by mail for customers who can’t access a retail location in the US or Canada. This seems to be one of those advantages Apple has had for its customers over the competition for a long time: customers have always been comfortable with the fact that they could drop by a retail store, drop their smartphone off, and have it fixed and out the door in no time. Google hasn’t provided that, however, with awkward approaches with phones as far back as the Nexus 5 in 2013 appearing in Best Buy retail locations as a way to bring its phones to the public. With the Motorola-crafted Nexus 6, Google tried to get along with Verizon but for some reason, Verizon took forever to get the Nexus 6 on its network (by the time the Nexus 6 was Verizon-compatible, customers were awaiting new phones for a new year and forgot all about it).
The Pixel phone repair isn’t cheap, but neither are the Pixel phones. For those holding out for the Pixel and Pixel XL, expect to pay $700 and $800 for these phones. Keep in mind too, that the Pixel phones are exclusive to Verizon in the US. Sure, you can buy an unlocked model that will work on Verizon and get timely updates, but Pixel phones have been selling out quickly at the Google Store — and Verizon-locked smartphones, like unlocked ones, will get timely system updates and security patches from Google, making Verizon phones the go-to source right now to grab one of these new smartphones.
Are you excited about the new Pixel phone repair service? Considering buying a Pixel phone now because of it?
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