Google’s Nexus line had been known for its affordability up until the search engine giant announced the Motorola-made Nexus 6 (which had a starting price of $600 or so). When Google announced the Nexus 6P, the starting price was $499 in an effort to please diehard Google fans who rebelled against the company by refraining from a purchase of the Nexus 6. Well, a new report says that the Google Pixel will start at $649 with finance options available. The Google Pixel will be priced at an even higher price (say, $750). This is not a joke, Google fans. I repeat, this is not a joke.
The source of authority for these pricing claims hails from the social media account of Android Police columnist David Ruddock, who is outspoken when it comes to high-end Android devices (Ruddock has been known for his criticisms of the LG G5 (we’ve criticized it, too) as well as the Pengate scandal surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note 5). He’s been at the forefront of all the Google Pixel leaks and the earliest renders of the devices, and he’s been delivering some news over the last few days regarding the pricing of these two devices.
On September 16th, Ruddock wrote, “Google’s big bet, apparently, is going to be in device financing options. They expect people to buy more if they can pay over time.” So, finance options don’t necessarily mandate higher price tags, but most consumers can use something like a PayPal Credit and buy from EBay if the price is affordable. Just 9 hours ago, Ruddock wrote a second comment that gives even more information than before: “Don’t know what Pixel XL will cost, unfortunately. But obviously more than $649, so at least $700+ I’m sure. That’s insanely expensive.” So, it’s easy from this tweet to assume that the Google Pixel (the 5-inch device, not the 5.5-inch Pixel XL) would cost $700 or so.
Unfortunately, you’d be wrong to just stop there, because Ruddock returned to post yet another tweet at his account that is bound to make Google fans terribly angry: “Looks like I was wrong: now hearing that regular 32GB Pixel (not XL) will start $649 in US. Straight up iPhone pricing. Wow.”
The last tweet says it all: the Google Pixel, the smaller device, not the Pixel XL, will start at $649. This is the same price for the base model iPhone 7 (not iPhone 7 Plus), so Google Pixel buyers will be expected to pay a high cost for vanilla Android, a renamed Pixel Launcher with some in-built functionality that is as of yet unknown, and a glass and metal design.
Apparently, Google has forgotten that Nexus fans are already adjusting to the Pixel branding and aren’t too fond of that (nevertheless high prices), but the perception in the smartphone market is that the higher the price, the greater the quality. Now, in many cases, this appears true (just take a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S7 Active, and Note 7), but it isn’t always the case that higher is better.
I myself have heard much about just how expensive the Galaxy devices are for 2016, but these prices will now force Google fans to stop criticizing Samsung. After all, Google Pixel buyers will be paying more for less, all the while having to find reasons to justify their high price tags. Yeah, you’ll have a device that comes Daydream VR-ready, but, unlike with Samsung’s “Galaxies,” don’t expect Google to give away any VR freebies.
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