Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL are Both $200 Off

This is a great deal if you’re still thinking about a Google Pixel 3 or 3 XL and aren’t put off by their many reliability issues.

It’s hard to know where to start with the Pixel 3 family. So let’s just deal with the sale first: Google is currently offering the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL for $200 off from its online store, though it’s not clear how long the promotion will last. That means that the Pixel 3 now starts at $600, while the bigger (and notch-laden) Pixel 3 XL starts at $700.

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All other things being equal, these are the correct prices for these handsets. Google should not price its unreliable and poorly-selling handsets in the same range as Samsung and Apple’s far more reliable and better-configured flagships.

The issue, of course, is reliability. When I first purchased both of these handsets last Fall, I was taken aback by the numerous issues I had with both, and with the issues many others had reported. So as you may recall, I returned both and continued forward with the Pixel 2 XL, which has certainly suffered from its share of issues, too. The devil you know, I guess.

Whether you should even consider such a purchase is a personal decision, of course. I strongly advise you check out Android Police’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Bug and Issue Tracker, where you can find a complete rundown of the problems with these handsets, which issues have been fixed, which will be fixed, and which—sadly—Google refuses to fix.

For me, personally, the remaining issues—stereo speaker imbalance (which will never be fixed), the speaker sound distortion, call quality issues, and more—are still too problematic for me to ever consider one of these phones. Plus, the hardware is out of date: Phones based on newer Qualcomm chipsets are already starting to ship as we move into a new smartphone season, and the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are both bogged down by having too little RAM.

Is there some price point at which I’d reconsider? Barring any form of insane pricing, no, not really. The Pixel 2 XL delivers 90-95 percent of the camera quality found in the Pixel 3s, and mine is all paid for. If something happens to it, and the Pixel 3 prices remain low, I could think about it at that point. Maybe.

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Conversation 10 comments

  • per

    Premium Member
    23 February, 2019 - 1:29 pm

    <p>Thanks Paul for the notice. I bought my 3XL on Black Friday and have been waiting for the $200 discount to recur. I haven't had any of the issues, having even measured the dB of the speakers, so I am recommending Pixel to friends.</p><p><br></p><p>I am hoping you'd have a chance to give Pixel 3 another try, as it is excellent and my first phone that will 'replace' my DSLR on trips abroad. Could it be that the initial production runs have hickups? Although, that doesn't explain your trouble with the replacement Pixel 2XLs.</p>

  • StevenLayton

    23 February, 2019 - 1:38 pm

    <p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Obligatory "Doh, not in the UK" post ;)</span></p><h3><br></h3><p><br></p>

  • bhatech

    23 February, 2019 - 3:14 pm

    <p>Right price and still feel they are one of the best Android phones personally since I do like my regular platform, security updates and the great cameras. Sure they are not Samsung and Apple but at this price as you did it's great deal.</p>

  • yoshi

    Premium Member
    23 February, 2019 - 5:14 pm

    <p>I ended up pulling the trigger on the Best Buy deal today. It's the last day of it. I'm only a few hours in, so it's tough to say if I'll encounter many of the issues I had at launch. </p><p><br></p><p>We'll see how I feel in a few days. </p>

  • Bats

    24 February, 2019 - 12:31 am

    <p>I have had this phone since Black Friday 2018, when I got it this about $400. Actually I got even less thanks to Ebates. </p><p><br></p><p>I have experienced NO Reliability issues with it whatsoever. LOL…..after reading all the things that the early adopters blogged about…….LOL…….I have experienced nothing. It's a great phone. To be honest, I don't feel that the technology and the experience of the Pixel 3 XL is worthy of a necessary upgrade. If there is an upgrade, then it's very slight. The only real upgrades that I truly notice are these:</p><p><br></p><ol><li>A more responsive Google Assistant</li><li>Google Pay is much faster to make payments</li><li>Noticeably much better battery life</li><li>The sound volume is much louder and clearer than before ( by alot )</li></ol><p><br></p><p>The 4th point, I know, is rather peculiar for some because I read and know about the problems. However, I have never experienced it. At full volume watching Youtube TV is superloud and clear. </p><p><br></p><p>It's just so funny. I remember watching all the Youtube videos of these "so-called" expert phone users with their silly little problems and it left me scratching my head. For example the memory management issue. I remember one blogger/vlogger was complaining that when he has 20 apps open at a time,….. when he re-opens the app……the app refreshes. LOL…..first of all, I'm like "Who the heck opens ups hundred apps like that?" Even if some non-tech person and experienced the same thing the vlogger experienced, he/she wouldn't care as long as the page loads. It's these stupid little things that made me decide that if I can get the phone, then I'll get the phone. </p><p><br></p><p>Why did I upgrade to this phone? Simple. My dad needed an upgrade from his Samsung Galaxy S6 and I was very happy assist (LOL). He is now a very happy owner of shiny and bright Google Pixel 2 XL. I have more good news for him too. There's a good chance that he's gonna get Google Pixel 3 XL this Black Friday 2019 (LOL). </p>

  • Craig Jackson

    24 February, 2019 - 8:05 am

    <p>It's a solid phone which I am having zero issues with at all</p>

  • mikefarinha

    24 February, 2019 - 9:44 am

    <p>Echoing what others have said… I got Pixel 3's for my wife an I last black Friday and they have been reliable. The only issue I've encountered is when taking video sometimes it stutters at the beginning and looses some frames… that issue is now much better than it was. Other than that this is by far the best Android phone I've had since I switched to the platform a bit over a year ago. As a bonus the 'screen call' feature built into the dialer is a nice feature to combat all the spam calls these days.</p>

  • red.radar

    Premium Member
    24 February, 2019 - 6:25 pm

    <p>If I was on Android, I would scoop this up. The camera..</p>

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    25 February, 2019 - 10:14 am

    <p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><em>"many reliability issues"</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>As of 2/25, I've not experienced any issues beyond camera lag, mainly went entering the app with the double power button press. And that is the same issue I had on the 2 XL. </p><p><br></p><p>I do choose the Pixel 3 XL for the camera. If I had another choice, it would be the Note 9. Just all around awesome phone, powerful, feature packed and I use the S-Pen. Samsung's cameras are just so very overrated. I battle over-saturation, blurry shots, slightly cumbersome portrait mode, camera app lockups. </p><p><br></p><p>Samsung makes great hardware (still use their Galaxy Watch with my Pixel 3 XL) but until their camera performs as good as a Pixel, I'll hang on to the Pixel. </p>

    • yoshi

      Premium Member
      25 February, 2019 - 11:28 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#407074">In reply to wolters:</a></em></blockquote><p>So far, so good here too. I had returned my Pixel at launch, but got another one on Saturday. Seems that they fixed the issues I had before. The camera app does lag a bit when opening though, which is disappointing. But the pictures are outstanding as expected.</p><p><br></p><p>It's still early, but so far I'm enjoying it.</p>

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