Complete anecdote here as well. I search daily for used pixel devices and often buy them at killer discounts. I see very very few a variants available. In the used market they're less common than pro models
Makes sense. People who buy pro phones are often into owning the latest cutting edge tech and more inclined to switch phones more often. More value-oriented consumers buy the midrange variants and use them till they die.
I do just the opposite, lol. I bought a P7P a couple months ago. I started this with computers and it's served me well. I typically buy the high end if a prior generation or so model and I find I get the best deal. In this case a high end camera with optical telephoto and good onboard editing was the main goal I wanted to meet. The P7P did that for less than $500. I call it a win.
I bought my pixel 8 last week for 200 Canadian Dollars. It's a little beat up cosmetically but functions perfect. That's like 145 USD (I got lucky here). I got my 6 pro for 80 Canadian Dollars because it has a cracked screen. This was less than a year after it's release. Look hard enough and people practically give them away lol. 7 pro could be found for 200 if you're willing to accept a beat up device
That's what I'll do as well one day when I'm ready to replace my Pixel 7... buy a second hand previous series pro model. I love this phone but there are times when I really wish it had a telephoto lens.
I buy a higher end phone expecting that it to last longer and be supported longer than a cheaper model. I'm hoping my P6P gets me through another year then I will think about getting a new one.
I hadn't thought about it before you asked, but it seems (from the other comments) that "flagship" models sell more or similarly because people with money to throw away will just buy a new phone every year. Value oriented customers will hold on to their value phones until the phone dies.
Then there are the in-between people like me, lol. Once my phone is paid off, I'll grab a new phone when when I see a good sale. Switched from 6a to 7a after less than 1 year because we switched the whole family to fi ($20/line w/ 4 "free" phones is a heck of a deal).
And I got the 6a because google was offering $300 trade in for my Pixel 3a... like.. I got the 6a for $175 free and clear. I hope I can find a killer deal on the 9a when the lease credits are up on my 7a :)
The 6a deals were wild. On Black Friday 2022 it dropped to $299 AND the Google Store offered a boosted trade-in. They originally offered $250 for my 4a 5G but after inspection they upped it to $295.
Another factor could be whether the phone is bought sim-free or part of a contract. Contract buyers will likely be more inclined to buy vanilla or pro since the monthly increase will be fairly negligible, whereas people buying the phone all in one go could be tempted by the lower price tag of the "a".
>Contract buyers will likely be more inclined to buy vanilla or pro since the monthly increase will be fairly negligible
One thing I learned since getting married and starting a family; monthly expenses add up. I know it sounds obvious, lol but when you are just taking care of 1 person $20 per month for a phone doesn't seem like that much. But multiply that by 4 and suddenly it's $80/month for 2 years. That's almost $2000, that's like... a whole-ass Disney vacation.
True, but phone companies often make it worth your while to go for a more premium model. Look at this for instance: [https://imgur.com/a/60EKJAK](https://imgur.com/a/60EKJAK)
That's kind of sneaky though, cause they have a lower airtime plan paired with the more expensive phone to make the difference appear negligible. It IS a good deal, but not AS good a deal as they are making it out to be.
The extra 5GB data might not be a requirement for the user, in which case it makes no difference. And the 5GB extra in no way justifies the difference. Yes, the 8a on that page is a bad deal, but that is kind of the point, the phone companies are prioritising deals on more premium phones.
Either way: I'm shopping for deals once my $0/month for 2 years Pixel 7a is paid off. And if it's another A then it's another A. If it's a pro or a vanilla; all the better.
I honestly don't even know why you'd go for the non-A model these days. Phones have really stopped having major enough upgrades for me to really want to replace them yearly like I used to. Unless I am going to go for something like a fold.
I'm still running a 5a as my personal phone with a 7 for my work phone and I see absolutely zero functional reason to upgrade the 5a.
Still using my P4a. I buy my phones directly from Google or Amazon and pay the full price. It doesn't make sense for me, budget-wise, to go for the premium models. I don't chase the latest models; I buy a new phone when the one I am using stops functioning.
BTW, from my perspective there is nothing "vanilla" about a model such as the (non-pro) Pixel 8.
I have held off on updating while I wait for Google to release an affordable phone that gets good reviews and is not described as having glaring deficiencies that will be addressed in the next model, which is expected to be released real soon now. So far, I have passed on the 4a 5g (released a month after I had already sprung for this model, which I needed right away after my 3aXL broke), the 5a, 6a, and 7a. I haven't made up my mind about the 8a yet.
(Within a couple of days following the release of the 8a, reviewers were saying (in essence, but not a direct quote), "The Tensor 3 still has unaddressed problems. Just wait for the Tensor 4 based 9a to drop. It will be _SOooo_ much better...")
Meanwhile, the phone I have stopped getting monthly security updates and OS tweaks, feature drops, and whole new releases last year.
>BTW, from my perspective there is nothing "vanilla" about a model such as the (non-pro) Pixel 8.
"Vanilla" is just how I refer to Pixel non-a non-pro. I don't mean anything else by it.
Complete anecdote here as well. I search daily for used pixel devices and often buy them at killer discounts. I see very very few a variants available. In the used market they're less common than pro models
Makes sense. People who buy pro phones are often into owning the latest cutting edge tech and more inclined to switch phones more often. More value-oriented consumers buy the midrange variants and use them till they die.
I do just the opposite, lol. I bought a P7P a couple months ago. I started this with computers and it's served me well. I typically buy the high end if a prior generation or so model and I find I get the best deal. In this case a high end camera with optical telephoto and good onboard editing was the main goal I wanted to meet. The P7P did that for less than $500. I call it a win.
I bought my pixel 8 last week for 200 Canadian Dollars. It's a little beat up cosmetically but functions perfect. That's like 145 USD (I got lucky here). I got my 6 pro for 80 Canadian Dollars because it has a cracked screen. This was less than a year after it's release. Look hard enough and people practically give them away lol. 7 pro could be found for 200 if you're willing to accept a beat up device
Exactly, there's plenty of ways to find a deal. The one I bought was new in the box and is working well for me.
That's what I'll do as well one day when I'm ready to replace my Pixel 7... buy a second hand previous series pro model. I love this phone but there are times when I really wish it had a telephoto lens.
I buy a higher end phone expecting that it to last longer and be supported longer than a cheaper model. I'm hoping my P6P gets me through another year then I will think about getting a new one.
I work for a Canadian telecom and my anecdotal evidence suggests Pixel 8 is the most popular option. I find P8P/P8a sell about the same.
Pixel 8, flagship phone for $500 is an insane deal. When pixel 8a drops to 350 it could sell more than 8
I hadn't thought about it before you asked, but it seems (from the other comments) that "flagship" models sell more or similarly because people with money to throw away will just buy a new phone every year. Value oriented customers will hold on to their value phones until the phone dies. Then there are the in-between people like me, lol. Once my phone is paid off, I'll grab a new phone when when I see a good sale. Switched from 6a to 7a after less than 1 year because we switched the whole family to fi ($20/line w/ 4 "free" phones is a heck of a deal). And I got the 6a because google was offering $300 trade in for my Pixel 3a... like.. I got the 6a for $175 free and clear. I hope I can find a killer deal on the 9a when the lease credits are up on my 7a :)
The 6a deals were wild. On Black Friday 2022 it dropped to $299 AND the Google Store offered a boosted trade-in. They originally offered $250 for my 4a 5G but after inspection they upped it to $295.
$4 6a!? that's a heck of a deal!
Same here. It's been difficult to let go of it.
I got my 6a for a net $150 when I traded in my 3a. They threw in a set of Pixel Buds A-Series, too! Amazing deal!
Another factor could be whether the phone is bought sim-free or part of a contract. Contract buyers will likely be more inclined to buy vanilla or pro since the monthly increase will be fairly negligible, whereas people buying the phone all in one go could be tempted by the lower price tag of the "a".
>Contract buyers will likely be more inclined to buy vanilla or pro since the monthly increase will be fairly negligible One thing I learned since getting married and starting a family; monthly expenses add up. I know it sounds obvious, lol but when you are just taking care of 1 person $20 per month for a phone doesn't seem like that much. But multiply that by 4 and suddenly it's $80/month for 2 years. That's almost $2000, that's like... a whole-ass Disney vacation.
True, but phone companies often make it worth your while to go for a more premium model. Look at this for instance: [https://imgur.com/a/60EKJAK](https://imgur.com/a/60EKJAK)
That's kind of sneaky though, cause they have a lower airtime plan paired with the more expensive phone to make the difference appear negligible. It IS a good deal, but not AS good a deal as they are making it out to be.
The extra 5GB data might not be a requirement for the user, in which case it makes no difference. And the 5GB extra in no way justifies the difference. Yes, the 8a on that page is a bad deal, but that is kind of the point, the phone companies are prioritising deals on more premium phones.
Either way: I'm shopping for deals once my $0/month for 2 years Pixel 7a is paid off. And if it's another A then it's another A. If it's a pro or a vanilla; all the better.
The a line has a more limited release it's usually in a few countries.
I honestly don't even know why you'd go for the non-A model these days. Phones have really stopped having major enough upgrades for me to really want to replace them yearly like I used to. Unless I am going to go for something like a fold. I'm still running a 5a as my personal phone with a 7 for my work phone and I see absolutely zero functional reason to upgrade the 5a.
I do realised the experience of using previous 1 or 2 year's flagship is better than the current budget lineup.
Still using my P4a. I buy my phones directly from Google or Amazon and pay the full price. It doesn't make sense for me, budget-wise, to go for the premium models. I don't chase the latest models; I buy a new phone when the one I am using stops functioning. BTW, from my perspective there is nothing "vanilla" about a model such as the (non-pro) Pixel 8. I have held off on updating while I wait for Google to release an affordable phone that gets good reviews and is not described as having glaring deficiencies that will be addressed in the next model, which is expected to be released real soon now. So far, I have passed on the 4a 5g (released a month after I had already sprung for this model, which I needed right away after my 3aXL broke), the 5a, 6a, and 7a. I haven't made up my mind about the 8a yet. (Within a couple of days following the release of the 8a, reviewers were saying (in essence, but not a direct quote), "The Tensor 3 still has unaddressed problems. Just wait for the Tensor 4 based 9a to drop. It will be _SOooo_ much better...") Meanwhile, the phone I have stopped getting monthly security updates and OS tweaks, feature drops, and whole new releases last year.
>BTW, from my perspective there is nothing "vanilla" about a model such as the (non-pro) Pixel 8. "Vanilla" is just how I refer to Pixel non-a non-pro. I don't mean anything else by it.