Google is handing out Pixel 8 discounts like candy at Halloween this holiday season – bringing both the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro down to incredibly low prices. If you’ve been looking to buy a new Google smartphone, live in the US, and subscribe to some of Google’s services then check your emails – you might have a great deal waiting for you.
YouTube Premium subscribers are reportedly getting offers in their inboxes that knock $125 off the price of the Pixel 8 smartphones – though subscribers on student plans seem to be excluded. Some Google Photos subscribers in the US are reporting that they’ve also received an offer for a similar deal that knocks $100 off the price of the latest Google handsets.
What makes these deals truly fantastic instead of simply great is that they can be combined with the discounts Google is giving everyone through its store until December 18, which take $150 off the Pixel 8 and $200 off the Pixel 8 Pro. So YouTube Premium subscribers can save up to $325 on a Pixel 8 Pro – making it just $674 right now – or $275 on a regular Pixel 8 – picking it up for just $424. Google Photos users can instead buy the handsets for $699 and $449 respectively, which is slightly less cheap but still an amazing deal.
But wait, there's more
Beating them all, however, is the 40% saving being dished out to people in the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Play Points tiers that are available until the end of December (or while supplies last).
When you spend money through Android’s Play Store you earn Play Points, and if you have over 600 (which requires you to spend close to about $559 without offers or giveaways) you become a Gold tier member. If you're on this tier, open up the Play Points page in the Play Store app, go over to your Perks tab, and you should see a banner highlighting this mega saving. If you don’t you see it you can just go to playpoints.withgoogle.com/gstorediscount2023.
This discount applies to the phone’s full price, but it still ends up being the best way to buy the latest Pixel tech. What’s more, the 40% saving can also be applied to the Pixel Tablet. This means that the Pixel 8 will only cost you $419.40, the Pixel 8 Pro just $599.40, and the Pixel Tablet would be $299.40.
What’s more, while it’s unclear if new YouTube Premium and Google Photos subscribers will get those discounts if they sign up now, everyone who hits Gold tier status while the deal is still live should be able to save 40% – though Google has said it may take “a few days” for the promotion page to register that you’re eligible.
Racking up enough points will probably cost you a lot of money though – cancelling out the savings. As highlighted by u/M0_OM on Reddit, the best way to get Gold for cheap is to sign up for Google One’s 2TB tier at just $10/month. New subscriptions come with instant Gold tier access – but you’ll need to claim it in the Google One app, and it might not appear instantly.
Also before you ask, based on the comments it appears that these discounts don’t stack – so you can’t save 40% then take $125 off for being a YouTube Premium subscriber or $100 off for being a Photos user. That said, if you have all the discounts available it might still be worth double-checking just in case.
Should you buy a Google Pixel 8?
In our four-star Google Pixel 8 review we called the smartphone “a great phone” with a versatile rear camera setup that’s given a boost by impressive new Magic Editor AI tools to help you create shots not possible on other phones. That said, Pixel 7 owners won’t notice much of an upgrade.
Plus, with these mega discounts on offer, the Pro model looks like the best option for almost everyone. In our Google Pixel 8 Pro review we highlighted its better camera setup, increased RAM, bigger battery, and larger, brighter and higher-resolution screen.
The Pro oozes flagship – and at just $599.40, it’s really hard to say no.
