Discounts and gifts for bugs: Google trying to trick people into buying new Pixel phones?
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In case some of you have missed it, Google's been… very generous lately.
The irresistible offer, which I wish I had resisted, included my Pixel 6 Pro and a pair of Bose 700 headphones, worth about €350 at the time. My cousin bought a Pixel 6, and as Google was running out of Bose 700s, they switched to Bose QC 35II, which were even pricier at the time, and added a €75 Google Store voucher, exceeding €400 in value and virtually selling the Pixel 6 for €200-250, down from its original €650 price at launch, in Europe. For the record, US buyers received a free pair of Pixel Buds A with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro purchase.
Even back then, though, I thought to myself:" Why so generous, Google?". The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were already noticeably more affordable than flagship phones from Samsung and Apple, and Google's expensive gifts made it all seem almost too good to be true.
Because… it was too good to be true.
Google will pay you $200 and give you a Pixel 6A for your iPhone 13 Pro Max or $300 for an old iPhone 7, iPhone 8

Google will pay you in order to exchange your iPhone for a Pixel.
The initial idea for this story was sitting in a document for many months, and the reason I decided it was a good time to bring up the topic was another "too good to be true" set of deals that Google made available.
This time the incredible deals concern the newly-launched Google Pixel 6A. Let's take a look at some trade-in deals across Europe and the US. As of now, Sundar Pichai & Co allow you to trade in your:
- iPhone 7, iPhone 8 for up to $300 (US)
- Galaxy S10 for $300 (US)
- iPhone 4S for €90 (Europe)
- iPhone SE 2016 for €150 (Europe)
- Galaxy S9 for $175 (Europe)
- iPhone 8 for €250 (Europe)
When the Pixel 6A went up for pre-order in the US, UK, and Europe, Google gave out a pair of Pixel Buds A with it, worth 100 bucks. This offer is gone for now, but at the time, combined with some of the trade-in deals for old iPhones, this would've given you a Pixel 6A for practically $100, which is:
1. Hilarious
2. Almost suspiciously amazing
Did Google always know the Pixel 6 series was going to be problematic, and are the gifts trying to buy your happiness and patience?

Too good to be true or just good enough to make up for the bugs?
All these suspiciously amazing deals bring me to the original question I had. Are Google's incredibly generous deals and gifts a way to compensate for what the company knows to be buggy devices, or is Google just ready to sell some phones at a loss on the way to establishing itself as a serious player? Xiaomi's known to do the latter.
The first one is my perspective as a Pixel 6 Pro owner who also happens to be a tech enthusiast. I think the pair of Bose 700 headphones I received absolutely doesn't make up for the buggy phone I bought for €900, which stayed buggy for 10 whole months (things seem to be getting better with Android 13, but we'll talk about that in a future story).
My cousin, on the other hand, who, as I mentioned, paid €650 for a Pixel 6 and a pair of the latest at the time Bose QC II, was more than willing to tolerate the totally broken fingerprint reader on his Pixel 6, which Google took about a month to fix. He loves his Bose headphones and uses them all the time, so whatever Google's intention was, it seems like the gifts bought his happiness and patience. I told him he could return the phone, but he didn't want to. Despite the inconsistent performance from the Pixel 6, he thought he was getting good value.
Pixel 7 series: Is it worth pre-ordering a potentially buggy phone in exchange for a pair of earphones and a good trade-in deal?

I wouldn't risk pre-ordering another Google phone again.
I know that's a very personal and even a family-centric story, but I actually like the fact that I can work with practical examples here.
I chose the latter.
The good news for now and Google's only hope remains Android 13. As hinted above, I've installed the update on my Pixel 6 Pro, which now seems to be more stable than ever. I'll give myself another week or so just to make sure how fixed the Pixel 6 Pro is, and then I'll tell you all about it in a new story. Until then, I would think twice about Google's awesome deals.
Things that are NOT allowed: