Pixel 7 about to crush Galaxy and iPhone as Samsung and Apple roll the red carpet for Google?

It's now been nearly 11 months since the launch of the much anticipated Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro flagships, which were meant to be "Android's iPhone". We (and by "we" I mean me) were expecting a duo of flagship devices that can do everything more expensive phones from Samsung and Apple could do, but just as reliably (if not even more reliably) and at a better price! You know - because Google makes Android and because that's what Google promised.

Unfortunately, to everyone's shock, instead of becoming Android's iPhone (read: a reliable phone with great software support that you can count on), the Pixel 6 series turned into one of Android's least stable and, therefore, hardest to recommend flagship phones in 2021-2022.

If you bought a Pixel 6 longer than a month ago, you already know exactly what I'm talking about, and if you didn't, you've surely read the hundreds of stories (not exaggerating) about the various hardware and software bugs that troubled the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro for nearly a year! A year. I repeat - a year. Who would be happy with a $900 phone that only became reliable nearly a year after its launch? Certainly not me.

Apology gifts! Should Google offer Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners a special discount/trade-in deal on Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro?

As you might know, the Pixel 6 bugs are now mostly ironed out thanks to Android 13 (some battery drain issues persist, but at this point, it's a given that Google's flagships underperform when it comes to battery life).

Anyway, given that it took Google almost a whole year to turn the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro into the reliable smartphones they were meant to be from day one, wouldn't it be fair if the company offered those who bought Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro a special "apology gift deal" on the soon to be released Pixel 7 phones?

Right now, Google's trade-in deals for Pixel 5 owners who want to buy a Pixel 6 Pro aren't so great:

• Trading in a Pixel 5 to purchase a Pixel 6 Pro in the US gets you a $347 discount
• Trading in a Pixel 5 to purchase a Pixel 6 Pro in the UK gets you a £200 discount
• Trading in a Pixel 5 to purchase a Pixel 6 Pro in Europe (Germany) gets you a €290 discount

Sure, that's not an apples-to-apples comparison since the Pixel 5 is older and not even part of Google's revamped phone design language. However, if the discounts for Pixel 6 owners who'd like to buy a Pixel 7 are similar, I don't think that'd be fair to those who've had to endure so many bugs for so long. That's, of course, if those customers want to upgrade to another Google phone in the first place.

Google must keep Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro prices unchanged; follow Samsung's example of amazing trade-in deals

Anyway, probably the best example when it comes to trade-in deals in the smartphone industry is Samsung, and perhaps Google could take some inspiration from the South Korean company.

For example, at the moment, Samsung is ready to take off $900 of your Galaxy Z Fold 4 purchase price for trading in a Galaxy Z Fold 3 or a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Moreover, you can save $800 if you trade in the two-generations-old Galaxy Z Fold 2 or Galaxy S21+, which is just… remarkable as far as trade-in deals are concerned.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro trade-in deal for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners

Now, to the big question - how big of a discount should Google offer to those Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro owners who've had to deal with broken fingerprint readers, poor battery life, dysfunctional adaptive brightness, display freezing, bad signal, and a bunch of other smaller bugs all throughout 2021-2022?

Of course, there isn't a perfect way of "measuring" this, but if you ask me (as a Pixel 6 Pro owner from day one), I'd appreciate a generous trade-in deal. So, here’s how I imagine such a deal might look like:

• Trading in a Pixel 6 to purchase a Pixel 7 could get you a $400 discount (or the equivalent based on your region)
• Trading in a Pixel 6 Pro to purchase a Pixel 7 Pro could get you a $600 discount (or the equivalent based on your region)

Sure, that's a discount equivalent to 2/3 of the value of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, but I don't think it's too big of a price to pay for Google...

As a company that doesn't rely on selling phones to make most of its profits, and as a phone-maker that's now trying to attract existing Apple and Samsung users, as well as keep its existing Pixel fanbase (remember, these are people who are now doubting Google's ability to make reliable flagship phone), Google doesn't have much to lose here. In fact, Sundar Pichai & Co should be doing everything to retain and attract users right now.

That's, of course, if Google keeps the same (amazing) $600 and $900 prices for Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. This might prove somewhat challenging in today's economic climate, but if there's one company that can resist increasing phone prices, that's Google.

Sky-high iPhone 14 prices around the world and canceled Note 22 and S22 FE flagships - Google's golden ticket to record-breaking Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro sales?

As you might know, although iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro prices in the US, Canada, and China are unchanged compared to last year, Cupertino's brand new flagship phones are significantly more expensive around the rest of the world! That includes some of Google's target markets, such as the UK and Germany, where the iPhone 14 series is 15% more expensive.