By far the biggest launch of the week was the launch of the Google Pixel 9 series. The search giant unveiled two new flagships, a new near-flagship phone, and a new foldable, all of which are currently up for pre-order.
Google and Amazon are offering store credit on Pixel 9 purchases and some accessories, like the new Buds.
The Google Pixel 9 starts at $1,100 for the base 128GB model and comes with a $150 store credit. You can also trade in your old phone – a Pixel 8 in good condition is valued at $380, a Pixel 7 at $300, a Galaxy S23 at $365. Old Apple phones have the best trade-in value, with the iPhone 15 at $520 and the 14 at $450.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL come with a free one-year subscription to Google’s premium AI plan, Gemini Advanced (normally $27 per month). Keep in mind that at the time of writing, all Pixel 9 Pro models are out of stock.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with a $275 store credit. And if you ship in an iPhone 15 Pro Max, the price is reduced by $735. The 14 Pro Max is priced at $590.
You may want to buy a case to protect your new phone — Google’s official cases are made from recycled materials (at least 42% of the total, 85% of the shell is polycarbonate). The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro are the same size, so they use the same cases; the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL has a separate case — both cost the same, $50.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets the most store credit yet, $475, and it needs it, too. Trade-ins don’t hurt either, like you can get $500 for the Pixel 8 Pro or $600 for the Galaxy Z Fold5. The Fold also gets a year of free Gemini Advanced.
Google has launched a new 45W charger, which you’ll need to get maximum charging speeds out of your Pixel 9 Pro – the old 35W charger just won’t cut it. That said, if you have a USB-PD charger you’re happy with, you can skip this step.
The new Google Pixel Watch 3 comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, rather than just 41mm like the first two models. You can have it on Wi-Fi or LTE, the latter being a $120 upgrade.
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are getting a small $40 store credit to help soften the blow of the $300 price tag. These headphones feature a first-of-its-kind Tensor A1 chip that doubles ANC performance across a 400Hz-2kHz range.
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