We’ve seen some good deals on Google’s Pixel and Pixel 2 handsets over the years, but Verizon and Best Buy’s latest offering might be the best yet. Right now, you can buy a 64GB Pixel 2 XL from the pair for effectively $350 — yes, that’s $500 off the retail price.
Of course, there are some caveats, provisos, a couple of quid pro quos. First, you have to purchase the phone from Best Buy; second, you have to use it on Verizon; and third, you have to spread payments over a 24-month period. Best Buy’s “instant discount” takes $200 off the asking price, and on top of that, you get $12.50 carrier bill credit from Verizon every month. Total all that up, and you’re only paying $350 for the actual phone. (Hat tip to Droid Life for spotting this.)
It’s worth noting, though, that while the Pixel 2 was one of our favorite phones last year, the Pixel 2 XL had some issues. There was a problem with image retention, where static UI elements like buttons would appear semi-permanently on the screen as ghostly shadows. In response to complaints, Google extended the warranty on the XL to two years and issued a software update that they said fixed some of the problems.
But as we wrote last year: “Those promises are good, but they don’t address other core issues on the screen: graininess and image retention that very clearly is worse than normal. Is it liveable, given that you won’t notice image retention except in particular situations? Probably, but it’s also something you should be aware of going in.”
You can check out our video review below for an overview of the Pixel 2 and XL: