Trade-in in Germany on Google Store page:
- Pixel 6 Pro 256gb ($999 on release) - 235€
- iPhone 13 Pro 256gb ($1099 on release) - 730€
While I am partial to Googles line of phones (had pretty much every Google phone since the nexus one), the loss of value is something I cannot really ignore any more when deciding to buy a phone.
My last flagship phone was a Google Nexus 6P where the base model was $499. Amazing phone, too bad after 3 years it had a battery issue but the manufacturer gave me a new one.
But the thing is: it was $499.
That was the greatest thing about the Nexus lines - good hardware (maybe not the latest SOC) with regular updates and a good OS experience. I miss those phones.
Google with the Pixels went full goofy mode. I'm not paying 1.140€ for a phone. I have a Huawei P10 that's still running smoothly, just the battery is getting tired... so maybe ill get one of those Pixel 6 Pro :)
But Google pushed away a lot of the Nexus user base, who were hyped every year for the new Nexus.
When Google sells a Pixel 8 Pro for $999, they’re sending a signal that says “our phone is just as good as the iPhone.”
I think your story points to how the Nexus line was basically an unfinished product where Google wasn’t even willing to attempt to sell it at a profitable price point until they could buy a hardware designer (HTC) and integrate that company into Google to produce a comprehensive product. Your Nexus phone had to be entirely replaced and yet you only gave the company $500. So they just sold two flagship phones for $250 each. That’s not a business, that’s a charity.
My Nexus 5X bootlooped right in front of my eyes with no user intervention.
The Nexus lineup wasn’t as good as an iPhone (nor a Samsung or Huawei phone for that matter) and that’s why nobody paid iPhone money for it.