Updated
Updated · Thurrott.com · Sep 15
Author Buys Pixel 11 Pro XL With $650 Trade-In After Google Reverses $0 Valuation
Updated
Updated · Thurrott.com · Sep 15

Author Buys Pixel 11 Pro XL With $650 Trade-In After Google Reverses $0 Valuation

3 articles · Updated · Thurrott.com · Sep 15

Summary

  • $650 in trade-in credit let the author buy a Pixel 11 Pro XL after abandoning an earlier Pixel 11 Pro purchase tied to a disputed trade-in.
  • Google had initially assigned $0 to a Pixel 10 Pro trade-in despite agreeing it was in mint condition, prompting a return before the company later apologized and acknowledged the mistake.
  • The replacement deal used a Pixel 10 Pro XL instead, while Google also quoted $850 for an iPhone 17 Pro Max trade-in, cutting a Pixel 11 Pro XL to $449.
  • The purchase comes in a year when Apple, Google and Samsung have each raised flagship phone prices by about $100 amid an AI-driven component crunch.

Insights

When a guaranteed trade-in vanishes overnight, can consumers still trust tech giants to honor their upgrade promises?
Are smartphone brands using the AI memory shortage as a convenient excuse to permanently inflate flagship device prices?
How is the booming AI data center industry secretly forcing you to pay significantly more for your next smartphone?