In recent years, when Samsung and Google launched a new Galaxy or Pixel phone, both companies offered a pre-order bonus to encourage would-be customers to put their money where their mouth is.
That’s often been in the form of the companies’ most recent wearable, which makes sense as it locks buyers further into the ecosystem while encouraging them to buy the phone before price reductions kick in. You may remember that early adopters of the Pixel 8 Pro could choose either a Pixel Watch 2 or a pair of Pixel Buds Pro to go along with their new handset.
But this time around, it looks like Google will be offering something a bit less flashy to get people to put their money down after the upcoming August 13 event.
The French site Dealabs has revealed what shops in France are set to offer those who buy Pixel 9 devices before December, and there’s not a Pixel Watch in sight. Instead, it’s about additional storage — both physical and cloud-based.
As previously hinted at by code leaks, buyers of the Pixel 9 will get six months of Google One AI Premium worth $120, which not only features the company’s more sophisticated Gemini Advanced AI model, but 2TB of cloud storage and other benefits too. This is upped to 12 months for the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, worth an even greater $240.
Additionally, Google looks set to take a leaf out of Samsung’s book by initially offering 256GB models for the same price as the 128GB one. That’s a saving of around 60 bucks, if the company sticks to previous pricing models.
There will also apparently be a trade-in bonus available, with carriers reportedly offering €150 (~$164) off the Pixel 9 or €200 (~$218) off the Pixel Pro or Pro XL if you surrender an old handset at the same time.
It’s an interesting move, and undeniably a lot less flashy than the physical gift of a free smartwatch you can wear right away. But perhaps enough people are already wearing smartwatches that a free Pixel Watch 3 isn’t the incentive it once might have been.
Storage, on the other hand, is something everybody needs, and Google’s calculation might be a sensible one, if having access to Gemini Advanced shows the new Pixels in their best possible light. Plus, there’s the very real chance that free Google One AI Premium account holders become paying ones once the offer expires, which would be a nice little earner for Google too.
It is, of course, possible this pre-order intel is wrong, or specifically for European customers. Maybe Google will have something different in mind on this side of the Atlantic? We’ll find out in just ten days’ time