Michael Crider
Most new phones get about a year before they’re replaced with a newer model. The Pixel 4, Google’s flagship first-party Android phone from last year, didn’t even get that. Google’s online store is no longer refreshing inventory for the Pixel 4 or the Pixel 4 XL, according to The Verge, saying it’s sold through its final run of manufactured phones. No more will be made.
It’s an unusual move, to be sure. Even if older phones aren’t continually produced after their successors debut (as Apple does, allowing the old model to sell for less), they tend to stick around in inventory for several months. The Pixel 4 and 4 XL were announced and sold last October. They’ve been poorly received, even for Google’s somewhat niche brand, thanks to much higher prices and shorter battery lives than their predecessors. They’ve seen several discounts since, but still don’t seem to be flying off shelves.
Google’s having much more success with its budget-oriented Pixel 3a and 3a XL, which lower the specs a little and the price a lot. They were announced a few months before the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, but only left production last month. The latest budget design, the Pixel 4a, is up for pre-order now and shipping out to customers in a couple of weeks. It uses a more modern design (check those slim bezels and that “hole punch” notch) and an even lower price, $350.
Perhaps Google’s lackluster sales is leading it to reconsider its high-price, high-spec approach. The company confirmed that the Pixel 5 and a larger, 5G-enabled version of the 4a are already in the works, and leaks indicate that they’ll be ready to sell in October as usual. Dropping the price on the deluxe version of this year’s Pixel, and focusing on battery life over raw power, would go a long way towards fixing the biggest problems faced by the 4 and 4 XL.
If you’re hunting down the Pixel 4, check inventory in online retailers or stores like Best Buy. They probably have plenty of them left, and might let them go for a song.
Source: The Verge
