3 Reasons to Pre-Order the Pixel 8 & 3 Reasons Not to

Google’s new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro flagships are up for pre-order. While there are some really good reasons why you might want to buy one now, there are also some great reasons to wait.

After months of rumors and speculation, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are official and they replace the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro as Google’s top of the line devices. The base version of the Pixel 8 starts at $699 while the Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999.

There’s a lot to like about the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and they should be on your shopping list if you’re in the market for a new phone.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro both start shipping later this week, but you can pre-order one right now. The devices are both available through Google, but you can also buy the flagships through carriers and retailers if you prefer to go that route.

Updated October 9th to reflect Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro shipping delays. 

There are some great reasons to consider putting in a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro pre-order, but there are also some reasons why you might want to put your credit card away and hang back for a bit. We’ll go over those reasons in this guide.

Pre-Order If You Want Your Pixel 8 ASAP

If you’ve been waiting for Google to announce its new flagship Pixel models and you’re sold on the changes Google’s made to the Pixel lineup, you might want to put in a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro pre-order today.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro officially launch on October 12th, but we’ve seen shipping times for some models get pushed into late October and early November.

If you’re in desperate need of a new device and you’ve got your heart set on one of these phones, you should consider putting in an order as soon as you can to ensure you get the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro model you want ASAP.

Pre-Order to Save Money

If you want to save some serious cash, consider putting in a pre-order.

Google, carriers, and retailers are all offering trade-ins that can save you a bunch of money on a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro.

If you trade a phone in at Google, you can get as much as $750 off. If you trade in at Best Buy, you can get up to $850 off. T-Mobile is also offering up to $800 off with a trade in.

You can also find the phones at Amazon, but the retailer isn’t offering any deals at the moment.

Pre-Order for Free Devices

If you pre-order a Pixel 8 from Google, you’ll get a free pair of Pixel Buds Pro or $200 off Pixel Watch 2 which is a pretty sweet deal.

If you pre-order a Pixel 8 Pro from Google, you’ll get a free Pixel Watch 2 (Wi-Fi edition) or a free pair of Pixel Buds Pro. Your choice.

Best Buy has also sweeten its pre-orders with a free Pixel Watch 2 with a Pixel 8 Pro pre-order. The Pixel Watch 2 is a $350 value.

Wait If You Aren’t Prepared

While you might be tempted to put in a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 pre-order right away, make sure you dig into Pixel 8 reviews and Pixel 8 alternatives before you pre-order.

Individual needs will vary, but here are a few things to consider.

You’ll want to figure out how much storage you’ll need. You’ll also want to pick the color that best suites your tastes. Remember, you’ll probably have to look at this device for a year or more.

Make sure you dig into carriers and data plans. Some of you might want to use this purchase as an excuse to leave for another carrier and/or switch up your current plan.

You’ll want to check out Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro alternatives like Apple’s new iPhone 15 series and its iPhone 14 series from 2022. You’ll also want to check out the Google Pixel 7, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series, and others.

These might be an easy tasks for some of you, but it’ll take quite a bit of time to complete for others. In some cases, it could take a week or more.

If you find yourself feeling unprepared and uneasy about putting in a pre-order, do yourself a favor and hold off until you feel one hundred percent confident.

Wait for More Pixel 8 Deals

Again, the first batch of Pixel 8 deals are great, but they do require you to trade in a device. And to get the best deal, the phone needs to be in excellent condition.

It usually takes weeks for retailers to offer straight price cuts on new Pixel models. We may not see the first true Pixel 8 price cuts until the holiday shopping season or later.

The absolute best Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro deals should surface next year once the holidays are over and the hype around the new models has died down.

If you don’t have a phone to trade-in and/or you don’t want to pay full price for a new Pixel, you’ll want to hold off on a pre-order and wait for price cuts.

Wait if You’re Worried About Problems

If you’re concerned about hardware or software problems, you might want to wait a few weeks before buying a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro.

The devices run Google’s new Android operating system. Google’s tested the software for months, but its plagued by an assortment of bugs and performance issues.

Google will roll out new software in the coming days so it might be worth waiting for the initial batch of Pixel 8-related bug fixes to arrive before picking up one of the phones.

New Pixel phones sometimes have hardware issues as well and we could potentially see some growing pains in the hours, days, and weeks after their arrival.

If you’re concerned, you might want to hang back and see what kind of problems early adopters run into later on this month.