Now is the worst time to buy a Pixel 8 – here’s why

The Google Pixel 8 range, including the regular Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and the budget-friendly Pixel 8a, offer a well-rounded smartphone experience with a clean approach to software, handy AI features and some of the best camera performance around – but now is possibly the worst time to buy a Pixel smartphone.

Why? Because Google is set to announce the all-new Pixel 9 range in a matter of days, with a Made By Google event confirmed to take place on 13 August, and the company has even teased the Pixel 9 Pro in the run-up to the event. 

That might seem a little bit odd – and it is, with Google launching practically every flagship Pixel in October – but it also means that the Pixel 8 range should be about to get a substantial discount.

Generally speaking, Pixel phones tend to drop in price fairly quickly after launch. Take the Pixel 8; while it launched with a £699 price tag, we’ve seen it drop as low as £449 in the past few months. However, the biggest drops come with the launch of a new generation of smartphones. 

The Pixel 7, for example, dropped down to £397 on Amazon just a day after the launch of the Pixel 8 last October, and we’re very much expecting the same with the Pixel 8, despite the fact it’s not even a year old. 

So, by buying a Pixel smartphone right now, you’re essentially paying what’ll be considered well over the odds in just a week. 

If that’s not enough to dissuade you from buying a Pixel smartphone this week, then consider the fact that the Pixel 9 range is said to be a total overhaul of the Pixel range. 

That’s said to not only include a completely redesigned form factor with flatter edges and a new camera housing but substantial AI upgrades. Current rumours suggest that the new range could be the first to offer support for on-device Google Gemini, allowing you to chat with your virtual assistant without the need for an internet connection. 

Plus, combined with new AI-powered features like Pixel Screenshots that can recall information from important screenshots when necessary, and a new Add Me photo feature that adds you to group shots, the Pixel 9 range will be able to do more than ever in the ever-expanding world of AI. 

There are also said to be upgrades in the processing department with the yet-unseen Google Tensor G4 chipset, and there are whispers about boosted RAM across the collection to make better use of the new on-device AI capabilities. 

As always, it’ll be the first smartphone to get the new Android 15 update, though there are some concerns that Android 15 isn’t quite ready for the limelight just yet, suggesting that the Pixel 9 could temporarily run Android 14. 

What’s more, there’s said to be not one but two new entries to the Pixel 9 range, in the form of the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. That means that, as well as potentially getting your hands on a foldable, you could opt for a new, more compact, Pixel 9 Pro, or the rebranded Pixel 9 Pro XL, alongside the regular Pixel 9.   

We cover the latest Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold rumours separately if you want to learn more about the rumoured smartphones ahead of their reveal next week, but what I’m trying to say, is that you’ll be able to get a whole lot more Pixel for around the same price you’ll be paying for your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro this week. 

That, or you’ll be able to get that Pixel you’ve been eyeing for much cheaper if you just wait a few days. Either way, it’s the worst time to buy a Pixel smartphone this week.