The Google Pixel 8 series has been launched with a price hike compared to last year, but Google is offering freebies for customers in the US. Unfortunately, India misses out on this offer. Here are the details.

US Consumers Receive Free Pixel Watch 2 with Purchase of Google Pixel 8 Pro, India Excluded

Adriana MaraisOctober 5, 23 Google, Google Pixel

Google finally announced the Pixel 8 series and the Pixel Watch 2 yesterday. While the smartphones have had their fair share of upgrades, especially AI-based camera features, prices have gone up in both India and the US. However, in the US, Google will bundle a free Pixel Watch 2 or Pixel Buds Pro with the Pixel 8 Pro to qualify and create an incentive to purchase the Pixel 8 Pro. In India – despite the significant price increase – the same deal is not offered.

Here’s how the deal works in the US: Google says it’s offering a free Pixel Watch 2 or Pixel Buds Pro with the new Pixel 8 Pro while supplies last. This offer even applies to the base model of the Pixel 8 Pro, which retails for $999. That means $999 gets you the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel Watch 2, which itself costs $349. This is a good deal for someone buying the phone at launch and more or less justifies the price increase.

However, in India, the Pixel 8 Pro price now starts at Rs 1,06,999, an increase of Rs 22,000. While you can bring this down to Rs 93,999 with card offers and trade-in bonuses, it should be noted that not all buyers of this phone will have access to supported cards, and of course not all will want to trade in their smartphone.

If Google had offered the same deal in India as it does in the US and included the Pixel Watch 2 with the Pixel 8 Pro, the price hike might have made sense. But right now, Google is happy to sell you the Pixel Watch 2 for Rs 19,999 or the Pixel Buds Pro for Rs 8,999 if you buy a Pixel 8 series smartphone. Notably, as a standalone, the Pixel Watch 2 costs Rs 39,900 and the Pixel Buds Pro retails for Rs 19,990.

Despite this, the Pixel 8 devices announced yesterday are already available for pre-order on Flipkart. The Google Pixel 8 is priced at Rs 75,999 in India and customers can get a bank discount of Rs 8,000 along with an exchange bonus of Rs 3,000 when they buy this new Pixel device. On the other hand, the Google Pixel 8 Pro – as mentioned earlier – comes at Rs 1,06,999. Buyers can avail a bank discount of Rs 9,000 and an exchange bonus of Rs 4,000 on the MRP.