How to buy a refurbished Pixel and save heaps of cash in the process

Key Takeaways

Google has just launched its official US storefront for refurbished Pixel handsets.
The company is offering discounts of up to 40% off the original retail price of select Pixel devices.
Here’s how to access and browse through Google’s certified selection of pre-owned Pixel units.

Google has just opened a new section of its online storefront, specifically for selling refurbished Pixel phones in the US. The company is offering prices of up to 40% off the original retail tag of select Pixel devices, going back as far as 2021’s Pixel 6 lineup.

“Starting today, you can purchase refurbished Pixel phones through our new Certified Refurbished Phone program in the U.S. For the first time ever, this provides more sustainable and affordable choices when it comes to Pixel phones,” says Google in a blog post.

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Like Apple’s refurbished iPhone program, Google’s new storefront involves an official certification process that ensures the inspection of components such as the battery, the external housing, and the screen. All components that end up being replaced are done so with authentic Google parts.

Google says that all refurbished Pixel phones ship with the latest available Android software version installed out of the box, along with a compatible charger. The company also promises the same one-year warranty that it offers on new Pixel phones.

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How to buy a refurbished Pixel phone

For the time being, these pre-owned Pixels are only available in the US

To browse through and purchase a refurbished Pixel phone off Google’s newly-established storefront, follow these steps:

Navigate to Google’s official Certified Refurbished Pixel Phones web page.
Scroll down the web page until you reach the section titled Find your pre-loved Pixel.
Select which Pixel phone model you’re interested in.
Tap or click on the Buy button.
Select handset color and storage space, and then tap or click on Add to cart.

As mentioned, this selection of refurbished Google Pixel phones is currently only on offer within the US. I’d expect more markets to follow in the future, but there’s currently no timeline to go off of.

As you scroll through the selection of available refurbished Pixels, you’ll find a tag at the top of the purchase page that indicates its associated price reduction. For example, when on the Refurbished Pixel 6 page, the tag reads “Original Retail Price $599. Save $260.”

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Slow and steady wins the race

Google’s uptick in smartphone market share has been slow, but a one-two punch of giant marketing budgets and genuinely competitive products have worked in the company’s favor. It’s recently been reported that the Pixel 9 series helped Google sell more phones in the third quarter of 2024 than in any previous quarter in Pixel history.

While Google remains a small fish in a hyper-competitive smartphone pond, the Pixel brand’s trajectory trends in a healthy direction.

A Nikkei Asia report from earlier this year indicates that Google shipped approximately 10 million Pixel phones in the 2023 calendar year, and that US and Japanese markets in particular have experienced rapid adoption of the brand. While Google remains a small fish in a hyper-competitive smartphone pond, the Pixel brand’s trajectory trends in a healthy direction.

The more Pixel phones that are floating around, the more potential there is to promote major Google services.

The addition of an official refurbished Pixel site is a good indication that Google remains serious about Pixel, and that the brand isn’t a side project that’s destined for the Google Graveyard. In this brave new era of services that we’re in, it makes sense that the company would want to get as many hardware units in people’s hands as possible. The more Pixel phones floating around, the more potential there is to promote major Google services like Search, Gemini, and Drive.