This is a great deal if you’re still thinking about a Google Pixel 3 or 3 XL and aren’t put off by their many reliability issues.

It’s hard to know where to start with the Pixel 3 family. So let’s just deal with the sale first: Google is currently offering the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL for $200 off from its online store, though it’s not clear how long the promotion will last. That means that the Pixel 3 now starts at $600, while the bigger (and notch-laden) Pixel 3 XL starts at $700.

All other things being equal, these are the correct prices for these handsets. Google should not price its unreliable and poorly-selling handsets in the same range as Samsung and Apple’s far more reliable and better-configured flagships.

The issue, of course, is reliability. When I first purchased both of these handsets last Fall, I was taken aback by the numerous issues I had with both, and with the issues many others had reported. So as you may recall, I returned both and continued forward with the Pixel 2 XL, which has certainly suffered from its share of issues, too. The devil you know, I guess.

Whether you should even consider such a purchase is a personal decision, of course. I strongly advise you check out Android Police’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Bug and Issue Tracker, where you can find a complete rundown of the problems with these handsets, which issues have been fixed, which will be fixed, and which—sadly—Google refuses to fix.

For me, personally, the remaining issues—stereo speaker imbalance (which will never be fixed), the speaker sound distortion, call quality issues, and more—are still too problematic for me to ever consider one of these phones. Plus, the hardware is out of date: Phones based on newer Qualcomm chipsets are already starting to ship as we move into a new smartphone season, and the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are both bogged down by having too little RAM.

Is there some price point at which I’d reconsider? Barring any form of insane pricing, no, not really. The Pixel 2 XL delivers 90-95 percent of the camera quality found in the Pixel 3s, and mine is all paid for. If something happens to it, and the Pixel 3 prices remain low, I could think about it at that point. Maybe.

Tagged with Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL