The Gadget Agenda: How I bought a Google Pixel 11 Pro XL for less than the price of a Pixel 10a
In the first edition of The Gadget Agenda, Gareth Butterfield explains how a carefully timed upgrade, a generous trade-in and a little deal-hunting put Google’s premium new phone in his hands for considerably less than expected
It was all looking a bit grim. The upgrade was due on my EE mobile phone contract, the battery on my beloved Pixel 9 Pro XL was struggling to cope with a day of use, and I was committing to the idea of going SIM-only to cut my monthly payments. This would mean I'd have to meet the huge expense of buying a new handset outright.
Naturally, I was waiting for the Pixel 11 Pro XL, but the rumour mill was coughing up horror stories of a $1,499 price tag thanks to the current RAM crisis, and I was struggling to come to terms with finding a four-figure sum at the same time as moving house.
I'd started looking at reconditioned Pixel 10 Pro XLs with a mind to keep it for a year and trade it in for an 11 when the prices (and my finances) settle down, but even that was going to cost me getting on for £1,000. As I said, it was all looking a bit grim.
But then, on the glorious 12th, the long-awaited August launch came round, and news of the Pixel 11 range being ready for pre-orders filled the algorithms.
Feeling quite deflated, I didn't watch the launch live, as I usually do, but an email landed in my inbox that evening offering me an enhanced trade-in for my old phone against the Pixel 11 series.
"Save up to £850 with eligible trade-in", the email promised. It seemed silly not to check what my two-year-old Pixel 9 was worth to them.
And when they offered me £705 things changed dramatically. The Pixel 11 Pro XL, essentially my dream handset, was priced at £1,279, slightly less than I feared, and the 16GB RAM version with 512GB, the one I ideally wanted, was £1,399.
Google’s store is offering some tasty trade-in offers, but if you don’t have a phone to exchange, there are some tempting pay-monthly offers out there
Sky’s Pixel 11 offers start at £12 upfront and then £25 per month - click here to see more
Vodafone is currently offering new customers a saving of up to £612 on an airtime plan - click here to see more
EE offers a saving of £626 on the 125GB Essentials plan, and a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 for £1, worth £219 - click here to see more
With mine traded in it would be in my hands for £694. Less than a ropey reconditioned 10 Pro XL. Remarkable.
And then the goalposts were pushed even further apart. Google's email offered me a £150 discount code. And it worked on top of the enhanced trade-in price. To save you crunching the numbers, this put me at £544 for what is arguably the best Android phone money can buy. Obviously I bit their hands off.
But then things got even better. As the pre-order receipt came through Google informed me that, as a Google One customer, I'd just earned £124.90 in store credit. They'd credited the usual 10% back against the overall cost of the phone, before discount and before trade-in. Madness.
Funnily enough, I'd been eyeing up a new Google Nest Hub Max for my kitchen, so this will offset some of that cost.
And, effectively, at least as far as the wife is concerned, it means my new flagship smartphone has cost me £424. I still can't quite believe it. I think it's bonkers, but I'm not going to argue with Google.
In today's world everything seems expensive, but every now and again a true bargain comes along. And in a week or so's time I'll be sporting a £1,400 phone that I've basically blagged for just over £400.
The enhanced trade-in is open to people with a phone that has no cracks and that powers up, and it's available until September 1st. Try it, you might be surprised what your phone is worth.
The £150 voucher seems quite randomly dished out to premium customers, but if you've got it in your email, cherish it. And if a mate has had it and doesn't plan to use it, get him drunk and ask if you can have it. It's evidently not tied to an account. Just don't ask me how I know this.