Google stops selling the Pixel and Pixel XL

Enlarge (credit: Ron Amadeo)

Google is apparently done selling its flagship smartphones from 2016. The Pixel and Pixel XL have both been removed from the Google Store and the Project Fi store, suggesting the stock is all dried up and no more will be made.

Google's current flagships, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, launched in October 2017, but the old Pixel phones stayed on the store and got discounts of $80 to $100. For a time, it seemed like Google wanted to employ an Apple-like pricing lineup, with flagship phones moving to a lower tier and getting a discount. Even with the Pixel 2's release, though, the Pixel 1's perennial stock problems remained, and the phones were never readily available in Google's Store.

Google's stock problems, minuscule distribution network, and big price increase over the Nexus devices led to the company only selling 3.9 million phones in 2017, according to the IDC. Google's distribution hasn't gotten much wider with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, but stock on the Google Store has been much improved. If rumors of a cheaper, mid-range Pixel phone come true, Google could move a lot more units.