If you are looking for a good phone at a low price, you always have the option of picking up one of the best used smartphones. The general idea is that by purchasing a device that someone has traded in, you can save pennies over buying a new one.

There are already many options, and now Google has launched its own refurbished handset program. The problem is that if you are looking for a bargain, this is probably not the place to look. In fact, you may be able to buy some of these handsets new for considerably less than Google is asking.

Take the refurbished Google Pixel 7 Pro, which was introduced two years ago in 2022. Google is selling this device with 128GB of storage for $629, $270 less than the $899 it cost when it first launched. The problem is that retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy can get the same phone for hundreds of dollars less.

Amazon sells the Pixel 7 Pro for $404, while Best Buy and Walmart raise the price to $449 and $599, respectively. Used and refurbished models seem to be priced under $400 and sometimes under $300 - like this “renewal” model on Amazon.

The same seems to be true for other refurbished models offered by Google: the Pixel 7 starts at $429 and can be found new for $329; the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6 are $539 and $399 respectively from Google and are older and therefore a bit harder to find new are a little harder to find, but still available for $489 and $339. we couldn't find any new Pixel 6a's with meaningful discounts, but given Google's asking price of $250, that will always be difficult.

There are other factors to contend with: first, these phones are two to three years old and were released before Google raised software support to seven years; the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro get the last Android update this month; and second, the Pixel 6a is only available for $350, eligible for another 12 months of security support. It doesn't feel right to me to ask $500+ for a phone that is sprinting toward obsolescence, especially when I remember that the Pixel 8a, one of the best budget phones, can arguably offer a better experience at a similar price.

Furthermore, as 9to5Google revealed, Google's refurbishment process does not involve battery replacement. Given that batteries degrade over time and can cause problems in older models, it is odd that Google does not replace batteries, especially when one recalls how weak the battery life of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 is compared to their successors. It is odd not to replace the batteries in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, especially given how weak the battery life of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 is compared to their successors.

It is good that Google is offering these older devices a chance to extend their useful life instead of trashing them; the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series have a lot to offer despite their respective weaknesses, and phones have always been expensive Therefore, there is no shame in trying to save as much money as possible.

Google must understand that charging such high prices for older phones is not the way to go. If that's the case, why not lower the asking price a bit?