Google shuts down Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL sales

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The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. (credit: Ron Amadeo)

Google has discontinued the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the company's flagship smartphones from last year. As first spotted by Android Police, the Pixel 2 has been scrubbed from the Google Store page, and the old Pixel 2 URL now redirects to the Pixel 3 page.

The Pixel 2XL was probably Google's most competitive smartphone to date. There were the usual Pixel features—a great build of stock Android, fast updates, and a great camera—but the Pixel 2 was the last phone from Google with an aluminum body. (Remember aluminum? It didn't shatter when you dropped it.) The real rarity from the Pixel 2 XL was a design from Google that was actually good, with slim bezels (for the time) and a unique design that didn't look like an iPhone. Google basically carried the Pixel 2 XL design a year forward for the smaller Pixel 3.

With the death of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, Google ups the ante on its title of "World's most expensive smartphone lineup" going by entry-level price. While many manufacturers sell low- and mid-range smartphones and offer older premium models at a discount, Google stops manufacturing its older models shortly into the life cycle of the new model. Once the old models sell out, they're gone forever. Previously, the older Pixel 2 was selling for $649, which still made it the most expensive entry-level smartphone from a manufacturer, but it was better than only carrying the Pixel 3. With the discontinuation of the Pixel 2, Google's phone lineup starts at a whopping $800 MSRP.

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