With less that a week to go before Google unveils the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones at a press event in NYC, Verizon has stopped selling the Pixel 2 on its website. Droid Life was among the first to discover the change on Thursday, and a quick peek at the Internet Archive shows that both Just Black and Clearly White models of the 5-inch phone were available as late as September 27th. Now the Pixel 2 doesn’t even appear in search results.
It’s unclear if this is permanent, as Google hasn’t made any announcements regarding the Pixel 2 being discontinued, but it’s possible that the Pixel 2 will not be offered as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 3 once the new phone arrives later this month. That said, the Pixel 2 XL is still up on Verizon’s website at the moment.
For the time being, the Pixel 2 is still available on Google’s web store. In fact, 64GB models of all three color options are being sold, but this could also be temporary. As Verizon is the exclusive US carrier of Google’s Pixel phones, the only way to buy a Pixel 2 now is through Google’s website or at Best Buy stores.
Just this morning, we learned that Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL preorders will begin on October 9th, right after the big press event ends. The phones will likely begin shipping by Friday, October 19th, which just so happens to be a week ahead of the iPhone XR. We also expect to see more new hardware at the event, including new Home devices, a new TV bundle with a Chromecast and a Home Mini, and possibly a Chromebook or two as well.
As for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, we’ve seen countless leaks detailing the specifications, features and designs of both phones, and while the Pixel 3 appears to retain many of the Pixel 2’s design cues, the Pixel 3 XL has adopted its own notch, which has been the case with virtually every flagship phone outside of Samsung’s Galaxy line.
