Google on Tuesday will finally unveil the Pixel 3 phones, with both devices expected to go on sale after the press event. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t already buy the Pixel 3 in stores. Again. A Hong Kong retailer has been selling the phone for a few days for a huge markup.
A few days ago, we saw a brand new Pixel 3 review from Hong Kong, with just a few days to go until Google’s keynote. Similar reviews and hands-on videos went up online a few months ago, as news came from Eastern Europe that a batch of Pixel 3 XL phones was stolen. At the time, we heard a Pixel 3 XL unit was selling for around $2,000 on the black market. And that’s how much you’d have to pay for the Pixel 3 XL in Hong Kong right now.
Per Engadget, which borrowed the Pixel 3 XL from the site that reviewed it a few days ago, a Hong Kong mobile shop is selling the handset for HK$15,880, which is around $2,030. That’s about double what the Pixel 3 XL will cost if a recent leak is correct.
As you can see in the image above, this is a full-fledged Pixel 3 XL retail box, complete with everything you expect to see inside it. We’ve got a pair of Pixel USB-C earphones, a couple of dongles, including USB-C-to-3.5m and USB-C-to-USB-A, as well as a USB-C charging cable.
It’s unclear at this time why a store in Hong Kong started Pixel 3 sales several days ahead of the official announcement of the handset. But Google can’t seem to control these sort of leaks this year, or the stores that are supposed to sell the devices. A few days ago, Best Buy sold someone a third-gen Chromecast unit. Thankfully, come Tuesday, the Pixel 3 leaks will stop, as the phones will become official.
