Pixel 8 and 8 Pro: spare parts are cheaper than the competition

Google’s new mobiles have gone all out on software durability with 7 years update. The hardware part is not left out with the availability of official spare parts from iFixit.

Things promised, things due, Google has just made official spare parts for its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro available on the iFixit store. These parts should be available for at least 7 years, as the manufacturer promised during the presentation of its new star mobiles. Enough to ensure good hardware longevity for mobiles which should also benefit from 7 years of software updates.

Rather competitive prices

As was to be expected, however, the parts are not cheap. On the podium for the most expensive components, we obviously find the Pixel 8 Pro screen which sells for €234.95 while the triple photo module, from the same phone, costs €199.95. Parts are barely cheaper on the Pixel 8 with a screen at €169.95 and a rear photo module at €149.95. Please note, however, that on this model, the photographic modules can be purchased separately whereas they come together on the 8 Pro. Finally, changing the battery of the Pixel 8 will cost you €44.95 and that of the 8 Pro €42.95.

Compared to the rest of the market, the price of spare parts for Google mobiles is not exorbitant that said. An iPhone 14 Pro screen costs, for example, €375 in the same store, while at Samsung an S23 screen costs €321. Google is therefore rather competitive on the price of spare parts and that’s good since screens and phone batteries are, still, the most frequently changed parts.

A limited parts list

We regret, on the other hand, that the list of spare parts is limited to the obligations provided for by the law relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy. iFixit does not sell replacement USB ports or replacement motherboards for mobiles (the two components are soldered together anyway). If the price of this type of component tends to be close to the purchase price of a phone, we would still have liked, to encourage repairs and not renewal, for Google to immediately make available all the parts necessary for the repair of his phones.

As a reminder, since 2022, French law has required manufacturers to provide spare parts “for a minimum period of five years from the date of placing on the market the last unit of the equipment model concerned“. Google’s promise to provide spare parts for 7 years is therefore not absolutely exceptional, especially since the law obliges manufacturers to make motherboards and connectors available.no later than two years after the date of placing the first unit of a model on the national market“. Google will therefore have to make further efforts to be irreproachable.

Source : iFixit via ArsTechnica