Google has just introduced the Pixel 6 during its Fall Event today. While the prices ($600 and $900, respectively) are certainly impressive on their own and much lower than we feared, Google has another ace up its sleeve for those who are still not convinced the price is right. It has just introduced Pixel Pass in the US, which bundles a Pixel 6, a collection of premium Google services, and insurance coverage. Google says the plan will save you up to $294 over the course of the two years.

Similar to Samsung Access and Apple’s Upgrade Program, Pixel Pass will get you a discounted Pixel 6 or 6 Pro that you pay for over the course of two years, with upgrade options coming up along the road. The price depends on which hardware you choose to go with, and is subject to change when you upgrade. For the Pixel 6, it's $45 a month, while the Pixel 6 Pro is $55 a month.

The subscription also includes insurance for an extra year of coverage for mechanical breakdown, which comes in addition to the one-year manufacturer warranty. You also get up to two claims of accidental damage for a two-year period, giving you full peace of mind.

The hardware aspect is not all there is to it, though. Pixel Pass also includes YouTube Premium (including Music), the Google Play Pass, and the 200GB Google One tier. That’s a great deal for those of us who are already deeply embedded in the Google ecosystem.

When you subscribe through Google Fi, you're also eligible to save $5 per month on a cellular plan, making it an even better deal.

If you decide to cancel the subscription during the initial two-year period, you’ll have to pay the remaining value of your Pixel at a non-discounted price. Access to the bundled services will also be terminated, though you can probably easily re-subscribe individually.

Compared to the subscriptions from Apple and Samsung, Google is counting on its loyal core audience much more heavily. Once subscribed to Pixel Pass, people will surely think twice about switching to another phone or service, as getting YouTube Premium, Google One, and Play Pass in one package is one heck of a boon for those who already subscribe to these services individually. For other people who just want the latest phone and don't care for the other subscriptions, well, things look very different. $55 for the Pro per month adds up to $1320 over two years, which is a considerate premium over just getting the $900 phone without a subscription (or regular financing).

A few of our tipsters noticed that there are some interesting eligibility rules. When you're already subscribed to one of the included Google services or Google Fi, you'll get a message saying that you're not eligible for the offer (see above). To get started with Pixel Pass, you'll first have to unsubscribe from everything, which seems counterintuitive if Google wants to further lock in customers using the subscription. Meanwhile, another tipster was able to subscribe to Pixel Pass despite having an active 2TB Google One subscription, but they were required to pay a $7 premium, which is good news for those who need more than 200GB of storage.

Pixel Pass is available through Google Fi and the Google Store. Google says that Pixel Pass is $45 per month for the Pixel 6 and $55 per month for the Pixel 6 Pro.

To see if the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are doing it for you, check out our hands-on articles.

Thanks: Nick and Shane!

UPDATE: 2021/10/20 3:11 EST BY MANUEL VONAU

More details

The post has been updated with further pricing and eligibility details.