For most people, this goes without saying, but given the events of the last week concerning Google’s two upcoming phones, I feel like we need to state it anyway: don’t buy unreleased phones from Ebay or Facebook if you actually intend to use the device for anything. After the random Pixel 7 being sold on Ebay (and then being remotely wiped by Google afterward), it looks like a Google reseller in Malaysia decided to take their inventory and put it on Facebook right away.
From what we can tell at this point, all the devices are sold or the listings have been removed, but Brandon Lee of This is Tech Today managed to grab a few screenshots before it all disappeared. If these phones were actually purchased, I’d imagine the new owners will only have a small amount of time before Google shuts the phones off remotely, leaving the buyer with nothing but a paperweight.
While we’ve seen leaks of upcoming phones before, this is the first time I can recall devices getting unveiled and sold online months before their actual availability. I suppose this is simply a new part of the leaker culture that continues to be a central piece of the tech industry, but I’d warn anyone considering a purchase like this to think twice. Google has already shown the ability to remotely shut down their phones, and I don’t think they will hesitate to do so every time this happens.
We know just as much as anyone else that getting your hands on new tech before others is a bit of a rush. But this just isn’t the way to do it unless you are willing to pay the price to use it for a short period and see it rendered useless after. I’d expect to see at least a few YouTube videos show up from those who purchased these early Pixel 6a devices, but I also expect to hear stories of them all being shut down soon as well. Long story short, exercise a bit of patience with these things and don’t waste your hard-earned cash on something that will likely be useless in a matter of days.
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