Want a new smartwatch? That’s a trick question; of course you do. Who doesn’t? Well, some Google Fi subscribers are being given the chance to pick up a Pixel Watch 3 LTE for free, which is a heck of a bonus.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and of course, this offer comes with a catch: you’ll need to stay with Google Fi for at least the next two years.
A bonus to keep you sticking around
This bonus was first noticed when a user posted the news on the r/GooglePixel and r/GoogleFi subreddits, alerting other users to the return of the “free Pixel Watch 3 promo”. It quickly became obvious this wasn’t a universal offer, though, as a number of posts sprang up complaining that they weren’t able to see or redeem any offer.
It seems as if Google is offering the Pixel Watch 3 for free to only a certain number of users, and the eligibility criteria are unknown. It doesn’t seem to be based on loyalty, as one commenter who claims to have been with Fi since the beginning says they haven’t received the offer.
It currently appears as if some people are being offered the Pixel Watch 3 for free, while others are being offered 75% or 50% off. Regardless of the deal you’re offered, the watch is paid off over the course of two years through bill credits, so you’ll need to stick on Google Fi for the entire time, or risk being charged for the rest of the amount owed.
Still, if you weren’t planning on changing carrier any time soon, it’s hard to see this as anything but a win.
One user posted the process they used to claim their smartwatch:
The model itself is the 41mm LTE version of the Pixel Watch 3. This isn’t the newest Google smartwatch, that’s the Pixel Watch 4, but it is still a very good watch. The Pixel Watch 3 is notable as being the first smartwatch that Google really nailed, and it has a solid battery life, and great features baked into it. It can’t be repaired though, so if it breaks, that’s it. But hey, it’s hard to complain if it’s free.
Upsettingly, it seems as if the Pixel Watch 3 in question sold out pretty quickly, meaning it’s probably going to be impossible to redeem this offer now, as we doubt Google will be stocking back up on it. Hopefully, it stretches this offer to the 45mm model too, giving other people chance to redeem the offer.
8.5/10
Case size
41mm; 45mm
Case Material
Aluminum
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 with Cortex M33 co-processor
RAM
2GB