Google Pixelbook Go

Prototype Pixelbook Go units are being sold by Woot today from $529

Ben Schoon | Oct 31 2020 - 7:20 am PT

If you’ve been on the hunt for a more affordable Pixelbook Go, Woot has them on sale today from $529. But in a much more interesting twist, those Pixelbook Go units appear to actually be prototypes.

This is a strange situation. Right now, you can buy a Pixelbook Go from Woot, a site owned entirely by Amazon, at a discount. The site is advertising these units as “debranded.” That’s because, instead of the typical “G” logo and inner “Pixelbook Go” branding, these units have a different logo and a generic “ProductName” placeholder instead.

Why is that the case? Woot doesn’t give a clear explanation, but it’s pretty obvious that, somehow, they’ve got their hands on a pretty big stockpile of prototype Pixelbook Go units. This includes just about every variant of the laptop too, from the Core m3 to the 4K i7. There’s a limit of three units per customer and the deal is only available today, October 31.

How do we know these are Pixelbook Go prototypes? While the sheer number of devices being sold does confuse things a bit, the “ProductName” placeholder was seen in leaks while this product was in development, and we’ve seen similar “G” logo replacements in past leaks, such as the Pixel 3 XL.

Adding more confusion to the story — Google doesn’t know how Woot got these. Speaking to The Verge, the company confirmed it did not supply these units and doesn’t know where the retail got them.