What just happened? Google is celebrating the anniversary of Google Fi by slashing half off the cost of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The offer is valid for one day only - today - and expires at 11:59 PM Pacific so you'll need to act fast if you want to take advantage of it.

Google Fi launched as Project Fi on April 22, 2015, by invitation only. It wouldn't be available to the general public at large until nearly a year later on March 7, 2016. Service was initially limited to Google's Nexus 6 but compatibility was expanded to other devices including the Pixel and Pixel XL near the end of 2016.

The promotion brings the cost of ownership for the Pixel 3 with 64GB of local storage down to just $399 (a model with 128GB of storage can be had for $449). Similarly, the Pixel 3 XL with 64GB of storage can be yours for $449 (or $499 if you need 128GB of onboard storage).

The offer is available to both new and existing Google Fi customers. The only major catch, it seems, is that you need to activate your new device on Google Fi within 30 days of receiving your shipment confirmation e-mail. If you fail to activate within this time frame, you'll be charged for the other half of the phone.

Google is limiting the offer to one device per person for individual plans. For group plans, the limit is one per group plan member.

Curiously enough, there doesn't seem to be anything preventing you from buying the phone at half price, activating it on Google Fi for a single month then canceling service and moving to the provider of your choice.

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