The 5 Most Important Google Pixel Event Announcements
Google events usually don’t generate the same buzz as Apple, but the announcements are just as tempting for enthusiasts as well as anyone who loves shiny new things. At this year’s New York event, the company unveiled its new Pixel phones, a smaller Pixel tablet (now with Chrome OS), a smart display, and a host of other devices it hasn’t even mentioned. (however, we will tell you about them).
You can replay the event onYouTube or get a summary of the key facts below:
There are two new Pixel phones
The third generation Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have been announced after months of rumors and unconfirmed hardware leaks. Both devices have a larger screen-to-body ratio than their predecessors, in addition to a glass front and back and an edge-to-edge display. The Pixel 3 features a 5.5-inch OLED display (more than last year), while the Pixel 3 XL features a 6.3-inch OLED display (and a notch that’s slightly increased in size).
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL run on nearly identical hardware. Both devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of storage. Both are available with either 64GB or 128GB storage. There’s no microSD card slot or headphone jack, but the Pixels now have Qi wireless charging and are IP68 waterproof. The Pixel 3 also comes with a 2,915mAh battery (not much more than last year), while the Pixel 3 XL has a 3,430mAh battery (less than last year).
Both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL share cameras as well. The front camera is a dual 8-megapixel camera with different apertures, which helps to create dark portrait photos. The main camera is a 12.2MP Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) camera and is capable of a few nifty tricks, which we’ll cover later when we get to Google’s machine learning announcements. (If you want to jump forward, scroll down to the bottom.)
Got a new Chromebook … uh, tablet?
It’s hard to tell if the Pixel Slate is for a Chromebook or tablet, but all you need to know is that it plays the role of any device. The Pixel Slate is a tablet device with the brains of Chrome OS: it connects to the separately sold Pixel Slate Keyboard ( $ 199 ) with built-in trackpad, or you can use it yourself to watch videos on the 12.3-inch Molecular Display. screen, take a group video call with the wide-angle front camera, or draw on it with the optional Pixelbook Pen ( $ 99 ).
The Pixel Slate also boasts two front-facing speakers, a fingerprint sensor, and two USB-C ports, although the latter is necessary because there is no headphone jack. The Pixel Slate will go on sale soon and will be available with Intel Core m3, i5 or Celeron processors, as well as 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of storage. It’s available in storage up to 256GB and starts at $ 599 .
And the new Google Home Hub
Lenovo and JBL aren’t the only companies making smart displays with Google Assistant. The company has announced its version of the Google Home Hub, which it calls “the best photo frame.” Its 7-inch display is slightly smaller than some third-party offerings, and it lacks the Duo video calling camera. The device is modeled according to the existing Google Home device family.
The Google Home Hub is designed to be placed in a common area or in your bedroom. It has an Ambient EQ mode that dims the screensaver based on the time of day so it never comes off your face. And since it’s a hub, it has a kind of home screen called Home View that offers smart home status controls for everyone. It costs $ 150 and is available in four colors: chalk, charcoal, turquoise, and sand.
There are also new accessories
After Google finished revealing details about the Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Google Home Hub, it updated its online store to include all of this and more.
There’s a new pair of Pixel USB-C earbuds that aren’t the upgrade we were looking for for last year’s Pixel Buds, although they only cost $ 30 and offer push-button access to Google Assistant. There’s also a Google Pixel Stand, which is now dedicated to the Pixel 3 and supports wireless charging. Not to mention, the company quietly released a new version of the Chromecast dongle with multi-room audio support synced to other Google smart devices.
Machine learning is built into everything
Last but not least, since Google has undoubtedly built much of its empire on machine learning – despite all the talk about hardware specs and capabilities, Google has managed to slip through a few improvements into its assistant. And since Google Assistant spans multiple product categories, here’s a quick overview of what’s in store for us.
The Pixel 3’s camera has several new machine learning tricks, including Top Shot , which takes a series of images and then compares them to pick the best shot using machine learning. There’s also Super Res Zoom , which takes a burst of shots so you can zoom in on a photo more precisely, rather than relying solely on the optical zoom, and a feature called Night Sight , which does what it’s like: helps illuminate an otherwise dark situation. … The algorithm helps determine the correct exposure for the scene and then fills in the gaps where needed. And for those who love selfies, the Pixel 3’s photo booth mode will take pictures when you smile, without having to tap the screen.
The Google Home Hub uses machine learning in this way to become the best digital photo album ever. It introduces a new Google Photos feature called Live Albums, where you choose the people you want to display in your slideshow and Google takes care of the rest. It uses facial recognition technology to capture photos of people it knows for a shared album that you can stream through the Home Hub. The album is updated with every matching file downloaded from your camera roll. There’s also a feature called Recent Highlights that shows you the best recent photos from your Google Photos account. And since there is a machine behind all of this that adequately understands what receipts look like, you don’t have to worry about yesterday’s grocery bill popping up.
Even the Pixel 3’s dialer has machine learning built in. In the so-called official debut of Google’s Duplex, the phone will be able to block your calls and tell spammers to leave without having to endure the emotional labor involved in talking to anyone.
Of all the announcements at Google’s hardware event, one thing is certain: Google’s events are not primarily about the hardware it makes, but what machine learning can do with that hardware. And for many consumers, the ability to combine daily tasks with a few taps or a voice command is worth every penny.