Everything Unveiled at Google’s Latest Event

Google unveiled an exciting new range of products, including four phones, a pair of earbuds, one new smartwatch in two different sizes, and a variety of appealing colors.Google’s history with their phone line has been trying, with various gimmick features and disappointing launches. However, they knocked it out of the park with last year’s Pixel 8 line, which truly became the iPhone of Android. The phones feel premium, take incredible photos, have the best software features on a smartphone, and capture the best still photos of any smartphone, bar none.With the new Pixel range, Google has taken all the right lessons with better software, more sizes, a more premium design language, and fun colors. All of these products have separate articles providing more depth, which will be linked throughout for interested readers, but this is the summary.Google unveiled four new phones, all of which are available for pre-order. These are the mid-range Pixel 9, the premium Pixel 9 Pro, the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel Fold successor.Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Courtesy of GoogleYou would expect the successor to be called the Pixel Fold 2 — and that’s what PR people have referred to it as — but Google instead went with the lengthy name “Pixel 9 Pro Fold.” The name really seems to be the only problem with this phone, though, if you accept the $1,799 price, as it seems to solve every problem of the outgoing Pixel Fold with a new shape, better internal screen, and improved design. I said the Pixel Fold was “one of the worst phones on sale,” and I stand by that; but this new version could unseat the OnePlus Open as the best folding phone on sale.Pixel 9 Pro in Rose Quartz. Courtesy of GoogleThen we have the Pixel 9 Pro line now in two different sizes: the 6.3-inch Pro and the 6.9-inch Pro XL. If the sizes don’t remind you of the iPhone Pro line, then their newly flat rails and back will even more so, but not in a bad way. It’s a premium, stylish phone; it will have the best cameras on the market; and, as I write in my longer preview, it should be the best Android flagship on the market. This does come at an increased price, though, starting at $999 for the Pro and $1,099 for the Pro XL.Pixel 9 in Peony Pink. Courtesy of GoogleFinally, there’s the standard Pixel 9, which drops the telephoto camera, uses a less impressive selfie camera, runs 12GB of RAM instead of 16GB, and gets a slightly inferior screen. Otherwise, it runs the same software suite, uses the same tougher materials, has the same main and ultrawide cameras, and the same raised camera bar bump thing, which I like less than the “visor” of the 8 line but still looks pretty good and a lot better than leaks suggested. The Pixel 9 starts at $799, and though the Pixel 9 Pro also comes in cool colors — “Hazel” greyish green and “Rose Quartz” light pink along with cream and black — the standard Pixel gets the better pink in its Peony pink.All of the Pixels run on the new fourth generation of Google’s Tensor chip, which is reportedly a modest improvement, but that’s fine. From my experience, the G3 Tensor chip has been as smooth and fast as the Snapdragon options except in some limited gaming performance, but it gets randomly warm under normal use, so hopefully, the G4 improves on thermal control.What it does allow is a bunch of great new AI-enabled features through Google’s Gemini suite, from image generation in their included Pixel Studio, improved “Circle to Search,” phone call summary notes, adding the “designated photographer” back into photographs with a second picture, and the best feature announced, Pixel Screenshots. When you take a screenshot, your phone will save it to a Pixel-9-exclusive “Pixel Screenshots” app, and you can then search for information in them, whether it’s a date, figure, quote, or item from a screenshot you saved. Google has also improved the look of their standard weather app.Pixel Watch 3. Courtesy of GoogleFinally, there are Google’s two wearable products: the Pixel Watch 3, now available in both 41mm and 45mm sizes, and the Pixel Buds Pro 2. If you use an iPhone, there is no point in going for any smartwatch other than the Apple Watch, but the Pixel Watch seems to be the closest Android can get to the Apple Watch experience without ripping it off as Samsung did. The earbuds should improve on Google’s last-gen Pixel Buds Pro, which were fine but unremarkable, though I can’t say anything without testing them. They do come in matching colors to the Pixel 9, though, which is fun.Pixel Buds Pro 2. Courtesy of GoogleOverall, the only revolution here is the new Fold — which is finally up to the Pixel standard — but modest improvements on an already fantastic formula seem great to me, and I’m looking forward to testing them over the coming weeks. All the items are available for pre-order on Google’s site, with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL hitting stores on August 22 and the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold landing on September 4.

Everything Unveiled at Google’s Latest Event

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