Oops, Google just leaked on itself

Today was a big day in the tech world as leaks hit the press about Google’s upcoming product line and updates. But not everything purported to be announced on October 4 will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Last week, Apple announced two new smartphones, the iPhone 8 and the X, but everyone already knew almost everything about the devices as leaks leading up to the event gave everything away, from materials to price.

Several major leaks came out today that may well prove true when the Alphabet company makes its official announcement two weeks from now. We will summarize them below, but don’t hold your breath: We aren’t very pleased, and you probably won’t be, either.

The New Daydream View

According to coverage by Droid Life, the new Daydream View VR headset will cost $99 and will have a slightly different design than its predecessor. The details of what lies beneath the hood weren’t given, but we can assume for a $20 bump over the last unit (and double the price of the upcoming Home Mini), something must be at least marginally better. Here’s to hoping.

Here’s last year’s model for reference.

Google Home Mini

Long-suspected, the miniature version of the Google Home speaker will be announced at the Pixel event. As a happy owner of the original AI assistant, I plan to get a couple of these, despite (or because) of their $49 price tag. The speaker’s appearance is a little like a condensed version of the Home, much like Amazon’s Echo Dots look like their mother. Hopefully, Google’s copycat microphones will fill the voids of many households.

Pixel 2

 

The Pixel 2 will likely be the same amount as we expected, which is $649 for 64GB and $750 for 128GB. For the regular variant, there are three expected colored variants, affectionately known as “Kinda Blue,” “Just Black,” and “Clearly White.”

Pixel 2 XL

For the XL variant, there will be a “Black & White” and “Just Black” model. Now, pricing. Brace yourself: $849 for 64GB and shooting all the way up to a whopping $949 for 128GB. There’s still hope, however, as David Ruddock from Android Police tweeted out earlier today that pricing has not been finalized for the model.

Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any new images on the screen bezels of either device nor any confirmation regarding the chipsets. I guess more leaks will spawn as the time gets closer to release.

Pixelbook

Google seems to also be planning on releasing a new premium Chromebook. Three different storage options will be produced (prepare for pricing, again): $1199 for 128GB, $1399 for 256GB, and $1749 for 512GB. An optional and extra Google stylus for an additional $99 will also be sold. We don’t have the type of processor packed inside, nor any word on a graphics card, but we can only hope Google will give us the best value for our money and make this thing awesome. After all, the 2013 and 2015 Pixel Chromebooks packed i5 processors. Perhaps we can expect an i7 or even an i9?

Pixelbook Pen

Final thoughts

Whether Google intended to leak the above information to hype its upcoming event or it hoped to keep the news under wraps until next month, we may never know. But what is abundantly clear is that the prices of almost every product are either a little or a lot more expensive than most potential buyers hoped they would be.

Because of this, and because Google Pixel phones and other hardware are already not the most popular items in the world, it is our opinion here at Pixel Spot that Google may sell far fewer devices than it hopes to. The first Pixel devices, although well-made, lacked significant features compared to their Samsung, LG, and OnePlus brethren. Can Google really charge the big bucks for second generation devices when competing Android OEMs have superior hardware?

There’s always hope that Google will retail these devices at more affordable price points to not only compete with new Android phones but to also beat Apple in the game of phones.

Only a few companies can charge that much and get away with it. None of those companies go by the name Google.

Source: Droid Life