Google’s yearly hardware event launch is now over and the ‘Made by Google’ brand of devices has now expanded. There have been a couple of big announcements, so in case you missed them, here’s a quick recap of everything released today.
Google Home Hub
The Google Home Hub is the prime competitor of Amazon’s Echo Show. It is priced at a pretty reasonable $149. It comes in three colors—Chalk, Charcoal, Aqua, and Sand.
The Hub is a Smart Display by Google that integrates Google Photos, a visual version of the Google Assistant, YouTube, and other services. The primary aim of the Hub is to control your smart home with a single device.
One of the major disappoints of the new Google Home Hub, however, is the omission of a camera for Google Duo video calls. Understandably, this was done for the sake of privacy, however, Lenovo cleverly used a “privacy shutter” in their Smart Display to hide the camera when not in use, which Google certainly could have done.
You can purchase the Google Home Hub from the Google Store here.
Pixel Slate
The Pixel Slate is the company’s first in-house tablet in over three years. It runs Chrome OS on a device with a 12.3-inch display. It’s got 8MP front- and rear-facing cameras; dual, front-facing speakers; no headphone jack, a built-in Titan Security chip, and the power button at the top doubles as a fingerprint reader. It also only comes in one color—Midnight Blue.
However, not included with the tablet is the separately sold $199 Pixel Slate Keyboard. The keyboard is backlit with rounded keys and connects to the Pixel Slate via a smart connector at the bottom of the device. A separate stylus, the same one from the Pixelbook, is also available for $99.
The Pixel Slate starts at $599 for an Intel Celeron Processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. An 8th Gen Core m3 and 8/64 GB is $799, a Core i5 and 8/128 GB is $999, and a Core i7 and 16/256 GB is a whopping $1,599.
You can join the waitlist for the Pixel Slate on the Google Store here.
https://youtu.be/FF1yy67BSp0
Chromecast – 3rd Generation
Although Google did not make any announcements about it on-stage, there’s a new Chromecast. The current Chromecast hasn’t been refreshed in three years, so the company has quietly added a new model to their store; however, nothing much has changed. It’s still a $35 dongle. There’s no Bluetooth but just Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
The only changes are that it now supports 1080p resolution at 60fps versus the previous 720p at 60fps or 1080p at 30fps, and it now lets users play music in sync with other speakers Google’s smart devices, like a Chromecast Audio dongle. However, the latter feature won’t launch until later this year. The 3rd Gen Chromecast comes in two colors—Chalk and Charcoal—along with a new matte finish and minimal Google branding.
You can purchase the 3rd Gen Chromecast from the Google Store here.
Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL
After all the leaks, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are … exactly like the leaks. Both phones feature a Snapdragon 845 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128GB of storage. As far as the camera goes, both devices have a 12.2MP single-lens rear camera with a f/1.8 aperture and 1.4μm.
The Pixel 3 has an FHD+ flexible OLED display at 443ppi, whereas the larger one sports a QHD+ OLED display (with a notch) at 523ppi. There is no headphone jack again on either of these two devices. However, both the phones are rated now at IP68 versus the IP67 of the Pixel 2. Google’s “Active Edge” feature that lets you squeeze your phone to invoke the Google Assistant also remains.
With the Pixel 3, Google has finally added Qi wireless charging. Alongside it, they’re now also selling a $79 wireless charging accessory dubbed “Pixel Stand” that essentially also turns your phone into a mini Smart Display. When it comes to color choices, you get Clearly White, Just Black, and Not Pink.
Pixel 3 now starts at $799 ($150 more than last year) while the Pixel 3 XL starts at $899 ($50 more than last year).
You can purchase the Pixel 3 from the Google Store here.
https://youtu.be/vKSA_idPZkc
Below is a short recap video of the new hardware by Google:
