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.
Stadia launches November 19th
Stadia, Google’s upcoming cloud gaming service, finally has an official release date to look forward to. November 19th is the date that people who ordered the Founder’s Edition will be able to begin playing.
https://youtu.be/Pwb6d2wK3Qw
Pixel Buds (2nd Generation)
New Pixel Buds were what I was hoping for the most at this event, and it looks like Google delivered. These are truly wireless earbuds capable of hands-free access to Google Assistant with the “Hey Google” wake word. Google claims they can stay connected to your phone indoors through three rooms or across an entire football field.
There’s an “ambient/spatial vent” on the bottom of the buds to let in a bit of environmental sound. However, the buds also dynamically respond to your surroundings by automatically raising or lowering the volume depending on the noise level of the environment you’re in.
They’re sweat and water-resistant, feature real-time translations just like the original, and each charge lasts up to 5 hours with the wireless charging case lasting up to 24 hours. They’ll come in four colors—Oh So Orange, Clearly White, Quite Mint, and Almost Black—and be priced at $179. Unfortunately, they will only be available in the spring of 2020.
You can join the waitlist for the new Pixel Buds on the Google Store here.
Pixelbook Go
Google’s going back to traditional clamshell laptops again with the Pixelbook Go. Despite its name, you shouldn’t really think of the Pixelbook Go as a successor to the original Pixelbook. The design is a bit similar to a MacBook, but it’s got a textured bottom that gives it a grippable design. It’s also extremely light at just 2 lbs.
Google claims up to 12 hours of battery life with up to 2 hours of battery life in just a 20-minute charge. The Pixelbook Go runs Chrome OS and features a 13.3″ LCD touchscreen display, but, unfortunately, ditches 3:2 for 16:9.
Pricing wise is as follows: $649 for the entry-level model with a Core m3, 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and an FHD display. The 4K UHD display is only available on the maxed-out spec which contains a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $1,399. I also feel it’s worth mentioning that these are still 8th-gen Y-series processors and not U-series so performance, especially while using Linux apps and such, probably won’t be significantly faster.
You can preorder the Pixelbook Go in Just Black from the Google Store here. The Not Pink color will become available at a later date.
https://youtu.be/HaUs5GqFTIo
Nest Mini
This is the all-new Google Nest Mini. You’d be forgiven if you can’t spot what’s different between this and the previous Google Home Mini. For starters, there’s now a hole in the bottom to mount it on a wall without any additional accessories. Most of what’s changed, however, appears to be on the inside.
It uses a sensor to turn on the volume and play/pause indicator lights when it detects when you move your hand towards it. Speaking of the play/pause button, Google says it will finally work now! The original Google Home Mini had its functionality nerfed after Artem Russakovskii from Android Police discovered a severe hardware defect with it that caused it to record non-stop.
The speakers of the Nest Mini have also been improved with “40% stronger bass than the original.” Google is also committed to sustainability so the fabric top of the device is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. It’ll come in four colors—Chalk, Charcoal, Coral, and Sky.
There’s also no 3.5mm audio jack for those hoping and it’ll cost $49 at full price, but there’s for sure going to be tons of discounts on it in the future and likely even given away as a freebie like the original.
You can preorder the Nest Mini from the Google Store here.
https://youtu.be/T2rXsad-D1Y
Nest Wifi
Google is bringing its smart speaker tech and the Assistant to its mesh Wi-Fi router system. Nest Wifi comes in two versions: a router that plugs into your modem and a “Point” that doubles as a smart speaker.
It supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Thread (at a later date). Unfortunately, Google did not upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 and is sticking with Wi-Fi 5. It’ll also come in three colors—Mist, Sand, and Snow—and will be backward compatible with the original Google Wifi.
Pricing is a bit complicated so I’ll just listed it out:
- Nest Wifi router: $169
- Nest Wifi point: $149
- Nest Wifi router and point pack: $269
- Nest Wifi router and 2 points bundle: $349
You can preorder Nest Wifi from the Google Store here.
Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL
After all the leaks, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL are … exactly like the leaks. Both phones feature a Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128GB of storage. As far as the camera goes, both devices have a 12.2MP main-lens camera with an f/1.7 aperture and 1.4μm in addition to a secondary 16MP telephoto-lens with an f/2.4 aperture and 1.0μm.
The Pixel 4 has an FHD+ flexible OLED display at 444ppi, whereas the larger one sports a QHD+ OLED display at 537ppi. Both phones also feature a 90Hz “Smooth Display.” There’s also no notch this time around but a forehead. The Pixel 4 comes with a questionable 2,800 mAh battery while the 4XL comes with a 3,700 mAh battery.
They use facial unlock rather than a fingerprint sensor and come with a Soli radar chip in the top forehead. Google brands this as “Motion Sense” which allows you to use gestures to command the phone without actually touching it; for example, you can skip songs by just waving your hand over the top of your phone.
It wouldn’t be a Pixel without some camera improvements. This time, Google is adding long-exposure astrophotography to Night Sight. In addition, Live HDR+ offers a real-time look at the picture you’ll get after image processing. You can also adjust shadows and white balance separately with two new sliders.
Pixel 4 now starts at $799 while the Pixel 4 XL starts at $899. It’s available on all major US carriers (including AT&T) and comes in three colors—Just Black, Clearly White, and a limited edition Oh So Orange.
You can purchase the Pixel 4 from the Google Store here.
https://youtu.be/_1QuBKyreWU
Below is a short recap video of the new hardware by Google:
https://youtu.be/dmqWuUeA5Ug
