At an official announcement event in New York this afternoon, Google took the wraps off their latest hardware products including the newest installment in their smartphone range, the Pixel 4 and 4XL. They also announced a brand new PixelBook Go and updated versions of their newly branded Google Nest Home speakers.
Google also gave us a sneak peak at their new truly wireless PixelBuds which are expected to launch next Spring. You can learn more about each of these new Google hardware products below.
Pixel 4 & 4XL
When it came to announcing their newest smartphone handsets, Google took quite a different approach to most manufacturers. As far back as June, Google officially tweeted from their @MadeByGoogle account a picture of the rear of their new handsets with the line “Well, since there seems to be some interest, here you go! Wait ’til you see what it can do.”
With this tease, the internet went into hyper-drive trying to learn more about these devices, months before their official launch today. Unfortunately, these people didn’t have to wait too long for the first leaks to start coming in with prototype models of the new phones making their way into the hands of technology websites and YouTubers.
As expected, a lot of these leaks were correct and, now, they’re official. The new Pixel 4 and 4XL come with a slew of new features and here are some of the key ones along with the key specs for both devices:
Display:
- Pixel 4: 5.7-inch, FHD+ resolution, 444ppi
- Pixel 4 XL: 6.3-inch, QHD+, 537ppi
- Both: 19:9 aspect ratio, “Smooth display” 90Hz refresh rate, “Ambient EQ” automatic color adjustment
- HDR with UHDA certification
Dimensions and weight:
- Pixel 4: 68.8 x 147.1 x 8.2 mm, 162 grams
- Pixel 4 XL: 75.1 x 160.4 x 8.2 mm, 193 grams
Battery:
- Pixel 4: 2,800mAh
- Pixel 4 XL: 3,700mAh
- Both: 18W fast charging, wireless charging
Cameras:
- Main: 12.2-megapixel, 1.4 μm pixel width, dual pixel phase detection, OIS, ƒ/1.7 aperture, 77-degree field of view
- Tele: 16-megapixel, 1.0 μm pixel width, phase detection, OIS, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 52-degree field of view
- Video: 1080p @ 30, 60, or 120 fps; 720p @ 240 fps; 4K @ 30 fps; Front Camera: 1080p @ 30 fps
Other specs:
- Memory: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB or 128GB
- Processor: Snapdragon 855
- Pixel Neural Core coprocessor
- Stereo speakers
- dual SIM (nano + eSIM)
- Active Edge
- Motion Sense radar
- Face unlock
- Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back
- IP68 dust and water protection
- Available in “just black,” “clearly white,” and “oh so orange” (limited edition)
Motion Sense
For the past five years, Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects team (ATAP) has been working on Soli, a motion-sensing radar. They’ve developed a miniature version located at the top of Pixel 4 that senses small motions around the phone, combining software algorithms with the hardware sensor, so it can recognize gestures and detect when you’re nearby.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnRbXWojW7c
Pixel 4 will be the first device with Soli, powering their new Motion Sense features to allow you to skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls, just by waving your hand.
A new Google Assistant
Google also confirmed that their Google Assistant is now a faster on the new Pixel 4. They’ve also redesigned the Assistant so it doesn’t take up as much room on the homescreen and you can now use it to open apps, search your phone and share what’s on your screen. It also considers the context of your query to do a better job answering.
Upgraded Camera
The camera, which has always been the Pixel’s strongest card, has understandably gotten an upgrade with the inclusion of a 2x telephoto lens and also some impressive software upgrades including ‘Live HDR+ with dual exposure controls’ and ‘Night Sight astrophotography.’
Speaking of which, Google’s Night Sight Night Sight is one of the best low light cameras on the market and now you can use Night Sight for shots of the night sky with the Pixel 3 and 3a also getting a version of this capability with the latest camera app update.
Starting with the original Pixel, all Pixel phones have HDR+ (High Dynamic Range) but now, with Pixel 4, you’ll also have Live HDR+ in the viewfinder so you know exactly what your photo will look like, which is a nice little addition.
Pricing starts at €759 for the Pixel 4 and €899 for the Pixel 4 XL. Pre-orders are open now and the new phones are expected to start shipping on October 28th. We should have our full review live very soon so stay tuned.
New Truly Wireless Pixel Buds
To keep up with the competition, Google also upgraded their Pixel Bud earbuds to make them truly wireless. They’ve also improved the call and audio quality of these earbuds and they’re expected to last up to 5 hours on a single charge. We were told this was more of a teaser announcement for these earbuds though as they’re not expected to launch until Spring next year with pricing around $179.
Pixelbook Go
Google also used today’s announcement event to show off their new Pixelbook Go. The new Chrome OS laptop will have a 13.3-inch, 1080p or 4K display along with either a Core m3, Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
It also has a 2MP front-facing camera, a Titan C chip, two front-firing speakers and two USB Type-C ports as well as a headphone jack. It’s only 13mm thick and weighs 900 grams.
Surprisingly, the device has a clamshell design, unlike the original Pixelbook, which had a convertible ‘360 degree hinge’ set up. To help the device stand out, there’s also a salmon pink ribbed underside for the ‘Not Pink’ model and a black finish on the ‘Just Black’ model.
The new PixelBook Go will come in at $649 with pre-orders open to customers in the States but Irish pricing and availability is TBC.
New Google Nest Mini
The new Nest Mini is official and is a successor to the extremely popular Google Home Mini which launched two years ago.
It comes with bass twice as powerful as the original Mini, an additional microphone for better voice and request recognition and stream transfer, which lets you move your music, audiobooks and podcasts from one speaker to another with just your voice. You can even transfer music or podcasts from your phone when you walk in the door.
The new Nest Mini is also smarter and faster than the original Mini. Google have embedded a dedicated machine learning chip with up to one TeraOPS of processing power, which lets thems move some Google Assistant experiences from our data centers directly onto the device.
The new Nest Mini is up for pre-order now for €59 and comes in a new ‘Sky’ blue colour. Shipping starts today.
Google Stadia
Google also confirmed at the event that Stadia Founder’s Edition will start arriving on gamers’ doorsteps on November 19, 2019.
Beginning 5PM on the 19th, if you were one of the first gamers who pre-ordered and have received your Founder’s Editions, you will be able to buy and play games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, and Mortal Kombat 11 on the new game streaming service.
Whether you ordered Stadia Founder’s Edition or Premiere Edition, you get 3 months of Stadia Pro, with access to Destiny 2: The Collection. Using the included Chromecast Ultra and Stadia Controller, you’ll also be able to play applicable titles in up to 4K HDR with 5.1 surround sound when playing on your TV. We can’t wait to take Stadia for a right spin when it launches next month!
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