TL;DR
The Google Pixel Event 2017 was going to be all about the second generation Pixel phone, or so everyone thought. Pixel lived up to all expectations, but it was just one of the multiple, notable announcements by Google today. From phones to clip-ons to Virtual reality, here’s a rundown of all the gadgets coming soon by Google.
Check out the complete stream on YouTube here
Google Home Mini & Max
First up, the Google Mini, a miniature version of Google Home. Drawing comparisons to Amazon’s Echo Dot, the Mini is instead wrapped in a fabric much like the larger Home. Google is said to have tested over 150 shades of grey (#NotMyChristian) before going with charcoal and two other colors: coral and coal.
A well designed circular shape, the Speaker produces perfect surround sound in a package you’ll want to flaunt (unlike the Amazon’s Echo Dot).
With Google Assistant’s cool new upgrade called Broadcast, it will turn a combo of Google Home/Google Home Mini’s into a smart intercom system. On giving it the appropriate commands, you can “broadcast” a message to the entire house or, individual rooms wherever the speakers are located. Feels a bit creepy but it seems cool.
Google Home Mini will be available on October 19.
We go from smaller to bigger versions, we have Google Max, quite simply a larger Google Home. The Max is a cloth-wrapped speaker as well, but one you can position either vertically or horizontally.
This beautiful smart speaker packs a new feature, Smart Sound. Smart Sound uses machine learning to let Google Max bring you tailor-made audio experience suitable for your space, your room, your house.
Max comes out in December priced at $399. It’s initially only available in the US in two colors: charcoal and chalk.
Google PixelBook
At just 10mm (0.39 inches) and weighing 1kg (2.2 pounds), Pixelbook is the thinnest, lightest laptop Google has ever made. It’s incredibly portable and according to Google at the Google Pixel Event 2017, is the first convertible laptop that truly feels like a tablet.
Pixelbook comes with 512GB SSD, up to 16GB of ram, and a battery that only needs 15 minutes of charge to give a whole two hours of battery backup.
Another cool feature is Instant tethering. When there’s no WiFi network nearby, Pixelbook automatically tethers to Pixel phones for internet access anywhere. For now, this will work only with Pixel phones and not all Android devices.
Pixelbook starts at $999 and the accompanying Pixelbook Pen is $99. You can preorder both and will start shipping October 31.
Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL
Now for the main event of Google Pixel Event 2017, the Pixel 2. The phones will come in 2 varieties of the 5-inch original and the 6-inch XL, both equipped with Android Oreo, and the Pixel 2 comes in a couple of nice colors: blue, black, and white. The Pixel XL will come in just 2 colors: just black or black and white.
Google said it won’t shortchange on the best features for the smaller of the two Pixel devices stating both will offer a uniform experience, regardless of the size. Clearly taking a jab at Apple’s practices.
The camera is hands down the best in the market and scores a 98 on 100. According to DXO, that’s nine points more than the first-gen Pixel and a full four points higher than the iPhone 8. Pixel 2’s camera will take brilliant portrait shots without needing a second camera and, using dual-pixel technology, the single sensor can recognize multiple layers of a single pixel, combine them for effects similar to those we see on dual-sensor phones.
Pixel also packs super-fast charging, a vivid OLED display, the fastest fingerprint sensor, water-resistance, and now, the world’s highest-rated camera.
The UI unexpectedly looks great. Squeezing the phone brings up Google Assistant. The AI is smart enough to know accidental squeezes from intentional ones, even with the phone inside a case.
Google Lens, which uses image recognition, analyzes image information to provide a lot of insights. For example, scanning an album label will bring up information about the artist. Taking the photo of a flyer or business card will automatically grab contact information, so you can call or message without inputting anything beforehand.
Thought that was amazing? The mind-blowing part is that the accuracy, according to Google, is more than 95 percent. That’s even better than the human eye.
You can preorder both the Pixel and Pixel XL starting at $649/$849 offering variants of 64GB or 128GB versions.
Daydream View
Google announced the Daydream View today at the Google Pixel Event 2017 but didn’t give us a lot to go on. The main takeaways are that it’s coming with >250 VR titles, video content like YouTube VR, and Pixel owners will get exclusive access to IMAX 3D movies for free. Daydream will come with the ability to cast, so people outside the headset will get a glimpse of the action.
That’s about it. We’ll bring you more on the View as soon as we know more.
Google Pixel Buds
Unlike Apple AirPods, both Pixel earbuds are connected with a sleek single wire that sits on the back of your neck — so no more worrying about losing one should they fall out. Basic controls are on the right earbud, and the Pixel Buds offer super easy access to Google Assistant as well.
But one of the coolest features unveiled at the Google Pixel Event 2017 has to be the real-time translation offered by the new Pixel Buds. As presenters took to the stage and spoke in real-time using two different languages (Swedish & English), the speakers connected to a smartphone made magic — they translated English to Swedish (and vice-versa) in a crowded auditorium in near real-time. Right out of the gate, they’ll translate more than 40 languages.
They go on sale starting November, priced at $159.
Google Clips
Lastly, we have the Clips at the Google Pixel Event 2017. Clips is a hands-free clip-on camera that clips to anything while looking like a slightly bigger GoPro camera. Its custom-built AI ensures clear and stable photos all the while trying to recognize the primary subject of the image. It grabs “Clips” or snippets in a high-resolution image which you can send instantly to Google Photos to automatically stitch together clips right away.
Google Clips is “coming soon” and starts at $249.
