Google is set to unveil its newest smartphone and smartwatch at its “Made by Google” event in New York on Wednesday, October 4. But fortunately, you don’t have to be in the Big Apple to check out all of the live updates.
The online giant is slated to officially reveal the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, as well as the Pixel Watch 2, products that it has already teased on social media.
Google traditionally has two big events, a spring one that caters to developers and talks about software and services innovation, and its fall device showcase. It follows Big Tech companies Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft in unveiling its latest products ahead of the critical holiday shopping season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Google showcase.
When and where is the event?
The Made by Google event will be held in New York and start at 10 a.m. ET.
I won’t be in New York. Can I still tune in?
Yep. Google will broadcast the event on its YouTube page or on its Google store page. You can also check back with Cord Cutters News to get live updates.
So what about those Pixel phones?
The main star of the show will be its new flagship smartphones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Thanks to some leaks (including from Google itself), we have a good sense of what to expect.
The 8 Pro will sport a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display. Data engineer Yogesh Brar, who tweeted the specs, said the new phones will have a Google Tensor G3+ Titan Chip, will run on Android 14, and host 12 GB of RAM. It will offer either 128 or 256 GB of storage. Brar also said the Pixel 8 Pro would have a temperature sensor and ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
Brar said the 8 Pro would have a 50 MP (OIS) lens alongside a 64 MP Ultra-wide lens and a 48 MP telephoto lens for a triple camera configuration. The selfie cameras was predicted to be 11 MP. In addition, the Google Pixel 8 would have a dual camera setup with a 50 MP (GN2) OIS paired with a 12 MP Ultra-wide lens.
On the battery front, Brar said the 8 Pro will have a 4,950 mAh battery with 27 W wired charging, and the Pixel 8 will have a4,485 mAh battery with 24 W Wired charging.
A shared video on 91mobiles by Kamila Wojciechowska also showed off a new artificial intelligence that would power some of the features of the phone, including video stabilization and audio isolation. The video also showed off its AI’s ability to swap out blurry heads for sharp ones in a video featuring people on a merry-go-round.
With AI all the rage, it’s no surprise Google wants to push the power and smarts of its phones.
The Pixel 8 may start at $699, while the 8 Pro starts at $999, which marks a $100 increase for both phones, according to 9to5Google, citing a retail source.
A spokesman for Google wasn’t available to comment on the rumored specs or pricing.
And the Watch?
Google also showed off its Pixel Watch 2, a successor to the original that launched last year alongside the Pixel 7. The watch is expected to include app shortcuts on the face to elements like temperature and weather, as well as Google Assistant.
We don’t have a lot of details about the Watch 2, other than it looks similar to the first Watch. On the back of the Watch 2 in the teaser video is the IP68 listing, which the terminology for water and dust resistance.
Anything else?
So far, Google hasn’t teased anything so we don’t expect much else. But in previous fall showcases, Google has shown off other products, including smart speakers and smart displays.
We’ll be following along live and covering all of the expected — and surprise — news as it happens.