Image: Google
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the latest Google smartphones to hit the shelves, accompanied by the first Pixel Watch and a tablet coming soon.
At its biggest hardware event of the year, Google unveiled the latest Pixel devices, including two new smartphones, a smartwatch, and a tablet due to be made available next year.
Made by Google, the company’s annual autumn event where it shows off its latest consumer hardware innovations, was held yesterday (6 October) with an in-person event in New York and an accompanying livestream on YouTube.
It showcased the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones, both of which come with a new processor, as well as Google’s first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch.
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Pixel 7 is Google’s attempt to compete with the latest devices from Samsung and Apple. It features a 6.3-inch screen with smaller bezels than the Pixel 6, the new Tensor G2 chip, updated 50MP and 12MP cameras, and runs on the latest Android 13.
Keeping in line with similar patterns followed by Apple and Samsung, the Pixel 7 Pro is like the Pixel 7 but on steroids. It has all the latest features built into the Pixel 7 but comes with a larger 6.7-inch screen, a more powerful 120Hz display and significant camera improvements.
Both phones come with Face Unlock and the Super Res Zoom feature – up to 8x for Pixel 7 and up to 30x for the Pro model. The Pixel 7 Pro also comes with a Macro Focus feature that delivers high-resolution photo quality from as close as three centimetres away from an object.
Both phones will come with Photo Unblur, which uses machine learning to essentially to sharpen blurry photos – even older ones. Other features, including Real Tone and Night Sight, are set to improve skin tone capture quality for people with darker skin and boost photography in low-light settings.
Videos are getting an upgrade too, with a new 10-bit recorder for brighter, higher contrast videos with wider colour ranges.
Pixel 7 has a starting price of €649 in Ireland, while Pixel 7 Pro sets customers back upwards of €899. Both smartphones are now available for pre-order on the online Google store.
“A huge appeal of the Pixel 7 remains its price. While the upgrades may not be groundbreaking, Google continues to deliver great value for money,” said Ru Bhikha, mobiles expert at Uswitch.
“Both the standard option and the premium Pixel 7 Pro both cost less than Apple’s new handsets. Alongside the budget-friendly Pixel 6a launched earlier this year, Google is catering to all mobile users.”
Google Pixel Watch
Google’s long-awaited smartwatch is finally here. Competing with the likes of Apple Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch, the debut Pixel Watch has tried to pack as much of a punch as possible.
Available in two models, one with Bluetooth and GPS and another with 4G LTE enabled, the Pixel Watch has one standard size: a 41mm case. Protected by Gorilla Glass 5, it features an always-on OLED display.
The Google Pixel Watch. Image: Google
While the two new smartphones run on an in-house chip, the Pixel watch is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 9110 system on a chip and runs on Wear OS 3.5.
Google describes the fit of the watch strap as “inspired by how a camera lens attaches to a camera body”, with customisable bands in different colours and materials. Pixel Watch also offers 19 different watch faces to choose from – along with the option to use any photo.
Following Google’s acquisition of Fitbit, the new watch also integrates with the fitness software to provide a host of features such as heart rate tracking, exercise modes, distance tracking, ECG and sleep tracking, among others.
The Google Pixel Watch has a starting price of €379 in Ireland and is also available for pre-order now.
Tensor G2 and Pixel Tablet
Now in its second generation, the Tensor G2 is the chip that powers all the new software features and upgrades made by Google for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, such as Night Sight, Face Unblur and Super Res Zoom.
Google moved away from using Qualcomm processors starting with the Pixel 6, which was the first device to feature the Tensor chip. Tensor is a system on a chip, meaning that most or all the phone’s computing hardware is located on a single integrated circuit.
While not much has changed since the first Tensor chip, Tensor G2 features a “next-generation custom TPU” that Google claims allows certain machine learning tasks to run up to 60pc faster and up to 20pc more efficiently.
Also revealed at Made by Google is the Pixel Tablet, slated for a release in 2023. “Just as our Pixel phones have always been the best and purest expression of Android, the Pixel Tablet is the best way to experience Android on a large screen,” Google wrote in a blogpost.
The Pixel Tablet will run on the Tensor G2 processor, giving it the same machine learning capabilities as the Pixel phones. Google also said the tablet can be paired with a charging speaker dock to improve user experience.
“With the Pixel Tablet, we’re taking everything we’ve learned from years of making Pixel and products for the home and combining it into one great device,” Google wrote.
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