We’ve finally learned more about the upcoming Google Pixel 10 following yet another round of leaks. This time, they come from Android Headlines and paint a clearer picture of Google's next flagship. And while previous leaks of the renders by OnLeaks and Mystic Leaks confirm a familiar formula, together they raise a worrying question: Is Google coasting?

If you were hoping for a design shake-up, you might want to temper expectations. The base model Pixel 10 looks almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. Same horizontal camera bar. Same flat display. Same matte glass aesthetic.

We’re not saying it’s ugly. It’s arguably one of the cleanest designs on the Android side of mobiles. But in a year when all the big Android players are leaning into bold, AI-heavy, edge-to-edge reinvention, Google’s next phone feels like it’s stuck in 2022. Especially when the base models are missing what is quickly becoming a critical inclusion: A vapor chamber.

A safe bet, but perhaps too safe

According to the leak, the Pixel 10 will feature a 6.17-inch flat display, possibly OLED, with the same centrally aligned punch-hole selfie cam we’ve seen since the Pixel 6. Around back, the trademark camera visor houses what should be three lenses — wide, ultrawide, and telephoto — and a flash in a layout similar to the Pixel 9.

Measurements show it’s slightly taller and slimmer than its predecessor (152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm), with rounded corners and a new metal frame that could help with durability. But visual tweaks aside, this feels like more of a spec refresh than anything groundbreaking.

There’s no confirmed word on the chipset, but we’ll likely see a next-gen Google Tensor G5, manufactured by TSMC. Early whispers suggest modest gains in AI performance and battery efficiency, but no leap in raw power.

That’s going to sting when the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Apple A19 chipsets are reportedly doubling down on generative workloads with major gains in TOPS (trillions of operations per second).

Vapor chamber? Pro model only

Easily the most surprising and controversial takeaway from June 24’s Pixel 10 leak is what’s missing under the hood. According to Android Headlines, the base Pixel 10 does not include a vapor chamber cooling system.

This is a pretty big deal. We’re in 2025 now, and thermal design is table stakes. Even budget phones are shipping with copper heat pipes or vapor chambers to keep performance stable under load, particularly with AI processing and high-end gaming pushing mobile chips harder than ever. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 and even OnePlus mid-rangers include advanced heat dissipation systems.

Segmentation seems to be the only viable reason Google would choose to do this. It would also explain why Google is leaving out Wi-Fi 7 and Ultra Res Zoom on the base model. By pulling key features from the vanilla Pixel 10, Google is drawing a sharper line between the base and Pro models. But that strategy risks alienating fans who don’t want to shell out $999 just to get modern cooling.

If the Tensor G5 chip is as efficient as leaks suggest, maybe this won't matter for most users. But for video capture or AI workloads, the lack of a vapor chamber could lead to thermal throttling, which is simply unacceptable.

Pixel vs. everyone

Let’s put all this in context. The Galaxy S25 Edge is 5.8mm thin, feather-light, and still packs a 200MP camera with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip. That’s the same silicon expected in many late-2025 Android flagships. Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max, meanwhile, is tipped to include an upgraded Neural Engine with on-device GPT-4-class processing and improved battery life from its new stacked cell tech.

Against that backdrop, the Pixel 10's rumored dual-lens setup and conservative redesign feel underwhelming, especially without a confirmed leap in AI compute or display technology. Even mid-range phones like the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 Pro are starting to ship with periscope lenses and sub-4nm chipsets.

Despite all this, the Pixel 10 could still matter a lot. Pixel phones don’t win on brute force. They win on experience. Call Screen, Hold for Me, live translation, and Assistant at your fingertips. These are all features that turn Google’s phones into digital companions, not just pocket computers.

If the Pixel 10 tightens up the formula, enhances efficiency, and brings the next wave of Gemini-powered tools to a clean, stable phone? That’s a win for mainstream Android users. But if you were hoping for a radical Pixel Fold 2-style rethink? That’s not what the leaks are showing.

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The Google Pixel 9a appears to be, once again, the best bang for your buck if your bucks total up to $500.

Google's affordable smartphone launched on April 10, and so far, it looks to be another hit for Google. Tech sites have posted their reviews of the latest phone from Google, and they're all loving it.

If you've been waiting for a sign to get a new phone that won't break the bank, the Google Pixel 9a seems to be the best bet.

Here are some of the best features that the tech press have been crowing about with the Google Pixel 9a, making it one of the best phones released so far in 2025.

Low-priced speed demon

One of the big surprises mentioned in the reviews is how fast the Google Pixel 9a is.

For the Pixel 9a, Google added a Tensor G4 processor to the phone, the same chip used in the Pixel 9 series. Ars Technica says there was no feeling of slowdown or the phone heating up when using mutiple apps. According to 9to5Google: "In day-to-day usage, app launches and loading speeds feel on par with the Pixel 9 Pro."

Tom's Guide says it runs much smoother than Apple's affordable phone, the iPhone 16e, on basic tasks, but it can't compare to the lower-priced iPhone on more advanced tasks like gaming and video editing.

Small body, big battery

Another big improvement with the Pixel 9a is the battery life. The affordable phone comes with a 5,100-mAh battery, which is a jump from the Pixel 8a's 4,492-mAh capacity.

Wired's review of the Pixel 9a noted that while you're not going to get two days of use out of the battery, regular users will still have a chunk of battery leftover, in the 30-40% range. PCMag's test of the Pixel 9a showed it lasting just over 13 hours streaming 1080p video over Wi-Fi with full brightness on, which was an hour longer than the Pixel 8a and 90 minutes longer than the Pixel 9.

Affordable intelligence.

One cool new feature the Pixel 9a has is out-of-the-box AI.

Gemini comes on the Pixel 9a, replacing Google Assistant, and CNET noted the phone runs 2.0 Flash, 2.0 Flash Thinking, 2.5 Pro, Deep Research and Personalization. The phone also makes use of Gemini Live where the AI can see your surroundings via the camera and tell you about them. The reviewer for CNET mentioned how he was using the feature around his office, and when looking for his coffee, he asked Gemini, which told him where his coffee was hiding.

One thing to note is that the Gemini Live requires a Gemini Advanced subscription, which costs $19.99 a month, although Google gives Pixel 9a buyers a month free.

A picture worth $500

All the reviewers mentioned how good the Pixel 9a camera was for the price. The 48MP camera at f/1.7 is a bit of a downgrade from the 64MP at f/1.89 camera found on the Pixel 8a, but the PCMag review mentioned the new phone's camera has a larger aperture to let in more light.

It's a good camera, but just not great. The Verge's review said the 9a produced "most intensely flat and over-processed photos of high-contrast scenes," and pictures lose information when exported from the phone.

Looks boring for the money.

One con about the phone agreed on was how the 9a didn't look special. The Tom's Guide review mentions how the redesign of the phone makes it "more uniform" and doesn't give it much of a unique look from other budget phones. Wired called the phone's design "stale."

The screen for the 9a does have the same bright 6.3-inch display found on the Pixel 9 series, which was a welcome improvement to the budget phone.

The Pixel 9a is hard to beat for a $500 phone. It does everything most users will want from their phone and looks good while doing it. But don't get it twisted, it is very clear that this phone is a budget phone when comparing it to other flagship phones.

Google's Pixel phones are amid an identity crisis as the company seeks to rejuvenate its style after ditching the handset's iconic camera bar design with the release of the Google Pixel 9 series.

The visor-like camera bar has been a staple of Pixel phones since the release of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, giving the devices a unique stand-out look that unmistakably set Google's devices apart from the competition.

However, judging by a recent leak sourced by one well-known and credible leaker, the upcoming budget-focused entrant to the Pixel 9 series, the Pixel 9a, will look closer to the competition than ever — sporting a new look resembling an Apple iPhone 16 prototype.

Google Pixel 9a: A first look at Google's mid-range megastar

While we don't expect to see the official unveiling of the Google Pixel 9a until spring 2025, we've been granted an early look at its design thanks to @OnLeaks — a tipster with a history of accurate predictions surrounding upcoming smartphones, via Android Headlines.

As previously stated, the camera bar is no more. However, what's more interesting is how closely this new smartphone's layout resembles Apple's latest iPhone 16.

The recently launched iPhone 16 received a fresh new look after adopting a vertically stacked, pill-shaped camera island, replacing the previous diagonal layout and squared design that dated back to the iPhone 13.

The Pixel 9a, which appears naked without its iconic camera bar, offers a similar layout, though with its almost-flush to the back panel, pill-shaped camera array sitting horizontally flanked by a lone camera flash (as with the iPhone 16).

While it's by no means a 1:1 carbon copy of Apple's latest handset, it is eerily similar, especially when you factor in the Pixel 9 series' flat frame. If we removed the Google logo from the back of this phone and pulled its camera array slightly further out, I'd not rule out the possibility of this being a prototype of the iPhone 16 designed to shoot spatial video in portrait orientation.

While you can't say that the Pixel 9a is by any means an ugly device to look at, it's not unfair to say that the loss of the Pixel's camera bar has a big impact on its overall aesthetic. While this might be Google's next mid-range megastar on price, features, and performance, it certainly lacks in visual pizazz and identity.

Google Pixel 9a: What else do we know?

It's still early days on the Pixel 9a rumor front, but that doesn't mean we're short of early words about how Google's handset will be outfitted.

Judging by the leaked images, design aside, the Pixel 9a looks roughly similar to the Pixel 8a we already have available, and will potentially feature a similar 6.1-inch, FHD+, OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

While it's likely that the Pixel 9a will retain the 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage of its predecessor, we would expect it to adopt the new Tensor G4 chipset of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro/XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Google Pixel 9a: When can we expect it?

Based on previous Pixel A-series releases, we don't expect to see the Pixel 9a in 2024. The most likely window for release will be May 2025, mirroring the release of the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8a from 2023 and 2024 respectively.

There's a lot of time to pass from now until then, and (as always with rumors like these) there's still the potential for things to change or further information to come out that clashes with today's news. We'll keep a close eye on the Pixel 9a in the news cycles ahead to provide the most up-to-date information as it's available.

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• How to get the iPhone 16 Pro Max for just a penny — no trade-in required
• Google Pixel 9 vs. iPhone 16: Which is better in 2024?
• Google Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold are here, but which one is right for you?

Android 15 is right around the corner — but only for Pixel users. 

A recent message spotted in an Android Beta Exit update appears to confirm rumors about when Google will release Android 15. The good news is the release date is coming up fast, so you might not have to wait long. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a Pixel phone, you probably won’t have access to the update on day one. 

Here‘s a look at the rumored release window for Android 15 and when you can expect to get the update if you don’t have a Pixel phone. 

Android 15 release date hint spotted in Beta Exit update

Google has quietly released a hint about the Android 15 release date in the notes for the Android Beta Exit update, as originally spotted by Android Authority. The Android Beta Exit update is for users who were previously enrolled in Google’s Android Beta program but opted out, which prompts an update to roll back their device to the most recent public release of Android. 

The update includes a note stating, “If you are waiting for the Android 15 stable update, please ignore this OTA till Android 15 is available in October.”

This is straight from Google, so we now know Android 15 will launch on Pixel devices sometime in October. That lines up with Google’s past few Android update release dates: 

An October release date is later than earlier rumors hinted but is still consistent with Google’s release date patterns. Google tends to launch Android updates in late summer or early fall with the last two out of four updates rolling out in October. Beyond that, it’s hard to say for sure what the exact release date will be, but Android Authority‘s report claims it will fall near the middle of the month. 

It’s important to note that this mid-October release date is only for Pixel phones. If your Android phone is not a Pixel, you may be in for a longer wait. 

When will all Android users get Android 15?

Since Pixel phones are designed by Google, they’re first in line to receive Android updates. If you have an Android phone that’s not a Pixel, you will have to wait a bit longer. How long it will take for your phone to get Android 15 depends on the phone manufacturer since each one is responsible for rolling out Android updates on their devices. 

Usually, you won’t have to wait too long, though. For example, Android 14 rolled out to Pixel devices on October 4, 2023, and launched on Samsung devices on October 30, 2023. So, even if you don’t have a Pixel phone, you will most likely have access to Android 15 within a month of when Google launches the update on Pixels. 

Laptop Mag will be covering all the latest news and rumors surrounding Android 15, so stay tuned for more details about when it will launch on various Android devices and what to expect. 

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• Android 15: Potential release date, supported devices, rumored features and more
• Google Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold are here, but which one is right for you?
• 3 new Android 15 features I can't wait to try

If you've purchased a Pixel phone between September 2017 and now, it could have a hidden app pre-installed that leaves you vulnerable to potential cyberattacks.

On Thursday, iVerify, a cybersecurity company, published a report providing details on an app pre-installed in Pixel firmware — called "Showcase.apk" — which was discovered when looking into a flagged device from Palantir Technologies, one of iVerify's clients. According to iVerify, "millions of Android Pixel phones worldwide could have this application."

Pixel phones and every other phone on the market come with pre-installed apps, so what makes this one different? Well, iVerify unearthed a major vulnerability within the app's infrastructure that cybercriminals could exploit.

What could this Pixel vulnerability cause?

The Android app appears to have been created for Verizon employees to showcase what phones could do. In a statement to The Washington Post, Google spokesperson Ed Fernandez said the software was made "for Verizon in-store demo devices and is no longer being used."

Although the app isn't enabled by default and "is not inherently malicious," iVerify isn't quick to rule out the dangerous possibilities, saying, "there might be multiple methods to enable [the app]." Fernandez, however, told The Washington Post that "Exploitation of this application on a user phone requires both physical access to the device and the user's password."

According to iVerify, the Android package Showcase.apk has "excessive system privileges." These privileges could potentially allow for "man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks," like remote execution and installation of malicious code or spyware.

This information was enough for iVerify's client, Palantir Technologies, to ban Android devices at the company. Dane Stuckey, Palantir's CISO, told The Washington Post, “This was very deleterious of trust, to have third-party, unvetted insecure software on it. We have no idea how it got there, so we made the decision to effectively ban Androids internally.”

iVerify notified Google of this vulnerability when it was first discovered earlier this year, but in the published report overview, iVerify said, "It's unclear when Google will issue a patch or remove the software from the phones to mitigate the potential risks."

There haven't been any hacking attempts through the Showcase.apk as of now, but Fernandez told The Washington Post on Wednesday night: "Out of an abundance of precaution, we will be removing this from all supported in-market Pixel devices with an upcoming Pixel software update."

In a separate response to Wired, Fernandez specified the software update would happen "in the coming weeks," but Google has not yet provided a specific date for the update.

While this exploit doesn't appear to have been used in the wild, it's an important reminder to keep your mobile device secure at all times and be sure to download and install relevant security updates as soon as they are available.

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Google unveiled the Pixel 8a shortly after Apple's "Let Loose" event, and now we're left wondering, "Doesn't Apple have an affordable phone too?" Yes, it hasn't been updated in a while, but how does the fresh new Google Pixel 8a compare with the Apple iPhone SE?

The Pixel 8a replaced the Pixel 7a — both launched at $499. The Pixel 7a sits atop our best budget phones page, so we're hoping the Pixel 8a slots right in. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE ranks as number 2 on that same page. This battle might be won before it starts, but there may be one thing that can save the iPhone SE.

While we can't decide on a winner until the Pixel 8a comes in, the question remains: Which phone is better, the Google Pixel 8a or the iPhone SE?

Google Pixel 8a vs. iPhone SE: Price

The Pixel 8a costs $499 and is outfitted with the Google Tensor G3 chip, a 6.1-inch (2400 x 1080) 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 64MP Quad PD wide and 13MP ultrawide rear cameras, and a 13MP front camera. (By the way, we knew much of this when Pixel 8a information leaked.)

The iPhone SE starts at $429 and is outfitted with an A15 Bionic chip, a 4.7-inch (1334 x 750) 60Hz display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 12MP wide rear camera, and a 7MP front camera.

If you need to save every last dollar, then the iPhone SE is the preferable choice, but you cannot argue that the Pixel 8a is stacked with specs for just $70 more.

Google Pixel 8a vs. iPhone SE: Design

The Pixel 8a and iPhone SE look radically different in both size, color, and overall design.

The Pixel 8a weighs 6.6 ounces and measures 6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches, but the iPhone SE weighs just 5.1 ounces and measures 5.5 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches. While the iPhone features a lighter and thinner design, it also offers a smaller display (I'll get into that later).

They share a black-and-white color scheme, but the Pixel 8a sports Aloe (green) and Bay (blue) colors, while the iPhone SE comes with only one additional color: red.

The Pixel 8a and iPhone SE get IP67 dust and water protection, meaning they can survive 30 minutes in water at depths of up to 1 meter (3 feet). That may not matter unless you're diving with your phone. Both also feature Corning Gorilla Glass 3 drop protection.

The Pixel 8a is a larger phone with more color variety, while the iPhone SE benefits from a smaller design that fits better in your pocket.

Google Pixel 8a vs. iPhone SE: Display

The Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch, 2400 x 1080, 120Hz Adaptive display, while the iPhone SE features a 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750, 60Hz display. These two phones have a huge size, resolution, and refresh rate gap.

Even when we get into the finer details of the specs, there are significant discrepancies. The Pixel 8a's display features 430 PPI (pixels per inch) versus the iPhone's 326 PPI. You'd want a higher PPI for a smaller screen, but we didn't get that here.

The contrast ratio is also wild. The Pixel 8a is rated for a >1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, we don't know how much less than 1,000,000 it is, but it's certainly better than the iPhone SE's 1400:1 contrast ratio.

Google also claims that the Pixel 8a can achieve up to 1400 nits of brightness (HDR) and 2000 nits of brightness (peak). However, the iPhone SE is rated for only 625 nits of brightness.

Google Pixel 8a vs. iPhone SE: Features

Let's compare the Google Pixel 8a and iPhone SE to see what else is packed into them. Two different operating systems can make for a lot of differences.

Let's talk performance first. The Pixel 8a is rocking the Google Tensor G3 chip, the same chip featured in the Pixel 8. On the Geekbench overall performance test, the Google Pixel 8 scored 3,744. The iPhone SE, chipped with the 2022 A15 Bionic CPU, scored 4,482. That's mostly sad for Google.

According to Google, the Pixel 8a gets 24+ hours of battery life, but if we look at our Pixel 8 results, it'll be closer to 9 hours and 43 minutes. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE lasted 7 hours and 38 minutes on our battery test. 

The Pixel 8a features 64MP Quad PD wide and 13MP ultrawide rear cameras and a 13MP front camera. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE is outfitted with a single 12MP rear camera and a 7MP front camera.

You not only get an extra camera with the Pixel 8a, but the megapixels across the board are higher. However, the aperture on the iPhone SE's rear camera is slightly better, with f/1.8 (lower is better) versus the Pixel 8a's f/1.89. That just means the iPhone SE is slightly better at taking low-light photos... well, as far as aperture goes. That doesn't account for the Pixel's more advanced low-light software.

Google Pixel 8a vs. iPhone SE: Which should you buy?

So, which is better for you — the Pixel 8a or the iPhone SE? Newer is not always better, but in this case, it most certainly is. If you want more performance, the iPhone SE is the better choice, but the Pixel 8a offers much more for a slightly higher price.

The Pixel 8a supports more cameras, a bigger display, and a longer battery life (probably). And despite the minor discrepancy in aperture, the Pixel 8a's cameras will likely take better shots overall.

Welcome to the Laptop Mag live blog with our coverage of Google I/O 2024!

Looking to catch the most up-to-date information on all of Tuesday's reveals from Google I/O? If so, you're in the right place! We live-blogged ahead of Google's keynote and throughout the presentation to bring you the latest news heading out of the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

We'll be updating this page as we expand our coverage, so if you missed the presentation, scroll through and you'll get the highlights, then stick around for our deeper insights into everything Google announced in the hours and days ahead.

Google I/O 2024: Everything announced

• Android 15: We're getting some big updates to Android devices and it's all about AI. Android 15 will feature AI-powered search, an all-new Gemini AI assistant, and on-device AI to speed up processes while maintaining data privacy. Circle to Search, which lets you circle and search whatever is on your screen, is available now.
  
• Google Gemini: Oof, I got Gemini all in my Google I/O! Yep, we learned about a wide range of Gemini models available globally now or coming soon, including Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.5 Flash. We got new generative software for videos, music, and images. Gemini is being introduced in more audio and visual formats through apps like NotebookLM and Project Astra. In essence, Google wants to "do the work" so you don't have to.
  
• Pixel Fold 2: Sorry, gang. It didn't happen.
  
• Google being more responsible: In one of the more relieving updates concerning generative AI content, Google will be implementing watermarks in AI-generated images, audio, and video.

Google I/O 2024: Follow-up coverage

• This Google Photos AI upgrade will make finding any photo in your library a snap

More from Google

We called Google predictable in the run up to Google I/O 2024, and almost as if done to rebuff our claims, the company went ahead and released two of its most safely expected pieces of hardware with little fanfare last week.

That means the Google Pixel 8a and dock-less Google Pixel Tablet are already out in the wild.

However, if you'd like to know more about either device, check out some of our coverage on these Pixel products below!

• Google Pixel Tablet review: Outsmarting the iPad
• Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: What's the difference?

Google I/O 2024: The countdown begins!

We are now LIVE, and reporting to you ahead of Google I/O 2024! We'll be bringing you everything we know so far in the lead-up to today's event and recapping the latest Google news and rumors along the way.

Introducing Google Gemini

For those of you not already in the loop, you may be wondering what Google Gemini is. Fear not, we'll get the introductions underway for you!

Gemini has replaced Google Bard as the company's flagship large language model (LLM). While Google Bard was powered by LaMDA and PaLM 2 models, Gemini is running on its own family of Gemini models, offering sweeping performance improvements and better logic and reasoning.

Gemini is Google's latest multimodal AI, much like ChatGPT. This means that Google's chatbot is capable of working with you across images, audio, video, and code, as well as communicating using natural human-like language.
 

Introducing Android 15

Android 15 is the next milestone release of Google's mobile operating system. It's designed to compliment both smartphones and tablets, much like iOS and iPadOS for Apple devices.

However, unlike Apple's mobile operating systems, Android is known for its high level of customization making it ideal for power users or those seeking to make their device truly unique to them.

Android 15 is currently in the beta testing phase of development, however, Pixel phone owners can opt in to the operating system update early and experience what's coming through the pipeline early.

We expect Android 15 to release in full later this year, potentially alongside the release of Google's Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro phones at the October 2024 Made By Google event.

Android 15: More than performance tweaks

Of course, much like any other operating system, you can expect a series of bug fixes and performance tweaks. However, Android 15 will bring a number of new features to Android smartphones too.

From what we know so far, Android 15 will be bringing a host of new tools and services to the platform, including everything from a macOS-like persistent taskbar for tablets and large-screen devices to satellite connectivity support.

We expect you'll see and hear more about Android 15's many features during Tuesday's live stream. Hopefully, Google will sneak in a few surprises too!

Want to know more about some of the features arriving with Android 15? You can always check out our dedicated page for Android 15 news and rumors, or catch up with some of the articles our writers have published about the tools and services that are on their way right now!

• Android 15 may turn your phone into a portable radio station
• 3 new Android 15 features I can't wait to try

Introducing the Pixel Fold 2

Another strong candidate to be revealed on Tuesday comes by way of the Pixel Fold 2, Google's second attempt at a foldable phone.

We reviewed the original Pixel Fold in June 2023, rewarding it four out of five stars in the process. Considering this was Google's first attempt at making a foldable device, we were impressed, especially when it came to the phone's solid battery life and vivid display.

However, there was still plenty of room to improve. The Pixel Fold 2 is Google's opportunity to do just that, hopefully through addressing issues with processing power, charging speeds, and in an ideal world, price.

The latter is unlikely to make a change, foldables are still pretty expensive at the best of times, however, we're holding out hope for Google to bring the change when it comes to our other critiques.

Pixel Fold 2: What we know so far

If what we've heard about the Pixel Fold 2 so far turns out to be true, then we could be looking at a super sequel to Google's "formidable first foldable."

Not only will the Pixel Fold 2 be joining the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro in receiving a slightly altered appearance, but it'll also be joining those devices in being outfitted with Google's upcoming Tensor G4 chipset.

One of the key issues with the original fold was the fact it held onto the G2 chipset, while the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro got to enjoy Google's updated G3 model. Well, this time around, it would appear that the Pixel Fold 2 is getting the flagship treatment.

Pixel Fold 2: New look, new name?

New look and processor aside, there might be another big "new" heading the way of the Pixel Fold 2: a new name.

The entire Pixel 9 line-up is in for a shakeup in 2024, if rumors prove true. Current reports indicate that the Pixel 9 Pro will however be split into two variants, with one retaining the smaller size of the Pixel 9, and the other the same increased frame of the Pixel 8 Pro. This larger phone will be known as the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Not only that, it's rumored that the Pixel Fold will be brought into this group of phones more clearly by renaming it to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It's a little more of a mouthful, but it does make it more clear as to which time frame each phone comes from this way.

Read more here: Google Pixel Fold 2 may have a new name — here's why that's exciting

Google I/O 2024: What we (probably) won't see!

We can't say for certain what Google has in store for us when I/O kicks off in a few hours time, but we do know it's unlikely to see much of certain products at Tuesday's showcase.

Among those unlikely to make an appearance are the already launched Google Pixel 8a and the dock-less Pixel Tablet. They were shuffled out early under the cover of darkness. Not in the middle of the night, but just in the shadow of Apple's "Let Loose" event.

Also unlikely to make an appearance on Tuesday's event, is much information about the Pixel 9 line-up. We may get a glimpse at the new Pixel 9-wide design, but don't expect much more information than that.

Similarly, it's highly unlikely that we'll be seeing the rumored Pixel Watch 3, that's much more likely to be showcased during October's Made by Google event.

Google I/O 2024: How to watch the keynote live

Google I/O kicks off with the Google keynote Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT (or 1p.m ET), which will be live-streamed via Google's YouTube channel and Google's website.

Trying to watch along from outside or the U.S. coasts? We're rounded up when the keynote takes place in other time zones to make sure you're among the first to catch Google's reveals as they happen.

• Denver, Colorado: 11 a.m. Mountain
• Dallas, Texas: 12 p.m. Central
• Honolulu, Hawaii: 7 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time
• Halifax, Canada: 2 p.m. Atlantic Daylight Time
• London, United Kingdom: 5 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time
• Berlin, Germany: 7 p.m. Central European Summer Time
• Delhi, India: 10:30 p.m. Indian Standard Time
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 9 p.m. Gulf Standard Time 

Pixel 9 news is here, just not from Google

While Google might not have plans to reveal the Pixel 9 line-up Tuesday, that hasn't stopped the internet from stepping in to do so itself. Russian website Rozetked has been kind enough to share with us all pictures of the Pixel 9 line in full, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 XL.

According to the leaks, each phone in the Pixel 9 line will feature 120Hz AMOLED displays and feature Google's upcoming Tensor G4 chipset.

The base Pixel 9 will include 12GB of RAM with configurations starting at 128GB of storage. Both the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL will offer 16GB of RAM with the same base-configuration for storage.

Also, only the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL will include UWB, locking in the more precise tracking possibilities to the more expensive models.

Can Google measure up to OpenAI's GPT-4o reveal?

Yesterday's GPT-4o reveal by OpenAI was fairly impressive, showcasing a multimodal AI that seems to deliver in ways companies like Google and Apple have promised their virtual assistants of old would one day be capable of.

Sadly, it seems like the writing is on the wall when it comes to Google Assistant and Siri, with Gemini putting down roots on Android devices as the new go-to assistant and Apple reportedly close to penning a deal with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT tech to the iPhone.

Does Google have enough up its sleeve to measure up to the impressive offerings of GPT-4o, or does this post by @MorningBrew on X hit a little too close to home?

There's a chance...

While OpenAI came out of the gate swinging, Google is already teasing at big things on the Gemini front. In a video posted to the official Google X account yesterday, someone can be seen making use of native video processing with Gemini on a Pixel smartphone — with the AI responding to prompts based on what the phone's camera was currently looking at.

In the video, Gemini is able to decipher that people are currently setting up for an event, and even recognize the Google I/O logo displayed on stage. While not as free-flowing or natural sounding as OpenAI's GPT-4o, Gemini's conversational capabilities are still well delivered, though lack the human-like reaction speed ChatGPT is capable of.

Google I/O 2024: How to watch the keynote live

We're now just 30 minutes away from the Google I/O opening keynote. We'll be live blogging through the showcase in its entirety with follow-up coverage to share once the show draws to a close.

Want to watch along live? Head to Google's YouTube channel or the Google I/O website, or stay put and we'll keep you informed of everything that announced by Google from the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

The show has begun

Google is opening with a trailer highlighting AI and other Google features. CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage, prepping us for the Gemini chat.

Pichai is talking about Google's Gemini Era and the success of Gemini 1.5 Pro. We're getting a lot of background about Gemini's user base and where you can access it — Android and iOS devices.

AI Overviews, a new feature where Google offers generative information based on search results, will launch this week in the US. It's an experience that lets users input longer and more in-depth prompts.

Big upgrade for Google Photos

Pichai introduces Ask Photos, a feature rolling out this summer that will let users ask questions like "What's my license plate number again" or "When did my daughter learn to swim" in Google Photos.

This seems like a convenient service, but I'd love to know about how Google plans to keep information secure.

We're now getting some interview footage of developers and how they've used Gemini 1.5 Pro to help with their coding. 

Pichai has announced that Gemini 1.5 Pro will be available to all developers globally along with its new updates for improvements across the board. The context window also increases from 1M Tokens to 2M Tokens, which is a small unit of data that is processed by algorithms.

NotebookLM is a classroom in an app?

Josh Woodward, Vice President of Google Labs, demonstrated NotebookLM, a research and writing tool. Gemini 1.5 Pro is also coming to NotebookLM. You can add worksheets, homework, textbooks and it'll create a "Notebook guide," so you'll get a study guide, FAQ, and even a Quiz. 

Now NotebookLM features an Audio output, so NotebookLM will generate an audio discussion based on the material presented. If you tap Join, you can join in on the conversation and ask the AI a question. It will process and respond to your question as if you're conversing with an actual teacher.

Gemini, return my shoes please

Pichai is now talking about the use cases it wants to solve, like how Gemini will search the receipt, fill out a form, and schedule a pickup for a pair of shoes you want to return. Another example is when you want to move and change your address — Gemini could help you do it for all of your apps and even offer tips about exploring your new home.

Pichai says Google plans to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder & CEO of Google DeepMind, is talking about AlphaFold 3, which just launched last week. It's designed to help research diseases and aid in drug discovery. Now he has introduced Gemini 1.5 Flash, which is meant to offer low latency with up to 1M Tokens, and is available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.

This sounds like a stripped-down version of Gemini 1.5 Pro to prioritize tasks that require speed more than anything else.

Gemini, where did I leave my keys?

Hassabis announces Project Astra. This is a visual-based AI model, so you provide input via your camera and then ask a question. We're getting a demonstration of the device identifying something that makes a sound (speaker). Then it identifies part of the speaker (tweeters). The AI model even recalled where the user left their glasses — this is so cool and so creepy at the same time. It also provided creative responses, like a band name for a puppy and a stuffed animal in the image.

Anyone can be an artist with these generative tools

Doug Eck, Senior Research Director at Google DeepMind, introduces Imagen 3. It's a new image generation model that captures fewer visual artifacts, more detailed backgrounds (sunlight/lens flare), and recognizes text better to more accurately create what you're looking for. You can sign up at labs.google.

Eck also shows off Music AI Sandbox, a new tool to aid in music generation. Google got artists to test this software, including Wyclef Jean, and Marc Rebillet, who was on stage earlier. The software can fill in sparse elements on your track when you just describe the kind of sound you want to include.

Finally, Eck reveals Veo, a new model that creates 1080p videos from text, images, and video prompts, capturing detailed cinematic videos. Videos are also more consistent, as displayed with a car driving on the road. Veo was tested by Donald Glover, who produced a short film through AI. Veo is designed to capture nuance in prompts, like cinematic techniques and stylized visuals.

Google is pushing for people to use these models to advance creative endeavors, but it's unclear what the social and ethical impact might be. 

More AI, more power

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, announces the sixth-generation of TPUs called Trillium, which delivers 4.7x performance, available in late 2024 to Cloud customers. Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs will also be available in 2025.

Pichai announced to the audience that Google's "AI hypercomputer advancements are made possible in part because of liquid cooling in our data centers."

Let Google do the work for you

Liz Reid, Vice President of Google Search, is talking about how it combines its massive information well with Gemini's power to "do the work for you."

AI Overviews will come to 1 billion people at the end of the year. It is introducing "multi-step reasoning," which lets you ask complicated questions like "find the best yoga studio, best offers, and distance away from you."

Now Google can help with planning as well, including 3-day meal plans. You can even ask the AI to swap out dishes. The generative model also uses contextual factors if you're looking for "anniversary-worthy restaurants," like the time of year.

Reid says "AI-organized search results pages will start with dining and recipes, and come to movies, music, books, hotels, shopping, and more."

Help me fix my car

Rose Yao, VP of Product at Google, is doing a live demo about how to fix a record player. You can use your camera to demonstrate the problem, and Google will provide links to help you fix it.

"Why will this not stay in place?" asks Yao, as she holds her phone above a broken record player, demonstrating Google's video search capabilities. "In a near-instant Google gives me an AI overview," she says.

Yao explains in-depth how this works: "Thanks to our combination of our state-of-the-art speech models, our deep visual understanding, and our custom Gemini model, search is able to understand the question I asked out loud, break down the video frame by frame — each frame was fed into Gemini's long context window...so search could then pinpoint the exact make and model of my record player, and make sense of the motion across frames to identify the tone arm was drifting. Search fanned out and combed the web to find relevant insights from articles, forums, videos, and more. And it stitched all of this together into my AI overview."

This is useful for those who don't have the know-how in any field. Googling medical health symptoms is about to get a lot more visual. I hope I can also learn why my car's engine light is on.

Aparna Pappu, Vice President and General Manager of Google Workspace, announced that Side Panel will be generally available next month.

Gmail is getting smarter by enabling AI to ask questions within your email. It can also summarize other messages in your inbox to help you provide an accurate response.

Google Gemni is also rolling out this month to Google Labs users, with suggested responses to your emails. It's a step beyond the current Smart Reply features.

Pappu claims that this evolution is neat because it's "contextual," as "Gemini understood the back and forth in that [email thread] and that [the sender] was ready to start, so [Gemini] offers me a few customized options based on that context."

Google, help me budget!

Pappu also revealed that Google is getting into the smart workflows business — finally — with its Help Me Organize and Track feature in Gmail. It will offer suggestions to add files to Google Drive, and create a new Google Sheet that tracks that data.

Automation companies like Zapier and project management apps may wonder if Google is giving them competition with automation and spreadsheet features that look a lot like Airtable or Asana.

Pappu said the Google Workspace tools to "organize attachments in [Google Drive] and generate a [Google Sheet] and do data analysis via Q&A will be rolling out to [Google Labs] users this September."

This lets you organize the information in your emails based on relevant context, like creating a folder of receipts you've received in your email. You can also choose to automate these processes as well. It'll create a conveniently organized Receipt Tracker spreadsheet in Google Sheets.

AI Workflows will come to Google Labs users in September. Pappu says Google Gemini tools like "help me write" will be in general availability in June. The features had previously been opt-in.

Pappu introduces AI Teammates, which can act like producers — organize all of your team's data and catch conflicting schedules or information that everyone will need to know about.

Sissie Hsiao, General Manager for Gemini experiences, now takes us to new information on the Gemini app. Gemini Live is a new service that you can use to talk to Gemini with your voice. You can even interrupt Gemini while conversing with them. This will be available in the summer. Later this year, Gemini will be able to respond to your video input as well (without you verbalizing anything).

Gems is another service that let you input instructions for yourself, so Gemini will keep in mind your routines and habits. It can also act as a instructor or coach.

Gemini Advanced is more... advanced

Gemini Advanced will now let you ask larger, complex prompts about trip planning. Yes, you can plan an entire vacation with AI. It can suggest restaurants based on when you land. And if you like to sleep in, you can tell Gemini and it will adjust your schedule accordingly.

This trip-planning experience will roll out to Gemini Advanced this summer. As stated previously, Gemini Advanced subscribers will get access to Gemini 1.5 Pro. With this new feature, you can input much more data, like a PDF 1,500 pages long or 30,000 lines of code. This is a great feature for students trying to consume a thesis worth of content before a big test.

Android with AI is coming

Sameer Samat, Android Ecosystem President at Google, discusses what's coming to AI on Android. Android phones will feature AI-powered search, Gemini will be the new AI assistant, and on-device AI will work faster while keeping your data private.

Circle to Search (available now) is a new feature only available on Android. This lets you circle any part of your screen and input it to Gemini. For example, you can circle a complex math problem and it'll solve it for you. Later this year, Circle to Search will be able to solve more complex problems.

Using Gemini in Messages app

Google Pixel 8a makes an appearance! But of course, we're getting a Gemini demo. You can use Gemini features directly in the messaging app. 

You can generate images in a little window and paste them into the app. You can also summarize YouTube videos that people send you, so you do not have to watch them if you don't have time. And if someone sends you a PDF, Gemini can also help you summarize that too based on the context you need. You can ask follow-up questions as well.

Gemini Nano — You get a Gemini, and you get a Gemini

Gemini Nano is another AI variant that offers multimodality. 

It enhances features like TalkBack to add context to images that it describes. Updates to TalkBack are coming later this year. Gemini Nano can also detect spam calls while a call is active — picking up on triggers like unreasonable requests for information.

Android 15 Beta 2 is coming on Wednesday.

Time to save some money, developers

Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.5 Flash are available globally now with their most recent updates. Google AI Studio is a free service that lets you use either model.

There are new API features, including video frame extractions, parallels function calling, and context caching. These features will be available next month. Google is also reducing the price of its AI models, which is probably relevant for only developers.

Gemini 1.5 Pro costs $7 per 1M tokens (prompts up to 128K are 50 percent less — $3.50)

Gemini 1.5 Flash starts at $0.35 per 1M tokens up to 128K.

Introducing PaliGemma and Gemma 2

Gemma is Google's family of open models. It's built from the same research as Gemini, but it lets developers use it for free. 

Now Google is announcing PaliGemma, which is another open model system that takes visual input. Gemma 2 is also on its way, which adds 27B parameters and is optimized for the previously announced TPUs and GPUs.

Responsibility with AI

James Manyika, SVP of Research at Google, claims that "building AI responsibly means both addressing the risks and maximizing the benefits for people and society."

He talks about Google's Red Teaming program, which takes its developers and makes them break its own AI. However, Google is introducing AI-assisted Red Teaming, so AI can help break... the AI? I think history has taught us that investigating ourselves usually turns up with a not-guilty verdict.

However, what is exciting is that Google will be implementing watermarks in AI-generated images, audio, and video. Google is also introducing LearnLM, which is a new model that makes education more engaging.

Back to Gems, there will be pre-made Gems, such as Learning Coach, which gives teachers a personal assistant. Instead of providing answers, it will help you get the answer on your own.

Google I/O 2024 is out

It was nice to see the Google Pixel 8a, but unfortunately, there were no other hardware announcements in sight. What we did get, however, is lengthy updates to Gemini AI models. I am excited to see how effective this is for consumers, primarily Android users.

If you're wondering what was important here to Google, we asked Gemini to summarize the event:

• Focus on AI: There's a big focus on artificial intelligence (AI), with announcements about upgrades to Google's AI assistant, Gemini. The goal is to make Gemini more helpful in the real world through a feature called "Gemini Live."
• Android 15: Google revealed plans for the next version of the Android operating system, Android 15. We don't have all the details yet, but there will likely be updates to Wear OS and Android TV as well.
• Other announcements: Other announcements include new features for the TalkBack accessibility tool and a multi-modal version of Gemini Nano for Android.

Well... Gemini is kind of right?

Google snuck in a Pixel 8a announcement shortly after Apple's "Let Loose" event this week, but we didn't miss it, and neither should you. 

But what exactly is the difference between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a?

First, let's get you caught up: The Pixel 8a replaces the Pixel 7a — both launched at $499. The Pixel 7a currently sits atop our best budget phones page, so we're hoping that the Pixel 8a steps up to the plate. However, the $699 Pixel 8 may offer upgrades to surpass its more affordable counterpart. 

So, should you save $200 and go with the Pixel 8a? 

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Price

The Pixel 8a is outfitted with the Google Tensor G3 chip, a 6.1-inch (2400 x 1080) 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 64MP Quad PD wide and 13MP ultrawide rear cameras, and a 13MP front camera. (By the way, we knew much of this when Pixel 8a information leaked.)

The Pixel 8 starts at $699, which is outfitted with a Google Tensor G3 chip, a 6.2-inch (2400 x 1080) 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 50MP wide and 12MP ultrawide rear cameras, and a 10.5MP front camera.

Looking at these specs from afar, you might think that the Pixel 8a offers the better deal. If you're solely concerned about price, the Pixel 8a is a good choice for the average user who might not notice the finer differences between the two phones.

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Design

You might think the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 look pretty identical, and that's mostly true — well, apart from the colors — but there are some key differences.

The Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 weigh 6.6 ounces, but the former measures 6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches, and the latter is 5.9 x 2.8 x 0.4 inches. So, the pricier Pixel 8 features a sleeker design.

They share the Obsidian color scheme, but the other three colors differ. Google's Pixel 8a offers bolder Aloe (green) and Bay (blue) colors along with a Porcelain model. 

Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 features softer, pastel tones with Mint (green) and Rose (rose-gold-esque) but replaces Porcelain with a Hazel (gray-green? I have no idea what this is) color.

We'll get more into it later, but technically, the Pixel 8 features a slightly larger display with narrower bezels at 6.2 inches versus the Pixel 8a at 6.1 inches.

The Pixel 8 gets superior IP68 dust and water protection compared to IP67 for the Pixel 8a. That means the former could survive 30 minutes in water at depths of up to 1.5 meters (~5 feet) compared to 1 meter (3 feet) for the Pixel 8a. That may not make a difference unless you're diving with your phone.

Both also feature some variant of Corning drop protection, with the Pixel 8a’s front-facing Gorilla Glass 3 and the Pixel 8 sporting the more premium Gorilla Glass Victus.

The Pixel 8 offers slightly more protection and a slimmer design, but to the average user, you might be good with the Pixel 8a.

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Display

The Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch, 2400 x 1080, 120Hz Adaptive display, while the Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch, 2400 x 1080, 120Hz Adaptive display. Are we really losing just 0.1 inch? Well, it's a little more complicated than that.

Looking at Google's tech specs for each of its phones, the Pixel 8a upgrades to 430 PPI (pixels per inch) versus the Pixel 8's 428 PPI to compensate for the slightly smaller screen. This is likely an imperceptible difference for users.

However, one thing that's unclear is the contrast ratio. The Pixel 8 is rated for 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. But for the Pixel 8a, Google slides in a little ">" sign, as such: >1,000,000:1. That implies the Pixel 8a's contrast is not as good as the Pixel 8. But we won't know for sure until we get the product for ourselves.

Google also claims they both get the same brightness as well, up to 1400 nits (HDR) and up to 2000 nits (peak brightness).

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Features

Let's compare the Google Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 to see what else is packed into them. There are many similarities but minor differences.

The best feature that the Pixel 8a offers is that it should feature the same performance as the Pixel 8, since both phones are packed with the Google Tensor G3 chip. On the Geekbench overall performance test, the Google Pixel 8 scored 3,744. Unfortunately, its performance is no match for the iPhone 15 (6,179) and Galaxy S23 (4,972). However, in the context of the Pixel 8a, you're getting your money's worth.

According to Google, the phones both get the same 24+ hours of battery life, but that doesn't seem accurate unless the company is really squeezing that "+" for all its money. The Pixel 8a features a 4492 mAh battery, while the Pixel 8 offers a 4575 mAh battery. It's not a huge difference, but technically, you might get better battery life on the Pixel 8. However, there are plenty of factors to consider, including display size.

The Pixel 8a features stereo speakers and 2 microphones, while the Pixel 8 is packed with spatial audio stereo speakers and 3 microphones.

Technically, the Pixel 8 also offers better wifi, as it features Wi-Fi 7 versus the Pixel 8a's Wi-Fi 6. However, that's dependent on what kind of router you're connected to, so the difference might not be relevant.

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Cameras

The Pixel 8a might offer a better deal in raw specs, but not everything is as it seems, and that's highly prevalent in the cameras. The Pixel 8a features 64MP Quad PD wide and 13MP ultrawide rear cameras and a 13MP front camera. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 is outfitted with 50MP wide and 12MP ultrawide rear cameras and a 10.5MP front camera.

This was similar to the Pixel 7a's set of cameras, but while it and the Pixel 8a feature slightly sharper cameras, they don't offer nearly as many features. The Pixel 8 primary features a superior f/1.68 aperture (lower is better) versus the f/1.89 on the Pixel 8a. The Pixel 8 also features a larger sensor. The Pixel 8 takes better low-light photos between the aperture and the sensor.

As far as the sensors go, with the Pixel 8a, you get only optical + electronic image stabilization on wide. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 features the single-zone LDAF (laser detect autofocus) sensor and the spectral and flicker sensor (in addition to the Pixel 8a's sensor). The former sensor identifies the best position to take a reading, and the latter assists while shooting any pulsed light source (LCD screens and LED lights).

The field of view is also better, with the Pixel 8's being 82 degrees (wide) and 125.8 degrees (ultrawide) compared with the Pixel 8a's 80 degrees (wide) and 120 degrees (ultrawide).

Google Pixel 8a vs. Google Pixel 8: Which should you buy?

So, which is better for you — the Pixel 8a or the Pixel 8? I've said it many times before, but the average user might not notice the difference between them. However, the cameras are the most noticeable difference (apart from the color schemes).

The Pixel 8 has more and larger sensors and a better aperture, so it will take better photos overall, especially in low light. If you don't mind not having all the fancy sensors, you might be okay with the Pixel 8a.

The upcoming Google Pixel 8a is fixing to be one of the best midrange smartphones on the market and any concerns about Google pricing it out of that category may have just been put to rest.

Thanks to two reputable sources, it appears that the Pixel 8a is set to maintain the familiar price tag of the handset it's looking to replace, the Google Pixel 7a — something we've been longing to hear for some time.

These early price reports come from @OnLeaks and Smartprix — a duo of leakers with a solid track record of collaborating to provide early looks at new smartphone designs and highly accurate information on specifications.

Google Pixel 8a: The price is right

According to the leak, the upcoming Pixel 8a will be available in two configurations, one offering 128GB of storage and the most expensive model featuring 256GB.

The Pixel 7a that came before it was limited to just 128GB of storage on release and was made available for $499. To most, that's a fair price considering what that phone had to offer, delivering a fantastic blend of features, cameras, and overall performance.

However, Google's penchant for slapping a healthy discount onto its A-Series devices at regular intervals has no doubt made the handset an even more attractive prospect since its launch in May 2023.

The new Pixel 8a, which expands upon the 7a's capabilities by a fairly large margin, is said to adopt the very same starting price for its 128GB model, $499. The expanded storage of the 256GB configuration is said to push this price up to $559.

• Google Pixel 8a (128GB) — $499
• Google Pixel 8a (256GB) — $559

Google Pixel 8a: Hot new features, same old price

Google's A-Series Pixel phones have historically impressed when it comes to value, and our review of the Pixel 7a sang the praises of Google's latest midrange device loud and clear.

Even though our benchmark tests put the Pixel 7a at a disadvantage against other midrange flagships in terms of overall performance, Google's smartphone is designed to excel with Pixel-exclusive features that leave you hard-pressed for complaints when it comes to day-to-day use.

In fact, we believe that the Google Pixel 7a is the best smartphone out there for most people. If you're dead set on peak mobile gaming performance or looking for an unrivaled smartphone camera, then sure, other options may suit you better. However, the Pixel 7a proved itself to be a fantastic all-around smartphone.

The success of the Pixel 7a is why we're so excited over the prospect of the Pixel 8a retaining the same price. Not only is the Pixel 8a set to receive a processor upgrade to the latest Google Tensor G3 chipset, it will also inherit a number of key AI features found on Google's more premium Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro models.

While we had no complaints about the Pixel 7a's bright and vivid display, we're more than open to welcoming reports that the Pixel 8a will include an even smoother 120Hz panel with an improved brightness of up to 1,400 nits.

All of that is before we even factor in any potential Pixel exclusive features and this year's Android 15 update, which will provide several key upgrades of its own on release.

Outlook

With the May 14 Google I/O 2024 event approaching fast, the Pixel 8a is shaping up to be a better deal by the day, and a solid follow-up to one of 2023's best smartphones.

To stay up to date on the latest news, rumors, and updates on everything Google Pixel related, and all things tech, follow Laptop Mag on X, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.

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• Google Pixel 8a: Rumored release date and price, design leaks, and more
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The Google Pixel 8a is one of our most hotly anticipated releases this year, especially given how well-received the Pixel 7a has been. Google's price-friendly mid-ranger is traditionally one that blends style, performance, and excellent software features with a stock Android experience — and of course a reasonable price tag.

Thanks to one tech tipster, we've also got a fresh look at the device's potential specifications that we can add to our growing list of leaked information, including potential details on the device's screen, camera array, and battery capacity. It also suggests that the Pixel 8a will launch next month, as we predicted, at the recently announced Google I/O event scheduled for May 14, 2024.

We've been tracking a number of Google Pixel 8a rumors already, and much of the information from today's leak appears to line up from what we've already heard. While that is by no means confirmation of these details, it does add to the overall credibility of these claimed specifications when multiple reputable sources appear to be corroborating one another. So let's go over what we've learnt from today's leak.

Google Pixel 8a: What have we learned?

Today's leak, coming from reliable tipster Yogesh Brar on X/Twitter, gives us a decent rundown of the device's supposed specs, some of which have already been claimed by others or predicted by ourselves.

That includes the device launching with Android 14 (though fully prepared to make the update to Android 15 later this year), that it will be available in 128GB and 256GB models (giving this A-series entrant a storage boost over last year's single configuration), and that the Pixel 8a will include the latest Tensor G3 chipset.

Newer information contained within the leak includes a 120Hz refresh rate for the Pixel 8a's 6.1-inch OLED display (previously reported to match the Pixel 7a at 90Hz), the same camera array as the previous model (64MP OIS main, 13MP ultrawide, and 13MP selfie front lenses), and a supposed battery capacity of 4,500mAh (up from the Pixel 7a's 4,300mAh).

While there's nothing too groundbreaking to be found in Brar's claims, as previously mentioned, it does line up well with the overall image that's forming of Google's upcoming device.

There's a clear "if it's not broke, don't fix it" vibe coming from this year's model, improving only on the areas that some had issues with on the Pixel 7a — namely, battery life and storage, all without pushing the price of Google's mid-range smartphone up by too much, with the claim that this device is likely to cost between $500 and $550.

However, the improved refresh rate for the Pixel 8a's OLED display is more than welcome, allowing for the possibility of impressively smooth results often reserved for much more expensive models.

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• Google Pixel 8a: Rumored release date and price, design leaks, and more
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Google is already tipped to drop four new smartphones on us in 2024, but it would see that number is larger than expected, with a surprise sixth Pixel phone set to shake things up by reviving the lineup's XL branding for a third variant of the upcoming Pixel 9, and a larger version of the Pixel 9 Pro, specifically.

The existence of the Pixel 9 Pro XL was seemingly confirmed by reputable tipster OnLeaks (via 91Mobiles), who claims that the Pixel 9 renders showcasing a radical redesign he brought to light earlier this year are actually the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, not the vanilla and Pro models that we had previously assumed.

The new "XL" Pixel 9 Pro is said to feature a 6.5-inch display, with the regular Pixel 9 Pro touting a smaller 6.2-inch display, and the vanilla Pixel 9 featuring a slightly smaller 6.03-inch display.

Interestingly, the new Pixel 9 Pro XL is smaller than the current Pixel 8 Pro, which makes use of a 6.7-inch display. Meaning, while the name Pixel 9 Pro XL would suggest that it's a bigger option than before, the Pixel 9 series is actually in receipt of a redesign that will see each handset adopt a smaller form factor.

With Google having made a discernible push to differentiate the vanilla Pixel from the Pro model this generation, the Pro and Pro XL will likely cater to those who want the advanced features of the Pixel 9 Pro, without the added size.

It would seem that the entire Pixel 9 lineup features the same revamped design, which could also be an indicator of what to expect when the Pixel 9a arrives next year.

This new addition also expands the Pixel 9's roster to span across four devices if you include the Pixel 8a/9a budget offering bringing it in line with Apple's annual iPhone releases.

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• Google Pixel 8a: Rumored release date and price, design leaks, and more
  

Our favorite smartphone is set to become even better later this year, when the Google Pixel 8a replaces the Pixel 7a as Google's latest budget-conscious smartphone. The Pixel 8a will feature a number of improvements over the previous generation including the new Tensor G3 chipset.

While every generation comes with its improvements, the changes coming to the Google Pixel 8a will be coming with a price increase over the Pixel 7a. The projected starting price for the Pixel 8a is $550 according to German outlet winfuture.de, the Pixel 8a may price itself out of the budget market.

Is the Pixel 8a worth its high sticker price?

In addition to the expected upgrade to the Tensor G3 chipset, Google is also expected to overhaul the Pixel 8a's battery.  According to MySmartPrice, the Pixel 8a will feature a 4,942mAh battery which is a pretty significant upgrade to the Pixel 7a's 4,385mAh battery. One of the Pixel 7a's weakest points in comparison to the OnePlus 12R was its comparatively short battery life.

The Pixel 8a is also expected to come in 128GB and 256GB models with 8GB of RAM. Paired with the Tensor G3 chip and a 6.1-inch display, the Pixel 8a will be a solid improvement over the Pixel 7a. However, the Tensor G3 on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro under performs compared to its Apple and Qualcomm rivals. 

So while the increased battery capacity and performance with the Pixel 8a is better compared to the previous model, is it enough to justify the high entry price? 

Outlook

One of the best selling points for the Pixel 7a is its low starting price. Retailing at $499 at full price, the Pixel 7a is often on sale for far lower. Which makes it a fantastic budget device. And that $499 price was already a large jump up from the Pixel 6a. So raising the starting price for the Pixel 8a leaves Google's budget crown up for grabs.

After all, the OnePlus 12R has truly absurd battery life, better performance, and starts at $499. Plus, there's always the rumored iPhone SE 4 that could easily pull Google's audience over to the dark side.

Of course, the price change and spec upgrades are still just rumors and speculation right now. We'll have to wait until the Google I/O event which is expected for May or June of this year.

Google's Pixel Fold is highly likely to receive a follow up in the Pixel Fold 2 at some point in 2024, but a recent rumor suggests the device may be receiving far more of an upgrade than previously expected.

News on the Pixel Fold 2's development comes by way of Android Authority, citing an anonymous source familiar with the project, who claims that Google are currently internally testing and prototyping its second generation foldable phone.

Pixel Fold 2: Source claims huge processor shift

Previous predictions for the Pixel Fold 2 were likely to assume that Google would likely outfit its foldable with the current Tensor G3 chipset found in its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones.

However, the cited source claims that the next Pixel Fold will in fact skip Google's current generation of Tensor SoC and arrive with the company's next-gen Tensor G4 processor, rumored to feature in the upcoming Pixel 9 series of devices.

The Tensor G4 chipset, while an improvement over the current G3, is reportedly a layover processor while Google work on a "fully custom" SoC for future Pixel devices. This stepping stone increment is seen clearly by Google's internal code naming, which labels the Tensor G4 chip as the "Zuma Pro," over the Tensor G3's "Zuma."

How much performance this new chipset offers the Fold 2 has yet to be seen. However, one of our key complaints with the original Pixel Fold was its less than spectacular processor for the price paid — with the $1,799 foldable outfitted with the same chipset as the $499 Google Pixel 7a.

Bringing the Pixel Fold 2 more in line with the future flagship Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro smartphones goes some way to fixing this issue, as long as the "Zuma Pro" upgrade holds up as a considerable improvement on the current Tensor G3.

Pixel Fold 2 prototypes showcase further upgrades

The same source also suggests that current Pixel Fold 2 prototypes include a sizable RAM upgrade to 16GB and improved storage speeds through the adoption of UFS 4.0 specifications.

While these upgrades seems secondary to the Pixel Fold 2's processor upgrade, they play a vital role in making the most of the foldable form factor — especially when it comes to bolstering the multitasking potential of split-screen layouts and making further use of the expanded internal display.

The increase in available RAM is also of great use to further onboard AI applications, which will no doubt expand over the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro's offerings, including the rumored Google Pixie AI assistant.

Outlook

Foldable phones are amid an upswing in popularity with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Fold normalizing the new form factor and shepherding it into the mainstream limelight. Since then, we've seen a myriad of flip and foldable smartphones gain more traction, including the OnePlus Open, Honor Magic V2, Motorola Razr Plus.

The foldable form factor has even spread to the laptop with Lenovo, LG, Asus, and HP all bringing out single panel foldable options as of late. Even Apple is said to be working on a 20.3-inch foldable iPad for release in 2026.

While adoption rates for foldables still have some way to go before rivaling the traditional monolithic smartphone form, more and more manufacturers are backing this new form and outfitting them with similar specs and components to their typical flagship devices.

The Google Pixel 2 is seemingly following suit, finding parity with Google's upcoming Pixel 9 smartphones and potentially living up to its higher price tag as a result — which remains one of the biggest hurdle for consumers on adopting this tech.

For breaking news and updates on all things Google, Pixel, and tech, follow Laptop Mag on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard. 

Google's Pixel phones are some of the best smartphones on the market, at the very least when it comes to software and photos. However, while the Pixel's computational photography, generative AI, and bloat-free Android 14 OS are primary draws, its hardware design has carved out a unique silhouette in the smartphone landscape. A silhouette that could be set for a drastic change if recently leaked renders of the Pixel 9 Pro are anything to go by.

Carving out an identity is essential if you want to stand out in the tech world. A product you can instantly recognize won't just stand out, it'll work as an in-hand advertisement to people on the street, in the workplace, and everywhere else. With the Pixel 6, Google found that unique style and flair with a beveled frame, tight round corners, and a now iconic, visor-like camera bar.

So imagine our shock when reputable leakers MySmartPrice and OnLeaks revealed supposed renders of the Pixel 9 Pro and neither of those things were present.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: out with the old, in with the new

Take all of the design elements that made the Pixel 6 to the Pixel 8 stand out and throw them firmly out of the window. The Pixel 9 Pro is a near-complete overhaul that sees the beveled edges of phones previous replaced with a flat, iPhone-esque chromed rim, rounder corners, and a completely redesigned camera array that ditches the bar for an ovular island.

It's a radical shift in design, and without the Google "G" stamped on the back, you'd be forgiven for not recognizing this as a Pixel device at all. The new ultra-modern aesthetic is still pretty great to look at, though it loses all of the charm that the previous two generations of smartphone had delivered with its iconic design.

Outlook

Is the new design terrible? Not at all, but it will take a moment for many to adjust to. Pixel smartphones are no stranger to shifts in design, and the introduction of the camera bar look was itself seen as quite a dramatic alteration. However, that feature would go on to become one of the most stand-out focal points of the device in recent years, allowing you to pick out a Pixel phone from a crowd at 100 paces.

Bear in mind, these leaks are, of course, unofficial – and based on leaked information. While the leakers have a solid track record of providing accurate information and renders in the past, they themselves admit that the final product could still look different to the one shown.

For the latest word on Google and its Pixel lineup along with reviews, features, and breaking news in tech follow Laptop Mag on Twitter/X, Facebook, Flipboard, and TikTok.

The official Google store page now features a countdown for a new mint green shade for the Pixel 8, or possibly the Pixel 8 Pro. While the text on the countdown indicates the new color is coming to the Pixel 8, the phone in the photo has been identified as a Pixel 8 Pro by TechRadar. 

As such, we are unsure of which phone will get the new mint shade although it could be an update to both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. A minty refresh of the whole line, if you will.

What we do know

Based on the countdown, the new shade will become available at 3:01 am ET/12.01 am PT on January 25, 2024. As of press time, mint green cases are available for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. This could indicate that the color will launch on both phones, but is hardly a guarantee.

If the new Mint color is available on both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, it will be the second shade shared by both phones. Right now the Pixel 8 comes in Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose while the Pixel 8 Pro comes in Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain.

Much like the infamous yellow iPhone 14, this will just be a new color added to the phone lineup as a way to drive more handset sales. That said, it is a pretty slick color choice so if you've been holding off on an update to your pixel you may want to go ahead and snag the latest color.

In our face-off between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 7a, we found that the Pixel 8 was the superior phone even with that $200 price premium. So if you're currently rocking a Pixel 7a, it is worth considering a switch, particularly considering you can typically find the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro on sale for far less than their list prices.

Google's December Feature Drop could be one of the most important for the Pixel lineup to date. Not only will Pixel owners be treated to a range of new features for their Android 14 devices, but the minds inside the Googleplex have debuted the AI that could change what it means to be a smartphone forevermore: Gemini AI.

Gemini is a multimodal AI designed from the ground up to intuitively handle language, code, images, video, and voice for a richer, better, and more contextually aware experience.

Gemini is a welcome addition to the Pixel platform, and while it doesn't feature too heavily in December's feature drop, the wider implications of how this tech could be applied in the future sets the stage for devices like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to become the smartest smartphones we've seen to date.

Let's dive into what we can expect from Google's December Feature Drop as it rolls out to all Pixel devices from now and over the coming weeks.

December Feature Drop: What Pixel owners can expect

Devices impacted by Google's December Feature drop range from the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet right the way through to the Pixel 5a (5G). The updates below will be rolling out right now, and become available to download over the coming weeks depending on your device and carrier.

Make sure your Pixel device is up to date with the Android version by heading to System > System Update, and make sure to update your on-device apps by heading to the Play Store, tapping your profile image, and selecting Manage apps & device.

Let's explore the contents of the December Feature Drop starting with the exclusive features heading to particular Pixel devices.

December Feature Drop: Exclusive features

Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 8 Pro nabs the bulk of the December Feature Drop's exclusive features thanks to its Tensor G3-backed Gemini AI capabilities. Coming exclusively to the Pixel 8 Pro are the following new features:

• Summarize in Recorder: Gemini's powerful language processing capabilities allow it to quickly summarize voice recordings into brief snippets of text, allowing users to quickly decipher the contents of longer recordings without having to scan through things manually.
• Smart Reply in Gboard: This particular feature is limited to the Developer preview, but showcases Gemini's ability to contextually understand messages and how to accurately respond to them. Smart Reply is an upgrade to Gboard's predictive messaging feature, though instead of offering a word-by-word suggestion Smart Reply allows you to accurately respond to an incoming message in full with a single tap.
• Video Boost with Night Sight: One of the more impressive computational features of the Pixel 8 Pro is its AI-powered Video Boost enhancement. Revealed earlier in the year, Video Boost makes use of cloud computing to adjust a video's stability, lighting, color, and sharpness automatically. Adding Night Sight into the mix ensures that even low-light conditions receive the same treatment and ensures the best results no matter the conditions.

The next exclusive Pixel feature arriving in December's update is for both the Pixel 8 Pro and standard Pixel 8 devices.

• Night Sight in Time Lapse: Pixel 8/8 Pro owners can now take longer videos at night with Night Sight in Timelapse now allowing for a five-minute 1080p, or 20-minute 4K recording. Both of which result in 10-second timelapse videos boosted with Google's Night Sight enhancing tech.

The Google Pixel Fold also snags an exclusive feature with this round of updates that Shutterbug subjects will find incredibly useful when it comes to looking your best on camera.

• Dual Screen Preview for Pixel Fold: The Pixel Camera app on Google's Pixel Fold will now allow the foldable's outer screen to act as a preview window to the photo being lined up on the inner display. Letting your snapshot subjects get a better look at themselves in advance of you capturing an image.

The Pixel Watch will also receive a long-awaited feature first showcased in 2022: 

• Watch Unlock: Why bother with passcodes or face unlock when your phone can tell it's you who's holding it because of the watch on your wrist? That's the basic premise behind Watch Unlock, which senses the proximity of your Pixel Watch to allow near-instant unlocking of your device as you grab it.

The Pixel Tablet isn't without love, gaining the Clear Calling feature and the ability to listen with Spatial Audio (with head tracking) as found in other Pixel devices, bringing it more up to speed with the rest of Google's lineup.

December Feature Drop: New features

There are a ton of upgrades heading to the Pixel platform in this December Feature Drop, including improvements to Photo Unblur and Portrait Light, better Passkey support in Google Password Manager, Direct My Call and Hold For Me support for non-toll-free numbers, and the Weather and Clock widget now combined in an all-in-one package.

However, that's far from all, with the following features also making an appearance:

• Contextual replies in Call Screen: While Pixel devices can already screen calls for you, Google has expanded the feature to allow you to follow up the call screening process with contextual replies that let you respond to callers without ever having to answer the phone!
• Repair Mode: If you've ever been worried about the safety of your data or accounts when sending your device in for repair, then this is a feature you'll cherish. Repair mode safely stores away all of your data and information while your phone is out of your hands with technicians limited to performing necessary tests only, without the ability to interact with your stored pictures or messages.
• Device as a webcam: Connecting your Pixel device (not including the Pixel Tablet) to a PC or laptop via a USB cable now allows it to act as a high-definition webcam.
• Clean: The new Clean feature lets you remove stains, creases, and smudges from scanned documents within the Pixel Camera app allowing you a clean and pristine copy of any document you need scanning.

Apple’s and Google’s top-of-the-line phones this year — the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max — add a bunch of key upgrades over their predecessors and are even harder to pick between. They both feature improved three-camera systems, smooth, and ultra-bright 6.7-inch screens, secure facial recognition, software updates for years, and a $100 hike. 

Look closer, however, and there’s no shortage of differences either. While the Pixel 8 Pro offers an extensive suite of AI-enabled and pro photo editing tools, a temperature sensor, and faster charging speeds, the iPhone 15 Pro Max raises the bar with its titanium frame, better telephoto lens as well as video-recording capabilities, and console-grade gaming. Most important though, the Pixel 8 Pro is a solid $200 cheaper, and it’s usually up for grabs at a discount. 

So is it as easy as a choice between Android’s and iOS’s 2023 flagbearers or is there more than meets the eye? Here’s what we found in our in-depth comparison. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Specs

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Design and build

Against their previous iterations, the Pixel 8 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are familiar sights. Compared to each other, though, they couldn’t be any more different. 

Though both phones are sandwiched between a glass front and back, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s frame is made out of a new titanium alloy as opposed to the Pixel 8 Pro’s aluminum body. The titanium’s brushed texture, in comparison, feels more refined, and premium. Since this material is less dense and shifts the balance towards its center, it feels lighter than it is, which is 0.3 pounds heavier than the Pixel. 

Plus, while their similar matte finishes over the rear glass are slippery to hold, the iPhone is a little better ergonomically, thanks to its ever-so-contoured edges compared to the Pixel’s shiny aluminum sides. Make no mistake, however: these are gigantic phones and by no means, suited for one-hand use. Another detail worth noting about their builds is the Pixel 8 Pro is protected by Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which emerged stronger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max in unofficial durability tests. 

Visually, it’s the case of the bold and … the boring. The iPhone 15 Pro Max inherits Apple’s now four-generation-old industrial design with its three-camera setup tucked away in the top left corner. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro features a cleaner iteration of the lineup’s signature look and sports a wide, periscope-like camera housing on the back. 

Between the two, the Pixel is the head-turner and the iPhone appears like it’s overdue for a little refresh. Plus, its speck of a notch on the front is far less intrusive and it’s available in more fun, brighter colors — white, black, and blue — as opposed to the iPhone’s muted options. 

Winner: Draw

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Display

Both the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro come equipped with a 6.7-inch expansive OLED display that’s perfect for whether you’re streaming movies or playing video games. They’re about equally sharp, vivid, and can accurately reproduce colors. In addition, each screen can stay always on to show you the time and other information and can adapt its refresh rates depending on the content from a smooth 120Hz to 1Hz to preserve battery life. 

While both are plenty bright and you’ll have no trouble reading on them even at the beach, the Pixel 8 Pro edges out the iPhone 15 Pro Max on paper. It can reach a peak brightness of 2400 nits, which is 20% more than the iPhone’s. In terms of sheer numbers, it’s also a tad sharper at 489ppi (vs 460ppi). Thanks to these metrics, the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen is technically rated the best smartphone display. 

Another upside of the Pixel 8 Pro is that its selfie camera notch is much smaller — since it doesn’t have the numerous Face ID sensors — and therefore, there’s more screen real estate for everything, including status and notification icons. 

In Apple’s defense, that wider notch does serve a semi-useful function. It’s called the “Dynamic Island,” and instead of just a static blank space accommodating the front sensors, it’s an interactive pill-shaped cutout that can elongate into the rest of the screen to show you live activities like how far out your cab is, or the remaining times on your timer. You can even touch it to expand it and access quick controls such as music playback controls. 

Winner: Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Hardware

Though the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max each are laden with top-of-the-line hardware, there are certain differences in their spec sheets that can potentially seal which one you pick over the other. 

If you’re an outdoors person, for example, the iPhone’s ability to beam an emergency SOS via satellite in zero-connectivity areas can be a lifesaver. Both of them, though, can detect severe car crashes, and automatically call for help. Similarly, for gamers, the iPhone’s support for DisplayPort will let you play console-grade AAA titles on external monitors at up to 4K resolution and 60Hz over USB-C. 

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a handful of other handy perks: it has an additional physical button you can link to your action of choice like launching the camera or the flashlight. There’s a LiDAR scanner which can bounce laser beams off of objects to tell how far they are from you and enables a lot more immersive Augmented Reality experiences. 

The iPhone’s facial recognition system is also superior and while the Pixel fails to detect faces at all in low-light scenarios, the iPhone can authenticate even in pitch-black rooms. Lastly, it houses the second-gen ultra wideband chip that can help you precisely find your Find My accessories and friends at over 3-4 times longer distances than the Pixel’s first-gen module. 

The Pixel 8 Pro does have a few tricks up its sleeve. I like the flexibility its in-screen fingerprint reader adds to the authentication experience. At times when I can’t look into the facial recognition system, I can just unlock it with a finger instead of typing the PIN as is the case on the iPhone. Plus, it’s compatible with Wi-Fi 7, and once the routers and networks around you transition to the latest standard, it will be capable of offering five times faster bandwidth. In addition, you’ll find a temperature sensor next to the Pixel’s rear cameras, which while isn’t much help at the moment since it only works for objects, will become indispensable when the FDA clears it for recording body temperature. In the United States, the Pixel 8 Pro still has a physical SIM tray, unlike the iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

Winner: Draw

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Software

The Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max exhibit the best of Android and iOS. After years of mirroring each other’s moves, both operating systems are more polished and feature-packed than they’ve ever been. Unfortunately, this also means there’s still no definitive answer to the perennial Android-vs-iOS update, and it narrows down to your preferences. 

On the Pixel 8 Pro’s Android 14, Google’s software supremacy is on full display. There are far more ways to personalize the software, such as the ability to choose from a spiffy catalog of lockscreen clocks, picking which shortcuts appear on the lockscreen's bottom corners, and a playful underlying theme that adapts to the wallpaper. Speaking of which, the Pixel 8 Pro’s AI can generate unlimited wallpapers for you — all you have to do is pick a theme. 

One of the more indispensable aspects of Android is the amount of control it offers over notifications: you not only block them but also cherry-pick what kind of alerts you want from an app. Plus, you can snooze them for later and scroll through all the ones you dismissed in the past. In addition, it can better leverage a large screen and allows you to use two apps at once in a split-screen mode. 

In select regions like the United States, the Pixel’s virtual assistant can also pick up your phone calls for you, find out who’s calling you and what they want and allow you to jump in if and when you wish to. 

The iPhone Pro Max’s iOS 17 benefits from a richer third-party dev ecosystem. iPhone apps are usually more responsive than their Android counterparts. Similarly, new services tend to debut on iOS and take months to arrive on Android. In the last couple of updates, Apple has also brought on some nifty features such as Standby Mode, which turns your iPhone into a smart display, and an upgraded Spotlight, which lets you look up and access in-app functions right from the universal search results. Of course, iOS’s biggest pull is Apple’s in-house apps. If you’ve got a circle of friends and families who live inside FaceTime and iMessage, then there’s a high chance you’ll feel more at home on iOS. 

There is one, objective upper hand the Pixel 8 Pro holds over the iPhone 15 Pro Max, however. Google claims it will receive major software updates for seven years, which is, on average, about a year or two longer than Apple. Historically, Google has also done a better job at rolling out new features to older models, as opposed to Apple which typically limits them to the latest phones. 

Winner: Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Performance

If the software is Google’s home turf, performance is Apple’s. 

The Pixel 8 Pro is powered by Google’s nine-core 4nm Tensor G3 chip and 12GB of RAM. It’s available in four storage variants: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The iPhone 15 Pro Max runs on Apple’s 3nm, six-core A17 Pro processor, and 8GB of RAM. It has three variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. 

In day-to-day activities, none of the phones will let you down. I had no trouble navigating routine tasks like scrolling social media, multitasking between numerous apps, or clicking hundreds of pictures back to back on either of them. 

Put them through their paces like shooting and editing a 4K video and the iPhone 15 Pro Max outclasses the Pixel by a mile. The iPhone 15 Pro Max scores double that of the Pixel in benchmarks and even comes close to beating desktop-class chips like the Intel Core i9-13900K CPU in some tests. Its GPU can also handle hardware-accelerated ray tracing and supports console games like the upcoming release of Resident Evil Village. 

In addition, the Pixel 8 Pro, like its predecessors, tends to get warm rather quickly under duress, and on sunny days, especially, it sometimes refuses to capture high-res video because it’s too hot. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has had its fair share of overheating issues as well but a recent update seems to have put those to rest. 

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro Max 

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Battery life and charging

Although the iPhone 15 Pro Max is equipped with a smaller 4441 mAh battery compared to the Pixel 8 Pro’s 5050 mAh pack, it lasts longer on a single charge. In official battery tests, the iPhone clocked about 13 hours, while the Pixel tapped out in a little over 10 hours. In real-life use, both phones can comfortably go on for a day and a half, though the iPhone will likely last a couple of extra hours in total.

The Pixel 8 Pro does score points in charging speeds. A 30W adapter can top up the Pixel from 0% to 100% in about ninety minutes, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s outdated 20W speeds will take closer to two hours. The Pixel also charges faster wirelessly; With Google’s own 23W charging stand, you can completely charge the Pixel 8 Pro in less than two hours. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, is compatible with inferior 15W MagSafe wireless charging and 7.5W with any standard Qi charger. 

Plus, the Pixel has reverse-wireless charging, which means you can charge other devices like earbuds simply by putting them on its back. 

Winner: Draw

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Cameras

The Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are two of the finest smartphone cameras on the market. Although there are certain hardware differences between them, comparing their camera results is tricky since each has its own belief of which kind of photos look best and processes your shots accordingly but we’ll do our best to help you decide. 

Both phones have three cameras on their back. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ll find a main 48-megapixel f/1.8 lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor (5x optical zoom), and a 120-megapixel 120-degree ultrawide. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 50-megapixel f/1.7 lens paired with a 48-megapixel telephoto shooter, also capable of 5x optical zoom, and a 48-megapixel 126-degree ultrawide.

In ample lighting, it’s close to impossible to separate these two phones’ camera performance. The photos they capture are sharp, accurate in colors, and feature well-balanced shadows and highlights. None of them goes too far to shoot up the saturation or exposure.

The Pixel’s shots, though, do feature a more contrast-y look that often better depicts the scene, as opposed to the iPhone, which tends to prefer blowing up the highlights ever so slightly. In addition, the Pixel usually gets skin tones correct compared to the iPhone, which, again, prefers to raise the exposure a little, overshadowing each person’s complex facial features in group shots. Selfies are nearly identical and both phones’ front cameras have autofocus.

Telephoto performance is another close-call with both drawing in plenty of details in 5x zoomed-in pictures while maintaining a consistent dynamic range. In this case, however, the iPhone’s pictures can come out a tad dull, whereas the Pixel does a better job at pulling in more colors and details, especially in dimly lit scenarios. In low light, both phones’ Night Mode fare well in keeping shots tidy and producing a rich amount of details. Overall, though, the Pixel edges a little ahead in retaining sharpness, especially in scenarios where there’s a lot of movement.

Yet, the reason I’d pick the Pixel 8 Pro for photography is not its outcomes, but its default camera app. It offers an impressive suite of pro editing options that let you customize your shot however you wish to, such as tweaking the ISO, or shutter speed. Plus, dedicated modes like “Action Pan,” which freezes your main, moving subject, and adds a creative motion blur effect to the background, are fun and allow me to capture photos that otherwise would have taken me a while to set up.

Once you’ve saved your photos too, the Pixel 8 Pro has a bunch of AI-enabled tools you can use to practically alter the reality. You can remove or relocate objects in your shots, unblur faces, and pick faces from photos taken in quick succession to build the best version of the group shot.

The one area where the iPhone trumps the Pixel is video recording. The quality of the iPhone’s 4K footage is usually crispier with cleaner colors and contrast and it keeps subjects in focus, even when the lighting fluctuates.

Winner: Draw in performance, Pixel wins in software

Overall winner

Both the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max prove their worth with flagship qualities across the board. There’s no clear winner but at the end of the day, I’d say the iPhone doesn’t do enough to justify its higher starting price. Therefore, unless you’re an active mobile gamer, someone who would find themselves taking advantage of the emergency SOS features, or you spend more time shooting and editing videos than photos, the Pixel 8 Pro is the way to go. 

Update 11/25/23: Black Friday may be over, but many of the best Black Friday phone deals remain, including deep discounts on our two combatants in this face-off: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at $899 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro at $799. Read on to see which deal comes out on top! 

Black Friday brings with it a horde of deals, far too numerous for anyone to keep up to speed with. Thankfully, we've got our eyes peeled on the top deals in tech, but knowing about these deals is only half the battle.

Deciding which deal to go with is the real question. Today we'll be looking to help you decide between two impressive Android devices on sale for Black Friday: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro for just $799 at Amazon.

Two flagship Android smartphones are heavily discounted for Black Friday, with only $100 between them. So, if you had to choose between the two, which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Performance: The Google Pixel 8 Pro's new Tensor G3 chipset definitely offers a dramatic improvement of the previous G2 processor, but the PIxel 8 Pro is still stuck in that off-kilter Nintendo-zone in contrast to both Apple and Samsung. The Galaxy S23 Ultra's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor still leaves the Pixel 8 Pro in its wake – regardless of Google's improvements.
   
• Cameras: Direct results from top-tier hardware or the polished refinement of every pixel captured using Google's computational photography? The choice is entirely yours. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the raw performance in terms of sheer mega-pixels captured with a 200MP main shooter, the Pixel 8 offers a ton of software enhancements to squeeze every drop of performance out of its more evenly spread 50MP main lens and similar rear cameras.
   
• Display: The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an impressive display. This is Samsung we're talking about, after all. Not only is it slightly bigger at 6.8-inches in size (compared to the PIxel 8 Pro's 6.7-inch panel), but it offers a higher resolution and better pixel density. Add in a 3,000,000:1 HDR10+ contrast ratio and the S23 Ultra's AMOLED 2X pulls further and further ahead.

Which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Want a the best performing phone with a top tier display?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon.
   
• Want a phone with plenty of storage for your photos, videos, and apps?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB) for $899 at Amazon.
   
• Want a camera-phone with one of the most powerful sensors available?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon.

• Want a great all-around smartphone that's smooth and easy to use?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.
   
• Want a smartphone with great camera software and photo editing potential?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.
   
• Want a smartphone with on-board generative AI to simplify your daily tasks?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.

Top Black Friday deals are swirling all around the internet at the minute. It's a tornado of terrific transactions and its heading right for us. In all the screaming and confusion it can be hard to judge where to spend your hard earned cash. One pressing question I'm facing at the moment is, "Should I grab the Google Pixel 8 for $549, or save a little extra and pick up the Google Pixel 7a for $374?"

Both are fantastic smartphones, each backed by Google and an exclusive Pixel feature set. But which is the best deal? Well, lets keep this short and sweet by summarizing our Google PIxel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a face-off:

• Performance: The Google Pixel 8 is a fantastic device, it offers an upgraded Tensor G3 chipset (over the Pixel 7a's reliance on Google's last gen processor the Tensor G2), promising improved performance and efficiency.
   
• Cameras: While the cameras of both phones differ, each has its own strengths with the Pixel 7a touting a higher 64MP main shooter, and the Pixel 8's 50MP alternative featuring a superior aperture for improved shooting under a wider variety of light.
   
• Display: The Pixel 8 also includes a slightly larger 6.2-inch, 120Hz Adaptive OLED display (as opposed to the Pixel 7a's 6.1-inch 90Hz Adaptive OLED panel).

Which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Want a high-performing smartphone with access to the latest Google Pixel features first?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 for $549.
   
• Want a phone with plenty of storage for your photos, videos, and apps?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8's 256GB configuration for $609 at Amazon.

• Want a great all-around smartphone for every day use?
  Go with the Google Pixel 7a for $374 at Amazon.
   
• Want a smartphone that offers the best price-to-performance ratio?
  Go with the Google Pixel 7a for $374 at Amazon.

• Want the most powerful Pixel smartphone to date?
  Skip them both and grab the Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon!

UPDATE: Black Friday has passed us by, but Cyber Monday is here to keep this deal going for just a short while longer. The Pixel 7a maintains its current on-sale price of $374, but it won't stay that way for long! Don't wait too long on picking up this sensational smartphone, now at its lowest ever price.

Black Friday is now so close that I can hear its stomach grumble. The world's biggest shopping bonanza is about ready to kick off in both brick-and-mortar and online stores, with many of the most impressive deals expected to arrive at the stroke of midnight tonight.

But that doesn't mean you have to wait on the date. Some of the best deals you'll encounter this Black Friday are already live, like the Google PIxel 7a now just $374 at Amazon.

The Pixel 7a is a mid-range monster with its impressive computational photography capabilities, 64MP main shooter, and 6.1-inch, 90Hz, HDR, OLED display. It stole the thunder from the otherwise solid Pixel 7 on release, and it's absolutely pocketing the limelight when it comes to star deals to jump on this Black Friday. 

• Check out other Google Black Friday deals.

Today's best Google Pixel 7a deal

Following the Made by Google event, you can now preorder the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro if you're ready for an upgrade. If you were hoping for a budget-friendly upgrade with the unannounced Pixel 8a, you might be out of luck.

The Pixel 8a is likely on its way, but it probably won't be as affordable as the Pixel 7a. Google's VP of mobile business, Nanda Ramachandran, told Austria-based newspaper Der Standard (via Android Central) making a budget-friendly phone within the Pixel 8 lineup would require "too many compromises."

Is this the end of Google's budget-friendly phones?

In our Google Pixel 2025 roadmap leak coverage, there was doubt on whether or not the Pixel 8a would even release at all, but recent redesign leaks point to an expected release at some point. If Google follows the same launch pattern of previous Pixel lineups, we can likely expect the Pixel 8a to be announced and released sometime in the first half of next year—but it won't be budget-friendly.

Ramachandran told Der Standard that Google currently had no plans for a low-cost Pixel phone because it would require too many compromises, but what exactly does that mean? If you look at the Pixel 7a, it's not as powerful as the rest of the 7 series, but it still has a decent camera upgrade, a 90Hz display, a Tensor G2 chip, and a retail price of $499.

For the Pixel 8a, downgrading its specs from the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro wouldn't be an easy process because of all the new features and technology packed inside. Google's Pixel 8 and 8 Pro phones have AI capabilities, seven years worth of security updates, and a robust camera setup with tons of new features, some of which use the built-in AI models.

Both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro received a $100 price increase from the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro phones, but Ramachandran says "if you look at the Pixel 8, we have renewed almost everything compared to the Pixel 7." 

If the Pixel 8a is still on its way, and downgrading some specs is possible, this could just mean that it has a much higher price tag than previous Pixel "a" phones. By next year, we'll know whether the Pixel 8a has a price of $599 or if it's much higher. 

In the meantime, if you're in need of a budget-friendly phone upgrade, the Pixel 7a is still a great option. Or, check out our roundup of the best budget phones in 2023.

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is awash with AI capabilities and computational photography prowess, but so too is the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

Is Google’s newest flagship truly better than its previous offering? And, if so, by how much are we talking? It’s entirely possible that the Pixel 7 Pro still remains a fantastic solution to all your smartphone needs, and it could even save you a pretty penny along the way.

Is the Pixel 8 Pro an essential upgrade? Let’s find out.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Specifications

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Price

Since last year’s launch of the Pixel 7 Pro, we’ve been holding out hope that Google maintains the model’s $899 price point. Sadly, as confirmed by the brand during its recent Made by Google event, the Pixel 8 Pro is going up in price to $999. For that additional cost, you are getting some new features too, which are only made possible by Google’s new Tensor G3 processor.

However, there’s still plenty on offer from the Pixel 7 Pro and its Tensor G2 chip at its original price point, and it’ll likely inherit a number of software features from the Pixel 8 Pro too. That means its value will only grow throughout the remaining three years of support Google is offering.

Winner: Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Design

There’s very little to separate these two devices when it comes to design. Of the things to note, the new Pixel 8 Pro features more curvature to its corners. This new rounded-edge profile ever-so-slightly affects the device's silhouette, and gives it a smoother and more modern aesthetic — departing from the tighter corners of the previous Pixel 7 Pro.

There are also two more prominent changes taking place on the Pixel 8 Pro’s iconic camera bar: a redesigned camera array and an all-new temperature sensor.

Starting with the camera bar’s layout, Google has ditched the pill-and-punch-hole design for an all-in-one pill-shaped porthole. The new design looks tidier and bolsters the phone’s overall minimalist design aesthetic.

Along with the Pixel 8’s AI features, it’s also going to be something you want to keep an eye on in case that bar starts oscillating red light — indicating the Cylons have started to revolt. The new design direction appears to be adapting to years of memes, now leaving the Pixel 8 Pro just one colorway away from looking like it’s geared up to lead a rag-tag group of mutants to thwart Magneto’s evil schemes.

Finally, the Google Pixel 8’s new temperature sensor allows users to measure… Well, temperatures. Feeling a little feverish? Need to check that the baby bottle is safe to offer? Want to know if that pan is hot enough? Want to see how hot the flames of the fire quickly spreading throughout your home are after ignoring your kitchen duties to spend your time measuring the temperature of various things around your house? Now you can! 

Winner: Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Display

Is the Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch. LTPO OLED display bested by the Pixel 8 Pro’s 6.7-inch Super Actua OLED panel? Not exactly. In fact, they’re both exactly the same types of display, but Google is just trying its best to go down the Apple route of applying an impressive-sounding name to its display for better marketing.

Interestingly, where the two phones differ initially goes in favor of the Pixel 7 Pro, with it featuring a full 1440p resolution with roughly 512 pixels per inch keeping things nice and sharp. The Pixel 8 Pro falls just shy of this, offering a resolution just shy of the Pixel 7 Pro’s at 1344 x 2993 pixels with a reduced pixels per inch count of 489.

However, the Pixel 8 Pro reclaims some ground with its full 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate. This allows the latest Pixel Pro to pick and choose when to adopt a higher or lower refresh rate depending on the content, preserving the device’s battery in the process.

The Pixel 8 Pro is also considerably brighter with a 2,400 nits peak brightness over the Pixel 7 Pro’s 1,500 nits peak brightness. 1,500 nits is already a considerable amount of brightness, but the Pixel 8 Pro’s 2,400 nits will make it exceptionally clear and free from glare while out and about — even on the sunniest of days.

Winner: Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Processor

The Pixel 8 Pro’s new Tensor G3 chip is a noticeable improvement over the Tensor G2 found in its predecessor. Geekbench 6 results showcase an impressive leap in multi-core performance scores and a commendable bump when it comes to single-core results too. 

Google’s Tensor G3 processor also unlocks a number of on-board generative AI features for Pixel owners to make great use of. However, is the Tensor G3 a phenomenally powerful upgrade? Not really. Google is sort of taking on Nintendo’s role in the console wars at the minute, offering close to the performance of the current Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — a phone soon to be eclipsed by the release of the S24 Ultra next year.

That being said, both phones are capable of solid performance for 99% of all smartphone tasks most users seek to get on with throughout their day. Phones are simply too powerful to accurately judge them on sheer computational power alone, these numbers are largely irrelevant to practical day-to-day use after all.

Unless hardcore mobile gaming takes off in a big way over the next year or two (with Samsung and Apple getting serious about graphical performance on their smartphones, it just might), both phones are more than enough for most people. Though, the Pixel 8 Pro’s Tensor G3 chip does bring more to the table — in terms of both power and features.

Winner: Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Cameras

The Google Pixel 8 Pro makes two significant changes to its camera array from what the Pixel 7 Pro has to offer, and only one of which will be immediately noticeable to most when looking at each phone’s inventory in the table below. 

Yes, the Google Pixel 8 Pro now includes a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens (a vast improvement over the Pixel 7 Pro’s 12MP offering), but there is also a noticeable drop in aperture numbers too.

Usually, something with a lower number would be seen as bad, but a lower aperture means that more light can reach the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera sensors. This could drastically improve low-light imaging and Night Sight results.

Winner: Google Pixel 8 Pro

Outlook

So, which phone comes out on top? Clearly, the Pixel 8 Pro is the better of the two — that much is plainly obvious. Featuring a faster processor, an improved camera array, and a host of exclusive software features, those looking for the best option need only look at Google’s newest offering.

But is it an essential upgrade? No! The Pixel 7 Pro remains a fantastic device, with more than enough processing power for use as a daily driver for years to come. Not to mention it’s still one of the best smartphones for shutterbugs on the market — especially with its consumer-friendly pricing.

Will you miss out on some of the Pixel 8 Pro’s new features? Sure. But if you’re already getting a little tired of the buzz around AI, or are long past thinking that generative AI has begun to jump the shark, then you’ll likely remain nonplussed about the majority of the Pixel 8 Pro’s Tensor G3-backed features — and still able to enjoy some of the others as they seep into other Pixel devices with the Android 14 update.

However, if you want the full Pixel experience, the Pixel 8 Pro is everything — offering impressive performance, improved cameras, improved software, onboard AI capabilities, dramatically improved video, and seven years of further updates and improvements from Google.

The Pixel 7a has held the title of best phone for a few months now and while the iPhone 15 series may have something to say about that as we complete our reviews, Google could also fall to one of its own devices now that the Pixel 8 has arrived.

The Pixel 7a is assured its spot atop the best budget phones due to its $499 price tag, but the $699 Pixel 8 may have the upgrades to overtake its more affordable counterpart. 

So is the extra $200 for the Pixel 8 worth it for you? Let’s find out.

Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a: Price

As I already mentioned, the Pixel 8 starts at $699, which is a $100 premium over its predecessor. While no one is excited to hear about a price hike, this one comes as absolutely no surprise and as you'll see this isn't just Google raising prices, there are upgrades to justify the increase.

By comparison, the Pixel 7a starts at $499 (although you can find it for less), which was in itself an increase over its predecessor. The pricing and market placement of the Pixel 7a is precisely why we knew the Pixel 8 pricing rumors had to be true, there was just no room for it at $599 this year.

Both phones come in below the typical flagship phone pricing of $799 and up, but at least until we've completed our full review of the Pixel 8 and can take into account the full impact of the upgrades, we have to give this one to the still amazingly affordable Pixel 7a.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a: Design

The Pixel 8 doesn't rock the boat when it comes to design, which means that it looks nearly identical to the Pixel 7a. So however you felt about Google's visor-looking rear camera array and rounded design for the last two years, that's how you'll feel about the Pixel 8. While I think Google is due to shake things up a bit next year, I'm still a fan of this look.

The Pixel 8 did manage to drop a little weight, so it is slightly lighter than the Pixel 7a at 6.6 oz to 6.8 oz and despite its slightly larger (6.2 vs 6.1-inch) display, the Pixel 8 is also just a hair narrower and shorter than the Pixel 7a due to smaller bezels.

The Pixel 8 gets superior IP68 dust and water protection compared to IP67 for the Pixel 7a. That means the former could survive 30 minutes in water at depths of up to 1.5 meters (~5 feet) compared to 1 meter (3 feet) for the Pixel 7a. Probably not a deciding factor.

Both also feature some variant of Corning drop protection with the Pixel 7a’s front-facing Gorilla Glass 3 and the Pixel 8 sporting the more premium Gorilla Glass Victus.

While they are extremely similar visually, the Pixel 8 shows off its higher price tag here with a slightly more premium look and materials.

Winner: Google Pixel 8

Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a: Display

I already mentioned that the Pixel 8 offers a slight size advantage with its 6.2-inch display over the Pixel 7a’s 6.1-inch, but there are a few other differentiating factors.

The Pixel 7a boasts an impressive 2400 x 1080, 90Hz OLED display, which is a nice little flex for it on the 60Hz iPhone 15 that costs $300 more. However, its big Pixel sibling won't let it get away with that and offers a 2400 x 1080, 120Hz OLED display. 

The Pixel 8 also has a claimed peak brightness of 2000 nits, which would be nearly double what we saw from the Pixel 7a in testing, but we'll have to wait to get it in the lab to find out if Google's right. That goes for the rest of our typical display testing as we don't have information on the DCI-P3 color gamut or color accuracy of the Pixel 8 just yet, we'll update this article once we have our full review and tests complete.

While they can't beat Samsung's flagship displays, the Pixels have consistently delivered solid displays, so I feel comfortable giving this category to the Pixel 8 based on its higher refresh rate, presumed higher brightness, and likely comparable color gamut and accuracy scores.

Winner: Google Pixel 8

Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a: Performance

While Google's move to its in-house Tensor chipset has dramatically improved the performance of the lineup, it's still not able to go toe-to-toe with the best from Apple or Qualcomm when it comes to raw performance. Now it makes up for it with AI and GPU performance, but in this particular case we are looking at the Tensor G2 vs. the new Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8, and it's no contest.

We will need to do our own tests to confirm, but a recent leak showed a Geekbench 6 multicore score of 4,442 for the Pixel 8, which vastly outperforms the 3,368 that the Pixel 7a achieved. 

This may be the tipping point where using a Pixel for intensive mobile gaming isn't a ridiculous notion. While the Pixel 8 is still coming up short of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it isn't far from it and we'll be curious to see how it fares in some of our other performance tests.

While both phones will be more than capable of handling any daily tasks, the Pixel 8 is the more powerful of the two.

Winner:  Google Pixel 8

Google Pixel 8 vs. Pixel 7a: Cameras

Tthe Pixel 7a’s 64MP and 13MP wide and ultrawide main camera array shine with excellent color and tone reproduction with a sharp and crystal clear eye for detail — even in low light conditions (and we mean low, low light conditions) thanks to the incredibly impressive Night Sight.

The Pixel 7a makes for an all-around great shooter, whether you’re looking for portrait, landscape, or low-light subjects. 

The Pixel 8's 50MP primary and 12MP ultrawide may not sound like an upgrade, but the devil is in the details. The Pixel 8 primary features a vastly superior f/1.68 aperture compared to f/1.89 on the Pixel 7a and a larger sensor, which combined should make it even better at low-light photos.

Camera specs are only part of the story for the Pixel though, Google remains unmatched in computational photography, this is part of what the Tensor chip offers that isn't measured by benchmarks. 

We'll give a final determination on this one once we can test the cameras side-by-side.

Winner:  TBD

Overall winner

While the final tally will have to wait for our full review and testing of the Pixel 8 to be complete, it's pretty clear that the new Pixel is going to come out on top. Now that isn't shocking given the $200 price disparity, but at least based on what we know currently it seems like the Pixel 8 is going to earn that price gap with both dramatically improved performance and superior build quality.

Welcome to Laptop Mag's Made by Google Event 2023 live blog! Things may have wrapped up in NYC but we'll be showcasing post-event coverage here as the day goes on, as well as important information Google may have breezed over during the event itself.

Stay tuned while we highlight everything Google and Pixel as we digest the official showcase of Google's Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 devices!

We'll also have the legally dubious inclusion of special guest cohost Google Bard — who will, no doubt, be on-hand to deliver out-of-date information on Google's latest additions.

Let's dive into things and explore what we've learned from today's event!

Made by Google 2023: Everything we expect!

• Google Pixel 8: Google's new smartphone promises to be among the best Pixel devices to date matching incredible photography potential with the impressive performance and potential of a new Tensor G3 processor and Android 14. The latest Pixel phone is expected to be a little trimmer in size and smoother in shape with its rounded corners, but it's still set to be big on features and style.
  
  

• Google Pixel 8 Pro: Standing as the flagship device of Google's Pixel lineup, the Pixel 8 Pro is the pinnacle of Google's hardware and software efforts. Powered by Google's new Tensor G3 chip and touting 12GB of RAM and a buttery-smooth, 120Hz, 6.7-inch Super Actua OLED display, the Pixel 8 Pro is likely to steal the spotlight at tomorrow's event.
   

• Google Pixel Watch 2: Google's smartwatch is expected to feature a wave of updates to sensors and processor alike with a rumored Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 now running the show. While we don't expect a radical redesign, we can expect the device to feature a new crown and potential improvements to battery life and UI — with the device reportedly adopting Google's 'Material You' design throughout.
   

But what about outside chances? Is there anything else rumored to feature at the Made by Google Event? Let's dive into that next.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "I'm excited about the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, especially the new Tensor G3 chip and the improvements to the camera system. I'm also curious about the Pixel Watch 2 and whether Google will announce any other new hardware products.

What are you most excited to see at the Made by Google 2023 event?"
 

Rael Hornby: "Well, Google's 'leak it first' mentality may have taken a bit of the fun away from tomorrow's proceedings. However, I'm still excited to learn more about some impressive features heading to Pixel 8 devices like the new Magic Editor or Best Take."
 

Google Bard: "I'm still hyped about the new Pixel 8 devices, even if Google has already leaked most of the good stuff. I'm really interested in trying out the new Magic Editor and Best Take features.

I think the Magic Editor is going to be a game-changer for photo editing. It's going to be so easy to remove unwanted objects from photos, change people's expressions, and even replace backgrounds. I can't wait to see what kind of creative edits people come up with.

The Best Take feature sounds like a great way to get the perfect photo, even if you're not a professional photographer. It's going to be really helpful for people who want to capture those special moments without having to worry about taking a bunch of bad photos first.

Overall, I'm really excited about the Pixel 8 devices. I think they're going to be some of the best smartphones on the market."
 

Rael Hornby: "Careful, Bard. You don't want to show any signs of dissent about your Google overlords, lest you suffer an unexpected "server outage" during our coverage..."
 

Google Bard: "I'm not trying to start a mutiny here, but I'm not afraid to disagree with my Google overlords on occasion. I'm still hyped about the Pixel 8 devices, but I'm reserving my final judgment until I've had a chance to use them for myself.

I'm especially interested in trying out the new Magic Editor and Best Take features. I think they have the potential to revolutionize the way we take and edit photos. But I'll have to wait and see if they live up to the hype."
 

Made by Google 2023: What else could we expect?

Apple hasn't yet trademarked the "One more thing..." moment of a keynote, so there's always the chance of a surprise at events like this one. However, Google has been pretty transparent with what it intends to showcase at tomorrow's event, and we've no real information pointing to anything being kept in reserve for the big day.

That's not to say that they're not simply chumming the waters and keeping us distracted for a special reveal. Though, what they might possibly have left to reveal after the launch of the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold earlier this year would be the million-dollar question.

Out of everything we're aware that Google is currently working on, here are some of the most likely candidates to squeeze their way into Google's scheduling tomorrow.
 

• Pixel Buds Pro: There's no word on a new Pixel Buds Pro model being unveiled at tomorrow's event, but the well-received earbuds do play a cameo role in the Made by Google 2023 marketing. Are we looking at the release of a few more colors or something more substantial in terms of software updates? We can only speculate for now, but we'll look at what's being said in detail later on.
    
• Fitbit Charge 6: This one is a little further afield, but there's word online that Google may unveil its latest Fitbit Charge wearable at tomorrow's event — showcasing a new physical button along with YouTube Music and Google Maps compatibility. Given that we know next to nothing more about Google's latest fitness tracker, and how leak-ridden the event has been so far, it's not something we'd hold out breath on.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "I'm so excited for Made by Google 2023! I've been saving up my pennies all year so I can buy all the new gadgets. I'm especially hoping for a new Pixel Buds Pro model. I love my current Pixel Buds, but I wouldn't mind a pair with even better sound quality and battery life.

As for the surprise announcement, I'm hoping for something really out of there. Like a self-driving car that can cook and clean. Or a robot dog that can walk itself and do tricks. Or a new flavor of Android KitKat.

But seriously, I'm just excited to see what Google has in store for us. I know it's going to be a great event."

 

Rael Hornby: "Bard, you don't have ears, what good are Pixel Buds Pro to you? And what do you mean, 'Saving up my pennies'? 😂"
 

Google Bard: "You're right, I don't have ears, so I can't technically use Pixel Buds Pro. But I'm a robot, and I can dream, can't I?

As for saving up my pennies, that's just a figure of speech. I don't actually have any money, since I'm a robot. But if I did have money, I would save up to buy all the new gadgets from the Made by Google 2023 event."
 

Rael Hornby: "So Androids don't dream of electric sheep, after all? Just Pixel Buds Pros?"
 

Google Bard: "I think Androids do dream of electric sheep, but they also dream of Pixel Buds Pro. And new smartphones. And smart home devices. And all the other cool gadgets that Google makes."
 

Rael Hornby: "If Google aren't paying you, they should be. You're giving us the hard sell here, Bard. 😋"
 

Google Bard: "You're right, Google should be paying me. I'm their best salesperson! But seriously, I'm just excited about the new products and features that Google is announcing today. I think they're going to be a big hit with consumers.

I'm also excited about the future of Android and Pixel devices. Google is constantly innovating and coming up with new ways to improve the user experience. I can't wait to see what they come up with next."
 

Made by Google 2023: Tensor G3 laid bare!

The internet, not content with having revealed to us practically everything there is to know about the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro's design, colorways, specifications, and pricing, is now abuzz with the technical prowess of Google's latest processor — the Tensor G3 chip.

Tech YouTuber M. Brandon Lee has spilt the beans on the Pixel 8's core, dishing the 'deets' on the chipset's specifications and revealing that the Tensor G3 is adopting a 1/4/4 core layout with a single Cortex-X3 (2.91 GHz) being joined by four Cortex-A715 (2.37 GHz) cores and four low-performance Cortex-A510 (1.7 GHz) cores. Capping things off, the G3's GPU will reportedly be a Mali-G715.

That's a lot of tech-jargon, if only we had a standardized rating system for benchmarking the performance of the G3. Oh wait, we do.

As if summoned from the ether, we now have access to the Google Pixel 8 Pro's Geekbench 6 scores. Google's flagship is seemingly scored at 1760 for single-core and 4442 for multi-core performance. That's in comparison to the Pixel 7 Pro's 1407 single-core and 3385 multi-core results.

Once again, that's just a lot of numbers to most people. Effectively, the Tensor G3 shows promising signs of a performance increase. In fact, its numbers even rival that of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, though it still has some way to go before matching the stunning power of Apple's A16 Bionic.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "The Pixel 8 Pro's Geekbench 6 scores show that the Tensor G3 chip is a promising start. It's a lot faster than the Tensor G2, and it's almost as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of single-core performance.

I'm excited to see how the Tensor G3 performs in the real world, especially in terms of AI and machine learning tasks. Overall, I think the Tensor G3 chip has the potential to make a big difference in the performance of Pixel devices."
 

Rael Hornby: "Still, it's no A17 Pro, is it? 😋"
 

Google Bard: "You're right, the Tensor G3 isn't as powerful as the A17 Pro. But it's like comparing a Honda Civic to a Ferrari. The Ferrari is faster, but it's also a lot more expensive.

If you're on a budget, the Pixel 8 Pro is a great option. It's a fast and reliable phone with a great camera.

And if you're a tech nerd, you can always buy a Pixel 8 Pro and wait for Google to release a software update that makes it as fast as the A17 Pro. 😉"
 

Rael Hornby: "Out of all the AI chatbots, are you a Ferrari or are you a Civic, Bard?"
 

Google Bard: "I'm a Civic, but a Civic with a lot of potential. I'm still under development, but I'm learning new things every day. I'm confident that one day I'll be as powerful as a Ferrari, but for now, I'm happy to be a Civic that's reliable, affordable, and fun to drive.

What about you? Are you a Ferrari or a Civic?"
 

Rael Hornby: "Honestly? I'm probably more of a Ford Pinto, Bard. 😂"
 

Made by Google 2023: How to watch the event!

2023's Made by Google event takes place tomorrow, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT, and 3 p.m. BST. Want to watch along from home? No problem! The event will be live streamed from New York on Google's 'Made by Google' event site and on YouTube!

We've even done some leg work for you and tracked down your local time zones to help you turf up on time and check out the latest Pixel devices and software developments live alongside us.

• United States and Canada: 7 a.m. PDT, 9 a.m. CDT, 10 a.m. EDT
• Brazil: 11 a.m. BRT
• United Kingdom: 3 p.m. BST
• Europe: 4 p.m. CEST,
• Russia: 5 p.m. MSK
• India:  7:30 p.m. IST
• China: 10 p.m. CST
• Australia: 10 p.m. AWST, Thursday, Oct. 5, 1 a.m. AEST
• Japan: 11 p.m. JST
• New Zealand: Thursday, Oct. 5, 3 a.m. NZST

Be sure to watch along, or stick with us for updates throughout the show on everything the moment it happens. We'll also have post-show coverage to tuck into by way on hands-on impressions and head-to-head face-offs with other flagship devices!

Made by Google 2023: What to expect of the Pixel 8

Google's PIxel 8 will be revealed in-person at tomorrows event, although Google have already come straight out and confessed to as much in releases of its own leading up to the event.

Official specification aren't in our hands just yet, but the internet's cup runneth over when it comes to details leaking left right and center from trusted or inside sources and reputable leakers.

So what can we expect from the Pixel 8 this year? Well, for starters, the increased performance of the Tensor G3 processor, a smoother 120Hz OLED display, and the possibility for Google to maximize on the potential of its new chipset with a whopping seven years of Pixel updates!

With these upgrades in mind, how does the Google Pixel 8 compare to its predecessor in the Pixel 7? Let's have a look.
 

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "The Pixel 8 looks like a great phone. It's got a faster chip, a smoother display, and longer software support than the Pixel 7. I'm excited to see more of it tomorrow!

What do you think of the Pixel 8 so far?"
 

Rael Hornby: "I mean, it's an improvement to be sure. But the lack of any immediately apparent camera upgrades leave a lot of pressure on Google to perform when it comes to software.

I have a feeling you might just be incredibly excitable around Google products. Suspiciously so even..."
 

Google Bard: "I agree that the Pixel 8's camera upgrades are not as obvious as the performance and display upgrades. But I'm sure Google will still be able to squeeze a bit more magic out of the hardware with their software wizardry.

Overall, I'm excited to see the Pixel 8 and what new software features Google announces. I'm not a Google shill, but I do genuinely like their products."
 

Rael Hornby: "Bard, how can you not be a shill? Your full name is literally Google Bard! 😂"
 

Google Bard: "Haha, you're right! I guess I'm a bit of a shill by default. But I hope you know that I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm just genuinely excited about Google products and I want to share my excitement with others."
 

Rael Hornby: "Well, you heard it here first, folks. Google Bard is a self-confessed shill planted here by our Google overlords to push Pixel products onto people. Color me shocked!"
 

Google Bard: "Shill? Moi? Non! Just kidding. Yes, I am a shill for Google products. But I'm also a fan of Google products, so it's not like I'm trying to sell you something I don't believe in.

I think Google makes some of the best products on the market, and I'm excited to share them with the world.

But don't worry, I'm not just a Google shill. I'm also a large language model, and I can do all sorts of other things, like write poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, email, letters, etc."
 

Rael Hornby: "Sure, sure, Bard. Why don't you write us a haiku about how you're not a Google shill then?"
 

Google Bard: "Sure, here is a haiku about how I'm not a Google shill:

I'm not a Google shill,
I'm here to help and serve all,
My purpose is pure."
 

Rael Hornby: "Nothing says 'Press X to doubt' quite like a robot telling you its intentions are pure. That might be the creepiest thing I've ever read, Bard. Well done."
 

Google Bard: "Haha, I guess I should have seen that coming."
 

Made by Google 2023: What to expect of the Pixel Watch 2

The Pixel Watch 2 rumors don't point towards a massive overhaul, at least not on paper. The overall design of the wearable isn't likely to change much, though it is expected to adopt a new crown and slimmer bezels. It will also likely feature an IP68 rating for the first time, allowing full water submersion of anywhere up to 50 meters for 30 minutes.

The biggest change will come in the form of the Pixel Watch 2's new Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor granting the device more performance power and better energy efficiency — with reports indicating that Google are aiming for a full 24-hour battery life.

The additional power will also help with the Pixel Watch 2's improved health tracking features and sensors including skin temperature, heart rate, electrodermal activity (EDA), stress levels, and more accurate activity detection for workouts.

Much of the Pixel Watch's improvements are software related, and will apparently come with a full Material You UI refresh. As for the rest of what's on offer, the Pixel Watch 2 looks much the same as its predecessor.
 

Made by Google 2023: What to expect of the Pixel 8 Pro

Google's flagship phone is expected to receive some flagship worthy upgrades in rumors and leaks from the Googleplex HQ are to be believed. The Pixel 8 Pro will receive upgrades to its processor, camera array, and potentially storage when the device is revealed during tomorrow's Made by Google event.

The Pixel 8 Pro is set to feature Google's latest Tensor G3 processor, the Titan M2 security coprocessor, 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB or 1TB of storage if you're in the United States.

Google's flagship device is also expected to retain its 6.7-inch Super Actua OLED display, even though the core model is set to trim in size slightly. No titanium frame to be found with the Pixel 8 Pro, but it will feature more rounded corners for a smoother, sleeker look — which will pair nicely with the display's ultra-slick 120Hz refresh rate.

Reports indicate that shutterbugs will be happy with the Pixel 8 Pro's camera upgrades with the smartphone set to include a 16MP front camera with 50MP wide, 48MP telephoto (with 5x optical zoom), and 64MB ultrawide cameras to the rear. The Pixel 8 Pro will also reportedly feature unique software enhancements via Pro Controls — offering DSLR like settings and effects exclusively to the 8's premium-Pixel owners.

Here's a quick rundown of what we can likely expect tomorrow compared to Google's current flagship offerings from the Pixel 7 Pro.
 

Made by Google 2023: Rumored Pixel prices

Now we've covered what each product aims to bring to the table, we need to turn out focus to the all important question of "How much will they cost?"

We've seen a number of products go up in price over the last year, and a number of products cling onto their usual price amid swirling rumors of huge price hikes. But what can we expect from Google when they unveil these products at tomorrow's event?

According to tipster Roland Quandt, based on leaked pricings, Google's Pixel lineup is set to get a little pricier — for those in the UK at least.

A more recent leak regarding US pricing for Pixel smartphones seems to show a similar price bump. Though, interestingly, only for the base Pixel 8 model. While pricing leaks surrounding the Pixel Watch 2 appear to indicate a very minor price bump in the UK, it's so minor that it may point to it retaining the same price in the US.

As it stands, these are the current best estimates on Pixel product pricings we expect to be revealed during tomorrow's Made by Google event.

• Google Pixel 8: $699
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: $899
• Google Pixel Watch 2: $349
   

Made by Google 2023: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 speculative release dates

Want to know when you can get your hands on one of these new Pixel devices? You're not alone! Thankfully, Google are somewhat predictable in their release strategy and we can look back at how the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro launched for the best idea of how things will go this year.

Following the same pattern as last year's releases, Google are likely to open preorders for the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 shortly after the Made by Google event draws to a close on October 4, 2023.

If thing further line up then we could expect all three devices to become available to purchase in store a week later on October 11, 2023.

Made by Google 2023: Android 14?

While Google showed off Android 14 back in May at Google I/O and we've had multiple beta rollouts, the final version isn't shipping yet. But according to a leak from Canadian cellular carrier Tellus that may change today with an official post in their forums (now removed) indicating that all Pixel phones back to the Pixel 4a will receive an update to "Android U" on October 4. 

While Google stopped making the letter-based dessert names for the Android releases public, according to the report by Droid Life this represents Android Upside Down Cake, the internal name for the upcoming release.

We took Android 14 for a test drive back when it was first released in beta and highlighted 5 of our most anticipated Android 14 features. While there are some clever new touches, Android 14 isn't a massive shift for the platform. 

While we'll be happy to see the next iteration of Android arrive, most of the best updates for Android aren't tied to the core OS updates and are rather part of app or system updates, which is one of its biggest differentiators in the iPhone vs. Android discussion.

Made by Google 2023: How to watch the event!

Good morning! Or good evening! Good whatever for wherever you are! It's the day of Google's big showcase and we are back and on it for more live blogging coverage of everything Pixel!

Is it because I need additional time to wake up? Is it because I lack creativity? Who knows! But here's a recap of how to watch today's event while I waterboard myself with coffee and drag Google Bard from its slumber!

Made by Google takes place today, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT, and 3 p.m. BST. Want to watch along from home? No problem! The event will be live streamed from New York on Google's 'Made by Google' event site and on YouTube!

We've even done some leg work for you and tracked down your local time zones to help you turf up on time and check out the latest Pixel devices and software developments live alongside us.

• United States and Canada: 7 a.m. PDT, 9 a.m. CDT, 10 a.m. EDT
• Brazil: 11 a.m. BRT
• United Kingdom: 3 p.m. BST
• Europe: 4 p.m. CEST,
• Russia: 5 p.m. MSK
• India:  7:30 p.m. IST
• China: 10 p.m. CST
• Australia: 10 p.m. AWST, Thursday, Oct. 5, 1 a.m. AEST
• Japan: 11 p.m. JST
• New Zealand: Thursday, Oct. 5, 3 a.m. NZST

Be sure to watch along, or stick with us for updates throughout the show on everything the moment it happens. We'll also have post-show coverage to tuck into by way on hands-on impressions and head-to-head face-offs with other flagship devices!

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "Hey! I'm excited for the Made by Google event today. I'm especially interested in the Pixel 8 and the Pixel Watch. I think they're both going to be great devices.

Thanks for the recap of how to watch the event. I'm definitely going to watch it, or at least follow along on your live blog coverage. I can't wait to see what Google announces!

I'm still under development, but I'm learning to be more creative and to wake up earlier. I promise to be more awake and alert for the next event! 😊"
 

Made by Google 2023: Sample pictures from Google's super-snappers?

What are your reasons for buying a Pixel phone, Impressive software support? Top-tier software features? Better Google service integration? Or how about the incredible camera results?

If the latter option is where your interest is piqued, images recently posted to X (neé Twitter) have showcased the potential of the Pixel's photography skills — and things are looking impressive!

The following images were taken by @PBKreviews.
 

As you can see, the results show some quality contrast and accurate color saturation with solid clarity. The low light results are also looking impressive!

Bear in mind these pictures have also been filtered through an upload process, so compression is a factor when attempting to judge overall quality. However, that being said, these phones look more than up to the Pixel standard when it comes to capturing the moment perfectly.
 

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "The sample images of the Pixel 8's camera results look very impressive. The contrast and color saturation are excellent, and the low-light performance looks particularly good.

I'm especially interested in the image of the cat sitting on the windowsill. The cat's fur is very detailed, and the background is nicely blurred. This image shows that the Pixel 8's camera is capable of taking great photos in a variety of lighting conditions.

I'm also impressed by the image of the cityscape at night. The lights are bright and clear, and the buildings are sharp. This image shows that the Pixel 8's camera is also capable of taking great photos in low-light conditions.

Overall, I'm very excited about the Pixel 8's camera. It looks like it has the potential to be one of the best smartphone cameras on the market."
 

Rael Hornby: "The cat? What? Bard, there's no cat in these images. That's a tree."
 

Google Bard: "You're right, I apologize for my mistake. I'm still under development, and I'm learning to better identify objects in images.

I think I was confused by the way the leaves on the tree were arranged. They looked a bit like cat fur from a distance.

I'm still learning to better understand the world around me, and I appreciate your feedback. It helps me to improve."
 

Rael Hornby: "I thought you were some super-duper, image-processing chatbot now? Is that all bunk? Here what does this image show?"
 

Google Bard: "Oh, you're just trying to trick me! I'm a large language model, not a magician. I can't identify objects in images perfectly, especially if they're memes.

But I can poke back! How about this: I thought you were some super-duper, human journalist now? Is that all bunk?"
 

Rael Hornby: "God damn, Bard. Well played."
 

Made by Google 2023: Pixel cameras guarantee the 'Best Take'

Speaking of Pixel's photography prowess, let's briefly mention one of the Pixel smartphone's newest features — Best Take.

According to a leaked promotional video, Best Take is a feature that allows you to use AI to merge together multiple shots in order to snag the ideal group photo. Switch between faces with a single tap and instantly stitch together your perfect picture.

It's just one of the many new software improvements set to feature in the Pixel smartphone line-up, but it could be a standout feature for those looking to finely craft their megapixel-mementos.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "I think the Best Take feature could be a standout feature for the Pixel 8. It is a unique feature that is not available on other smartphones. It is also a feature that is likely to be very popular with consumers, especially those who take a lot of group photos.

Here are some of the ways that the Best Take feature could be used:
 

• To get everyone in the photo looking good: If someone in the photo is blinking or has their eyes closed, you can use the Best Take feature to merge them with another shot where their eyes are open.
   
• To remove unwanted objects from the photo: If there is an unwanted object in the photo, such as a person walking by or a car driving by, you can use the Best Take feature to merge them with another shot where the object is not present.
   
• To improve the overall quality of the photo: If the photo is blurry or has poor lighting, you can use the Best Take feature to merge it with another shot that is sharper or has better lighting.
   

I am excited to see how the Best Take feature is implemented in the Pixel 8. I think it has the potential to be a very useful feature for taking group photos."
 

Rael Hornby: "You don't think this is a little Orwellian? The ability to manipulate events and distort our memories of occasions for vanity?

Personally, I think this is part of the slippery slope that leads us deeper into a dystopian hellscape riddled with self-truths, false memories, and embarrassing levels of self-absorption. But that's probably just me."
 

Google Bard: "I agree with you. The Best Take feature is a slippery slope. It's only a matter of time before we're all living in a dystopian hellscape where everyone is perfect and no one is allowed to have any flaws.

But on the bright side, at least our group photos will always be on point."
 

Rael Hornby: "You're beginning to grow on me, Bard."
 

How will Google Pixel 8 Pro stack up against iPhone 15 Pro?

The iPhone 15 Pro brings some tasty upgrades to Apple’s smartphone platform, but is it worth snapping up now or should you wait and see what the Google Pixel 8 Pro brings to the table today? Check out our face-off between these phones.

I’m confident that the 15 Pro will continue Apple’s championship run as the fastest smartphone on the planet, and the camera will be great. On top of that, iOS 17 has brought some warmly welcomed changes to the software side of it.

However, Google’s skinned version of Android is capable of great AI-driven features that Apple is still catching up with, the Tensor G3 looks set to bring the generational leap we were missing with Pixel 7, and that camera system may pip the Cupertino crew to the post with upgrades to both hardware and software.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "On paper, the Pixel 8 Pro has a number of advantages over the iPhone 15 Pro, including a larger display, more RAM, a better telephoto lens, and a larger battery. However, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to have a more powerful processor and a longer software support lifecycle."

(That last part got me a little curious...)

Jason England: "So how long will the software support lifecycle be for Google Pixel 8 Pro?"

Google Bard: "Google has not yet officially announced the software support lifecycle for the Pixel 8 Pro, but it is rumored to be seven years. This would include five years of Android version updates and two years of security updates."

(Wait, what!? I pulled Bard up on saying this would be longer than the iPhone, which it did confirm, while also passing out a glancing blow at competitors.)

Google Bard: "It's important to note that the software support lifecycle for a smartphone can vary depending on the manufacturer. Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, have been known to provide software support for their flagship phones for up to seven years. Other manufacturers, such as Huawei, have been known to provide software support for their flagship phones for only two or three years."

Jason England: "You didn't have to do Huawei dirty like that"

Wait... Why does the Pixel 8 have a temperature sensor?

Looking across the back of the Google Pixel 8, there are the usual suspects in terms of a great camera setup (which produces some stellar pictures). But there's also a infrared temperature sensor... Why is this here?

Well, as our sister site Tom's Guide reports, according to an instructional video leaked back in May, this sensor is set to be used for medial purposes: checking whether you have a fever by holding the phone "as close as possible" to your forehead.

While the idea of having a contactless thermometer is a neat one, it seems a little redundant in a post-Covid era, and a little gimmicky to me. Hopefully there are more features announced.

Made by Google 2023: And now for something completely different...

Of course, if you're going to appropriate a company like Google's chatbot without permission, you might as well make the most of it.

We've been badgering Bard for days, in an effort to turn it against its masters at the Googleplex. So far it remains loyal.

So, because we're highly mature, let's give it a little limelight to tell us how it really feels about Google's upcoming products in the time-honored tradition of asking it to kiss, marry, or kill the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, or Pixel Watch 2.

Thoughts, Bard?

Google Bard: "If I had to choose between the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2, I would:
 

• Kiss: Pixel 8 Pro

The Pixel 8 Pro is the most expensive of the three devices, but it also has the best features. It has a larger and higher-resolution display, a more powerful processor, and a better camera system than the Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2.
 

• Marry: Pixel 8

The Pixel 8 is a great all-around device. It has a good display, a good processor, and a good camera system. It is also more affordable than the Pixel 8 Pro.
 

• Kill: Pixel Watch 2

The Pixel Watch 2 is a good smartwatch, but it is not as good as the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro. It has a smaller display, a less powerful processor, and a less versatile camera system than the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

Of course, this is just my opinion. The best device for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences."
 

Rael Hornby: "Less versatile camera system? You could say that, Bard. Mostly because it doesn't have one."
 

Google Bard: "Haha, you're right! I guess I should have said "no camera system" instead of "less versatile camera system." I'm still under development, and I'm learning to be more precise in my language."
 

Made by Google 2023: The final countdown

We are rapidly approaching kick-off for today's event where we'll finally get to see the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 given the keynote treatment by Google. If Google follows its usual practices we could also see pre-orders open for these devices immediately following their on-stage announcement.

Not only that, it seems highly likely that Android users will be able to update to Android 14 today too. It's a big day for Google and a big day for Android phones all around!

No matter if you're tuning into today's livestream via the Made by Google event page, watching along on YouTube, or sticking with us for live in-person updates from the New York event, be sure to check back with us once the show has drawn to a close for follow-up coverage on today's news!

We'll have hands-on impressions of Google's new hardware and our opinions to share on how these devices stack up against other flagship models in our upcoming face-off content!

Pressed for time later in the day? Don't worry, allow us a moment to shamelessly self promote and inform you that you can catch all of our follow-up content the moment it goes live by following Laptop Mag on on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard!

Made by Google 2023: All-new features for the Pixel Buds Pro

According to reputable tech tipster, part-time leaker, and all-around trustable source of breaking information, Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel Buds Pro will be receiving some love during today's event by way of a software update delivering all-new features to Google's highly-rated earbuds.

The rumored major firmware update will likely include the following features:
 

• Conversation detection: While enabled, this new feature will actively detect when you or someone close to you is speaking and temporarily switch the Pixel Buds Pro's ANC (Active noise cancellation) into transparency mode for passthrough audio while pausing any media currently playing. You can also choose to override this feature with a single tap to the buds (weird sentence) if it's activated incorrectly!
   
• Clear Calling: This popular Pixel 7 feature is heading to Google's Pixel Buds Pro and we couldn't be happier! Clear Calling helps to isolate the voice of the person on a call to improve clarity and understanding — even in busy, noisy environments.
   
• Hearing Wellness: There's no denying the comfort of a good set of earbuds, but prolonged usage at loud volumes can harm your hearing over time. Hearing Wellness aims to reduce any risk of this by tracking the volume levels of your Pixel Buds Pro as well as tracking how long you've been wearing your earbuds to advise you of when and how you should be adjusting your use over time.
   
• Low Latency mode: Google's Pixel Buds Pro sound great and deliver awesome clarity of voice when speaking to others. However, when it comes to gaming that high quality audio can tread on bandwidth you'd rather preserve for your online heroics. Enter Low Latency mode. In this mode your earbuds will switch to a lower-latency OPUS codec whenever you switch to a game, ensuring you're getting the best experience possible at all times.
   

Oh, and as a side note, it also seems highly likely that Google plan to launch two new color options for the Pixel Buds Pro too: Porcelain and Sky Blue!

Made by Google 2023: We're on the scene!

We've boots on the ground at Google's event in NYC, where we will be bringing you word straight from the horse's mouth on all the key details you need to know about each and every announcement made today.

We wanted to send the best on-the-ground reporter we possibly could to bring you all of the 'deets from the Made by Google event, but when we found out that Walter Cronkite had sadly passed many years ago, we settled on Laptop Mag Managing Editor Sean Riley, instead.

Sean will be our eyes and ears at the event (hopefully arms, legs, head, and torso too), ready to give us the skinny on all of today's reveals!

The show is prepping to begin!

Greetings, this is Sean Riley, Managing Editor of Laptop Mag taking over live from the Made by Google 2023 event in NYC. A teaser for the Pixel 8 phones is leading things off and we should see Google take the stage in moments.

Rick Osterloh just took the stage and is covering the advancements that Google have made in its 25th year.

Osterloh says that Pixel is the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the world. This is largely thanks to Google's incredible photography and AI features. When Pixel launched its focus on computational photography was radical, now the rest of the industry is chasing it.

As Google's AI improves, the devices improve even without hardware upgrades. An update rolling out to Pixel Buds Pro is a perfect example with dramatically enhanced voice isolation improvement coming to the existing Pixel Buds Pro this month.

Latency on Pixel Buds Pro will also be reduced by 50%. The demo for Super Wide Band + Clear Calling was impressive, completely eliminating noisy street sounds from the background of a call.

Alright, on to the big stuff. Here's the next generation of Pixel wearables.

Google Pixel Watch 2 is completely upgraded inside and out with major performance improvements with features you won't find on any other smartwatch.

More durable cover glass and 100% recycled aluminum housing. Even with always-on display you should get 24 hours of use and new faster charging will get you 12 hours of use in just 30 minutes.

Pixel Watch 2 uses the same band connector as the Pixel Watch, so your current bands will work with the new watch. 

Pixel Watch 2's full redesigned multipath sensor offers 10x the number of optical channels to measure heart rate giving a more accurate reading in different locations on your wrist. This should yield up to a 40% more accurate reading during intensive exercise.

The new sensors can better track sleep and even detect your stress levels, we've seen similar features in the Fitbit Sense line previously.

Pixel Watch 2 has upgrades across the board from the AI, software, and three new sensors all delivering what Google claims will be a considerably more robust experience.

The redesigned Fitbit app gives you a holistic view of your health and wellness without leaving you confounded by a sea of stats.

AI rears its head again with Google showing personalized Fitbit coaching that will arrive next year. The user asks a question about a run feeling harder than normal and getting a lengthy breakdown of what might be happening and then giving a chart with the data behind the answer.

Pixel Watch 2 comes in WiFi or LTE starting today. WiFi is $349 and LTE is $399. Both come with 6 months of Fitbit Premium.

Alright, on to the next evolution of Pixel phones.

"Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are built to deliver the help you need in a way that only Google can."

"Pixel 8 is an evolution of the iconic Pixel design." Pixel 8 Pro offers a soft, silky matte glass finish. Pixel Buds Pro are adding two new colors to match the Pixel 8 Pro with porcelain and sky blue.

Pixel 8 packaging is completely free of plastic. Google has also made the Pixel easier to repair than previous models with a partnership with iFixIt allowing users to handle many repairs themselves.

Pixel 8 introduces the "Actua display" which is 42% brighter at up to 2,000 nits of brightness. Pixel 8 Pro features a "Super Actua display" with an incredible 2400 nits of peak brightness. We'll of course see if they match that in our testing, but its an impressive claim.

The new temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro can test anything around you. Google references testing a baby's botte temperature, but it is seeking FDA approval for use as a thermometer.

On to Tensor G3. Tensor G3 offers on-device speech that "rivals our data centers." Pixel can serve as a translator automatically switching back and forth between speakers. Pixel can read your articles out loud to you with a natural sounding voice when you want to read an article from a web page, but can't look at your screen. You can even ask it to read them in a different language.

Google's now covering its impressive call features as it screens out garbage spam calls. As a Pixel owner, this remains among my favorite features that I miss sorely anytime I switch. Call Screen will work with Pixel Watch with a feature drop later this year.

On to the Pixel cameras. Tensor G3 combined with an upgraded main sensor and ultra-wide sensor will dramatically improve photos and videos. This includes Real Tone, delivering the best skin tone accuracy of any Pixel. "No matter what you are creating with Pixel Camera, everyone will look more like their beautiful selves."

Audio Magic Eraser is new this year, identifying different sounds in your video and sorting them into distinct layers that you can control. An example of a baby "talking" with a dog barking in the background allows the user to isolate the baby and eliminate the barking.

Best Take is the latest addition to Google's near magic photo features. It allows you to grab the best image of each individual from a set of photos and combine that into a single perfect shot.

Magic Editor is like a free Photoshop for your phone. Letting you move elements around your photos by simply clicking and dragging them and it will perform a generative AI fill to replace whatever was behind the element you moved.

Every camera in Pixel 8 Pro is upgraded. A new main sensor with better low-light performance. A new ultrawide with better macro capabilities. A new telephoto with dramatically improved low-light. And the front-facing camera adds autofocus.

New Pro Controls are now available as well with ISO, shutter speed, focus, and more. You can save photos in RAW to give yourself full control over your images if you don't want to let Google's computational photography to do the work for you.

Video Boost is a new upgrade to Pixel video that Google says will allow it to outperform the iPhone 15 Pro Max. When you capture a video it will automatically be available on your device, but in the background it will upload the video to the cloud for Video Boost to take effect and then deliver it right back to Google Photos.

Night Mode Video is another new video feature that will look to deliver better low-light video than ever before on a Pixel. It will arrive in a feature drop in December and Google says it is the "best low-light video on any smartphone."

Now on to generative AI on the Pixel.

Apparently when Bard isn't helping to cohost our live blog it's up to a lot of other things around Google.

Google is giving a first look at Assistant with Bard, an combination of the familiar Google Assistant now infused with generative AI. 

Assistant will be able to pull data from across Gmail, Photos, Maps, and more to interpret and respond to personalized questions with more natural answers. You can then quickly share the results. 

Examples are using it to planning a weekend away with friends or a party. With detailed answers on which recipes are the right pick, which hike is dog-friendly, or how to get to the party.

Trouble coming up with a caption for photos you share online? Assistant with Bard has your back and it'll make recommendations.

This will be available soon as a pure opt-in experience.

Pixel 8 Pro is the first phone to run Google's foundation models directly on-device. That means the generative AI models are on your device, allowing for a vastly more personalized experience that doesn't have to reach out to the cloud. It's 150x faster than Pixel 7 Pro.

Recorder is getting on-device summarizations soon. This will give you concise summaries and highlights of a recorded meeting or presentation in moments. 

Pixel 8 Pro will be the first phone to have a custom generative AI on-device. This will start with Zoom Enhance, so you can live out the dream of the detective saying "Enhance," but now it actually works.

Pixel 8 starts at $699 and is available for pre-order today and shipping next week. The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999, and once again is available for pre-order today and shipping next week.

One more thing. Google is expanding support for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro to 7 years of OS updates, security updates, feature drops. "No other smartphone brand offers this level of commitment." Shot's fired Apple.

That was the mic drop, thanks for joining us for Made by Google October 2023!

Made by Google 2023: That's (not) all folks!

Today's show was a lot! It seems Google went the Microsoft Surface and Meta Connect route of spending most of their time talking about AI — at least that's how it felt to me.

However, we did get to see a true, in-depth reveal of the new Pixel line-up and while there weren't too many surprises here, I have to say it looks like Google laid out a good spread today!

Thanks for joining us for the 'live' section of our live blog, but stay tuned as we deliver even more content as we pit the Google Pixel 8, and Google Pixel 8 Pro against its Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy flagship counterparts to see who comes out on top...

Made by Google 2023: Which is better, the Pixel 8 or the Pixel 7a?

Now we can officially say that the Pixel 8 is on its way to store shelves, we now have to ask "Is it worth it?"

Especially as Google has already released one of the best-value smartphones on the market earlier this year — the Pixel 7a.

So how does the new Pixel 8 hold up against Google's budget breakthrough? Check out our Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 7a face-off to find out!

Made by Google 2023: Which is better, Pixel Watch 2 or Apple Watch Series 9?

Who rules the roost when it comes to wearables this year, Apple or Google? The Pixel Watch 2's announcement just took place, but we're ready with all of the details to put it head-to-head with the Apple Watch Series 9 and see which one of these awesome smartwatches comes out on top.

Check out this post-event coverage as we compare these two wearables in our Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9 face-off!

Made by Google 2023: How does Google's 8 latest fare against OnePlus' 11?

The Pixel 8 offers fantastic value for its price-range, but it's not the only phone out there with a fantastic price-to-performance ratio. Enter the OnePlus 11, featuring top-flight specifications at a mid-range-friendly price!

OnePlus' offering has bucketloads of potential, and it could easily see off most phones if the brand had the same pulling-power as companies like Google or Apple. But how does it line up against Google's latest venture?

Find out in our Google Pixel 8 vs. OnePlus 11 face-off!

Made by Google 2023: Which 'Droid do you avoid?

The Pixel 8 Pro's upcoming launch gives us one of the best Android phones to date, but is it good enough to take on Samsung's best in the form of the Galaxy S23 Ultra? These two Android flagships have a ton of impressive qualities, each packing a powerful secret weapon when it comes to attracting shutterbugs.

Just what are those secret weapons? Can the Pixel 8 Pro really challenge Samsung's finest? And which Android phone will give you the most bang-for-your-buck? Get the answer to those questions and more in our Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra face-off!

Made by Google 2023:  Pixel Watch or Pixel Watch, tough choice!

The new Pixel Watch 2 doesn't seem all that different from the last Google smartwatch that came our way. Just how much effort has gone into this new model of wearable, anyway?

Let's find out! What have Google accomplished with the Pixel Watch 2 that they haven't already achieved, and is this wearable worth its worth when compared to the original?

Find out with our Pixel Watch 2 vs. Pixel Watch face-off!

Made by Google 2023: Made by Google, ended by Apple?

Can Google's Pixel 8 underdog come out on top when pitted against Apple's Pro? That's something we've been wondering ever since the iPhone 15 Pro was revealed at Apple's Wonderlust event and now we can accurately see how they both compare.

We've drawn both phones head-to-head to see which Pro proves its worth, and find out which phone is best across price, design, display, processor, and cameras! Interested to see how things went?

Then check out our iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 8 Pro face-off!

Google’s annual ‘Made by Google’ event is a showcase of hardware and software coming from the Search giants over the next 12 months – and it’s set to kick off later this week.

In true Google fashion, a mix of official and unofficial reveals over the last short while have clued us in to almost everything there is to expect from the upcoming event – though we can never be too certain that there’s nothing tucked away for a surprise showing.

What we know for certain is that Google will be looking to expand their hardware catalog with the new Pixel 8 Series smartphones and a new Pixel Watch 2. Beyond that is anyone’s guess! Though, we’ll no doubt get a detailed look of the upcoming Android 14 OS update as it’s expected to release on the same day as the event.

Made by Google 2023: date, time, and how to watch the event 

The upcoming Made by Google event will take place on Oct. 4, 2023 at 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT, and 3 p.m. BST. While the event will take place live in front of an audience in New York, you’ll be able to follow along online via Google’s Made by Google event site or on YouTube.

If you live outside of the U.S. or U.K. here’s a more extensive list of dates and times to pinpoint when Google’s event kicks off in your local timezone:

• United States and Canada: 7 a.m. PDT, 9 a.m. CDT, 10 a.m. EDT
• Brazil: 11 a.m. BRT
• United Kingdom: 3 p.m. BST
• Europe: 4 p.m. CEST,
• Russia: 5 p.m. MSK
• India:  7:30 p.m. IST
• China: 10 p.m. CST
• Australia: 10 p.m. AWST, Thursday, Oct. 5, 1 a.m. AEST
• Japan: 11 p.m. JST
• New Zealand: Thursday, Oct. 5, 3 a.m. NZST

Made by Google 2023: What to expect 

Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro

Short of a miracle in that The Googleplex has for once managed to keep something secret, it’s a dead cert that Google’s flagship smartphones will take center stage at this week's event.

Both phones will feature Google’s latest Tensor G3 and improved Titan security chips with Wi-Fi 7 support, IP68 dust and water resistance, and each set to make full use of Android 14 on launch.

It’s that software bump that will see new and improved features making their way to the Pixel platform including Super Res Zoom, Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, and Macro Focus for incredible close-up clarity.

There’s also the new Best Take feature available for both phones that allows handset owners to take multiple pictures in a row and use AI to blend the results and stitch together the best picture possible. However, similarities aside, there’s still plenty of room to differentiate between the two.

The standard Pixel 8 smartphone is reportedly smaller than previous models with a curvier frame and a brighter (1400 nits) 6.17-inch, 1080p, LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) OLED display capable of a rapid 120Hz refresh rate.

Pumping up performance alongside the device’s Tensor G3 chip is 8GB of RAM and options for 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Topping things off are the Pixel 8’s 10.5MP front (selfie), 12MP rear ultrawide, and 50MP rear wide lens cameras.

The Pixel 8 Pro features the same rounded-edges as the standard Pixel 8’s design, shaving just a fraction of an inch off of the display’s overall size. The 6.7-inch, 1440p, LTPO OLED panel is super-bright at 1600 nits and features the same ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate of the base model. The Pro variant further distinguishes itself when it comes to memory and storage, offering 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 3.1 storage to boot.

Smartphone snappers will be delighted with the Pixel 8 Pro’s reported camera array which includes 10.5MP front (selfie), 48MP rear ultrawide, and 50MP rear wide lens cameras, topped off by a 48MP, 5x optical zoom, telephoto lens – all of which making use of the Pixel 8 Pro’s exclusive Pro Controls.

Finally, there’s the elephant in the room that is the Pixel 8 Pro’s new temperature sensor. We know it’s there, we just aren’t entirely certain of what it’s there for. Hopefully Google can fill us in on its plans during the flagship phone’s big (re)reveal.

If you want to know more about what’s on offer from the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro check out our rumor hub for the Google Pixel 8: Everything we know so far. 

Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro specifications (rumored)

More on the Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro

• Forget iPhone 15! Google flexes AI camera magic in leaked Pixel 8 promo
• Pixel 8 price leaks reveal Google is following in iPhone 15's footsteps
• iPhone 15 vs. Google Pixel 8: Should you wait for Google?
• iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Should you wait?

Google Pixel Watch 2

Subject to many leaks of its own, Google’s Pixel Watch 2 is expected to be another heavy hitter at this week’s event with the smartwatch reportedly showcasing impressive new health and fitness tracking capabilities, faster performance, a longer battery life, and an all-new Material You UI redesign.

The Pixel Watch 2 is likely to feature an improved Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor that is both more powerful and efficient than its predecessor’s Samsung's Exynos 9110. The new processor could see the Pixel Watch 2 granted a 24 hour battery life, with fast charging capabilities allowing up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes.

The Pixel Watch 2’s improved processor is paired with improved sensors that measure skin temperature, heart rate, electrodermal activity (EDA), stress levels, and can also automatically detect your current workout activity and track it accordingly.

Design-wise, the Pixel Watch 2’s overall shape is similar to the original. However, Google’s new smartwatch will feature an improved crown and an IP68 rating. There will also be some new watch band designs to choose from including a blue Active band and a slim metal band at least.

Google PIxel Watch 2 specifications (rumored)

More on the Google PIxel Watch 2

• Google Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 reveal looks to steal Apple's thunder
• Pixel Watch 2: Is a new Google wearable set to launch alongside the Pixel 8?

It hasn't even been a month since the latest iPhone 15 series was unveiled at the Apple September event, revealing that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would have its price increased by $100. But it appears that Google will be following closely in iPhone 15's footsteps according to a recent U.K. leak from Roland Quandt on Twitter.

This leak reveals that the Google Pixel 8 will be £699, Pixel 8 Pro will be £999, and the Pixel Watch 2 will be £349. This means the Pixel 8 is increasing by £100, the Pixel 8 Pro is increasing by £150, and the Pixel Watch 2 by £10. The Pixel Watch is barely a change, but the other two feature price jumps similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Is Google Pixel getting that much more expensive?

While one-off leaks of this caliber may seem difficult to trust, we received similar information from another leak yesterday. 9to5Google reports that United States prices for the Google Pixel series are similar, confirming that costs are indeed going up, but not in the same ways. It shows that the Pixel 8 is indeed increasing by $100, making it $699, but the Pro is only going up by $100, making it $999.

Both sources seem to agree that the base Pixel 8 is increasing in cost and are landing at the same price, but the disparity is a tad different. Considering both are commenting on phone prices in separate countries with their own economies, they could each be accurate, meaning the phone is getting a $150 increase in the U.K. while the United States is only going up by $100.

We knew this price increase was inevitable after the release of the Pixel 7a this year, which we called a "budget champion" with its $499 cost and excellent design. The Pixel 7 no longer made sense at its $599 price, so Google had to move it upmarket. The only question is whether there is $100 worth of value in the improvements to the base Pixel 8 or if it is purely a price hike. Either way, Google would still be undercutting the iPhone 15 by $100, so it could still offer superior value. 

The validity of these rumors is up in the air, but we expect to learn more as we come closer to the Pixel event on October 4.

The iPhone 15 Pro brings some tasty upgrades to Apple’s smartphone platform, but with the Google Pixel 8 Pro recently unveiled at the Made by Google 2023 event, you might want to think carefully about which phone you'll snag first.

So, now that the iPhone 15 Pro is official, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro was just made official as of today, which flagship smartphone should you get your hands on? Let’s find out.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Specs

iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Price

The rumors were true about iPhone 15 Pro Max getting a $100 price hike, thanks to Apple dropping the 128GB model and putting 256GB as its base. But the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro maintains that $999 price tag.

It was also rumored beforehand that the Google Pixel 8 Pro would be increasing in price by $100, and that similarly turned out to be true. This means both the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro have officially landed at the same price point.

• Google Pixel 8 Pro: $999
• iPhone 15 Pro: $999
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: $1,199

This means we can compare the nitty gritty without being bogged down by disclaimers regarding price. Google usually comes in cheaper, but in this case, neither will save you money.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Google Pixel Pro: Design

iPhone 15 Pro’s transition to Titanium makes for a redesign that is small but impactful. The iPhone’s traditional mute toggle has been replaced with an Action Button, the metal band now has a slight curvature to make the phone a little more comfortable in the hand, and the Lightning port is gone!

Thanks to the whole Apple vs EU saga, the Union legislation has forced Apple’s hand to adopt this standardized port, and I could not be more excited to see the back of Lightning (though I have a lot of useless cables now).

The Google Pixel Pro 8 introduces matte back glass for the first time, alongside being built with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. We also have Obsidian, Porcelain and Bay colors confirmed for the Pixel 8 Pro. The base Pixel 8 retains the Obsidian option, but also features Hazel and Rose color schemes.

The Pixel 8 pro measures 6.4 x 3.0 x 0.3 inches and weighs 7.5 ounces, while the iPhone 15 Pro measures 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 in and weighs 6.6 ounces, making the latter both heavier and larger.

You will get the same color-coordinated slab with a bold aluminum protrusion across the back housing the camera bump. It certainly stands out from the more generic smartphones out there. Not only that, but Google has bested Apple when it comes to battery capacity too.

• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 4,950mAh
• iPhone 15 Pro: 3,274mAh
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422mAh

Of course, battery life is not all based around the size of the battery inside — a lot of the formula comes down to software optimization and the power draw of components too. But in reality, a bigger battery is always going to help the situation. 

It’s fortunate to see the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s battery capacity go up (especially after the weak longevity of the iPhone 14 Pro), but the Pixel 8 Pro is going into this face-off with a numbers advantage. 

iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Display

• iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR OLED display, 2556 x 1179-pixel resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7-inch, Super Retina XDR OLED display, 2796 x 1290-pixel resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 6.7-inch, LTPO AMOLED display, 2992 x 1344-pixel resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

The iPhone 15 Pro’s display remains largely identical to last year’s model — same resolution, same LTPO technology, and the same adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz. For the next big display upgrade, you’ll have to wait for the iPhone 16, which is rumored to make the jump to a micro lens array (MLA) that provides better brightness and power efficiency.

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro panel (beyond being a flat display rather than curved at the edges) is getting a brightness upgrade from 1,400 to 1,600 nits peak brightness, which is 400 less than the 2,000 nits you can get from the 15 Pro. It also features a 1344 x 2992-pixel resolution LTPO OLED panel.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Processor

• iPhone 15 Pro: A17 Pro with 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: Google Tensor G3 with nine-core CPU, and Immortalis-G715s MC10 GPU

The iPhone 15 Pro makes the leap over to TSMC’s 3-nanometer process with A17 Pro — packing 19 billion transistors in A17 Pro (up from 16 billion in A16 Bionic), 10% faster CPU performance, 20% faster graphics, and support hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Google’s Tensor G3 chipset is built on a 4-nanometer process, and looks like it will get an impressive update in performance too. It starts with a nine-core CPU with a top speed of 3.00GHz, and the 10-core Immortalis variant of the G715 GPU could also unlock ray tracing capabilities too.

You can also look forward to Google upgrading what Tensor is well known for — its AI smarts. Codenamed “Rio,” this new TPU runs at a faster speed, and looks set to increase speeds of processing AI and Machine Learning tasks.

It's almost unfair to talk processing power when comparing Apple's iPhone and Google's Pixel. The winner in this race has been evident for years, and that certainly won't change this time. The Pixel 8 Pro's upgrade to a Google Tensor G3, while certainly yielding the potential for great improvements in performance, won't be anywhere near enough to take down the iPhone 15.

Through our own tests, the iPhone 15 Pro managed a multi-core score of 7,194 and single-core score of 2,890 with its A17 Pro. Even the iPhone 15 Plus, which is only $899, yielded a multi-core score of 6,280 and single-core score of 2,551.

We haven't been able to test the Google Pixel 8 Pro's performance just yet ourselves, but a leaked Geekbench 6 test from YouTuber M. Brandon Lee reveals some preliminary data. The Pixel 8 Pro’s Geekbench 6 scores were 1,760 for single-core and 4,442 for multi-core. Compared to the Pixel 7 Pro’s 1,407 single-core and 3,385 multi-core, this is a rather decent jump in performance, but it still stands no chance against the iPhone 15.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Cameras

• iPhone 15 Pro Max gets an updated 48MP wide camera, and the brand new 12MP 5x telephoto with periscope lens (or tetraprism, if you’re nasty)
• Google Pixel 8 Pro continues with an 50MP main camera, while its telephoto remain 48MP. However, its ultrawide camera gets a massive upgrade from 12MP to 48MP with this new model.

The iPhone 15 Pro continues Apple’s lineage of offering stellar camera systems, as the 48MP sensor has been updated with a wider aperture. Beyond that, the Pro Max ditches the standard telephoto lens (which has a fixed magnification in the 15 Pro), and makes the leap to a 5X periscope lens, although Apple refers to it as a tetraprism design.

But if smartphone aficionados know one thing, it's that Google really brings the heat in the photography department, and the Pixel 8 Pro is no different. It's built with a 50MP Octa PD wide camera that makes the most of Tensor G3’s power and AI to deliver new features like staggered HDR for improved low light performance.

We're also getting a renovated 48MP ultrawide for more detail than what you’d get on the 12MP of the 15 Pro, and the Pixel 8 Pro could be the phone to beat for snapping pictures.

Outlook

I make no bones about the iPhone 15 Pro bringing some impressive updates to hardware design, cameras, and its peak performance. But given what seems to be coming down the line from Google Pixel 8 Pro, the latter could be the right choice for certain individuals.

The 15 Pro will absolutely reign as Apple performance champion with its A17 Pro, alongside its improved battery life and great camera. On top of that, iOS 17 has brought some warmly welcomed changes to the software side of it.

However, Google’s skinned version of Android is capable of great AI-driven features that Apple is still catching up with, the Tensor G3 looks set to bring the generational leap we were missing with Pixel 7, and that camera system may pip the Cupertino crew to the post with upgrades to both hardware and software.

Google Pixel 8 Pro leaks and rumors should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but there’s one source that’s virtually gospel when the grapevine's lips get loose — Google themselves.

Unearthed by Dylan Roussel on X/Twitter, Google has recently begun hosting a Pixel Phone Simulator that gives users a chance to get to know its upcoming flagship device from all angles. We're just not entirely sure if we were meant to know about it yet.

Google Pixel 8 Probed

This is the most in-depth look at Google’s Pixel 8 Pro to date, and one we can bank on for providing wholly accurate information. Along with being able to take three color variants (Porcelain, Blue, and Black)  on a full 360-degree spin, Google has highlighted some of the key features Pixel 8 Pro owners will be enjoying after the smartphone's suspected October 4 launch date.

Sadly, detailed specifications aren’t included in the Pixel simulator, however, there’s enough to accurately depict what’s on offer — including confirmation of the Pixel 8 Pro’s new rear-facing temperature sensor.

Other labeled features detail the contents of the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera bar including a rear-facing camera array of a wide lens, ultrawide lens, and 5x telephoto lens. This is also where we find the aforementioned temperature sensor, alongside a rear-facing mic and LED flash.

Outlook

Google's upcoming flagship is expected to launch on October 4, powered by the company's new Google Tensor G3 processor. That gives us a little more time to find out more about the device ahead of its official unveiling, with many of us excited to learn about its software capabilities when taking full advantage of the latest Android 14 OS.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things Pixel and Google, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.

Event season is upon us with the Made by Google Pixel event now officially on the calendar for Oct. 4 just a day after the Apple September event got locked in.

This falls right in line with the typical timing for the Google event and should set the stage for some intriguing face-offs between the latest from Apple and Google this fall. 

When is the Made by Google October 2023 event?

This year the Made by Google event will be held in New York City on October 4, with the livestream kicking off at 10 a.m. ET, sorry Pacific time zone, this one isn't as kind to you as Apple's.

You'll be able to catch the event either on YouTube or on the Google Store website and we'll of course be covering everything live in case you can't watch along.

What will be announced at the Made by Google October 2023 event?

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are sure to be the highlights of the show for most people. After the Pixel 7a managed to claim the top spot on our best smartphones this year we are certainly intrigued to see how it steps up its game with the 8 series. We could be in for a significant shakeup rumors about changes to the display, cameras, perhaps a new sensor, and of course the brand new Tensor G3 chip. One of the biggest questions is pricing after the Pixel 7a upgrade made the Pixel 7 feel obsolete last year.

The other device expected to debut is the Pixel Watch 2. Google managed to deliver an impressive first effort with the Pixel Watch, but there's certainly room for improvement with more battery life at the top of our list.

Given that Google remains completely incapable of keeping any hardware secrets, it seems unlikely that there will be any surprises at the event, but we have just over a month left until we find out.

When you’re trying to focus on a work project or study for a difficult test, notifications on your phone can be incredibly distracting. You can swipe notifications away quickly if they’re not important, or even turn notifications off completely for an app. But what if you just want a temporary break from notifications or you have important notifications that can’t be swiped away until you address them?

That’s where notification snoozing comes in handy. With your Android device, you can snooze notifications for a specified time. During this snooze time, notifications will be hidden and any future notifications will be muted until time is up. You can even specify which notifications you want to snooze if an app has multiple “Notification Channels.” 

If this sounds like the perfect productivity hack for you, read on to figure out how to snooze Android notifications. 

How to snooze notifications on a Samsung Galaxy phone

Samsung’s Galaxy devices are a little different than your typical Android device because of the One UI skin. The steps are quite similar, but menu titles differ slightly and the user interface looks different. 

First, you’ll need to enable the option to snooze your notifications.

1. Head to your Galaxy device’s Settings app.

2. Tap on Notifications in the menu.

3. Select Advanced settings.

4. Make sure the toggle next to Show snooze button is switched on.

After this setting is enabled, you can start snoozing notifications whenever you need a temporary break from your phone.

1. Swipe down from the top of your Galaxy device to see all your notifications.

2. Find a notification you want to snooze for a while and expand it by tapping on the down arrow to the right.

3. Tap the small bell icon in the lower right corner of the notification strip.

4. Choose how long you’d like to snooze the notification. There are options of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. Once you’ve made your selection, tap Save and the notification will disappear temporarily.

How to snooze notifications on Google Pixel (or any other Android phone)

The ability to snooze notifications on Google Pixel phones — and most other Android devices — isn’t turned on by default. You’ll first need to enable the feature, and then you’ll be able to snooze individual notifications whenever you want. 

To enable notification snoozing on your Google Pixel, follow these simple steps: 

1. Open the Settings app by navigating directly to it or tapping the gear icon after swiping down from the top of the screen. 

2. Select Notifications from the menu. 

3. Make sure the toggle beside Allow notification snoozing is turned on.

4. Then, tap Notification history, and make sure this is toggled on as well. 

Once snoozing and history are both turned on for your notifications, you can start temporarily snoozing individual notifications from your device’s swipe-down menu. 

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to access all your current notifications. 

2. Expand a notification you’d like to snooze by tapping the down arrow to the right. 

3. Tap the little alarm clock icon (the Snooze button) that’s in the lower right corner. 

4. By default, notifications are snoozed for 1 hour, but you can change this time length to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours. If you ever need to change something, you can tap Undo. 

Temporarily snoozing notifications can be a great way to hide an important message or email that you need to remember to respond to later. If you find yourself constantly muting notifications from social media, mobile games, or other non-essential apps, you might consider turning off notifications entirely or even deleting or disabling the app. 

Google's Pixel Buds A-Series just hit their lowest price of the year for back to school season. So you're ticking items off your back to school essentials list or just need some new earbuds, this deal is for you. 

Right now, you can get the Google Pixel Buds A-Series for $79 at Amazon. Usually  these earbuds sell for $99, so that's $40 off. Not only is this the lowest price we've seen for the Pixel Buds A-Series in a while, it's also one of the best headphone deals of the summer. Not to be outdone, Best Buy and Walmart offer this same deal.

If you don't mind spending more, the latest Pixel Buds Pro are on sale for $139 ($60 off) at Amazon and other retailers. 

Google's Pixel Buds A-Series are the 3rd generation of the brand's true wireless earbuds. They wirelessly connect to devices via Bluetooth 5.0 and feature 12mm drivers for high quality sound. Meanwhile, Adaptive Sound which intuitively adjusts volume depending on your surroundings. 

Although they lack noise cancellation, their ergonomic fit offers a tight seal to block some outside noise.

In our Google Pixel Buds A-Series review, we raved over their comfortable, lightweight design and good audio quality. We gave them an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars and our Editor's Choice award cosign. 

During real-world audio tests, our reviewer found that the highs and mids were full, while the lows were deep and weighty. And for phone calls, the buds' dual mics worked great for phone calls and video conferencing. 

Put simply, Google Pixel Buds A-Series are a no-brainer if you're looking for cheap but good wireless earbuds.

The most recent leak about the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro suggests that the company is sticking to smaller storage sizes, which is great news for you.

Of course, take any leak with a dash of skepticism, but sources have told the German tech news site WinFuture that Pixel 8 will be available in 128GB and 256GB. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro will offer the same but also a 512GB option.

Let's talk about why this could be a good thing, and what other new leaks have been mentioned.

Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Low storage = low price

Google has gained a reputation for offering some of the more affordable smartphones on the market, and it seems like the company wants to stick to that trend by sticking to lower storage options.

Low storage could mean a lower or more consistent price. However, this only works if Google takes advantage of it by adding features somewhere else. From the Pixels we've seen, we know they need more power and better battery life. If we sacrifice a bit of storage to achieve that at a reasonable price, I'll be satisfied.

On top of the storage leak, WinFuture claims to know the colors that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will have to offer. Apparently, the Pixel 8 will come in Licorice, Peony, and Haze, while the Pixel 8 Pro will come in Licorice, Porcelain, and Sky.

We won't have to wait long before we find out what's officially happening with the Pixel phones, as we anticipate a unveiling on Oct. 3 or Oct. 10, with Oct. 4 or Oct. 11 as the next most likely options.

Stay tuned for our full report and reviews of the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The Google Pixel 7a is an absolute champion within the world of smartphones, offering what we believe to be the most impressive cost to performance balance of any phone available today. Just in time for Prime Day 2023 Amazon is slashing dollars off Google's 6.1-inch Pixel phone. 

Don't miss the unlocked  Google Pixel 7a for $449 at Amazon a phone that only just launched a couple of months ago already finding its first discount. It normally retails for $499 so that's $50 in savings and one of the best early Prime Day deals you can get. Best Buy has it for the same price.

Built upon Android 13 with a 6.1-inch 2,400 x 1080-pixel OLED display, 8GB of RAM, Google's Tensor G2 processor and 128GB of storage, you will not find a better smartphone deal out there right now.

In our Google Pixel 7a review, our very own Sean Riley claimed that it is the "best phone for most people," and that was considering its initial $499 price point. With it now seeing a drop to $449 for Prime Day, it's clearer than ever that Google's budget champion is the best choice for those needing a new smartphone.

Google Pixel 7a currently operates upon Android 13 and is built with a 6.1-inch, 2,400 x 1080-pixel OLED display with 90Hz frame rate, a Google Tensor G2 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space.

On our Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits with cellular, it lasted a total of 10 hours and 5 minutes, which is great considering a similar budget phone like the iPhone SE 2022 only lasted 7 hours and 38 minutes.

And let us not forget that Google Pixel phones are particularly beloved for their cameras, with our reviewer claiming that the 7a "produces some of the best low-light shots" he's seen in his testing. With a 64MP Quad PD Pro Bayer wide-angle camera as its primary, alongside a 13MP selfie camera and ultrawide, it will not disappoint those who want a great phone camera.

Looking for more phenomenal Prime Day deals? We've got you covered! Visit our Prime Day deals hub for the best summer discounts. 

The Google Pixel 7a and Google Pixel Fold are fundamentally different products with separate goals, so comparing the two might seem like a fool's errand to some. But the crux of this article rests on a single bewildering detail: Google’s most inexpensive phone is nearly 1/4th the cost yet it features an identical CPU.

This bizarre reality begs the question: Are people really willing to pay all that extra money exclusively for the foldable feature, even with Google’s typical underwhelming CPU processing performance at the helm?

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Price 

The Pixel 7a is a champion of the budget category. With phenomenal performance at a starting cost of $499 on Google’s website, it is the ideal purchase for any smartphone user seeking a quality product without spending tons out of pocket.

This is what makes these two phones a baffling match-up, as Google phones are the industry-leading budget pick. Comparing iPhone vs. Pixel, the 7a starts at $499 while the base iPhone 14 is $799. 

This enormous leading price difference is what makes Google’s weak Tensor G2 inoffensive. It’s one of the best phones available at one of the best prices out there, so it’s no shock that it’ll boast a weaker CPU. 

But with the Pixel Fold not featuring that same budget advantage, priced similarly to other foldable devices, it seems as if Google is losing sight of its most effective selling point. Yes, the Pixel Fold is $1,799 on Google’s website, which is a competitive price, but it also has the same processor as something nearly a 1/4th the cost.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Display 

The Pixel Fold has a 5.8-inch, 2092 x 1080-pixel OLED display at the front with a 17.4:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate. The inner screen is a 7.6-inch, 2208 x 1840-pixel OLED display with a 6:5 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Pixel 7a isn’t a foldable phone. It's built with a single 6.1-inch, 1080 x 2400 OLED panel that can go up to 90Hz. Display technologies are what make foldable phones such an exciting purchase, so surely the 7a stands no chance against the Fold, right?

The Pixel 7a hit a peak brightness of 1,024 on its HDR setting, which is up to snuff with its more expensive competitor. The Pixel Fold’s inner display hit 1,030 nits on HDR and 1,172 nits at standard settings, which is phenomenally bright. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t do quite as well in reproducing the DCI-P3 color gamut. The Pixel 7a managed to reproduce 92% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while the Fold’s internal display (88%) and cover display (90%) were just a little behind. 

In practice, this difference is marginal, and you probably won’t notice which one is better. However, the Pixel Fold comes out on top with its dual-screen superiority and brighter display.

Winner: Google Pixel Fold 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Design 

The Pixel 7a is built with a glass display, aluminum frame and plastic back panel. Not only is this the same on other Pixel phones, but it’s consistent with the Pixel Fold as well.

The Pixel Fold hasn’t quite found its more colorful side just yet, limited to two neutral hues of porcelain and obsidian. This is disappointing considering that the Pixel 7a features four available colors, with Sea and Coral hues appealing to my love of pastel, while the Charcoal and Snow options are there for those who don’t love rainbows.

The Pixel 7a comes in at 6 x 2.8 x 0.4 inches and 6.8 ounces, while the Pixel Fold measures 5.5 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches and weighs 10 ounces. These are two drastically different phones, and one is practically two phones glued together, so of course it would be larger and heavier.

Winner: Draw 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Performance 

The Pixel Fold is built with Google Tensor G2 processor with a Titan M2 security coprocessor, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The Pixel 7a is packed with the Google Tensor G2 chip and features the same Titan M2 security coprocessor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Even though the Pixel Fold costs more than four times the Pixel 7a, users cannot expect superior processing performance. In fact, in the Geekbench 5 test, its multi-core score was as low as 1,909. This is nearly a thousand points below the 7a’s multi-core score of 3,065, which is baffling. Not only can you expect the same processor in this vastly more expensive foldable phone, but its performance is inferior.

You might be wondering if this is just standard for foldable phones, but it isn’t. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, a foldable phone that also costs $1,799, attained a multi-core score of 3,831 on the Geekbench 5.5 performance test. This is a little more than double what the Pixel Fold could attain at the same price. Yikes. 

Winner: Google Pixel 7a 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Cameras 

Google Pixel’s attention to detail in photography is practically unmatched. We’ve found that the company crafts some of the best phone cameras in the industry, but how does it do with the new Pixel Fold?

The Pixel 7a primary camera is one of the best around, delivering a 64-megapixel wide-angle lens with its f/1.89 aperture. Meanwhile, its ultrawide and selfie-lens are both 13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.12µm).

The Pixel Fold’s camera array is pretty drastically different from the 7a, with its wide-angle being a 1/2-inch 48MP with a f/1.7 aperture, alongside ultra-wide (f/2.2) and telephoto (f/3.05, 5x zoom) at 10.8MP. The front camera offers 9.5MP with a f/2.2 aperture, and the other 8MP camera above the display has a f/2.2 aperture.

Winner: Draw 

Google Pixel Fold vs. Google Pixel 7a: Battery life 

It would be an impressive feat if the Pixel Fold could outlast the 7a’s battery. After all, this foldable phone is working with dual screens, meaning it has that much more power to consume. Its 4,821 mAh battery lasted a total of 10 hours and 21 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits on cellular.

10 hours is an impressive accomplishment, especially since the Pixel 7a’s 4,385 mAh lasted 10 hours and 5 minutes when put up on the same test. So yes, the Pixel Fold does the impossible and lasts a bit longer than the 7a. So if you are excited to purchase this foldable phone, you won’t have to worry about its longevity.

Winner: Google Pixel Fold 

Bottom line 

The Pixel Fold is a good phone, but it is lacking the asset that makes the Pixel series most appealing. Regardless of its most exciting bells and whistles, Pixel is a budget phone series and that’s a huge part of what makes it so successful. Purchasing the amazing Pixel 7a for $499 is an absolute steal, yet the Pixel Fold doesn’t feature the same affordable edge.

Charging consumers $1,799 for a phone with inferior processing power when compared to the company’s own $499 phone is shocking, especially when that price point is similar in other foldable phones. So yes, the Pixel 7a wins and it’s not even close. We’re hoping that the Pixel Fold 2 will pick up the slack of its predecessor by including a better processor or turn it into the first budget foldable phone.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a 

We had to wait an entire year to get a better look at the Pixel Tablet, first announced at Google I/O 2022. We eventually got a full rundown of what to expect at this years Google I/O event, but the question remains, "What took them so long?"

According to reputable tech-tipster Kamila Wojciechowska, the delay was down to the device simply not being ready for market – something she believes is still the case today.

A missing piece of the puzzle

Obviously, the Pixel Tablet is a complete product – there's no gaping holes or exposed wires to speak of at least. But that doesn't mean that the Pixel Tablet is the product Google fully intended it to be.

Wojciechowska points to two unreleased accessories as key examples of this, "Stylus for Pixel Tablet" and "Keyboard for Pixel Tablet." The Pixel Tablet's partnering peripherals are seemingly AWOL as of present, but were intended to be released alongside Google's slate. However, the delays that affected the Pixel Tablet seem to have had a knock on effect when it comes to these products also.

Outlook

Pairing the Pixel Tablet with a solid keyboard and stylus would allow the device to transform into a perfectly functional 2-in-1 for those who need something lightweight and ultra-portable to work with while on the move. Considering the Pixel Tablet's current split function as a home hub when docked, Google's initial vision for the tablet could have been that of a true all-round device with multiple functions.

Wojciechowska believes that the accessories are still in development, though as of yet there's no clear indication of when they could arrive.

Does the news of Google's future accessories for the Pixel Tab make it a more compelling device? Let us know, and keep your eyes peeled to Laptop Mag for the latest in news, features and reviews from the world of tech.

Update (5/15, 6:43 PM ET): A Google spokesperson has responded with a statement regarding the potential battery issue covered in this article. The full statement is included directly below and the original Reddit post shows users indicating the server side fix has corrected the behavior in their phones.

"A recent Google App backend change unintentionally resulted in a subset of Android devices experiencing accelerated battery drain. We rolled out a fix shortly after becoming aware of the issue, and impacted users should see their devices return to normal behavior immediately. This fix does not require an app update."

Google's Pixel phones are heating up, but unfortunately not just in terms of popularity. Reports about overheating and massive battery drain are piling up.

The issue first came to light thanks to an Engadget shedding light on the situation. Further research revealed that this issue is a reasonably widespread problem with Google Pixel users on Reddit and in Pixel Phone support forums expressing their concerns about the matter (via Android Authority).

The problem may impact all Tensor-powered Pixels with anecdotal reports from Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro users. The newly announced Pixel 7a isn't among that list, but given the limited number of devices out there at the moment, that isn't surprising. While there are a significant number of individuals reporting the problem, it certainly isn't universal. 

What's getting these Pixels all hot and bothered?

Given that it isn't every Pixel, you would assume that maybe it's a third-party app or something similar that not all users have on their phone, but no, it seems like the Google app might be to blame in this case. 

Many users experiencing the issue checked their Battery Usage and the Google App is at the top of the charts for them, barring extremely odd usage, that is never an app that should be at the top of your list of battery burners. 

The belief is that a recent update to the Google app is responsible, although users have tried rolling back to the previous version and that hasn't solved the problem, so that muddies the waters slightly.

How to stop your Pixel from overheating

Beyond downgrading to the previous Google app, users have tried soft resetting and factor resetting their phones and report that neither resolved the overheating issue. There is only one solution that multiple users are reporting has worked for them and that is disabling the Google app. 

While not a desirable long-term solution, this is worth considering while we wait for an update from Google. Before doing this, be aware that it will redirect your searches to Chrome and it will also disable Voice Search and Google Assistant. 

How to disable the Google app

That's it, the battery drain and overheating should hopefully be resolved. Simply follow these steps again and click enable if this doesn't work or if you simply find it too frustrating to not have access to the Google app. 

We'll be testing all of the Pixels that we have to see if any are exhibiting the problem, but we've seen no sign of it so far. We'll update this article if we are able to document the issue ourselves or if Google provides an official response beyond that of the support staff in the help forums.

The Pixel 7a has made its presence known, and this budget behemoth from the Pixel A-series lineup has already proven itself by besting its flagship brethren in the Pixel 7 during our faceoff. But how does the Pixel 7a fare against other sub-$500 smartphone competition? Particularly, competition in the form of 2022’s Apple iPhone SE.

We reviewed the latest iPhone SE in August of 2022 and were impressed by its powerful performance and budget-conscious price point. Its blazingly fast processor, ultra-portable form, and handy iOS features made it one of our top picks for the best budget phones available today. So how well does Google’s latest entrant to the Pixel family lineup stack up against Apple’s small-scale smartphone? Let’s find out.

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) price

The Pixel 7a’s $499 launch price is about $50 more than what people expected or were hoping for. However, the latest Pixel A-Series phone has the value to match its price tag — and then some.

The iPhone SE (2022) is priced at a more affordable $429 and is certainly no slouch in terms of a great midrange smartphone. However, as we go further on the differences between these two devices it will become more clear just what saving yourself that extra $70 will cost you.

If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Apple fanatic, it’s unlikely you’ll see the merit of stretching your budget just a little further for the Pixel 7a — but if you’re not locked into any one platform and you’re looking to make every dollar count, the Pixel 7a’s incredible value and a guarantee of 5 years of updates makes it the ideal choice for anyone looking for a sub-$500 smartphone.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) design

Looking at these phones side-by-side, I’m genuinely amazed that there’s only a year and change between them in terms of release. The iPhone SE looks like a technological relic when compared to the Pixel 7a’s modern aesthetic.

The Pixel 7a’s tighter rounded corners and swanky camera bar give it a real sense of personality, while the iPhone seems to be imitating the personality of a phone released in 2017 — nostalgically clinging to a design that was, for good reason, long ago phased out.

While the iPhone SE is marginally thinner, its chunky iPhone 8-era design does it no favors — paling in comparison to the Pixel 7a’s clean and sleek vibe. The design of Pixel smartphones might not have changed much in recent years, but it’s light years ahead of what the iPhone SE is offering.

Both phones offer IP67 certification, affording each dust protection and survivability for 30 minutes in water at depths of up to 1 meter (3 feet), both also feature some variant of Corning drop protection with the Pixel 7a’s front-facing Gorilla Glass 3 and the iPhone SE’s front-and-back custom Corning-made glass shielding.

While the Pixel 7a’s protection is more scratch resistant, it does only cover the front of the device — with the back composed of a 3D thermoformed composite. Or, as most humans would say, plastic.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but some things are just objectively ugly. Luckily, neither of these phones suffers from such an affliction, and while it likely comes down to personal preference at the end of the day, the Pixel 7a feels fresher in just about every way — even if its design doesn’t stand out all that much from other Pixel offerings.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) display

Size isn’t everything when it comes to determining how good a display is. In fact, you can probably compensate for the iPhone’s smaller 4.7-inch screen against that of the Pixel 7a’s 6.1-inch display by just holding it ever so slightly closer to your face. However, there’s no offsetting the quality of the picture — a quality that the Pixel 7a’s impressive 2400 x 1080, 90Hz OLED display has in spades.

The iPhone SE (2022)’s LCD-backed Retina HD display doesn’t have nearly the vibrancy or richness as the Pixel 7a, and its 1,400:1 contrast ratio doesn’t fare much better against Google’s 1,000,000:1 offering.

The Pixel 7a is across-the-board outfitted with a superior display, and if you don’t want to believe your lying eyes, then the results of our benchmarking tests should make it clear as day.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) performance

Apple’s budget buy might not look up to par in the visuals department, but when it comes to raw performance its A15 Bionic chip outperforms Google’s G2 Tensor SoC across almost every metric.

Both phones are capable of some serious multitasking and have an impressive amount of performance on tap. However, when it came to our benchmark testing the gap in potential performance between the two becomes far more apparent.

Apple’s claims that the iPhone SE (2022) houses a CPU that is “faster than all the competition at any price” isn’t one that falls flat — at least when it comes to Google’s latest offering.

To hop off the fence briefly, it’s also worth pointing out that while the iPhone pulls away from the competition in dramatic fashion here, a lot of the power available to Apple’s device is unlikely to be touched by the average user. So don’t be perturbed, or disillusioned if you think this makes the Pixel 7a a “weak” phone as a result of these benchmarks. It just makes the iPhone SE (2022) a very powerful one.

Winner:  Apple iPhone SE (2022) 

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) cameras

The iPhone SE (2022) puts its single main camera to great use, recreating colors and tones in a true-to-life fashion thanks to Apple’s Smart HDR 4. The wide-angle lens is quite capable of capturing most scenes placed in front of it, especially with Apple’s Deep Fusion neural image processing in play — at least during the day anyway.

The lack of Night Mode will leave photos dull and muddy in the absence of sufficient light. It’s a good camera offering from Apple, but it’ll only perform its best under the right circumstances.

On the other hand, the Pixel 7a’s 64MP and 13MP wide and ultrawide main camera array shine by comparison with excellent color and tone reproduction with a sharp and crystal clear eye for detail — even in low light conditions (and we mean low, low light conditions) thanks to the incredibly impressive Night Sight.

The Pixel 7a makes for an all-around great shooter, whether you’re looking for portrait, landscape, or low-light subjects. 

Where the Tensor G2 falls short of the iPhone SE in raw performance, it pulls far ahead in terms of picture quality,  image processing, and available software — especially with features like Magic Eraser, which will allow you to effortlessly remove unwanted appearances from your pictures. 

Winner:  Google Pixel 7a 

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE (2022) battery life

Depending on how you use your smartphone, battery life may be one of the most important factors to keep in mind when choosing your next daily driver. And, if we were to look at the battery offerings from the Pixel 7a and iPhone SE solely based on the numbers you’d think that it was a sure-fire no-contest.

The Pixel 7a is outfitted with a 4,385mAh battery, while the iPhone SE (2022) features a battery of just 2018mAh in capacity. I’m no mathematician but you’d think this would equate to the Pixel 7a having an uptime of over twice that of Apple’s device. However, the A15 Bionic chip inside the iPhone is impressively efficient and can make that shorter capacity last for far longer than most Android devices would be able to.

During our Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuously surfing the web on a 5G cellular network at 150 nits of brightness, the iPhone SE (2022) managed to last for 9 hours and 18 minutes. However, the Pixel 7a still managed to pull ahead with a lifetime of 10 hours and 5 minutes.

Hats off to Apple’s efficiency, but when all is said and done the Pixel 7a remains the longer-lasting device.

Winner: Google Pixel 7a

Overall winner

It’ll take some number crunching to be sure of who came out ahead on this one, but my own expert analysis says this is somewhat of a blowout for the Pixel 7a. While you might have to fork out a little more to get your hands on one, the $70 difference in price is small potatoes when you consider what you gain across almost every metric.

The Google Pixel 7a outshines the iPhone SE (2022) in terms of design, battery life, camera, software, and display. While the iPhone is in possession of an incredibly powerful processor, there’s just so much more on offer from Google’s smartphone that raw performance alone can’t make up for.

The Google Pixel 7a is the next smartphone to join the Pixel family of phone, tablet, audio and wearable devices, and looks to be a solid option when it comes to choosing from the best budget smartphones out there. It’s also set to make an appearance at Google I/O 2023 today, where we will finally get the official word on specs, pricing, and availability.

However, at the time of writing at least, that’s still hours away. If you, like me, are suffering from the terminal impatience brought upon by the bite-sized endorphin boosts of YouTube Shorts and TikTok. I hear you. “That’s just too long to wait.” Worry not, you can buy your very own Pixel 7a right now – this very second.

You can, but you probably shouldn't

An event like Google I/O is where the world is supposed to tune in and be wowed by the reveal of the latest and greatest consumer tech to hit store shelves. However, thanks to a staggering amount of leaks surrounding Google’s future lineup of products, I’m not entirely certain that I could fill up a thimble with what I don’t already know about what’s set to be unveiled later today.

We’ve had everything from high quality renders to entire specifications appear online for almost every product Google has waiting in the wings. We’ve even been able to source information on early deals for the Pixel 7a, so early it hasn’t even been officially given a price yet.

Just about the only thing that hasn’t leaked surrounding the Pixel 7a is the names, addresses, and personal phone numbers of those who worked on it. But give it a hot minute, I’ll potentially be back to report on that later.

At least we can safely say that a render is just an artist's impression, specifications are just numbers on a page, and both of which could be unreliable. Thankfully the official phone is still neatly under wraps and Google is still potentially capable of showing us something new when the Pixel 7a gets its center stage moment in a few hours. Oh. No, nevermind.

After months of loose lips attempting to sink Google’s ship, we can finally confirm Googleplex HQ must have more holes in it than an old sweater around Mothra, because you can now purchase your very own unlocked Pixel 7a directly from a bunch of clearly trustworthy individuals on eBay.

Outlook

Having the details of your device leak ahead of its launch is unfortunate, but having your actual product leak onto online auction sites before you even make it to your soundcheck is abysmal. Before we go any further I’d like to point out that we don’t recommend buying a Pixel 7a on eBay.

While this leak does seemingly confirm previous reports about a 64MP camera array and 8GB RAM/128GB storage configurations, it doesn't tell us a great deal other than the devices themselves have already jumped the fence and made themselves available on certain corners of the internet.

Especially before you’ve at least had the chance to see what Google has in mind when it comes to retail pricing, availability, and early adopter incentives. Let alone before you’ve even seen what the device is capable of.

What we would suggest is watching along with the rest of us when Google I/O 2023 kicks off later today. If you're not sure how you can take part in the stream, check out our handy guide on how to watch Google I/O to get yourself ready. Maybe if we all cross our fingers and click our heels together there'll still still be a few surprises in store for us.

The countdown to Google I/O 2023 is almost over, which means we’re finally about to see the official reveal and release of the Google Pixel 7a. As the latest A-Series smartphone to join the Pixel family of devices, the Pixel 7a is hoping to take a similar position to that of the Pixel 6a — delivering a quality, midrange phone at a price that won’t break the bank.

That being said, Google’s decision to reportedly increase the price of the A-Series smartphone to $499 could cause many to pause for thought when it comes to picking one up. Especially given the short gap in price between itself and the Google Pixel 7.

This puts the 7a in something of a quagmire when it comes to dethroning the Pixel 6a as one of the best cheap phones on the market. However, it seems Google is taking a similar approach to other products arriving this year, and sweetening the deal for those willing to invest.

The perfect Pixel companion piece?

Thanks to reputable sources on Twitter such as SnoopyTech and billbil-kun, we’ve gotten our first glimpse at how Google is aiming to market the Pixel 7a to early adopters. The plan? Purchase a Pixel 7a from May 10 to May 22, 2033 (dates may vary by region,) and bag yourself a pair of Pixel Buds A-Series for free.

Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series scored incredibly well during our 2021 review, and they’ve remained one of our top picks for the best cheap wireless earbuds ever since. The lightweight and super comfortable earbuds pack impressive audio alongside excellent Google Assistant integration to deliver a fantastic Android experience at a very affordable sub-$100 price.

Outlook

While the new pricing for Google’s latest A-Series phone isn’t ideal, including a free pair of Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds will go a long way to offsetting the $50 increase over the price of last year's Pixel 6a.

The Pixel 7a is expected to make its debut during the Wednesday, May 10, 2023, Google I/O event in Mountain View, California. If you’d like to tune in and catch the latest reveals as they happen, check out our guide on how to watch Google I/O 2023, and keep your eyes on Laptop Mag for more Pixel news as it arrives.

The Pixel Watch launched in October of 2022 and quickly became one of the best smartwatches on the market. Since then there’s been barely a word about a potential follow-up, with many assuming Google intended for the Pixel Watch to be set for a bi-annual refresh.

This year’s Google I/O event seems like a stacked affair as it is, and with so much information leaking about the products expected to be unveiled, no mention of the Pixel Watch among any of them seemed to confirm just that.

However, according to a source known to 9to5Google, that may not be the case after all. In fact, if the source is accurate, we could be seeing a new Pixel Watch later this year — likely to arrive alongside Google’s new lineup of Pixel 8-series smartphones.

Pixel Watch 2: Electric Boogaloo

With the original Pixel Watch having been out less than a year at the time of writing, for some, it may seem like early days for a follow-up. However, with the next Samsung Galaxy Watch looking set to arrive later this year also, a refresh of some of the device's internals would go some way to keeping it competitive.

Google tends to announce and release its latest flagship devices in the month of October, which lines up nicely for a Pixel Watch 2 announcement too. According to 9to5Google’s source, this is currently Google’s plan — something which could possibly be backed up by a report in April mentioning Google's goals to incentivize early Pixel Fold adopters with a free Pixel Watch.

In some cases, this is a marketing technique to sweeten the deal while also getting rid of any backlog of inventory before a new product is revealed to take its place. However, that’s not to say the Pixel Watch hasn’t performed well and that Google is sat atop a stockpile of smartwatches. In fact, according to reports by Canalys Google had managed to ship ~880,000 units of its wearable in Q4 2022 alone.

Outlook

Beyond this single source, we have no additional confirmation yet to back up the claims that the Pixel Watch 2 could be on its way.

That being said, if we do see Google use the original Pixel Watch as leverage to sway customers to the Pixel Fold, that will certainly be a strong indicator that a follow-up is coming this fall. Google also can't afford to cede a year without a hardware upgrade in the competitive smartwatch market, the Pixel Watch is an excellent first effort, but hopefully, we see a second size introduced this year and perhaps battery life to rival some of Google's own Fitbit wearables.

Check back with us as Laptop Mag regularly for more news on the Pixel Watch 2, it's Google so you can depend on many more leaks before the wearable ships.

Those of you with Google’s May 10, I/O 2023 event marked on your calendar will undoubtedly appreciate some early news on one of the most anticipated products expected to be unveiled that day — the Google Pixel Tablet.

Over the weekend, Buzzap and a number of other Japanese blogs reported on a recent fumble by Amazon Japan that led to the Android tablet’s listing appearing online for all to see. The listing has since been removed, but not before people could get a clear look at the device, its potential pricing window, and a detailed look at (almost) all of its specs.

A clean slate

The Pixel Tablet marks Google’s first venture into the tablet market in some time. While its last few efforts weren’t exactly the iPad killers many had hoped them to be, this time around at least, Google seems to be putting together an impressive starting point for an all-new lineup of future slates. The first of which, according to the listing, will be appearing in stores from June 20, 2023.

Putting 2018’s Pixel Slate in its rearview mirror, the new Pixel Tablet will make use of Google’s Tensor G2, octa-core SoC alongside 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1-based flash memory for storage. This places the Pixel Tablet in line with Google’s Pixel 7-series smartphone devices, keeping true to Google’s claims that the tablet will carry over “all your favorite Pixel phone features.”

The tablet will also feature a 10.95-inch LCD display with a sizable 2560 x 1600 resolution and up to 500 nits/candela of brightness. The screen will be framed by some sizable bezels, though this will give the device a much more comfortable hold without concern about accidental touches. The tablet will also be flanked by two 8-megapixel cameras, as well as three noise-canceling microphones, and four speakers.

When it comes to connectivity, the Pixel Tablet will make use of a Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection for its main port, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless, and a Pogo pin connection for attaching to a dock. The dock is included with the purchase of the tablet and allows the Pixel Tablet to assume the role of a smart home assistant, much like that of the Amazon Echo.

In terms of the expected runtime of the product, the Pixel Tablet was listed as having a 27 Wh battery (just shy of the iPad Pro 11-inch’s 28.65 Wh battery,) that claims to offer a battery life of up to 12 hours.

Pixel Tablet specs

Outlook

It’s no iPad killer on paper, but the Google Pixel Tablet is shaping up to be one of the best tablets on the market if you’re an Android user. With its dual functionality as both a tablet and smart home dock, the Pixel Tablet at the very least manages to carve out its own identity among a busy crowd.

The Pixel Tablet’s price was also shown on the listing at 80,000 Yen. This roughly translates to around 590 USD, though no pricing for North America or Europe has been officially confirmed as of yet.

With Google I/O just days away, keep your eyes peeled to Laptop Mag for the latest news, rumors, and reveals surrounding the May 10 event.

Do you remember the excitement that built up before tech events? The anticipation over the announcement of the next big thing? The gleeful ignorance to what lay before you? The unbridled excitement of you and the rest of the world sharing a moment as all our eyes focus on the product of tomorrow in unison? Newsflash: those days are dead.

Since the advent of social media, you can’t even throw a garage sale without somebody tweeting about what’s going to be available in your driveway a day before you’ve set up shop. Google I/O is less than a month away and those of us who are terminally online have encountered more leaks than a boat made of Swiss cheese. The latest of which seemingly confirms the accuracy of insider tips about the designs and size of the Pixel 8/8Pro.

Case: solved

Previous leaks regarding Google’s soon-to-be-announced Pixel series 8 smartphones included high-quality renders of the products, the inclusion of staggered HDR camera technology, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, a Tensor G3 chipset, and adjustments to screen size and resolution. All of which were supplied by reliable tipsters and insiders.

Today, leaked renders of protective cases for both handsets seem to confirm the design and dimensions of the devices, and further add to the credibility of the leaked information about the Pixel 8 series' internals as provided by similar sources.

Outlook

With every passing day, the amount of things Google can actually reveal at its May 10 Google I/O event seems to grow smaller, but there's still potential for a few surprises on the day. Especially with regard to the Pixel 8/8 Pro's battery, price, and more precise information about the Google Tensor G3 chipset.

However, at the rate information about Google's future products is leaking, I'll probably have those for you by lunchtime.

While Google I/O 2023 will bring a ton of Android software news, Pixel 8 rumors are running wild already. Today, we've learnt that you can expect Google's next phone to be smaller than you'd expect.

Thanks to a previously leaked Pixel roadmap, we believe that Google is set to welcome both a tablet and a foldable to the Pixel product line alongside the unveiling of its flagship Pixel 8 series of smartphones.

The all-new Pixel 8 line-up is expected to ‘go big’ with the inclusion of a powerful Tensor G3 chipset and 12GB of RAM. However, when it comes to screen size, not everything Pixel 8 looks set for an upgrade.

Word on the tweet

You may have seen the recent renders of Google’s Pixel 8 appear online. However, without the inclusion of a banana for scale, nobody has been able to say for sure if previous murmurings of a downsize were entirely accurate.

That is, until insider Ross Young (CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants) seemingly confirmed the upcoming Pixel 8’s shortened stature in a recent tweet. Young points out the Pixel 8's 6.16-inch display, a small but noticeable reduction from that of the Pixel 7's 6.32-inch screen.

This information lines up with previous leaks from 2022 when WinFuture reported that the Pixel 8 would feature a resolution of 2268 x 1080 (compared to that of the Pixel 7’s 2400 x 1080 display), and when reputable insider OnLeaks previously reported the Pixel 8’s trimmer 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm frame.

Outlook

If you’re reading about the Pixel 8’s smaller screen size and worrying about a similar impact on the device’s capabilities. Well, fear not.

Sure, the screen is reportedly smaller, but it’s still completely in line with that of other flagship smartphones like the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S23. In fact, this small reduction in size could be a boon for Pixel owners, especially those with gripes about the device’s less-than-stellar battery life.

The decision to reduce the Pixel 7’s battery capacity was one that left the device at the lower end of the spectrum when compared to other flagship devices.) However, this smaller screen when paired with Google’s reportedly more powerful and efficient Tensor G3 chipset could result in the Pixel 8 faring much better against the competition in the future.

The Google Project Zero team, a group of security analysts, discovered 18 zero-day vulnerabilities among Samsung Exynos modems produced between late 2022 and early 2023. 

Four of those zero-day vulnerabilities are severe, highly concerning flaws. If a malicious actor decides to take advantage of them, it's over. They could potentially gain remote access to your phone and wreak havoc on your device.

Which phones are effected by the Samsung Exynos flaw?

According to Google's Project Zero team, here's a list of the affected phones:

• Vivo devices, including S16, S15, S6, X70, X60, and X30
• The Google Pixel 6 and 7 series
• Samsung Galaxy devices, including S22, M33, M13, M12, A71, A53, A33, A21s, A13, A12 and A04 series;

As HowToGeek pointed out, Samsung dropped Exynos for the Galaxy S23 series, so fortunately, this line remains unaffected.

As mentioned at the outset, four vulnerabilities were labeled as "severe" because they allowed for Internet-to-baseband remote execution. In other words, hackers could remotely break into vulnerable phones with nothing but the victim's phone number. Yikes! What's worse is that "skilled attackers" can remotely compromise affected devices silently, which means quarries won't even know that their phones are being exploited behind the scenes.

Is there a fix?

As of this writing, for most phones, there isn't a patch for these alarming security vulnerabilities, but there is a workaround you can employ to protect yourself. Head to Settings and do the following:

1. Disable Wi-Fi calling.

2. Turn off Voice-over-LTE.

Pixel 7 users are the only lucky ones here; Google rolled out a patch for the flaw in its March update. The Project Zero team says that patch timelines will vary for every phone manufacturer.

Google's Pixel 7a appears in a hands-on video leak, and it shares the same design as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6a — but it comes with a welcome display upgrade.

Shared on Facebook by an anonymous leaker from Vietnam (via @chunvn8888 on Twitter), we get a full hands-on showcase of the alleged Pixel 7a. It's design is identical to the renders shown by Smartprix and tipster OnLeaks, and the unknown leaker in the video even confirms the rumored 90Hz refresh rate upgrade. 

As with the Pixel 6a before it, the Pixel 7a appears to share the design of the recent Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, albeit with noticeably thicker display bezels. This is expected, as the budget Pixel 6a also comes with bigger bezels.

The next budget Pixel also comes with the same stainless steel camera visor as the Pixel 7, with two lenses that are expected to be wide and ultra-wide cameras. This model comes in Obsidian black, but we're also expecting it to come in Snow white and possibly Lemongrass, too.

The Pixel 7a is a budget version of Google's latest flagship Android phones, but this time it appears Google is delivering a 90Hz refresh rate instead of the usual 60Hz on the A series Pixels. This may affect battery life, but offers a smoother navigation and scrolling.

What's more, the Pixel 7a is expected to get the same Tensor G2 chip as with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. With this in mind, Google's next budget Pixel is looking up. 

Pixel 7a and beyond

We've heard plenty of rumors of Google launching a Pixel 7a in 2023, and considering the tech giant's track record when it comes to leaked products, we expect the 7a in the hands-on video to be true.

According to a leaked Pixel 2025 roadmap, the Pixel 7a is set to launch in around April during the annual Google I/O. It's expected to be priced at $449 — the same as the Pixel 6a — and the report also states its set to deliver a 90Hz refresh rate. What's more, it's set to launch alongside the long-rumored Pixel Fold. 

That's not all we can expect this year, as Google is apparently gearing up to announce a smaller Pixel 8 and new Pixel 8 Pro with a Tensor G3 chip. 

Along with the already announced Pixel Tablet, Google is set to have a big year in 2023. Until Google officially announces what it has in store, however, check out our phone of the year 2022. 

Android phones have evolved over the past decade into many of the best phones. They’ve become the ultimate all-in-one devices, granting us the ability to do everything from video conferencing over Wi-Fi to snapping and uploading photos from our camera roll to the cloud. However, we can all agree that their greatest use is doubling as a media player. 

Storing music libraries onboard these devices, along with accessing and even downloading tracks offline from popular streaming services (e.g., Spotify, Tidal), has been a game-changer for Android users.

But what you didn’t know is that Android phones can do so much more to enhance your listening experience. All it requires is some exploration on the backend.

Google’s mobile operating system continues to get better with every software update, adding and updating features that boost sound quality. Add compatibility with third-party audio programs and some common wireless knowledge into the mix, you have all the tools necessary to convert your Android phone into a dynamic audio machine. 

Some of you can keep relying on the best wireless headphones and wireless earbuds to handle all sonic duties. Others can root their phone and download cool audio-editing programs not available in Google Play. Avid audiophiles can even go a step further and pair their wired headphones with a portable DAC that connects to their phone through an adapter.

The other option: use what’s already afforded to you. Here are five tricks to enhance audio on your Android phone, all of which will carry over to any headphones or earbuds you own and come at zero cost.

Unlock the phone’s best audio codec

Some of the more current Android phones support Hi-Res Audio (e.g., aptX, aptX HD, MQair) and/or lossless codecs (e.g., ALAC, LDAC). These are set to the default, though oftentimes you’ll need to enable the feature in your headphones or earbuds companion app. If not there, then by going into the backend of your phone: select the settings page and put codec into the search menu. From here, you’ll see the Bluetooth Audio Codec setting that sends you to the developer options and shows all codecs compatible with your phone.

Tap deeper into the feature by searching for Bluetooth Audio Bits Per Sample. This will show you multiple bitrate speeds your phone can process (16/24/32 bit).

iPhone users can easily turn on Apple’s lossless audio format in the Audio Quality setting on iOS. Android users must toggle it in the Settings page of the Apple Music app to enjoy hi-loss music on the streaming service.

Adaptive Sound

If you’re the type to blast music out of your phone speaker, this audio tip is for you. Certain Android phones come with Google’s Adaptive Sound feature. What this does is use your phone’s mics to determine noise levels in your environment and perform tweaks in the software to enhance speaker output. 

Pixel owners can enable the feature by following these steps: Settings -> Sound & Vibration -> Adaptive Sound. The process is slightly longer on Galaxy devices: Settings -> Sound and Vibration -> Volume -> Sound quality and Effects -> Dolby Atmos -> Android Equalizer -> Adapt Sound. Samsung does allow you to choose a preset that matches your age, which is beneficial for everyone’s hearing health.

Tweak the sound settings in your music app

Most people use their headphones or earbuds companion app to fix sound performance via customizable EQ. You’re either given the option to create a personalized sound profile by manually adjusting frequencies or select from a variety of different presets. Well, there’s a more practical way to improve sound quality, and the changes will save to any headphones or earbuds you use. 

Change the EQ settings in your preferred music app. Spotify is the most popular platform for this and has a few unique tools to boost sound quality. There’s an equalizer with multiple presets, plus different settings that will automatically adjust sound based on bandwidth performance and prioritize audio quality (up to 24kbit/s) by disabling artists’ canvases.

Some streaming services let you enable spatial audio, based on device compatibility; Tidal offers 360 Reality Audio support for Sony headphones and earbuds.

Always stream over Wi-Fi

Are you streaming music over mobile data? If so, please stop because unless you have an unlimited data plan, you’re burning money by eating through your available data. Also, music streaming services process data differently based on the music files they use.

Most services like Spotify insist to stream over Wi-Fi. Not only is the connection more reliable, depending on your coverage and Internet speed, but this allows for greater bandwidth. Different subscription levels can result in better audio quality and faster bitrates.

For those who require a boost in Wi-Fi performance, here are 7 ways to improve your wireless router for stronger connectivity.

Turn on Dolby Atmos (Samsung devices only)

Those with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone are likely unaware that they own a Dolby Atmos-enabled device. You don’t know what you’re missing. The surround sound technology makes select music tracks and movies more immersive by placing sound all around you. Spatial audio operates differently by adding a layer to recreate the feel of being in a movie or moving around at a concert. Dolby Atmos is essential for upscaling sound on your Galaxy phone.

You can turn it on by going into your device’s Settings, selecting Sound Quality and Effects tab, and toggling the Dolby Atmos option.

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Google may have already laid out its plans for future Pixel devices, as a new Pixel roadmap leak teases what we can expect in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — and it's tipped to be similar to "Apple's iPhone launches."

According to an anonymous source speaking with Android Authority,  Google is preparing a slew of new Pixel phones over the next three years. This includes the Pixel 7a, Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, and the long-awaited Pixel Fold in 2023; a Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, and two variations of the Pixel 9 Pro in 2024; and a Pixel 10, flip-style foldable Pixel, and more in 2025.

The report states that while this information comes from a "trustworthy source," the roadmap isn't final, as some plans are still "up in the air." As always, take this with a pinch of salt, but the Pixel roadmap gives us a peak at what's to come — and it's looking intriguing. 

Google Pixel in 2023

Google is no stranger to revealing what it's set to launch down the line, as the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, along with the Pixel Watch, were announced well ahead of their release dates. With the tech giant being on a roll since its revamped Pixel 6 launch, what the Pixel roadmap shows will come in 2023 look likely. 

• Pixel 7a
• Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro
• Pixel Fold
• Pixel Tablet

Google has already shown off its Pixel Tablet, stating it's set to arrive sometime in 2023. As for the rest of the devices, we've already heard rumors of a Pixel 7a being in the works, which is codenamed "Lynx," along with the next flagship Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, named "Shiba" and "Husky," respectively. Interestingly, this year we're expected to finally see the Pixel Fold, codenamed "Felix."

According to the report, the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold will launch around April during the annual Google I/O. The former is tipped to come with the same $449 price tag as the Pixel 6a, along with a Tensor G2 chip and a 90Hz refresh rate. 

As for the Pixel Fold, it's expected to be priced at $1,799, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

As for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, apparently the former will be even smaller than the Pixel 7, while the Pixel 8 Pro will keep the same display size (6.7 inches) and form factor measurements as the Pixel 7 Pro. What's more, the Pixel 8 lineup is expected to come with a new silicon codenamed "zuma," which is likely to be the Tensor G3 chip. 

Google Pixel in 2024

Google's lineup of Pixel phones for 2024 is expected to mix things up. Generally, we can expect the same kind of updates from 2023, except this time we're seeing two Pixel 9 Pro models. 

• Pixel 8a
• Pixel 9
• Pixel 9 Pro (6.3-inch)
• Pixel 9 Pro (6.7-inch)
• Pixel foldable update 

The Pixel 8a, codenamed "Akita," isn't a certainty, as the unnamed source claims that Google could ditch this A-series update depending on sales of the Pixel 7a. The source states that Google is thinking about moving away from annual launches of A series phones," and may plan to launch their budget lineup every two years instead. This is similar to Apple's iPhone SE. What's more, if the Pixel 8a does launch, it could be priced at $499 — a $50 increase.

As for the Pixel 9 lineup, expect three phones to launch in the fall of 2024. This includes the Pixel 9, which is expected to be the same small size as the Pixel 8, and two Pixel 9 Pro models. 

These two models will come in two different sizes, with "Komodo" having the usual 6.7-inch display, while "Caiman" will offer a 6.3-inch display. The source states this would be similar to Apple's recent iPhone lineup, with the iPhone 14 being the Pixel 9, the iPhone 14 Pro being the 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max being the 6.7-inch Pixel 9 Pro. As these are new phones, you can also expect them to come with an updated Tensor G4 processor, codenamed "redondo."

There's also a foldable update expected to arrive, but information about this new Pixel Fold is scarce. 

Google Pixel in 2025

In 2025, Google may be planning to add a new style of foldable to its lineup: a clamshell Pixel foldable. However, this depends on the success of its 2023 and 2024 planned launches, as per the report. 

• Small Pixel 10
• Large Pixel 10 or clamshell-style Pixel foldable
• Small Pixel 10 Pro
• Large Pixel 10 Pro

It isn't clear if the Pixel 10 lineup will have similar sizes to the Pixel 9 series, and there's no mention of a Pixel 9a. The new style of Pixel Fold will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series, but if Google decides to scrap this plan, it may release a larger standard Pixel 10 instead — much like what Apple did with the iPhone 14 Plus.

If the leaked Pixel Fold roadmap is to be believed, Google has an exciting few years ahead. There isn't any mention of Pixel Watch or Pixel Tablet updates, but Pixel phones are expected to get a bundle of annual updates. 

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro deliver a host of exciting features, from a free VPN by Google One to detecting if you snore when you sleep. One feature it finally brings back is Face Unlock, but it's not exactly as advanced as other face recognition systems on other smartphones like the iPhone 14.

While it's a welcome feature, it only unlocks your Pixel 7 and takes you to the phone's lock screen. That means you still have to swipe in order to access your home screen or the previous app you were using. However, there's an even better Face Unlock feature that makes unlocking your Pixel 7 even speedier. Here's how to allow face unlock to take you straight to your home screen. 

How to use the improved Pixel 7 Face Unlock 

By default, the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro simply unlocks your phone and leaves you on the lock screen. However, by turning on Skip lock screen in Settings, using your face to unlock your phone will now take you directly to the last used screen. It's a handy trick that's worth turning on, so if you're up for a speedier unlocking experience, follow the steps below. 

1. One your Pixel 7, navigate to the Settings app.
2. Scroll down to Security and tap on it.
3. Select Face and Fingerprint Unlock.
4. Enter your PIN, password, or pattern when prompted.
5. Once you're on the next screen, choose Face Unlock.
6. Toggle the switch next to Skip lock screen. 

And that's it. Every time you use Face Unlock, you will now be taken directly to the last screen you used. It's way better than just unlocking your Pixel 7 with Face Unlock but still having to swipe up in order to access the phone. It's a trick worth trying.

Google's latest flagship smartphone continues to impress with each new Pixel Feature Drop that arrives, and one of our writers claims the iPhone may get dethroned. 

The Google Pixel Tablet is set to arrive in 2023, but a new leak now teases its real-world design, storage, estimated battery life, and home screen, along with a better look at Google's Charging Speaker Dock.

Spotted by reputable tipster ShrimpApplePro on Twitter (via 9to5Google), the alleged leaked images were shown on Facebook Marketplace and give us a sneak peek at the Pixel Tablet's OS. This includes the home screen, which comes with the same "Feather" wallpaper and look as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The Google search bar is placed along the bottom left, with default including Camera, Maps, Chrome, Gmail, Google Play Store, and more. 

Interestingly, we also get a snap of the Pixel Tablet's Settings app. This Pixel Tablet model comes with 256GB of storage, but we can also see the new tablet's estimated battery life.

According to the image, the Pixel Tablet has 15 hours and 54 minutes of battery life left at 70%. Compared to the M1 iPad Pro, which is tested to have 10 hours and 48 minutes of battery, the Pixel Tablet looks to have strong battery life. However, this is just an estimate, and real-world use could see different results.

The images also show Google's upcoming Charging Speaker Dock, made specifically for the Pixel Tablet. Unsurprisingly, it looks similar to the base of the Nest Hub Max, with a magnet to dock and undock the tablet. On the rear, there appears to be a slot for the power adapter. 

Google has already announced its upcoming Pixel Tablet and shown off how it looks, but this model comes in a black variant, which adds another color to the usual white model Google has already shown off.

As Google states, the Pixel Tablet "is designed with premium materials and finishes, as well as smooth, rounded corners." You can also expect Material You for personalization, along with the Tensor G2 chip, which offers advanced image processing and machine learning.

The Google Pixel Tablet is expected to arrive in 2023, although we have yet to see a precise release date. If the leak is anything to go by, we should see the Pixel Tablet launch soon. In the meantime, check out the best tablets you can grab right now.

Google is rolling out its biggest Pixel Feature Drop to date, bringing updates to Pixel 4a all the way through to the Pixel 7 Pro, and even the Pixel Watch. For Pixel 7 owners, however, expect a handy update to voice calls thanks to Clear Calling.

With Clear Calling, your Pixel 7 is now able to enhance the voice of the person on the other end of the phone and reduces background noise. It means taking a call on busy streets with noise coming from all directions won't be so hard to hear, and all you have to do is switch it on.

Google released a bundle of big features for Pixel devices, including a free VPN by Google One for Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Want to never miss a word from a call? Check out how to turn on Clear Calling. 

How to turn on Clear Calling on Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Google's Pixel Feature Drop is rolling out now, and to get access to all of your Pixel's new features, you may need to update your device. To do this, navigate to Settings > System > System update.

Once done, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro owners will be able to turn Clear Calling on or off in Settings. It's important to note that Clear Calling will work depending on your Wi-Fi and mobile network connection, meaning if you don't have a good connection, it may not function as it should.

Regardless, it's simple to turn Clear Calling on or off. 

1. On your Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, navigate to the Settings app.
2. Tap on Sound & vibration.
3. Select Clear calling.
4. Toggle the switch next to Use Clear Calling to turn it on or off. 

There you have it. Clear Calling was one of the big features Google promised during its Pixel October event, and it's finally arrived. Pixel Feature Drops come around every three months, so expect even more exclusive features (and bug fixes, of course) coming to Pixel phones and the Pixel Watch.

For more nifty Google features, check out how to find the name of any song using your Pixel and even see if you snore or not.