Allison Johnson

Best Take is a new Google Photos feature that lets you choose the expressions you want on the faces in your photos when you take a series of photos. Parents are stoked.

We’re getting better quality from the 2x optical crop zoom mode and improvements to low-light video, like faster autofocus. Audio Magic Eraser uses machine learning to identify different sounds and in videos and separate them so you can minimize the ones you don’t want. Also, adorable baby video alert!

Monika says it runs more ML models and more complex models, which brings AI enhancements to just about every part of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. It’ll read webpages out loud for you with a “more natural” voice and can read them in different languages. Call Screen is getting an upgrade, and the virtual assistant speaks more naturally.

Pixel 8 Pro has one, for some reason. Google is applying to the FDA to let you use it to read body temperature. It’s giving real mid-2020 product map vibes.

The new screens are called “Actua” displays, and the 8 Pro gets a “Super Actua” display that’s the brightest on a Pixel yet. It has 1-120Hz refresh rates and a peak brightness of 2,400 nits, which is hella bright.

The Pixel 8 Pro — not the regular Pixel 8 — gets a new soft-touch back panel. There’s also a bright new “bay” blue that is “energetic and hopeful.” I mean, it’s blue for sure!

They’re the “next evolution of AI in your hand.” They’ve got Tensor G3, an updated silhouette with more rounded corners, and, of course, lots of AI.

The Pixel Watch’s new body response features are reminding me of the iPhone’s new mood logging prompts. Not gonna lie, I dismiss those notifications as soon as I get them. But thanks for caring, I guess?