Due to a recent DOJ decision, Google’s lucrative relationship with Apple’s iPhone is in jeopardy, and that means the Pixel is even more important than ever to the company’s success. In 2024, it seems like the company will be leaning into AI. It’s got the Pixel 9 Pro with plenty of Gemini AI features, plus the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The company’s also launching a new Pixel Watch 3 as well as the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Android expert Mishaal Rahman has shared what could be Google’s second-generation foldable with Android Authority.
As you can see from the photo, the most noticeable difference is a square-shaped camera module, which appears to replace the camera bar that extends across the back of the first-gen device. Rahman’s source also says the potential Pixel Fold 2 has a slimmer form factor, along with rounder inner and outer displays.
The AI-powered Guided Frame feature that debuted on the Pixel 7 describes what’s in the selfie camera’s frame. In this Google commercial (audio descriptions version here) for Super Bowl 2024, director Adam Morse, who is blind, attempts to show how a person with low vision might experience it.
Months after a storage bug caused problems for Pixel users with multiple profiles upgrading to Android 14, Google now says a similar issue seen with the January 2024 Google Play system update is “more prevalent in devices with multiple user accounts and/or workprofiles.”
As Mishaal Rahman points out, the team says it’s working on a fix, but affected users can get relief now by connecting to a computer with the ADB debugging tool and following the steps outlined in this post.
Google Pixels recently updated the built-in password manager to identify accounts that support passkeys — a more secure login method than passwords — and prompt users for a simple security upgrade.
It’s coming to other devices eventually, and Google announced today several companies that not only support passkeys, but they’ve also set up their accounts so users will be taken directly to the correct page to set up a passkey. Better yet, other services can freely add the feature too.
OnLeaks shared a leaked picture of the Pixel 9 that’s expected later this year. The rest of this batch of promo shots are published at 91Mobiles, along with a rendered video. The phone has a 6.1-inch display and may have a telephoto lens, according to the article.
This follows up yesterday’s Pixel 9 Pro leak, also from OnLeaks.
X user chunvn8888 posted pictures purporting to be the retail packaging for the yet-unannounced Pixel 8a yesterday, as spotted by 9to5Google.
Unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like the Pixel 8. Assuming it follows in the footsteps of past budget Pixels, expect the same Tensor processor as the pricier models, but some skimping on fancier features.
Google teased a reveal for January 25th, but what’s a day between friends? The new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro hue will apparently be available exclusively through the Google Store and Google Fi.
Google said in October the parts would be available for seven years once they start selling on the iFixit store. Now Pixel 8 and 8 Pro parts are here they’re here, wrote ArsTechnica today.
A Pixel 8 Pro rear camera costs a collar-yanking $199.99, but can you really put a price on the ability to take what may or may not be a photo?
At launch, both of the Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5’s rear cameras worked in astrophotography mode. Then, like the Grinch in the night, Google quietly took the ability to use the ultrawide for night sky photos away — and it’s been absent on subsequent models.
Now it’s back — but only on the Pixel 8 Pro, which has upgraded ultrawide hardware. We can’t have everything, I guess.
[Android Authority]
You can watch the whole 26-minute video right now. Make sure to watch the “Best Camera” category all the way through to see the winners of the Blind Smartphone Camera Test.
The Pixel-exclusive AI assistant will use the information on a user’s phone, such as data from Maps and Gmail, to become a more “personalized” version of Google Assistant, according to a report from The Information. The feature could reportedly launch with the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro next year.
[The Information]
Marques Brownlee is once again crowdsourcing opinions on photos. You can head to the voting site where, in three categories (standard, low-light, and portrait mode), you’ll see the same photo taken by 20 different smartphones and judge which one you prefer in side-by-side comparisons.
Last year’s results revealed some notable differences in how different phones process the same situation — we’ll find out soon how far apart they are now.
Google’s new December Pixel software update includes the “experimental” ability to force any app into fullscreen mode on the Pixel Fold or Pixel Tablet — even those that wouldn’t usually support it.
How about that, Instagram? Does this look completely silly? Well, sure. But it works. It’s a fullscreen Instagram app for a tablet. Victory is mine.
I’m certain there are better examples of where this might be useful.
