Alex Cranz
We’re at Google and already lining up for the Pixel keynote.
The coffee is hot, the sun is only warm, and the journalists with gadgets are plentiful.
Google Pixel
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.
Allison Johnson
Allison Johnson
Victoria Song
Using the Fold can feel special, but Google needs to make some obvious upgrades for the follow-up.
Chris Welch
Jess Weatherbed
A portfolio of Pixel leaks.
We’ve already seen several leaks for Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 lineup, but established leaker Evan Blass has now shared new images of all three handsets.
Some show the screen and size difference between the standard and XL Pixel Pro 9, while others display the colors that may be available for each model — including the bubblegum pink Pixel 9 that leaked last month.
1/4Here’s the leaked color lineup for the Google Pixel 9... Image: Evan Blass / Google
Jay Peters
Here are the rumored release dates for the Pixel 9 lineup.
Per Android Headlines, the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL will launch on August 22nd, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available on September 4th. Also, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will apparently follow later, on September 26th.
Exclusive: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold won't ship until September
[Android Headlines]
Jay Peters
The Pixel Watch 3’s new, bigger model will reportedly start at $399.
The rumored 45mm model will start at $50 more than the $349 price for the 41mm model, according to Android Headlines. With Google’s next big hardware event coming up on August 13th, we probably won’t have to wait long to see if that pricing is accurate.
Exclusive: Google Pixel Watch 3 will start at $349
[Android Headlines]
Emma Roth
The Pixel 9’s chip upgrade may be a modest one.
Android Authority details Google’s G4 Tensor chip with seemingly minor changes from the previous generation, along with the addition of Samsung’s Exynos 5400 modem that could enable satellite connectivity for Pixel 9 phones.
It looks like the upcoming lineup may start with 128GB of storage as well, with options for up to 1TB on the pricier Pixel 9 Pro, according to Android Headlines.
Richard Lawler
‘Pixel Satellite SOS’ might include two years of free service.
Just when you thought we’d learned (and seen) everything there is to know about the Pixel 9 lineup, Android Authority reveals details about iPhone-like satellite features hinted at within Android 15 beta 4.
There’s notification text saying, “Your Pixel has been updated to support satellite communication,” and other text about two years of free satellite service, although that may be just placeholder text.
Pixel Satellite SOS is coming, but it won’t be free for long (APK teardown)
[Android Authority]
Emma Roth
Wes Davis
FCC docs show Pixel 9 phones with built-in Thread radios.
That’s according to 9to5Google. As it happens, Android 15 may support directly controlling smart home devices with your phone via Thread, a key component of the Matter smart home protocol.
Pixel 9 phones wouldn’t be alone — Apple put Thread radios in the iPhone 15 Pro phones, too.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
First, Apple put Thread in the iPhone, now the smart home radio could be coming to Android phones.
Mishaal Rahman reports that Android 15 adds a Thread Network Stack to allow Android smartphones with Thread radios to directly control Thread smart home devices.
But there aren’t any such phones yet. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have Thread. With the Pixel 9 launching next month, that could soon change.
Richard Lawler
The Pixel 6 factory reset bug that bricks devices is real — here’s how to avoid it.
Google seems to have identified the “issue” locking up Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6A phones that were factory reset recently.
Now, there are two recommended ways shared by Google in the Pixel Phone Help forum to avoid the problem:
Leaving your device powered on and idle for 15 minutes after it has rebooted following a system update
Factory reset your device before taking the latest (June) system update.
Allison Johnson
You can never go home again, but at least you can go back now.
Google’s July Pixel update is here with a “fix for back gesture navigation not working in certain conditions.” Sounds annoying! It doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem — I found a thread on the XDA forums complaining about broken navigation, and that’s about it. But if this bug was bothering you, rest assured that the fix has arrived.
Google Pixel Update - July 2024 - Google Pixel Community
[support.google.com]
Emma Roth
Pixel in pink.
One user on X shows off what appears to be the Pixel 9 in a shade of bubblegum pink. Google is expected to reveal its new Pixel lineup during a surprise hardware event on August 13th.
Wes Davis
“This incredible race to just be the first one to it out loud.”
Google spit out a surprise Pixel 9 hardware event announcement last week. It’s set for August 13th, two months earlier than the October phone events it’s held in the last few years.
But why? AI reasons? Yeah, probably, as David Pierce and Nilay Patel discussed on The Vergecast.
Wes Davis
Was this almost the first Google Pixel Fold?
Images of what looks like a damaged Pixel 6-style Fold showed up on the XDA forums, in a May thread that quietly petered out.
The phone, which forum members assumed was fake, appears to be a legitimate prototype of a foldable that was once rumored for a 2021 reveal, according to Android Authority, citing an unnamed source within Google.
Image: fredito1212 / XDA Forums
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