Google’s 2019 Pixel event: all of the rumors, news, and announcements – The Verge

Google promises another Pixel 4 software update, this time for the screen’s refresh rate

2019-10-23T14:53:52-04:00

Every major phone launch has a "-gate": a drama about some problem or worry with the hardware. With the Pixel 4, there are several: the battery may be too small, the face unlock works with your eyes closed, and now the conditions at which the screen will refresh at 90Hz and when it will ratchet down to 60Hz are pretty confusing. Google calls the feature "Smooth Display," but its reception has been anything but smooth in the past 24 hours.

Google previously said it adjusts the refresh rate depending on what's happening on the screen to improve battery life, but yesterday some Redditors figured out that refresh rate also drops down to 60Hz if …

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Google keeps adding Pixel features it claimed it didn’t need

2019-10-17T07:30:00-04:00

With the Pixel 4, Google has finally added a second lens to the back of its phones. Speaking onstage at yesterday's launch event, Google Research's Marc Levoy explained the decision with a relatively simple statement of fact. "Some subjects are farther away than you'd like," he said, "so it does help telephoto shots to have a telephoto lens."

It seems like a weirdly obvious point to make, but Levoy had to spell it out because until last year Google was claiming that its phones could get by with just a single rear camera. Check out this interview with Wired, where one of Google's product managers said that a second lens was "unnecessary" be …

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Google Clips is dead

2019-10-16T12:56:46-04:00

Google may have introduced a lot of new Pixel camera tech at its 2019 fall hardware event this week, but it quietly retired a camera product as well: the Google Clips camera has been removed from Google's online store (via 9to5Google).

Google confirmed Clips' removal to The Verge and tells us that Clips will continue to get support until December 2021. In addition, the Clips mobile app, which is required to transfer videos off of a Clips camera, will stop working in December 2021, according to Google - so it sounds like the device will essentially become useless in a little over two years.

The idea for Clips was an intriguing one: it was a …

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How the Pixelbook Go compares to other Chromebooks

2019-10-16T11:00:00-04:00

After two years without releasing a new laptop, Google has finally announced the Pixelbook Go, a 13.3-inch Chromebook that starts at $649. Based on my colleague Dieter Bohn's hands-on, it seems pretty good, and it's a lot cheaper than the $999 Pixelbook.

So now that there's a midrange Pixelbook, it could be much harder to pick which one of the many Chromebooks should be your next laptop.

If you're looking for recommendations, Dieter's got you covered. His top pick as of August 2019 was the Asus Chromebook Flip C434. Obviously, the newly announced Pixelbook Go was not part of his comparison, and we'll have to wait until The Verge's full rev …

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Can the Pixel 4 win back Google’s camera crown?

2019-10-16T08:00:00-04:00

After Apple's iPhone 11 event, I noted that while the company was catching up on features like ultrawide and night mode, it was unclear whether it'd be able to get on the Pixel's level in terms of basic image quality. Over the course of our review process, it became clear that Apple had indeed achieved that. Apple says it has a class-leading camera every year, but this time it actually does.

The next question, then, is how big a leap will come with Google's new Pixel 4. We still can't answer that yet, just as we didn't know how good the iPhone 11 was the day after its announcement. (You can see some quick comparisons here, but stay tuned fo …

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Google Pixel 4, Pixel 3 or Pixel 3A: Should you upgrade?

2019-10-15T18:30:00-04:00

Google's Pixel 4 and 4 XL are here at last, after a mountain of leaks. But the choice isn't quite as easy as "big" or "small" because Google's new phones are expensive, at $799 and up - and because the excellent Pixel 3 and Pixel 3A are still sticking around for hundreds of dollars cheaper.

Here's the full lineup as of today:

Pixel 4: $799 for 64GB, $899 for 128GB
Pixel 4 XL: $899 for 64GB, $999 for 128GB
Pixel 3: $499 for 64GB, $599 for 128GB
Pixel 3 XL: $599 for 64GB
Pixel 3A: $399 for 64GB
Pixel 3A XL: $479 for 64GB

If your budget tops out at $500 or so, we've already covered the tradeoffs between the Pixel 3A and Pixel 3, including water res …

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Google to revamp Nest Aware with simpler pricing and new features

2019-10-15T14:59:43-04:00

Google announced today that it will be rolling out a new version of its Nest Aware subscription service starting in 2020, with simplified pricing and new features.

Since 2015, Google has offered Nest Aware as a premium subscription for its Nest security cameras for $5, $10, or $30 per month. The subscription gives you 24/7 continuous recording, access to video history, and more options for alerts, but if you wanted to use Nest Aware with multiple cameras, you had to pay a discounted monthly fee per additional camera.

When the new pricing is available, Google says one monthly fee for Nest Aware will cover all of your Nest cameras, as well a …

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The Pixel 4 doesn’t include any headphones, or even a 3.5mm adapter in the box

2019-10-15T13:34:16-04:00

The Pixel Buds that were included with the Pixel 3 are not included with the Pixel 4. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Google's latest phone, the Google Pixel 4, doesn't include a pair of earphones in the box, nor does it come with one of the company's USB-C to 3.5mm adapters. With its own true wireless Pixel Buds not due for release until next year, Google just offered every other headphone manufacturer a nice opportunity to capitalize on any new Pixel 4 owners who might not already own wireless headphones.

Every previous Pixel phone offered a wired headphone option in the box, whether via a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, a bundled pair of USB-C headphones, or a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. (The original Pixel and Pixel 3A had the built-in jack; the Pixel 3 …

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How to buy the Google Pixel 4 and the 4 XL

2019-10-15T13:33:37-04:00

A slew of new Google products is coming, with the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones heading the list. If you've already got a Pixel phone and are in the mood to upgrade or if you've finally decided that this is the year you're going to take the plunge, we've got all the info you need.

Where to buy the Pixel 4 and 4 XL

Available for preorder today and shipping on October 24th, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL are (for the first time) going to be available from all the major US carriers, in addition to major retailers and, of course, Google's online store.

On the whole, the prices will be the same wherever you go: the Pixel 4 starts at $799, while the P …

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Google’s Project Soli: the tech behind Pixel 4’s Motion Sense radar

2019-10-15T11:30:00-04:00

By now, you've heard: the new Google Pixel 4 has a tiny radar chip inside it, which allows you to swipe or wave your hand to do a few things. More importantly, Motion Sense (as Google has branded it) is designed to detect your presence. It knows if you're there. The technology comes from Project Soli, which was first demonstrated publicly in 2015 and is now inside the Pixel 4 as its first major commercial implementation. Responding to a few air gestures is fairly minor, but Google sees the potential for it to eventually become much more.

That's always the way with new computing interfaces. The mouse and the touchscreen led to giant revoluti …

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