Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch event: all the news and announcements – The Verge

The Pixel 8’s best new feature is guaranteed updates

2023-10-05T08:00:00-04:00

When Google announced the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro today, it added a feature no other phone can compete with: both devices will get Android OS updates, security updates, and new feature updates for the next seven years. That's a very big deal! Ongoing support is the difference between a phone that works and a phone with gaping security holes that needs to be thrown out. There's a very real argument to be made that this is the biggest thing Google announced today.

The promise is particularly notable for an Android phone, where OS support can often drop off after just a few years. By way of comparison, the Pixel 7A and Pixel Fold, both phones …

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Did Google fix its terrible cases for the Pixel 7? Sort of

2022-10-06T15:05:00-04:00

Google's first-party cases for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro didn't go over so well. In the year since those phones were released, the cases have earned an unfavorable reputation for staining and warping out of shape. This 9to5Google article is a good summary of what was so bad about the $29.99 accessory.

Some Pixel fans have called for Google to return to the fabric-coated cases that were available for previous generations of its phones. But the company hasn't gone that route. Instead, the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro cases are similar in material to the Pixel 6 cases - but they're now solid colors instead of being semitransparent. That should at least a …

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Here’s how the Google Pixel 7 and iPhone 14 phones stack up

2022-10-06T14:33:47-04:00

A close-up shot of the Google Pixel 7 Pro, revealing its three rear-facing camera lenses. | Image: Allison Johnson

We now know pretty much everything about Google's Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, the first flagship phone competition for Apple's iPhone 14 lineup for late 2022. And though comparing iOS and Android devices is an exercise that's not exactly straightforward (I'm trying to avoid the apples versus oranges phrase for once in my life), lining up the specs should at least tell you which phone might deliver the right kind of performance or camera quality for your budget.

Each of these phones is built on custom processors from their respective creators. And as is usually the case, Apple is being quiet about the usual specs that it doesn't disclose about …

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Phones from and made by Google: a visual history of the Pixel and its predecessors

2022-10-06T13:51:18-04:00

The 2016 Google Pixel next to the 2017 Google Pixel 2. This is the midpoint in Google’s journey of delivering phones by Google. | Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

Several years ago, if someone told you they had an Android phone, then it would have been safe to assume they were not talking about Google's Pixel. Until recently, "Android" had a much stronger association with hardware from Samsung, OnePlus, Huawei, or even LG when it was still making phones. But that mindset may finally be shifting as the Google Pixel slowly gains more name recognition among the Galaxies of the world.

The goal of the Pixel is to bring out the best of Android and invite manufacturers and consumers to see what Google's operating system could - and perhaps even should - look like. After all, the iPhone's always been known f …

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Here’s how the Google Pixel 7 stacks up to the Pixel 6

2022-10-06T11:45:22-04:00

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro next to the Pixel 6A. | Image: Google

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are now available for preorder, releasing on Thursday, October 13th. Google is claiming that these are the company's best phones ever, unsurprisingly, launching with improved camera capabilities, a more buttoned-up design, and jumping from the Tensor in the Pixel 6 to the new Tensor G2 processor. We'll only know whether these improvements are worth the money once we review them, but there's a lot that we can glean about their supposed improvements right now from the spec sheet.

If you own or are considering buying a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, we think it'd be handy if you had a comprehensive graph that compares Goog …

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How to preorder the Google Pixel Watch

2022-10-06T11:29:48-04:00

The Pixel Watch goes for a different look with its circular domed design that’s quite minimal (except for the bezels). | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The Pixel Watch was announced in May during Google's I/O presentation. It was introduced alongside the Pixel 6A and Pixel Buds Pro, though, unlike those devices, it was left up in the air as "coming this fall." Now, after an extended wait, Google has finally announced all the details on the forthcoming smartwatch, along with details regarding the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and other new Google hardware and features. The Pixel Watch is shipping on October 13th for a starting price of $349.99, with preorders open now.

If it's been so long that you've forgotten what the Pixel Watch is all about, it's the first in-house smartwatch from Google, one t …

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How to preorder the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro

2022-10-06T11:19:07-04:00

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are available for preorder through Google and other retailers

Google has pulled back the curtain on its new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, which are now available for preorder at Google and other retailers, with units shipping out on October 13th. These new iterations of the Pixel Phone are equipped with further improvements to the already impressive camera array and a second-generation Google Tensor CPU.

The base model of the standard Pixel 7 comes with 128GB of storage and is priced at $599, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899 for its 128GB configuration. The standard Pixel 7 has a larger configuration available with 256GB of storage, while the 7 Pro can be configured with up to 512GB of storage.

What's …

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The biggest announcements from Google’s Pixel 7 event

2022-10-06T11:16:15-04:00

Google just wrapped its big fall event, where it showed off its Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and the Pixel Watch. (We'll have hands-on looks up on the site shortly.) The company also offered more details on its upcoming Pixel Tablet coming in 2023. All said, there wasn't much in the way of surprises this year since Google already spilled its own hardware beans at Google I/O, but it was great to see these devices up close and to get firm prices, release dates, and more.

In case you missed out on the event as it happened (you can always scrub through our live blog to see our first takes), we've built this post that will tell you every single major a …

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Google shows off wireless charging dock that turns the Pixel Tablet into a smart display

2022-10-06T11:12:45-04:00

The Pixel Tablet on its wireless charging stand. | Image: Google

Alongside the launch of its latest flagship Pixel smartphones Google released more details about its upcoming Pixel Tablet. The search giant first revealed it was working on the device at I/O in May, and today, Google product manager Rose Yao announced some key features.

The biggest is a magnetic wireless charging speaker dock, which is designed to allow the tablet to transform into a smart display for your home. When docked, it looks like a Nest Hub Max, responds to Google Assistant queries, and lets you control your smart home from the redesigned Home app. Amazon has long offered similar functionality with its Fire tablets, which can be u …

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Google’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will fix your old blurry photos

2022-10-06T11:03:20-04:00

Google’s not just promising better photos with the Pixel 7 — it wants to enhance your old photos as well. | Photo: Chris Welch / The Verge

Google says that you'll be able to use the Pixel 7 to go back through your Google Photos library and fix old blurry photos, using a feature called Photo Unblur. So far, the feature is exclusive to Google's latest phones, similar to the Magic Eraser feature launched with the Pixel 6.

Like the feature meant to erase distractions from your images, the Photo Unblur results Google showed off in its presentation were a little hit-or-miss - though some were truly impressive, like the one in the tweet below. Like many of the Pixel 7's features, the company says this image processing is made possible by its next-gen Tensor G2 processor.

Unblur phot …

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