No more sarcasm. Today at its Google I/O event, the company officially unveiled its newest line of Pixel hardware, which will join its existing flagship offerings. For the foldable-inquisitive, the Pixel Crease has authoritatively appeared into something you can pre-request. The Pixel 7a has a premium appearance and feel for less than $500, making it ideal for those on a tight budget. Additionally, the Pixel Tablet with its Nest Hub-style dock has finally arrived for Android devotees.
Hands-on the Google Pixel Fold
Even though you might not think so until you see the Pixel Fold’s bezels, the Pixel Fold is a welcome competitor for those who are getting sick of Samsung’s dominance in the foldable category. Like a difficult pimple, it’s the sum total of my thoughts. How does the phone’s other hardware stack up? The 512 GB model costs $1,920, while the 256 GB model costs $1,800.
The Pixel Fold is shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, making it easier to hold like a book, despite the apparent bezel that surrounds the screen on the inside. Samsung’s display is also 7.6-inch, but it has a lower resolution and a 23.1:9 aspect ratio, and the inside display is an OLED with a 6:5 aspect ratio. The Fold features a 5.8-inch OLED display with a 17.4:9 aspect ratio on the front. It’s smaller than Samsung’s 6.2-inch AMOLED, but after using the Z Fold 4 for nearly ten months, I think the Pixel Fold’s larger display will be easier to use with one hand and two hands. The Fold has a 120Hz refresh rate on both the inside and outside, like Samsung’s display, so reading and watching videos go smoothly. The wallpaper of a bird flapping around moves with the hinge, too.
Google is especially glad for the pivot it worked for the Pixel Overlay, enough that it’s referring to it as “the most sturdy of any foldable telephone,” however in the fine print, the organization alerts that it’s not “drop evidence.” Instead of running down the spine like on the Z Fold 4, the hinge rests on either end of the Fold. In view of how the changing ages of the Cosmic system Z Crease have matured (as per Reddit), that is something we’ll need to return on after the Overlap advances into individuals’ hands.
The Pixel Fold’s processor is the same as that of the Pixel 7/7 Pro, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Tablet, which we’ll talk about in more detail later. It has 12GB of RAM and the Tensor G2 CPU from Google. The Pixel Fold, as was widely speculated, has either 256 or 512GB of storage space but no expansion slot.
The Pixel 7 Pro’s rear camera system was not copied from the Pixel Fold. The Fold has a 48-megapixel sensor with OIS and an f/1.7 aperture instead of a 50-megapixel lens. It is joined by two 10.8-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto cameras. The front camera on the Fold has a 9.5-megapixel fixed-focus lens for selfies, while the inner camera on the Fold has an 8-megapixel resolution for video chats. Since the inner camera is not hidden behind the display panel like the Z Fold 4’s, this may have contributed to the bezel. With the help of Super Res Zoom, the Fold has a 5x optical zoom and a digital zoom of up to 20x. Because it can be “tentpoled” into a tripod, Google is highlighting the Pixel Fold’s astrophotography capabilities in particular.
According to our internal tests, it will be interesting to see if the Pixel Fold’s 4,821 mAh battery pack will outlast the Z Fold 4’s 4,400 mAh and 15 hours of battery life. Google promises “beyond 24 hours” on a single charge and “up to 72 hours” when Extreme Battery Saver is activated. Like the remainder of the Pixel setup, the Overlap will have five years of programming updates and a lot of incidental Pixel Component Drops. It likewise comes in dark “obsidian” and “porcelain,” a white/dim.
Pixel 7a: More than mid-range
Who knew mid-range hardware could get so much buzz? We’ve been following the leaks of the Pixel 7a way before the prototype showed up on eBay. Today it’s officially available to buy.
The Google Pixel 7a starts at $500. Though it costs more than rivaling mid-rangers like the Samsung Galaxy A54, it offers an edge with some premium-like features. In addition to a Tensor G2 chip—the same processor inside Google’s flagship Pixel 7s—there is Qi-enabled wireless charging, a 90Hz refresh rate on the 6.1-inch display, fingerprint and face unlock, and IP67 dust and water resistance for everyday follies. The camera system is a 64-MP primary camera with a 13-MP ultrawide angle for shots with a 120-degree field of view. There’s also a 13-MP front-facing camera. The Pixel 7a comes in four colors: charcoal (black), sea (baby blue), snow (white), and coral (red-orange), which will be a Google Store exclusive.
Pixel Tablet: A long time coming
The Pixel Tablet has been on our wish list for some time. Since its announcement at the most recent Google I/O one year ago, it is now available for pre-order with a dock for $500.
That’s the point: The Pixel Tablet’s dock makes it look like a Nest Hub. A tablet can sit pretty in your home or business when you’re not utilizing it. Due to its dual function as a stereo speaker and full-range driver, the Pixel Tablet Charging Speaker Dock is referred to as such. It is easier than what you would hear from a standalone tablet. The price of the tablet includes the speaker dock, but you can purchase additional docks to use in other rooms while you’re on the move.
The Pixel Tablet enters Hub Mode, a smart display-like version of the Android home screen, when you place it on the speaker dock. A digital photo frame serves as the primary screen. The Google Home shortcut page opens with access to your preferred lights, locks, and camera feeds when you tap on it. The tablet returns to the standard Android user interface when removed from the dock.
Discussing Android, the operating system is better prepared in Android 13 and past for this huge screen collaboration. With the OnePlus Pad, we already saw software changes, and my brief experience with the Pixel Tablet was similar. Over fifty apps, according to Google, have been optimized to take advantage of the operating system’s new column layouts and vertical navigation bars.
The Pixel Tablet has a 10.95-inch LCD screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it ideal for passive viewing of television and video. It has up to 256GB of storage and is powered by a Google Tensor G2 chip with 8GB of RAM. Google provides access to Magic Eraser and five years of security updates, just like the rest of the Pixel lineup.
Like Nest smart displays, the Pixel Tablet can handle video calls. The tablet has a front-facing 8-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera that can record video at 30 frames per second in 1080p resolution. The tablet has a fingerprint unlock embedded into the power button for additional security, four built-in speakers, three microphones for calling assistance, and Google Assistant listening capabilities.
The Pixel Tablet is compatible with Bluetooth keyboards and USI 2.0 stylus pen input if you want to use it with accessories. Google isn’t offering Pixel Tablet frill past a case with a retractable stand that is expressly fitted to the speaker dock.
Google Home’s redesign is live
The new Google Home app is coming for everyone, including a revamped tablet interface.
Google will use I/O 2023 to announce the official launch of the updated Google Home app. The five tab layout of the redesigned Home app is much simpler to use than the previous generation’s UI. So that you don’t have to search through the Home app for a particular camera feed or lightbulb, its primary goal is to highlight your favorite smart home features. If you set up the favorites tab on your Android phone, it will also be available on your Android tablet and smartwatch.
Even though the Google Home app is still in beta, I’ve been using a preview for several months and find it to be much more user-friendly. However, since it still requires you to mark which devices are your favorites, the favorites page is only as useful as you make it.
Additionally, the Google Home app offers some enhancements for other devices. The expanded tablet interface, which will only be available for Pixel and Android tablets when it launches in June, will be crucial to the Pixel Tablet experience. Beginning on May 15, the Google Home app will allow Wear OS smartwatch users to view their camera feeds from their wrists.
Google has finally clarified how the transition from the original Nest app to the Home app will work for users of the early generation of Nest cameras. The company made the announcement in 2021 that the app would eventually be discontinued in order to move the controls for the Nest device into the Google Home app, which is where the rest of Android’s smart home controls are located. A public preview of the Nest migration tool will be made available to interested users by Google later this summer. That will eventually assist in directing users of the first-generation Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor cameras to the main Home app, where they can access all camera feeds and adjustments.
Lastly, iOS users stuck in a Google-led smart home can connect Matter-enabled connector accessories with the iPhone version of the Home app. The iOS 16.5 software update includes it. This feature was previously only available on Android devices.
