At today’s Pixel 7 event, Google has announced a new accessibility feature that will help blind and visually-impaired users take better selfies. “Guided Frame” is a voice coach that will tell users where to hold their phones in order to, for instance, take a selfie. Hold the device in front of you, and it’ll ask you to go up, down, or to the side, until its AI believes you’re in the best place to shoot. When it does, it’ll even trigger the shutter automatically, telling the user when they can relax their hand.
It’s part of a number of features the company has unveiled today to burnish its accessibility and inclusivity, including True Tone. Google said it has teamed up with a number of photographers and artists who are people of color to help ensure that photos are accurate and representative of everyone’s skin tone. In addition, it says that the Pixel 7 series’ Night Sight feature, courtesy of the new Tensor G2 chip, is faster and better at shooting scenes while in the dark.
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The Pixel 7 Pro was first teased back in May 2022, but it’s finally time for every single detail. The 7 Pro takes the big design refresh of last year, and adds an aluminum frame and camera bar. Unfortunately, the eye-catching two-tone color options haven’t made it to 2022, which is a shame. We’re back to single-colored Pixel phones, sadly, even if there are three different colors to choose from.
The 6.7-inch screen (the same size and resolution as the Pixel 6 Pro) is coated with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, and the phone has IP68 protection against water and dust. The display itself is QHD+ LTPO OLED and can reach refresh rates up to 120Hz, which should ensure smooth browsing and swiping. It also tops out at 1,500 nits of brightness – notably brighter than the Pixel 6 Pro, if not quite as bright as the iPhone 14 Pro, which can peak at 2,000 nits outdoors.
The 7 Pro, gets some camera upgrades too. Two of the three camera sensors are all-but identical to the Pixel 6 Pro. Once again there’s a 50-megapixel wide camera, with f/1.85 aperture and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with f/2.2. The latter comes with a 125.8-degree field-of-view, which is an upgrade from the 114-degree ultrawide camera on last year’s Pixel.
The telephoto camera, however, has been substantially upgraded. The 48MP sensor features up to 5X optical zoom and a Samsung-ish 30X Super Res Zoom (up from 20X zoom last year) that combines multiple exposures to improve image quality.
Google
Both Pixel 7 phones feature Google’s second-generation Tensor chip, the G2. The company claims the new chip will allow for more advanced voice recognition and machine learning features. This should translate to a faster, more efficient Pixel, especially for processor-intensive tasks related to photos and image processing.
That includes boosting photos captured at the new 30x Super Res Zoom, up to two times faster Night Sight low-light photography processing and even sharper photos with Face Unblur. The new Pixel 7s will also be able to capture video with a new artificial bokeh effect, in a mode Google is calling Cinematic Blur. It says thanks to its new Tensor chip, it can achieve a realistic blur with low latency and low power draw. The Pixel 7 Pro also includes a Macro Focus feature, which can shoot from as close as three centimeters away.
Security-wise, Google has included a Titan M2 security chip, alongside fingerprint and face unlock features. Matching its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5,000mAh battery and can fast-charge up to 50 percent full in around half an hour – but you will need to buy the compatible 30W charger separately. The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899, and will come in Obsidian, Snow and Hazel color options. It’s available to preorder now and will launch on October 13th.
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Google is fond of introducing Assistant features alongside new devices, and that’s true for the Pixel 7. Among other upgrades, the new phone now lets you mute incoming calls just by saying “silence.” You don’t have to let the call ring if you can’t (or just don’t want to) reach for your handset.
You’ll also get transcription directly in Messages, so you don’t have to play an audio clip in a quiet room. It should be easier to record your company meetings, too. The Pixel 7’s Recorder app will “soon” provide speaker labels to transcribe each person’s words separately. You’ll know if it was your boss or a coworker who suggested an idea.
It’s not clear when or if these features will reach non-Pixel hardware. Google sometimes keeps them as exclusives, but is known to sometimes make them more broadly available to Android users after a few months’ wait.
Other phone-oriented improvements are subtler. Voice typing now automatically suggests emoji, and supports French, Italian and Spanish. Arguably, the biggest improvements to Assistant at this event are linked to new hardware — the Pixel Watch finally brings the AI helper’s latest incarnation to your wrist, while the upcoming Pixel Tablet doubles as a smart display. Still, you might appreciate the phone-oriented tweaks if you’re tired of telemarketers or keeping office minutes.
Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!
As Google details all the camera, processor and security updates coming to its new Pixel 7 phones and its very first smartwatch, it also noted that more recycled materials have been used in its latest hardware. With the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro the frames are now made of 100-percent-recycled aluminum, while the Pixel Watch housing uses 80-percent-recycled steel. (Google clarified on Twitter that recycled aluminum apparently makes up to 11 percent of the product, based on weight.)
It goes a little further, too, with Pixel Watch fabric bands made from 100-percent-recycled yarn. According to Google’s visualization, the company has folded in some recycled plastics.
Sustainability guides us—from product design to manufacturing and beyond.
🪴 New #Pixel phones include 100% recycled aluminum¹
After being teased back at I/O 2022, today Google announced the new Pixel 7 starting at just $599 featuring a refreshed design, a Tensor G2 chip and a bunch of new photo and video enhancements.
Available in three colors (snow, obsidian and lemongrass), the new Pixel 7 sports a familiar design including a big camera bar in back, a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus in front and the same IP 68 water resistance we got on last year’s devices. That said, for 2022, Google has made a few tweaks including merging the camera bar with the frame of the phone for increased durability. On top of that, while the Pixel 7 Pro will get slightly more premium-feeling polished metal sides, the Pixel 7 gets a less shiny matte aluminum finish.
Interestingly, another notable design change is that, with a 6.3-inch 2400 x 1080 OLED display, the standard Pixel 7 is actually a tiny bit smaller than the outgoing 6.4-inch Pixel 6. This is a small victory for fans of compact phones, especially when you factor in a slight decrease in weight as well, down to 6.9 ounces (from 7.3 ounces on the Pixel 6).
Google
On the inside, the Pixel 7 will be powered by the new Tensor G2 chip, which helps support a number of new machine learning and software features, along with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. By leveraging the Tensor G2’s next-gen TPU, Google says low-light image processing using Night Sight is two times faster compared to the previous generation. The Tensor G2 chip also supports an improved Face Unblur function in the Pixel 7’s camera, while also unlocking a new Photo Unblur feature that allows the phone to sharpen photos (including previously taken pics or images captured by other devices) — all using local processing only.
Other specs include a 4,355 mAh battery, 30-watt wired charging and support for both wireless and reverse wireless power transfer. Unfortunately, while the phone does have 5G connectivity, Google says mmWave support will vary depending on the retailer or the specific model. So if you want to make sure you get full 5G compatibility for your network, you’re probably better off buying the phone directly from your carrier.
As for its cameras, the Pixel 7 gets two shooters in back: a 50MP main lens and a 12MP ultra-wide with a 114-degree field of view. But perhaps more important than the size of its sensors are some of the new photos and video tweaks Google has packed in. When shooting stills, Google says it has tweaked Night Sight color processing to improve clarity while still making images look like they were actually shot at night. Meanwhile for video, you can now record in 10-bit color with HDR, while the new Cinematic Mode adds a soft bokeh to the background of your clips. And to make all your footage look just a bit better, Google also upgraded the Pixel 7’s video stabilization and noise reduction capabilities. And for selfie fans, this year, both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are getting the same front-facing 10.8MP camera with a 92.8-degree field of view.
Google
Elsewhere, one interesting new feature is the expansion of the Pixel’s Direct my Call Feature, which provides a handy touch menu for navigating those annoying automated voice messages you often run into when calling a big business. Previously, the issue with Direct my Call was that the phone needed to hear all the different options before being able to create a text-based menu on your screen. But now, by caching responses from the top 1,000 businesses (US only for now), the Pixel 7 can provide a menu right away, saving you time and frustration.
Finally, in a somewhat unusual move, alongside its new flagship phones, Google previewed some of the new software arriving in the next Pixel feature drop, which is slated for release sometime in December. In a big upgrade for anyone who uses the Pixel Recorder app, Google is adding automatic speaker labels to audio transcripts.
Additionally, similar to what you get on the new Pixel Buds Pro, the company is also planning to provide a Clear Calling feature designed to help reduce potentially distracting background sounds. Lastly, in a big upgrade to privacy and security, Google will also give all Pixel 7 owners access to a free VPN via Google One that’s good for the life of the device.
Pre-orders for the Pixel 7 go live today with official sales beginning on October 13th.
Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!
With a new batch of Pixel phones comes a new chip at the heart of them all: Google’s Tensor G2. Like last year’s Tensor, the company’s first custom mobile chip, it’s an AI-infused powerhouse built specifically around the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro’s and Pixel Tablet’s new features. It’ll also be joined with a revamped Titan M2 chip, which deals with on-device security.
Google
On stage during its Pixel launch event, Google VP Brian Rakowski said the Tensor G2 will power the Pixel 7’s voice capabilities, including faster Assistant queries, as well as voice translation, voice typing, and more. He noted that voice typing is around two and a half times faster than using the keyboard, making it a feature that more people are relying on. You’ll even be able to visually describe emojis, like asking for the “heart eyes cat,” while voice typing.
On the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, the Tensor G2 also enables Photo Unblur, which can sharpen out of focus photos, as well as Super-Res Zoom, which digitally blows up photos without losing much quality (it also benefits from the phone’s new 50MP cameras). One nice bonus: You’ll also be able to touch up older photos using all of the Tensor G2’s capabilities. As for other features, the Tensor G2 lets Night Sight photos process twice as quickly, and it’s behind Cinematic Blur mode, which can artfully direct how your videos are focused. Sure, it’s not as groundbreaking as the original, but the Tensor G2 shows that Google is still committed to a strong cohesion between the Pixel phone’s software and hardware.
The Tensor G2 chip features two “Big” CPU cores, two “Medium” cores and four “Small” cores, like its predecessor. Clock speeds are only a hair higher — literally just 5MHz and 10MHz across the Big and Medium cores — and Google is sticking with the Arm Cortex X1 and A55 chips with the Big and Small cores. The only major update? The Tensor G2’s Medium core now uses an Arm A78 instead of an A76. Google says the G2 is also running a “next-generation” TPU AI accelerator.
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Google’s Pixel Watch has been in the works for years, and Google’s been quite happy to drop hints about what it’s been cooking up. (Admittedly, having an employee leave a prototype in a restaurant will also help knock some of the wind out of any surprise you may have planned.) Today, however, is the first time that Google has really lifted the lid on its new flagship wearable, and the first time we can see if it can make up for so many false starts in the watch race.
The Pixel Watch comes in a single size, with a 41mm case with a domed, scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5 crystal. At first blush, the watch looks comically overinflated, but the benefit is to hide the bezel when you’re looking at it from your wrist. Beneath which, users will be staring into a 320ppi, always-on AMOLED display with a max brightness of 1,000 nits. It’s powered by a 294mAh battery that Google says will last 24 hours on a charge, but can re-juice up to 50 percent after 30 minutes on its magnetic charging plate.
Google
There are two versions: WiFi/Bluetooth, or one with its own LTE modem, which costs just $50 more. Both are rocking an Exynos 9110 SoC, originally released in 2018 and found in Samsung’s Galaxy Watch through to the Watch 3, paired with a Cortex M33 co-processor, 32GB storage and 2GB RAM. It speaks volumes that Google opted not to use Qualcomm’s own wearable SoC, found in pretty much every other non-Samsung Wear OS watch these days, and one that’s several years old at this point. Both versions run Wear OS 3.5.
Rather than describing this as a Google watch, it has name-checked Fitbit several times, and many of its features are Fitbit-branded. That includes activity, heart-rate and sleep tracking, although Google has said its own machine-learning know-how has improved accuracy here. One of the more notable features is life heart rate, which will measure your vital signs by the second. There’s also a built-in ECG, and integrations with Fitbit Premium both for additional insights and guided workouts.
Would-be Pixel Watch buyers can also count on getting the usual six-month free trial of Fitbit Premium, as well as three months of YouTube Music Premium thrown in. That will let you store plenty of tunes on your wrist to go alongside the app integrations, including Adidas Running, MyFitnessPal and Strava, as well as Spotify and Calm.
#GooglePixelWatch’s band system attaches internally like a camera lens to a camera body, instead of the prominent external lugs of other watches.
Aside from the Gorilla Glass crystal, the only other durability promise is that it’ll be water-resistant up (or down) to depths of 5ATM. Oh, and that Google says that by 2023, the Watch will be able to detect falls and, should you have the LTE version and prove unresponsive, will call the emergency services on your behalf.
It’s worth remembering that Google beat Apple to the wearables space by a full year, in partnership with Motorola, Samsung, ASUS and LG. But the balkanized strategy employed, and the general lack of luster on those initial Android Wear versions handed much of the momentum to Apple. Since then, the Apple Watch has single-handedly outsold every other major wearables player in pretty much every quarter since. It’s only when Samsung teamed back up with Google to rework Wear OS has Google’s platform once again hit double-digit sales percentages.
Google
And, much like Pixel phones, it’s likely that Google will be happy to sell a limited quantity of devices to a small section of the market. Especially since it has to protect the sales of both Samsung, its partner, and Fitbit, its new wholly-owned subsidiary. Although given that Samsung and Fitbit already cater for pretty much every part of the wearables market between them, it’s not clear what specific group Google might be targeting here.
Analyst Ben Wood, at CCS Insight, agrees, saying “the Pixel Watch poses zero threat to the Apple Watch,” and that its existence is more to “raise awareness of smartwatches for Android smartphone owners and encourage more of these people to consider buying a wearable.” For that to work, however, Pixel Watch needs to become instantly desirable, especially given Google’s short patience when it comes to products that don’t instantly click with the public.
The Google Pixel Watch is available in “Matte Black,” “Polished Silver” or “Champagne Gold” stainless steel colors. They are complemented by a variety of watch bands, which attach not with lugs, but with a camera lens-esque internal locking system that should make switching faster. The watches will ship with an “Active” fluoroelastomer band, but Google says that there will be 20 available choices coming in future. These include modern, woven and leather-styles, with metal bands due to land in Spring 2023.
It is available to pre-order right now, with the WiFi/Bluetooth model is priced at $349.99, while the LTE model will set you back $399.99, with both expected to begin shipping on October 13th.
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If you’ve been using an Xbox Series X or Series S for a while, there’s a good chance you’re running out of room for games. Thankfully, you won’t have to pay as much as usual to get some breathing room. Amazon is once again selling Seagate’s 1TB Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S for $200, or $20 off. The 2TB edition is also on sale for $360 ($40 off) if you need more capacity.
While you can certainly find more affordable external hard drives if you’re mainly interested in archiving content or playing Xbox One titles, Seagate’s card is your only option if you want to play Xbox Series X/S games directly from expanded storage. It’s just as fast as the console’s built-in SSD, and it’s designed to easily plug in without having to pry open your system.
This isn’t a trivial expense. You’re paying most of the price of an Xbox Series S, after all. However, Seagate’s add-on could easily be worth the investment if you would rather not spend your days deleting and reinstalling games as your collection evolves — you can keep an old favorite ready to play at a moment’s notice.
Google’s hardware launch event takes place today at 10am ET, and Team Engadget is covering it live from Brooklyn, New York. Deputy editor Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford will be there taking in the company’s announcements live, and we’ll post the breaking news here (and maybe some jokes. Just a few.) We’ll also share pictures from the event of any fun or newsworthy behind-the-scenes happening. Stick around!
Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!
