Google’s Pixel event just concluded and there’s a lot of new information to go through. Seven new products were announced, not including upgrades to software and basic functionality, including the new two Pixel devices, as well as Pixel Buds, Pixelbook, and a host of new Google Home devices.
Though they weren’t revealed until a little after midway through the event, most people were watching the event live for news on the Pixel 2 and 2 XL. In our minds, the most important thing to note right off the bat is that the only difference between the two phones will be the size – the larger phone will not have different software or any “exclusive” features – it all comes down to preference in screen and body size. Aside from that, there’s a lot of neat software that will come in the phones, like Lenses and passive song ID, but most notably the headphone jack has already vanished on the second-ever Google phone.
Both sizes are available for pre-order today and will ship October 19 and November 15, for $649 and $849 respectively.
Moving on, or perhaps backward toward the beginning of the stream, we have two new Google Home devices: the Home Mini and the Home Max. While the Home Mini aims to compete against Amazon’s Echo Dot, the Home Max looks to compete against the still unreleased Apple HomePod, or the Sonos Play:1. They can be used in tandem.
The Home Mini will sell for $49, with pre-orders open today, and be in stores on October 19. The Home Max will cost $399, and be out in December, as a US exclusive.
Next up is the Pixel Buds, which you’ll be using with your new Pixel 2 phone because, guess what, it doesn’t have a headphone jack. 10 points from Gryffindor. While Guardian calls wireless headphones “one of the most boring product categories known to humanity,” these are actually really cool. They have a feature capable of real-time language translation, meaning that someone can speak to you in a foreign language, and it will actively translate to your native language. Then, you can speak back and it will do the same process in reverse. Google: literally bringing the world together. These will retail for $199 and will be available soon.
Then we’ve got the Pixelbook, rebranded from “Chromebook Pixel” to just “Pixelbook,” which offers many of the same features as the original Chromebook: Chrome OS, Google Assistant, etc. It’s 1kg heavy and 1cm thick, and starts at $999.
Finally, we have the Google Clips and Daydream View. The Clips is a standalone “always-on camera,” except it’s not always shooting. The little device has an AI that will intelligently pick the best time to take a picture, meaning you can set it somewhere and forget about it, come back later and find some great snaps. This will retail for $249 and will be available soon. The Daydream View is a VR headset with no remarkable features, but will come in 3 new colors and lenses, $99.
