Made by Google event 2023 live blog: Pixel 8, Watch 2, and everything we expect to see
Follow Android Central as we learn everything that's going to get announced at the fall Pixel event!
There hasn’t been much in the of way of surprises, as the Pixel 8 leaks have been rolling in since earlier this year. The company is expected to launch both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which will largely retain the same design we’ve been enjoying, with a few long-requested tweaks. But we’re also going to be learning more about the Pixel Watch 2, as Google seems to be sticking with launching its own smartwatch, for the time being.
According to the leaks, the Pixel 8 will actually sport a smaller 6.16-inch display (down from 6.3-inches,) and is expected to offer a 90Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, there won’t be any changes to the size of the Pixel 8 Pro’s display, as it’s likely to be the same 6.7-inch panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Instead, the biggest rumored change is that Google will finally ditch the curved displays in favor of going with flat panels.
Keeping with the hardware, one of the biggest complaints about the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro was the Tensor G2’s continued issues with overheating. It’s been beyond frustrating, but we’re hoping that those concerns will be put to bed with the launch of the Tensor G3.
As our own Jerry Hildenbrand wrote, “Google needs to be on top of this with the Pixel 8.” Rumors suggest that the Tensor G3 will use “FO-WLP packaging,” or Fan-out Wafer-level, “which would encourage power efficiency and reduce heat generated from the device.”
It’s also possible that Google may be looking to make a switch away from having Samsung Semiconductors manufacture its Tensor chips. Rumors suggest that TSMC could end up being the company to fabricate the Tensor G4 and Tensor G5, as Google is unhappy with the performance and overheating issues that have plagued Pixel owners since the Pixel 6 debuted with the original Tensor chip.
In what has become a yearly tradition, Google actually leaked the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro itself a couple of times leading up to the October 4 event. The first of which was a video that appeared showing a woman using a temperature sensor on the back of a Pixel 8 Pro.
By placing your phone on your forehead, you’ll hear a chime and will be able to check your own temperature without relying on a smartwatch or another device. We’re still a bit unsure why Google opted to include this, but we’ll probably hear more about it during the event.
For a little while, there was a bit of uncertainty about what the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro would actually look like. Leaked CAD renders are great, but they don’t always quite match up with what the final product looks like, but Google again accidentally leaked the Pixel 8 Pro with its own Simulator tool.
This confirmed the final design, the presence of a physical SIM card tray, and the three different colors that the Pixel 8 Pro will be launching in. Plus, it also confirmed previous rumors that Google would be making use of a flat display.
While the changes in design and the upgrade to the Tensor G3 are exciting, some of us are wondering whether Google has any new software features up its sleeve. There have been a few major leaks, including a leaked promo video showcasing a plethora of brand new camera features.
Those wanting a better videography experience are going to enjoy Video Boost, which is meant to make your videos look “smoother,” while also improving the colors without the need for any editing. This will go quite nicely with the addition of Night Sight for videos, bringing one of the best features of the Pixel camera for photos, to videos.
Perhaps the most surprising feature coming is Audio Magic Eraser, which has been leaked several times and continues to blow our minds. Basically, you’ll be able to capture a video on your phone, and with the tap of a button, you can easily remove any background noise that is taking away from the subject of the video. It’s truly mind-blowing stuff, and it’s all thanks to Google’s on-device machine learning capabilities.
What about those who don’t capture a lot of videos, but do use their Pixel to take a bunch of pictures? Well, Google is said to be bringing Magic Editor to the Pixel 8 lineup, which initially debuted at I/O 2023. This feature seems to be Magic Eraser 2.0, as you can do things like move objects within a photo, edit a specific portion of a photo (like the sky to make it more vibrant), and more.
Last, but certainly not least, we are expecting an overhaul of the built-in camera app on your Pixel 8 Pro. Rumors suggest that Android Central’s Derrek Lee will be getting what they’ve been asking for, as Google is rumored to be bringing more “pro” controls and toggles to the stock camera app.
This is frankly long overdue, but we’re still extremely excited to see how it works in practice. Unfortunately, rumors also suggest that this will only be available on the Pixel 8 Pro, and it’s unknown whether it will come to older Pro Pixel phones.
Rounding out the cameras, you might be wondering about the hardware itself. Have no fear! The leaks are here! Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will sport a 50MP “Octa PD” main wide-angle camera with an f/1.68 aperture and an 82-degree Field of View. On the Pixel 8, this is paired with a 12MP ultrawide lens, complete with an f/2.2 aperture, lens correction, and auto-focus.
As for the Pixel 8 Pro, we’re expecting a 48MP “Quad PD” ultrawide sensor, with a 125.5-degree FoV, lens correction, and autofocus. Rounding out the trio of lenses on the Pro model is said to be a 48MP Quad PD telephoto lens, capable of offering 5x optical zoom and Super Res Zoom up to 30x.
As for the rest of the specs for Google’s 2023 flagship handsets, the smaller Pixel 8 is rumored to feature a 4,575mAh battery. Meanwhile, the larger Pixel 8 Pro is said to be equipped with a 5,050mAh cell, and both devices are expected to retain the 30W fast wired charging speeds. Paired with the Tensor G3, the smaller Pixel is rumored to come with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, while the Pixel 8 Pro is likely to see 12GB of RAM with up to either 512GB or even 1TB of onboard storage.
One of the biggest questions about these devices is whether Google is going to be increasing the price, a trend that seems to be on the horizon for all of the best smartphones. There are some rumors that claim that both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are set to get a price bump, with the former coming in at $699 and the latter being $999. This would represent an increase of $100 across the board, which is frankly rather disappointing to see, especially with the non-Pro Pixel 8.
An hour to go before the event starts! Our very own Nick Sutrich will be on-site in New York.
But let's continue. On the bright side, recent leaks suggest that Google is set to offer some pretty enticing pre-order freebies if you want to grab the latest and greatest Pixel. If you’re interested in the smaller Pixel 8, leaks claim that Google will include a set of Pixel Buds Pro for free. Meanwhile, those opting for the larger Pixel 8 Pro will get a Pixel Watch 2 for free. Clearly, one of these is better than the other, but we’re also hopeful that there are some trade-in promotions to save us a few bucks.
Speaking of the Pixel Watch 2, Google will officially unveil its second-generation Wear OS smartwatch alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The original Pixel Watch was touted for having an elegant design along with being lightweight, comfortable, and offering deep Fitbit integration. While some of us were hoping for a larger Pixel Watch 2, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards, but Google isn’t looking to really change up the design all that much this time around.
After making a surprising appearance on the Google Play Console device catalog, we learned that the Pixel Watch 2 will launch with Wear OS 4. This part isn’t really surprising, as Google introduced the latest version of Wear OS at I/O 2023, which was launched on the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic.
What is surprising is that it seems that Google is moving away from Samsung’s Exynos 9110 in favor of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 SoC. This was first announced in July 2022, and offers improved performance and better battery efficiency, with the latter being one of the biggest qualms of the original Pixel Watch.
Nick is all ready for the event, here's the view!
In addition to the expected improvements offered by Wear OS 4, a few new watch faces are expected to arrive, after they were revealed in another leak. These are said to be “exclusive” to the Pixel Watch 2, and are named “Accessible, Arc, Bold Digital, and Analog Bold.” All of these follow the design trend from last year’s model, offering customization with different complications. Plus, with the addition of dynamic theming on Wear OS 4, the watch faces will match up perfectly with the rest of your Pixel Watch’s interface.
More recently, leaks and renders have provided a look at the potential improvements to how Fitbit will be integrated into the Pixel Watch 2. Thiese include the ability to track your “Body Response,” which will be possible thanks to the rumored EDC sensor to monitor your stress levels. One leaked screenshot also shows more in-depth workout information, such as whether you are “On target,” your BPM, and more. None of this comes as too much of a surprise considering how much Google leaned into the Fitbit integration with the original Pixel Watch. Nevertheless, we’re still hopeful that these kind of improvements continue to show up in the future.
More from inside the event space, event starts in 10 mins! Pics from Nick!
We’re expecting the Pixel Watch 2 to launch with a few new bands to choose from, while also coming in three different colors. And perhaps most importantly, if you’re upgrading from the Pixel Watch to the Pixel Watch 2, Google is continuing to use the same band mechanism, so you won’t have to worry about replacing all of the bands you’ve acquired over the past year. In terms of pricing, leaks and rumors point to Google leaving things where they’re at, as we’re expecting the same $349 price tag for the Wi-Fi model, or $399 if you want to add LTE.
Have you tuned in yet? Event is starting right about now!
Another shot inside from Nick. Look at all those cool nick nacks!
Jiggy is ready and watching too! Let's go GOOGLEEEEE
hiya rick!
There it is...THE PIXEL WATCH 2!
From Nick, what do you guys think so far?
PW2 starting at $349 with 6 months of free Fitbit premium
HERE WE GO PIXEL PHONES!
in case you missed the price of the PW2
Here's a bunch of articles YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ!
The new Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro double down on AI-powered features
The Pixel Watch 2 takes Google and Fitbit's integration to another level
Android 14 is here, bringing generative AI wallpapers and more
Google Assistant is finally getting the Bard upgrade we've been wanting
Make sure you head to our home page to get all of today's news
Along with the plethora of camera features, Google spent a lot of time talking about some new Generative AI features that will be coming only to the Pixel 8 Pro. This includes things such as Zoom Enhance, improvements to Google Recorder and much more. You can pre-order everything Google announced today, with the Pixel 8 starting at $699, Pixel 8 Pro coming in at $999, and the Pixel Watch 2 priced at $349.
Arguably the biggest announcement made today wasn't either the Pixel 8 Pro or Pixel Watch 2. Instead, Google confirmed rumors, announcing that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will receive SEVEN years of Android OS and security updates. This means that Google's latest device will be supported until 2030, surpassing Samsung and even Apple in terms of official "committed" support.
Those who have been looking forward to the Pixel Watch 2 might end up being a bit disappointed. It seems that Google has moved away from the charging cable released with last year's Pixel Watch, in favor of a pin-based charger. The reason for this is that it seemingly allows for faster charging while producing less heat when compared to the old model. Unfortunately, this also means that you won't be able to use your Pixel 8 to reverse wireless charge your Watch 2 in a pinch.
One of the surprising upgrades coming to Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is the updated Face Unlock. This is a feature that has been available in some capacity on many Android phones, but Google is doing things a bit differently. For the first time, you'll be able to use the standard Face Unlock on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro to authorize Google Pay transactions, along with using it to unlock your banking apps or others that require biometrics.
Our own Nick Sutrich is on the ground at the Made by Google launch event and was able to spend some time with the different devices. First up, he's sharing his hands-on impressions of the Pixel Watch 2. Between the new processor, updated Fitbit features, and all-new watch faces, it seems like Google is finally getting the hang of wearables.
There's still plenty of time to pre-order a Pixel 8 for yourself, and you'll definitely want to do so sooner rather than later. Not only will you get a set of Pixel Buds Pro for free, but you'll also be able to trade-in your current phone and get up to $800, depending on the model. So really, you can get some sweet new earbuds and a new phone, for basically nothing!
If you're wondering whether you should throw your hard-earned cash at the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, but want to know a bit more, you're in luck. Nick Sutrich spent some time with both of these devices at the Made by Google event. While these phones largely retain the same design as their predecessors, the reality is that Google seemingly knocked it out of the park in a lot of different ways.
- Google Pixel 8 Pro: FREE Pixel Watch 2, plus up to $800 of trade-in credit at Best Buy
It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but the Pixel 8 Pro might just end up being the phone to beat for the masses. And with the price increase up to $999, it's even more reason to get your pre-order in now, as you'll be able to save up to $800 when trading in your phone. Making things even better is that you can get the brand new Pixel Watch 2 for FREE when pre-ordering. What more could you ask for?
As we stated earlier, Google also took the time to release the final version of Android 14 today to the masses. To celebrate the announcement, Dave Burke, VP of Engineering at Google, shared the all-new "bug droid" statue in Mountain View. Originally, it was thought that Google would be using a statue dressed up as an astronaut. Instead, it looks like the company changed things up in order to celebrate Android 14's "Upside Down Cake" codename.
New statue (Android 14 code named Upside Down Cake!) pic.twitter.com/OF4sVSfX4BOctober 4, 2023
While many of the features announced today won't be available until the Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 are released, Google gave everyone a little surprise. The all-new Gmail app for Wear OS is rolling out now, allowing you to easily view and triage emails from your wrist, without needing to take out your phone. Another nice benefit is that the Gmail app will work with both Wear OS 3 and Wear OS 4, so you can download it now!
To put it simply, this was one of the more exciting Google device launches that we've seen. For some, it was even better than last year's Pixel 7 event, as we got the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, a brand new Pixel Watch, and a slew of AI-powered features that are coming to our beloved devices in the coming months. Plus, Android 14 is finally here after it was delayed for various reasons.
If you want to get a better idea of what Google had to say today, check out our roundup covering everything that the company announced!
