Foldable smartphone, smartwatch, and earbuds: Google unveils new products

After months of leaks and reports, Google unveiled its latest products at the Made By Google event on Tuesday. Moving its annual event earlier than the usual October date, Google introduced the new Pixel 9 series, alongside the Pixel Watch 3 smartwatch and Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds. Here are all the details:

Pixel 9: New Design and Upgraded Cameras

The most notable change in the Pixel 9 is its revamped design. The camera bar has been replaced with a prominent elliptical ring, and the device is thinner than its predecessor. The screen size has grown to 6.3 inches, covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The camera system includes three lenses: two rear and one front. The rear wide-angle lens has been upgraded to 48 megapixels, and the front camera now includes autofocus. AI-based innovations like Add Me and Reimagine join existing features.

The Pixel 9 is powered by Google’s own Tensor G4 chip, designed to enhance performance while saving battery life. It now comes with 12GB of RAM, dropping the previous 8GB option. Additionally, it includes a range of integrations with the Gemini voice assistant and runs on Android 15, with seven years of OS and security updates. The device is available in black, white, green, and pink, starting at $799 for the 128GB model.

Premium Options: Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL

For those seeking a more advanced experience, Google offers the Pixel 9 Pro and XL models. This year, the "Pro" designation doesn’t necessarily refer to screen size; the Pixel 9 Pro comes with a 6.3-inch display, just like the standard Pixel 9. Google has created a new category with the Pixel 9 Pro XL—a device with the same specs as the Pro but featuring a larger 6.8-inch display and a more powerful 5,060mAh battery (compared to 4,700mAh in the smaller model).

All three Pixel 9 models use Google’s Tensor G4 chip, but the two Pro models come with 16GB of RAM to handle AI tasks and any other workload. Both phones are available with either 128GB of storage or a full terabyte. The Pro models also feature an additional 48-megapixel telephoto lens on the back and an enhanced 42-megapixel front-facing camera.

Google unveils the Pixel 9 Pro:

Both Pro models come with a one-year subscription to the Google One AI Premium Plan, granting access to all of Gemini’s smart assistant features. After the trial period, the plan costs $20 per month and includes 2TB of storage.

The Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099. Both are available in the same four colors: black (Obsidian), white (Porcelain), brown (Hazel), and pink (Rose Quartz), and come with a promise of seven years of security and feature updates. Like all products announced at the event, the phones are now available for pre-order.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Google’s New Foldable Smartphone

Google also introduced its second foldable smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The device comes with a larger 8-inch internal screen, making it the biggest on the market. The external screen is also larger at 6.3 inches, compared to 5.8 inches on the previous model. Google claims that the internal display is 80% brighter than before, with a peak brightness of 2,700 nits.

One common complaint about foldable phones is their weight and bulk. Google hopes several design changes will help address this. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is slimmer at just 0.4 inches when closed, making it the thinnest foldable smartphone available (excluding the large camera bump). However, the weight is 257 grams, about 25 grams lighter than the previous Pixel Fold.

It features Google’s Tensor G4 chip, comes standard with 16GB of RAM, and offers storage options of 256GB or 512GB. Like all of Google’s 2024 hardware, the 9 Pro Fold is built around the AI capabilities of Google’s Gemini. A press of the power button brings up the assistant, which can be used in split-screen mode on the foldable device. The phone also comes with a year of the One AI Premium plan, which costs $20 per month afterward.

On the camera front, the three external cameras include wide-angle, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses with 5x optical zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom. There is a 10-megapixel camera both inside and on the front of the external display. The latest foldable phone from Google is priced at $1,799, the same as the 2023 model, and is available in black (Obsidian) or white (Porcelain). It is now available for pre-order.

Pixel Watch 3: Bigger, Brighter, and with New Features

Google’s new smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3, comes in two sizes: a 41mm model and a new 45mm model. Thanks to thinner bezels, the screen on the 41mm model is 10% larger than the Pixel Watch 2, and the 45mm model’s screen is 40% larger. Both displays have a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, double that of the 2023 watch, and can dim down to just 1 nit.

The watch includes new features such as heart load tracking, providing feedback on how hard you're exerting yourself. New integrations allow real-time viewing of Nest cameras from the watch and using the watch as a remote control for Google TV. The battery offers the same 24 hours of use on a single charge, but Google claims charging is now 20% faster with a 30-watt wall adapter (sold separately).

The 41mm Pixel Watch 3 will be offered at $349 for the Wi-Fi-only model and $449 for the LTE model. The 45mm model will be priced at $399 or $499 for the cellular version. Both come in black or silver, with an additional hazel shade for the larger model.

Google Sticks to Familiar Design for Pixel Buds Pro 2

Unlike Samsung, which adopted Apple’s design for its new earbuds, Google has chosen to keep the familiar design of its Pixel Buds Pro for the new generation, Pixel Buds Pro 2. The new earbuds are smaller and lighter than their predecessors, yet manage to provide an extra hour of battery life, offering up to 12 hours of playback with noise cancellation off.

The Silent Seal feature returns, now offering double the noise reduction compared to the previous generation. Additionally, the earbuds support spatial audio with head tracking, but only when connected to a Pixel 6 or later phone or a Pixel tablet.

Google’s first Tensor chip in its earbuds powers these new features, processing audio “90 times faster than the speed of sound” to adapt to your environment. Thanks to multi-channel processing, noise-cancellation calculations are done on a separate channel from the audio, so the music you hear remains unchanged.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are available for pre-order now and come in white (Porcelain), brown (Hazel), green (Wintergreen), and pink (Peony). They will be sold for $229.