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There's a big Google hardware coming this Tuesday, and it will not just be about phones.
Google 's annual hardware event has become a showcase for a lot of new products, from Pixel 3 phones to Chromecasts to the new Pixel Slate. October is almost here, and this is what we expect to see. CNET will be there, and this is what we think will show up – including the most-leaked new phone ever.
Date and place confirmed: Tuesday, October 9, NYC
For the first time, Google is having its Pixel event in New York instead of San Francisco. (The 2012 event scheduled for New York was canceled Superstorm Sandy loomed offshore.) CNET will be in force. The event will be live streamed, and you can watch it here.
Read: How to watch Google's Pixel event on Oct. 9
Watch this:
Yet another Pixel 3 XL leak
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Pixel 3 and Pixel XL: Already leaked far and wide
The next-generation Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 phones are going to be the stars of the show, and we seem to know what the Pixel 3 will look like what colors come in . Heck, there's even a Pixel 3 XL unboxing and video.
Unless we're all thrown for a loop, is there anything about the Pixel 3 we whose know?
9to5Google got these pictures – and some alleged specs – from a tipster.
9to5Google
The Pixel 3 XL has a notch in its display just like the iPhone X and most other 2018 phones. But it also has a "chin," or an extra bit of space between display and the edge of the phone. The smaller Pixel 3 is not-free, but has top and bottom bezels.
The big question is likely to be "How good is the camera?" Both the Pixel 3 and the XL are sticking with each other (again, according to the leaks). But given the fact that the year-old Pixel 2 camera is still a contender, it will be interesting to see how the new model compares to the Smart HDR effects available in the new iPhone XS.
Reported unboxing photos and videos of the Pixel 3 XL show USB-C charging and included earbuds that look a lot like last year's Pixel Bud earphones.
Read: Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Rumored specs, features, leaks, price, release date
No Pixel Watch, for Google
The Fossil Q Explorist running the latest version of Wear OS.
Sarah Tew / CNET
There will be no new Google-made smartwatch, sorry. Maybe next year. In the meantime, new Wear Watches are appearing with added heart-rate fitness, water resistance and NFC Google Pay, and new Qualcomm chips promise a next wave of watches with stepped-up battery life over the next six months, if you're patient. Now, just download the new version of Wear OS, which improves the whole interface and adds Google.
Read: Google just reportedly said it will not release a Pixel Watch this year
Read: Google's new Wear OS update is here, and it's surprisingly good
Google Pixel Slate: The rumored Chrome OS tablet
October is already looking for a white-hot month for new computers and tablets: Microsoft's event is Oct. 2 (a refresh of its surface is expected), and Apple may still have Mac and iPad Pro announcements to share, too. Google's follow-up to last year's Pixelbook Chromebook is rumored to be a Chrome OS tablet, called Pixel Slate, that can double as a laptop. This could kick off a whole range of Chrome tablets and keyboard accessories.
Read: Google Pixel Slate aka Night: Rumored specs, features, leaks, price, release date
New Chromecast
Do not expect the "new" 2018 Chromecast to be a big departure from the 2015 model, shown here.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Google's last significant hardware update to its Chromecast media streamer was the Ultra in 2016. That being said, Google always has Chromecast software updates: the most recent adds Google Chrome to Chromecast, making its TV functions even smarter. A new Chromecast model that adds Bluetooth and improved 5GHz Wi-Fi leaked through FCC filings back in August – and now, Best Buy is actually already selling it (!). But temper your expectations: Best Buy, 4K and Amazon Prime are not onboard this new model. It looks as if Google may bundle the new Chromecast with a Home Mini speaker as a "Smart TV Kit," too.
The supposed Home Hub, as spotted by MySmartPrice
mysmartprice
Last year, Google went bigger and smaller with its smart speakers, adding the Google Home Mini and Google Home Max. This year, it's all about smart displays: A wave of Google-powered smart display-toting speakers like the Lenovo Smart Display 10 are now available from third parties, but the rumored Google Home Hub too – will be Google's own smart-speaker-with-smart-display answer to the Amazon Echo Show. It's just in time, too: Amazon unveiled its second-generation Echo Show in September, and it goes on sale just after Google's event.
Other stuff we could see on Oct. 9
Chromecast, tablet and Home Hub are all very safe for official unveilings on Oct. 9. But here we are.
Pixel Buds 2: The oddball Google Translate-Enabled Pixel Buds that proved last year were interesting, but maybe their design has been absorbed into the Pixel 3's included headphones. This year, instead of a connecting band, it would be nice if they were truly independent wirelessly like AirPods.
Unfortunately, the case was the coolest thing about the first-gen Pixel Buds.
James Martin / CNET
More cloud gaming news: Google just announced that it's streaming the latest Assassin's Creed game to your Chrome browser. This is the opening salvo of the rumored "Yeti" gaming service – something built into that new Chromecast? If so, Oct. 9 would be a good time to talk about it.
Wild cards – something as weird as Google Clips was last year: Google-weird always-on AI-powered camera, Google Clips, was last year's novelty gadget (actually, it really only arrived last February). Just a friendly reminder that Google, always unpredictable, could not find another oddball AI-powered gadget this year. Maybe Google makes a variant on its VR180 cameras released earlier this year. Now, not.
Do not expect new VR stuff: Google's simple snap-on VR accessories for Daydream-compatible android phones already work fine and could just hold the race through 2018. If there is an update here, maybe the fit will be readjusted again. Google already has one standalone VR headset, the Lenovo Mirage Solo, that debuted in May. Google's experimenting with new features that could be expected in 2019, likely to compete with Facebook's upcoming Oculus Quest standings, which already looks to offer more features than the Mirage Solo at the same $ 399 price.
Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Rumored specs, features, leaks, price, release date
Google Pixel Slate aka Night: Rumored specs, features, leaks, price, release date
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