Google 2018 Event Summary: Pixel 3, Home Hub, Pixel Slate, More



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Google's annual fall event is imminent, which means this year's rumor season is coming to an end. But thanks to countless leaks, reports, tweets and information from our own sources over the last few months, we really have a good idea of ​​what the 2018 Made by Google event has in store. We can say with confidence that you should expect to see the new Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL, a Google Pixel Slate tablet, a Google Home Hub smart screen, and so on.

Deal: Get Pixelbook at 25% off: $ 750!

Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

The first and most obvious of the new products launched during the event Made by Google 2018 are the very leaky Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL. As every year, the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL will offer many upgrades over last year's models. Many other things are also likely to be familiar to you because it is an annual flagship smartphone, after all.

Like last year, Google is launching two new phones with identical internal specifications and slightly different external appearances. The larger of the two phones, the Google Pixel 3 XL, will obviously have a much larger size, a wide chin at the bottom and a screen cut, while the smaller Google Pixel 3 retains a more traditional, comparable look to that of Pixel 2 XL.

Most of the things you know and love about Google Pixel are back this year. Google's "glass window" is located at the back (this time, a more artificial cut allows to recharge all the glass and wireless content), the two phones mark the return of the compressible sides, the sensor of Pixel Imprint fingerprint lying at the back. And again, you should expect the best cameras in the smartphone space.

In fact, the camera – especially the one facing the front – is one of the most obvious changes this year. The Google Pixel 3 XL has a wide notch to hold not one but two forward-facing sensors, one of which is a wide-angle lens, as shown in our report. The back will host the simple standard shooter we've seen over the past two years, but keep in mind that most of the camera's prowess on the Pixel is due to digital photography. It will only be better this year.

The Google Pixel 3 XL sank in the flesh in its white color

Regarding the specifications, you should expect that the flagship product under Android 2018 is as usual. Both phones will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, an Adreno 630 GPU, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB or 128 GB of storage, batteries of correct size, good screens, although very different, as well as WiFi, NFC, GPS, eSIM usual, etc. , and more. The main selling point of Pixel phones has long been their software, and that does not change here. You will get Android 9 Pie and Google's artificial intelligence features everywhere.

The phones will go pre-order immediately after the 10/9 event, and surprisingly, despite the importance of leaks, we still do not know the prices of the two phones. I would expect them to be about the same level as last year: $ 649 for the smaller and $ 849 for the bigger one.

Largely thanks to devices sold on the black market in Ukraine and around the world, it is perhaps one of the most prevalent devices in history. You can read our full summary of each leak we have seen so far here. There have been more than a dozen examples of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL running in the flesh, and we have also seen renderings of official appearance from multiple reliable sources.

More on Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL:

Google Home Hub

Official rendering of the Google Home Hub Press

The CES 2018 was launched by Google in the category of smart devices with an assistant, Smart Display. Today, the company is preparing to announce its own. The device, called Google Home Hub, actually leaked in its entirety in the weeks leading up to the Google event of October. This is actually a very compact 7-inch monitor, mounted on a speaker base and similar in design to other Google Home products you already know.

It will be available in black and white, as you can see in the official press releases that have filtered:

Not only did we get official renditions of both device colors, but Google Home Hub's specification pages also filtered. The device has a volume toggle on the left rear side, a switch to turn off the microphone, a Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, d & # 39; ambient light and a sense of color, and weighs 480g. In the retail box, the leaked page that we saw last month indicates that you will get the Home Hub, an AC adapter, a quick start manual and the warranty booklet.

In terms of software, you can do just about anything you can do with the current range of smart screens. You can view weather, traffic, and relevant information for the wide variety of Google Assistant tasks, as well as the usual verbal comments. You can expect Google to offer some special features to differentiate the product, but we know there will be no special thing: it does not have a Duo call. There is no camera on this device.

Unlike the rest of the products presented in this summary, we have a price index that the price of the Google Home hub will be. A retail list revealing a leak in retail suggests that the device will cost $ 149, which is incredibly fair and aligns with the information that Google wants to put 3 million in the market before the end of the year.

More on Google Home Hub:

Google Pixel Slate

One of the most interesting launches of the event Made by Google 2018 is a device we know now and called the Google Pixel Slate. This is Google's first Google Chrome OS tablet, which is poised to become a big competitor to the world's iPad Pro and Surface Pro. We discovered for the first time the code name of this device, Nocturne, earlier this month, through a leak reported by the website of keyboard manufacturer Brydge, a company we've reported that She was working exclusively on keyboard hardware for the Google Pixel tablet / convertible hardware.

Based on Brydge's renderings, we know the device is likely to have a sleek modern look, and if we use the USB-C port as a reference, the Slate Pixel seems like a very thin device. There is a fingerprint sensor (and an alleged power button) in the upper left corner when you use it in tablet mode, at least one USB-C port on the left side, and it clearly supports third-party and third-party keyboard accessories. . We found direct evidence for both in the Chromium source code.

Our Kyle rendering of the Pixel Slate based on the Brydge leak

In terms of specifications, the device seems to be a bit of a powerhouse – or at least will come in a variant that is. A device recently spotted during an evaluation test had an Intel Amber Lake i7-8500Y processor and 16 GB of RAM. By rummaging around the source of chromium, we know that the device will have a 3000 × 2000 screen, a pair of Sony IMX sensors – specifically the IMX319 at the front and the IMX355 at the back. That's about all we know about the material at the moment, but it does not leave much to the imagination.

In terms of software, we generally expect Google Pixel Slate to be one of the main reasons why Google is still optimizing Chrome OS 70 – the next major release – for tablets and touch interfaces. We know that Chrome OS now supports Linux, a reference revealed that support for the Android application was updated with Pate with Pixel Slate, and Google also appears to be making considerable efforts to have the Android application support. Google Camera app works perfectly. with the Pixel Slate too.

At the time of writing these lines, we have no complaints in terms of price or variants that Google will launch next week. So we will have to stay out of the event to find out more about it. As I had already guessed on last week's Alphabet Scoop podcast, it would be logical for the entry price to be similar to that of the iPad Pro.

More on Google Pixel Slate:

Google Pixelbook 2 ('Atlas')?

In addition to the newest edition of Pixel Slate, Google is currently preparing an official follow-up of the Pixelbook last year. A device that many believe to be this device is a map named "Atlas" in the chrome source. This material is almost identical to the Pixelbook, but also shares some qualities with the device known as "Nocturne" – or the Google Pixel Slate.

One thing that spread falsely in the information cycle based on very dubious evidence was that "Atlas" would be a "detachable", similar to "Nocturne". From what we saw in the Chromium source, we think that Atlas is far more likely to be a traditional laptop. Our Kyle explained in his synthesis on Atlas that, although some have suggested that Atlas was part of the Chromebook range "Poppy", its name was removable, but not the Chromebook Plus V2, based on Poppy.

The Pixelbook of last year

Unlike Google Pixel Slate, we do not have much information about us – we have no rendering leaks. This could indicate that the device will not be launched during the October 9 Google event or that it will simply be a brand new update of the Pixelbook and that it would therefore be a sufficient excess. to avoid leaks.

However, we can say with certainty that an important point can be made, based on our research (and that of others) in the chrome source: Atlas will provide a high resolution 4K display. Among the other details we have seen, the device incorporates a Sony IMX208 front camera supporting 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second (a notable upgrade from the Pixelbook) and the keyboard will replace the "hamburger" button. with a power button.

This is one of the most dubious things on this list, but if it starts, it makes sense not to have fled as much. This looks like a complete upgrade to the Pixelbook with a 4K screen, a better camera and maybe some hardware changes. No word on pricing or availability on it at the moment.

More about Pixelbook 2 ('Atlas'):

Google Pixel Stand

We mentioned that Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL both shipped a wireless charge, but what does wireless charging without a clever hardware dock go together? The leaks we discovered in our APK Insight series (and later, a press release via MySmartPrice) suggest that Google is preparing to launch such an accessory. But this is not limited to charging your phone on a pretty Italian-inspired dock.

The Google Pixel Stand leaked in its official press report

The dock should work primarily with the phone sitting in portrait orientation, and it is expected, based on the evidence we found during disassembly, that Google will include some sort of "Smart Display" or Google function Wizard when the device is docked. If you want to disable one of the GIF files we found, there may also be a slideshow feature. It's very similar to the Google Photos "Photo Frame" feature on smart screens.

At the bottom of the unit there is a USB-C port and a bright orange grip pad. FCC rendering on the press appears in the FCC test database. This confirms to us that it actually charges the Pixel 3 wireless, but that a fast wireless charging could also be included. At the FCC, you will find that the 9V ⎓ 2A and 5V 3A charging specifications align with those of other wireless fast charge products on the market. It's pretty exciting.

The price and availability of Pixel support is not known, but we guess it will be a separate Pixel 3 accessory and will require an additional purchase. Based on the price of other similar products, we think it could cost between $ 50 and $ 100. Not bad if it turns your phone into a full-fledged Google Home.

More on Google Pixel Stand:

Chromecast refreshed

The FCC revealed last May that Google was working on a sort of updated Chromecast that would have many similarities with the current model. According to the ranking, the new device brought only significant internal changes, including the addition of Bluetooth and subsequent documents, which also confirmed some improvements in Wi-Fi.

It was largely a mystery whether this device existed or what it would be, but a Best Buy employee accidentally placed one on the shelves and sold it to a customer before October 9, when his exit on the street. Such a street date confirms that this device will actually be mentioned at the Google event on October 9, obviously.

Here's what Chromecast looks like:

The material here is really nothing special. It's essentially the same as the current $ 35 Chromecast, but the shiny black plastic with the Chrome logo is replaced by a matte logo with a Google "G". Bluetooth and improved Wi-Fi have also been added, but it does not bring any noticeable changes, like 4K support. Interestingly, some have speculated that the update could be due to a project we now know as Project Stream and that will work with it. It remains to be seen.

More information on the third generation of Chromecast:

Google Pixel Buds 2

Finally, Google announces the reissue of its Google Pixel Buds last year. This is literally the only information we have so far on this: Google's plan to announce them. You can use your imagination or your best guess to assume that this year's model may be a direct competitor of the AirPods, because that's largely what made them less convincing last year.

Ben's rendering of what Google Pixel Buds 2 might look like

More about Pixel Buds 2:

Other things to wait …

The chances that important hardware products launched on Oct. 9 are not mentioned in this post are slim, but there are many things that Google can keep secret. The software side of all these products, including Pixel Slate, Pixelbook 2 and Home Hub, may bring some surprises. We also expect the new color of the Home Mini to be mentioned and updates to the current product line are not yet known. We may see price declines for Pixels 2 and 2 XL and maybe even for other products like the original Google Home.

As noted, all of these products are expected to be launched Oct. 9 in New York City at the annual Google Made Made by Google 2018 event. Simultaneous events are planned in Paris, London and Japan. We will be on the ground next Tuesday in New York and London to keep you up to date on the latest news and announcements. So expect a special episode of Alphabet Scoop, practical videos, endless digs in the details, and more. .

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