Google I/O 2023: Pixel family extends — no matter how big, small or foldable! (Part 2)
In Part 2, we are going to be talking about all the new extended Pixel lineup announced during the recent Google I/O keynote.
After the heavily-focused one hour talk on AI, we had some refreshing new additions to the Google Pixel lineup at the Google I/O 2023. The Pixel family has truly extended in every way — from the announcement of the Pixel 7a to the Pixel Tab to the ultra-gymnastic Pixel Fold!
Let’s get started right away…
1. Google Pixel 7a
Nothing better than a Pixel at a cheaper price. Google never disappoints with their Pixel devices especially since they introduced the Tensor chip for Pixel two years ago with Pixel 6. Ever since, the Pixel has been gaining more and more traction, and their budget series — the A series benefits the most by getting the flagship CPU with modest specs from the Pixel Pro lineup. And the trend continues, this year Pixel 7A is getting the Tensor G2 chipset (the same as Pixel 7 and 7 Pro) and upgrade-worth features at a much more affordable price.
Here is a list of all the specs for the Pixel 7A:
- 6.7-inch OLED display
- Google Tensor processor
- 50MP rear camera
- 8MP front-facing camera
- 128GB or 256GB of storage
- 6GB of RAM
- Wireless charging
- IP67 water resistance
- Starting price: $499
2. Google Pixel Tab
Ah, we have been waiting for this for a year! Google announced this tablet along with their Pixel watch at last year’s Google I/O. While the Pixel watch debuted last fall, we have all been waiting for the Tab to make its entry and finally, it’s here.
Google seems to have addressed a major utility issue with tablets — making them the center of your attention (or at least your homes) and not just lying in some desk drawer or under a pile of files or books. They have done this by introducing a charging-speaker-stand (which comes absolutely for free, in the box) which will allow customers to mount the Tab on the stand when not being handled manually. So, when you are not using it in your hand, it sits on the mount and turns into a home hub for controlling smart home devices, a voice assistant, and an entertainment hub (playing music, videos, built-in chrome-cast, etc).
Here is an entire list of the Google Tab’s specs:
- 11-inch OLED display
- MediaTek Helio G90T processor
- 12MP rear camera
- 8MP front-facing camera
- 64GB or 128GB of storage
- 4GB of RAM
- Long-lasting battery
- Starting price: $399
3. Google Pixel Fold
Yes! Finally, the talk of the town has been unleashed. The Pixel fold made its debut in all its glory as the last hardware demo during the I/O keynote. The Google Fold is said to be the thinnest foldable in the market and houses the Tensor G2 processor. The best part of the Fold’s hardware is the rear camera which has the same specs as the Pixel 7 Pro lineup.
And now the bad news — the bezels. You might end up not noticing them at all or fussing about it a lot. There won’t be a middle ground. The bezels are thick and bigger than even the first generation Samsung Fold launched four years ago. Google might have to work on it to finally, compete in today’s foldable market.
As for software, Google is winning here again. With Android being developed by Google itself, a lot of native apps (including the G-Suite apps) are being developed for bigger screens such as the Fold and the Google Tab. This is a win for all Android foldables with the features slowly dripping down to other Android skins.
It’s always wonderful to see how Fold OEMs make use of different displays on the device by optimizing the OS and software and Google has done its fair share of homework too for their Fold. Here is a full list of the specs for the Google Fold:
- 7.6-inch foldable AMOLED display
- Google Tensor processor
- 50MP triple-lens rear camera
- 12.2MP front-facing camera
- 128GB or 256GB of storage
- 12GB of RAM
- Stylus support
- IPX8 water resistance
- Starting price: $1,799
That is one hell of a great lineup. So happy for Google finally finding its foot in the hardware field after making the software services so great for so long. It’s even more beautiful seeing the magic of stock android and it’s magical features in their Pixel devices.
Apart from the Pixel lineup, Google also had some interesting announcements to make related to Android and its other services. These included:
- WhatsApp Integration of wearOS (Pixel Watch).
2. Find My Device to find the location of your headphones and earbuds along with Google’s joint efforts with Apple for ‘unknown tracker alerts’ on their devices.
3. Pixel devices getting new Generative AI Wallpapers.
4. Also, mandatory mocking of a certain mobile operating system for not supporting RCS on their native messaging platform (if you know, you know)
So, that’s the entire Pixel lineup along with some exciting new features Google announced during the recent Google I/O keynote. If you have not read about Google’s AI-centered features coming to their apps and services, make sure to give it a read soon.
-Aditya
Related Posts:
https://adityadarekar.medium.com/google-i-o-2023-they-mentioned-ai-142-times-part-1-82ac00547b39
