The Google I/O keynote has ended and there were some expected as well as unexpected announcements at the grand event. Among the expected ones, the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch were announced, while the unexpected showings included the Pixel Buds Pro and glimpses of the Pixel 7 and a Pixel tablet. Oh, and of course, Android 13 was unveiled as well.
The Pixel 6a, which will cost $449 when preorders go live on July 21, ditches the 50MP main camera of the Pixel 6 range and offers the same 12MP camera present on previous Pixels. Its ultra-wide camera remains the same 12MP sensor though.
Another big change is that its 6.1-inch display will only be a 60Hz OLED instead of having a high refresh rate. As expected, the powerful 5nm Tensor chipset rests at its heart. The Pixel 6a’s battery is a 4410mAh unit with 18W fast charging and no wireless charging.
The Pixel Watch won’t be coming out anytime soon as it’s slated to launch with the Pixel 7 range. The circular device will run an updated version of Wear OS 3 and feature heavy Fitbit integration. Google Wallet and Google Home will also form part of it.
The big surprise at Google I/O was that we got our first glimpse of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro which are slated to arrive this fall with a next-gen Tensor chip and Android 13. The phones will retain the camera bar, which will have a two-tone look due to the aluminum casing.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro earbuds made their debut at the event as well. These will offer active noise cancellation with a transparency mode. They will cost $199 and go on preorder along with the Pixel 6a.
With the Pixel tablet, Google is looking to get into the tablet space again. We don’t know anything about this device, except for the fact that it’s slated to arrive next year with the Tensor chip inside it. Google has also said that it’s working on its own AR glasses.
As for Android 13, not many big features will form part of this release. Material You will be more prominent and new security and privacy features will be added as well. A beta has been made available by Google for those with Pixel devices.