Google Unveils Redesigned Pixel Buds, Nest Mini And Nest Wifi Router With Google Assistant
Pixel Buds
The Pixel Buds have been completely redesigned with absolutely no wires. Each earpiece has a stabilizer arc to keep in firmly in place in your ear, while the ear tips help seal out ambient noise. Adaptive Sound is included to dynamically adjust the volume based on how loudness or quietness of the room (or environment) that you're currently residing in. In addition, Google says that the Pixel Buds are both sweat and water resistant.
Like the AirPods competition from Apple, the new Pixel Buds provide hands free access to its digital assistant, which in this case is the Google Assistant. In other words, you can simply say "Hey Google" to access the Assistant.
Google has implemented "long-range Bluetooth" on the Pixel Buds, which can be connected to a smartphone from up to three rooms away. So even if your phone is upstairs in your bedroom and you're downstairs in the garage, you should still have a stable connection according to Google. The Pixel Buds will not just connect with Android 6.0+ devices, but also Bluetooth 4.0+ laptops and iPhones.
The Pixel Buds now charges via an egg-shaped case, which can provide up to 24 hours of additional runtime. The Pixel Buds themselves can last up to 5 hours per charge.
The Pixel Buds will be available in 2020 priced at $179, and will come in Clearly White, Oh So Orange, Almost Black, and Quite Mint.
Nest Mini
Of all the devices that Google announced today, the Nest Mini is the least changed compared to its predecessor. Formerly known as the Home Mini, the Nest Mini now includes a cutout on the bottom of the unit that allows you to hang it from a wall. It also features bass that is twice as strong as the first-generation device, and Google has worked to make sound clearer and more natural "at every volume level".
There are also proximity-based LED that will light up when your hand gets close to the speaker, and the volume of the Google Assistant can be dynamically adjusted based on background noise. The new Nest Mini also supports that Stream Transfer functionality that we first talked about last week.
You can preorder the new Nest Mini today from the Google Store for $49 (the same MSRP as its predecessor). It will actually go on sale in leading retail stores on October 22nd.
Nest Wifi
The Nest Wifi is another Google device that leaked extensively prior to today's hardware event. And not surprisingly, the rumors turned out to be mostly accurate. The Nest Wifi is the successor to the Google Wifi and again comes in two components. You have the base station router, which plugs into your cable modem and a separate satellite, which Google calls the Wifi point.
What's new this time around is that the Wifi point includes a built-in speaker and microphone, turning it into a Nest Mini-esque device. So whatever tasks you would normally ask of a Google Home or Home Mini in the past can be accomplished with the Wifi point.
Google says that the Nest Wifi can cover up to a 3,800 square foot home (25 percent better coverage than the Google Wifi) while delivering twice the speed. The system is scalable if you want to increase coverage at a later date, and both two-pack and three-pack systems will be available. And as before, setting up and managing the Nest Wifi is accomplished via the easy-to-use Google Home app.
The Nest Wifi is available for preorder today priced at $269 for a two-pack, or $349 for a three-pack. They can be ordered in Snow, Sand, or Mist and will ship on November 4th.
