Made By Google Event: Pixel 8, Next-Gen Pixel Watch And What Else To Expect
The announcement that Google posted on its various social media profiles doesn't include anything new. It features an anthropomorphized iPhone and Pixel talking to each other about the stresses of fall hardware launches. The phones have cucumber slices on their camera arrays because it is a very jokey video, but that also serves to obscure what could be the only visible change for the Pixel 8 Pro: a redesigned camera visor. However, the Pixel phone shown at the very end appears to be a 7 Pro and not the repeatedly leaked 8 Pro.
Android 14 is almost ready, and we expect it to begin appearing on current Pixel devices before the October event. Still, Google will most likely talk about new Android OS features when unveiling the Pixel 8, and we expect even longer update support from Google. There may even be some entirely new Android features for the latest phones, which will arrive on older models in a future Feature Drop.
Is there anything better than a spa day with your bestie? We didn't think so. #BestPhonesForever
— Google Pixel (@GooglePixel_US) August 30, 2023
The w8 is almost over. Rest up for #MadeByGoogle on October 4th and sign up for updates: https://t.co/rZbC87wmn9 pic.twitter.com/6EMYwmkVo6
There's also a strong likelihood we'll see Google's second smartwatch at the event. The Pixel Watch was launched at last year's October unveiling, marking the first time Google released its own smartwatch instead of partnering with another OEM. The Pixel Watch was a surprisingly good wearable despite its middling battery life and high price. The second-generation Pixel Watch has already appeared at the FCC, which suggests it's almost ready for release. The device will allegedly have an updated processor—the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1—but previous rumors about ultra wide-band (UWB) inclusion are not supported by the FCC report.
Google has not traditionally announced new earbuds alongside the Pixel phones, but we are more than a year out from the release of the Pixel Buds Pro, and the Pixel Buds A Series before those launched in 2021. In other words, Google is due for new earbuds, and it's at least plausible we'll see them at the event.
Google has a landing page on the Google Store where you can sign up for more information, but the fastest way to know what's what will be to watch the inevitable YouTube livestream of the October 4th event, which takes place at 10AM ET.