The Made by Google event is in the books with Google launching the Pixel 8 series, Pixel Watch 2, a Pixel Buds Pro update and plenty more.
Google put its best foot forward on October 4, launching its new flagship smartphones and smartwatch, while also bettering the Pixel Buds Pro. Meanwhile, Android 14 is out in the wild and there are loads of great new software features for existing device owners.
Here are the top announcements from the event.
Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, running the brand new Tensor G3 processor, are the headline makers today. The cameras have been improved, while there’s a new Actua Display with 120Hz refresh rate. They’re out in the UK on October 12, starting at £699 and £999.
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Pixel Watch 2
The Pixel Watch 2 is here running Wear OS 4 out of the box. The new wearable also has 24-hours of battery life with the always-on display toggled on. New sensors include an EDA for skin temperature measurements. It’s also a little more expensive than the original at £349.
Android 14 is here
Google revealed Android 14 is rolling out today for Pixel devices and will come as standard on Pixel 8 devices. The update includes new design customation features, a new Health Connect feature to keep your health data secure, and improved accessibility features for low vision and hard of hearing users. There’s also automatic framing in video calls.
Magic Audio Eraser is like photoshop for sound
The Pixel 8 camera features are highlighted by a Magic Audio Eraser tool that does for recorded videos what Magic Eraser does for stills. Instead of ridding the frame of photobombers, it gets rid of loudmouths (or barking dogs) from your clip.
The Google Photos-based tool (which suggests it could come to other phones) uses machine learning to identify unwanted background sounds and establishes them as layers, which you can adjust or reduce.
Pixel Buds Pro: Now Conversation-friendly
As well as lowering latency for gaming, adding suggestions for hearing wellness, and clearer voice calls, the Pixel Buds Pro are getting a new Conversation Detection mode. The AI-based feature will pause music when you start speaking and switch to transparency mode. That means you’ll be able to converse without removing the buds. Although that’s not the most polite way to do it.
7 years of Android updates for Pixel 8
As we reported earlier today, Google confirmed it is more than doubling the amount of Android updates available to Pixel 8 owners. It’ll mean the Pixel 8 will get 2030’s assumed Android 21 release, keeping it up to date all the way up to October 2031.
“Extending our commitment with Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro was a natural progression for us, especially as we’re seeing people use their Pixel phones longer and longer,” Google says.
