Well, Pixel fans: the Made by Google event has officially been and gone for 2022, and we have been treated to a long list of pretty exciting updates as a result. With the announcement of the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro, the new Google Pixel Watch and a few other devices that were thrown into the mix, there’s a lot to get through, so we’ve pulled together the most important bits for you.
Here’s what we know about Made By Google 2022.
When was the October event?
Google’s October showcase, titled Made By Google, took place on October 7 at 1:00 am AEDT. Nice and early in the morning for Aussies.
If you missed the event because you value your sleep, you can find replays of the announcements on the Google website.
What was announced at Made by Google?
The TL;DR if it is that Google announced its new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones, and its first smartwatch – the Google Pixel Watch.
Thanks for joining #MadeByGoogle#Pixel7#Pixel7 Pro#GooglePixelWatch#PixelBuds Pro#GooglePixelTablet (2023)¹
—a growing portfolio to understand your needs and make life easier.
Learn more at the Google Store: https://t.co/uJEC2zgFT9
¹See image for info pic.twitter.com/7bOI0SN9cP
— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 6, 2022
What you need to know about the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
The new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones headlined the event on October 7 along with the Pixel Watch. If you’re keen to know what this new iteration of the Google phone offers, here’s a rundown of the specs.
Pixel 7 Pro
- Display: 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO OLED Smooth Display, up to 120 Hz
- Rear camera: Triple rear camera system: Wide lens, ultrawide lens, 2 telephoto lens
- Processor: Google Tensor G2
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Battery: 5000 mAh3, 24+ hour battery life, fast wireless charging
- Security and authentication: Titan M2 chip and security core, Fingerprint Unlock, Face Unlock
- Colours: Obsidian, Snow and Hazel (green and gold)
- Price: From $1,299
Available to pre-order now.
Pixel 7
- Display: 6.3 inches, FHD+ OLED Smooth Display, up to 90 Hz
- Rear camera: Dual rear camera system: Wide lens, ultrawide lens
- Processor: Google Tensor G2
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Battery: 4355 mAh3, 24+ hour battery life, fast wireless charging
- Security and authentication: Titan M2 chip and security core, Fingerprint Unlock, Face Unlock
- Colours: Obsidian, Snow and Lemongrass
- Price: From $999
Available to pre-order now.
During Google’s morning briefing on the release, it was shared that the design of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro “features smooth rounded surfaces that always feel right in your hand”, and the camera bar surface has been upgraded to metal as well.
This gives a more luxurious appearance to this recycled polished aluminium and glass device, or at least that seems to be the intention.
In terms of comfort, Google shares that the base model is slightly lighter and more compact than the 6, and “introduces a new zirconia blasted aluminium that silky smooth to the touch”. The bezels on this model are also smaller.
Google tells us the Pixel 7 runs on a second-generation Tensor chip and offers improvements to the camera, performance and speech. It boasts “state of the art AI directly to the phone” and claims that the design lowers battery consumption from activities like “like recording video, streaming music, speech recognition, and translating conversations and messages”.
The camera has also had an upgrade with Super Res Zoom up to 8x on Pixel 7 and up to 30x on Pixel 7 Pro. On the Pro, you’ll also get the option to use Macro Focus, which allows Pixel HDR+ photo quality from as close as three centimetres away.
The front camera has a larger sensor for nighttime snaps, and it also captures 4K video. Finally, work has been done to better capture skin tones of all shades with Real Tone.
You can read more about the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro here.
What you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch
As for the Pixel Watch, Google has been a bit tight-lipped about its reveal until now.
Android fans have been waiting with bated breath for this smartwatch. After Google introduced Wear OS 3 at last year’s developer conference, folks had hoped that it meant new Google-led watches were on the horizon. But thus far, only Samsung has delivered a worthy smartwatch running a (hybrid) version of Wear OS 3.
But the Pixel Watch is finally here. Here are the specs you need to know about.
- Diameter: 41 mm
- Height: 12.3 mm
- Weight:36 g (without band)
- Battery: up to 24 hours
- Compatibility: Android 8.0 or newer
- Display: 3D Corning Gorilla Glass, 320 ppi AMOLED, always-on
- Colours: Matte Black, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold
- Bands: Small fits wrists 130–175 mm, Large fits wrists 165–210 mm
- Price: From $549
Available to pre-order now.
Google has dropped two models of the inaugural Pixel Watch: 4G LTE + Bluetooth/Wi-Fi ($649) and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi ($549). The watch was introduced as “Google’s first smartwatch that brings together the helpfulness of Google with the health and fitness features of Fitbit”.
The domed look of the glass on the round watch face is intended to give a more sophisticated look, while also being water (up to 5 ATM/50 metres) and scratch-resistant.
Like most smartwatches, the bands are changeable and the range comes with 20 band options so far – with fabric and stretch bands having been made from 100% recycled water bottles.
Moving over to the watch face itself, you can also choose from 19 designs, depending on preference.
Looking at battery, Google shared that a 45-minute charge should give you 9 hours of battery, while at full charge, the watch should last 24 hours.
Over to health. The Google Pixel Watch offers 40 exercise modes, step tracking, built-in GPS and Active Zone Minutes monitoring to encourage activity. It also has heart rate monitoring, checking once per second, along with sleep tracking, an ECG app and other metrics like breathing rate.
As the watch has been designed with Fitbit’s health offerings at its core, you’ll also get a 6-month Fitbit Premium membership with the watch (if you’re a new or returning member).
You can read more about the Google Pixel Watch here.
When is the next event?
Google’s next event will likely be Google I/O in May 2023, the same month the 2022 event took place. This event will likely show off OS-focused announcements like Android updates, revealing less hardware than the Made By Google showcase.
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
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