Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 Have Arrived. Here’s What’s New
Google's October hardware event took place this morning in New York City. During its presentation, the company showed off three new pieces of hardware: the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, and the Pixel Watch 2. The new phones are flush with new features, from secure face authentication and seven years of software support to a built-in thermometer, while the second-generation Pixel Watch has more modest improvements over its predecessor. There are also some software upgrades coming to the Pixel Buds Pro, Google's wireless earbuds.
Today's event wasn't just about hardware. Google also unveiled its plans to inject Google Assistant with its Bard large language model, imbuing the voice chatbot with artificial-intelligence-fueled conversational powers. You can read more about that in a separate story. Below is everything you need to know about the Pixel 8 series phones and Pixel Watch 2.
The Pixel 8 is a bit smaller than last year's Pixel 7, with a 6.2-inch screen; the Pixel 8 Pro retains the 6.7-inch screen size of its predecessor. Both phones have more-rounded edges than before—they mold to my hands quite nicely!—and the Pixel 8 has a matte camera bar with a glossy glass back, whereas the Pro model has a soft-touch matte back glass with a glossy camera bar. Both of the new models have frames crafted out of 100 percent recycled aluminum.
