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Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) set up an official launch of its new phones and the second iteration of its smartwatch at Wednesday morning’s Made by Google event — once again, a well-telegraphed confab after the company teased new hardware at its earlier I/O developer conference.
Google’s phone hardware plans have evolved into one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets. Following a long series of leaks, Google spent September teasing two new phones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Meanwhile, last year’s Made by Google introduced the Pixel Watch, the company’s broadside against the already popular Apple Watch (AAPL), and this year brings version 2 of that wearable.
As usual, after all those leaks the key question will be the phones’ price point, after a set of somewhat more substantial upgrades than in 2022.
The Pixel devices have seen “so many breakthrough features and technological firsts,” hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in kicking off the event. “What I’m most proud of is how consistently we’ve tracked to that early vision of Pixel as the AI-centric mobile computer.”
The first product out of the gate, though, was an update to the company’s Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, highlighting the use of Bluetooth Super Wide Band to improve voice quality on calls, and employing artificial intelligence to help the earbuds pause audio when it detects conversation.
Stay tuned here for live updates from Made by Google.
