Hot Take: The Pixel Watch has large shoes to fill as the Google Pixel 7, 7 Pro lack innovation.

In typical Google fashion, leaks of Google’s next-generation hardware were aplenty, only this time Google didn’t wait to reveal its fall lineup – instead teasing early renders during Google I/O in May. If you’ve been keeping up with leaks over the previous several weeks, the Pixel event ended early on Thursday with no surprises left to reveal.

 

The new Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel Watch, and future Pixel Tablet have all been released. A few elements of the debut event were pre-recorded but most of it was live and in person. Although it was enjoyable to witness a live event, I believe a pre-recorded programme would have been more concise and direct.

 

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are minor updates.
The Pixel 7 pair received some upgrades. With an enhanced GPU that can output photographic jobs at a quicker pace, a new modem, and the Tensor core, a new Tensor G2 chipset improves speed and AI processing for photography. The first-generation Tensor in the Pixel 6 has been improved with these upgrades.

 

However, when everything is taken into account, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro don’t significantly differ in hardware or features from the Pixel 6 series. The ultrawide camera on the 7 Pro is brand-new, has autofocus for close-up photography, and Google’s Super Res Zoom has been enhanced. The typical smartphone user isn’t really interested in other new capabilities like Photo Unblur and a cinematic filming mode.

 

The new phones feel more like updated iterations of their predecessors than actual successors, and they are an improvement over the Pixel 6. On the plus side, Google maintains pricing that is consistent with that of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro from the previous year.

 

The growth of the markets that Google serves depends on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Although a few more nations are receiving the Pixel flagships this year, their market availability still lags significantly behind that of other premium smartphone manufacturers.

 

The cute Pixel Watch still needs a lot of work.
The Pixel Watch feels a few years behind the times. Sure, Google (and many other tech companies) experienced severe supply chain constraints in 2020, and so the Pixel Watch is a first-generation product that has a lot to prove. For Google’s Wear OS and the little Pixel ecosystem it supports.

 

The Pixel Watch has an elegant and cutting-edge design. The Pixel Watch has a positive and helpful vibe when used with Wear OS.

 

The first significant advantage of the Fitbit acquisition is demonstrated by its integration with Wear OS. Although the Pixel Watch is the first Wear OS device full platform integration, Google presently offers a Fitbit model for less money with more robust fitness tracking features than the $349 Pixel Watch.

 

The software features that were announced were not brand-new. Google provided a tonne of examples of what the Pixel Watch can accomplish that older Wear OS watches could already achieve. Of sure, the cosmetic makeover is appreciated but long overdue.

 

As the face of Wear OS, the Pixel Watch has enormous shoes to fill. The business claims a battery life of 24 hours, which implies that recharge will take place every day. However, it is still too early to judge endurance.

 

The Pixel Watch appears to be expensive. The Pixel Watch should be able to compete in terms of appearances even when compared against Fossil’s collection of upscale Wear OS timepieces. Even without having the opportunity to actually view the smartwatch, a $299 price tag would seem more reasonable, albeit still expensive.

 

Expectations for the Pixel Watch are very high because it is thought to be the Android version of the Apple Watch.

 

A flexible smart home display is hinted at by the Pixel Tablet.
The new Pixel Tablet won’t be available until next year, although Google did reveal some new perspectives of it, but it was more of an extended teasing. Since the release of Android 12L, Google has been working to make Android more suited for tablets.

 

A strategy used by the Pixel Tablet blurs the distinction between a portable large-screen device and one of Google’s Home Hub smart displays. The charging speaker dock transforms the tablet into a smart display that, when docked, displays pertinent information. It will listen for Google Assistant orders and carry them out.

 

The Pixel Tablet is a great device for casually sharing with other family members inside the house thanks to its wireless charging speaker combo. We are hoping that Google has plans to display the Pixel Tablet with a productivity-focused add-on, such as a type of magnetic folio keyboard.

 

The event this year helped the Pixel brand advance a little bit.
This year’s Made by Google event featured minor tweaks to the Google Pixel series and a long overdue entry into Google’s Wear OS first-party release, with no significant modifications to the Pixel lineup and a Pixel Watch that seemed unimpressive.

 

Google is currently far behind Apple and Samsung in terms of sales volume, but it plans to release more Pixels the following year and even more the year after that. According to what Google revealed on Thursday, there is a long way to go before the Google Pixel Watch become the Apple Watch of Android smartphones.