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Google is expected to announce its fall product lineup, on Wednesday during a press conference.  Apple is usually the one that stirs things up around this time of year, but last year’s announcement of the Pixel has left Android fans eagerly awaiting this year’s announcement.  That being said, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL aren’t exactly Google’s best-kept secret at this point.  What else is Google planning on announcing tomorrow?

Smart Speakers

In addition to the new smartphones (which I will talk about in a minute), Google is expected to unveil two new smart speakers. The first is thought to be a larger and more high-end version of the Google Home speaker.  This one will be called “Google Home Max”. But not a lot is known about it at this time.  The second will be a smaller version of the Home and will be called “Google Home Mini”.  The mini is expected to cost about $49.99, which will compete nicely with Amazon’s Echo Dot.

New Laptop

Google is expected to announce a new Chromebook – Pixelbook.  The new high-end notebook will have updated specs and will come in three different storage sizes:

  • Google Pixelbook 128GB: $1,199.99
  • Google Pixelbook 256GB: $1,399.99
  • Google Pixelbook 512GB: $1,749.99

VR Headset

Google has been involved in VR ever since it debuted Google Cardboard back in 2014.  But Google’s next-generation headset is a bit more sophisticated than Cardboard.  It’s rumoured that the new Daydream VR will come in three different colours and cost about $99.99.

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Pixel Phones

I am mentioning these last, but not because they’re last in any way.  In fact, they are the highlight of the new products in my opinion.  Now we know that Android devices are always competing with Apple.  And vice versa.  Samsung released their phones earlier in the year.  Apple just released their new iPhones in September.  Which begs the question of how different or how much better the Pixel phones will be?

Here is what we know about the phones:

  • Pixel 2 is made by HTC, Pixel 2 XL is made by LG
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 powers both phones
  • Pixel 2 has a 5-inch Full HD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch QHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio
  • 64GB or 128GB of storage
  • 4GB of RAM

Is it weird that one phone is made by HTC and the other is made by LG?  I guess when I think about these kinds of things, it makes sense to me that they would both be made by the same manufacturer.  That said, however, the Pixel 2 will be an update of the original Pixel, and will look very similar.  Whereas the Pixel 2 XL will be a bit different.  The XL is rumoured to have much smaller bezels around the screen, giving it a more modern design.  The XL does have smaller bezels, but it won’t look like the iPhone X.  If you were expecting it to look the same, you’re going to be disappointed.  But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t look good.  Maybe iPhone 8 comparable?

If you’re wondering about the price, be prepared for the phones to cost around the same as the iPhones:

  • Pixel 2 64GB: $649
  • Pixel 2 128GB: $749
  • Pixel 2 XL 64GB: $849
  • Pixel 2 XL 128GB: $949

It’s expected that the Pixel 2 will start shipping around October 19th, while the larger, more anticipated Pixel 2 XL likely won’t launch until after November 15th. Which definitely sounds similar to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X release dates.  Is this something that you will buy?  Which phone do you prefer – the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy 8 or one of these Pixels?

 

By Staff Writer

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