It’s the annual launch day for Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) new phones and watches, and as always, the most prominent new hardware (the Pixel 10 phone and Pixel Watch 4) have seen well-telegraphed feature drops.
The company set a star-studded guest lineup for its 1 p.m. “Made by Google” event in New York, including late-night host Jimmy Fallon, NBA stars Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and pop stars the Jonas Brothers to help sell the event.
The launch was setting up to provide mostly incremental upgrades to the hardware, and few cosmetic and price tweaks. Much of the event looks to focus on the artificial-intelligence upgrades powering the devices as Google also launches Android 16.
The headline news comes from the Pixel 10 phone, now offered (much like last year) in a baseline model, a 10 Pro, and the high-end 10 Pro XL. The phones sport the new Tensor G5 chip (now made by TSMC (TSM) instead of Samsung (SSNLF)), and support for the latest wireless charging standard, Qi2, which will bring Google’s first magnetic charging accessories (Google’s take on Apple’s MagSafe is called “Pixelsnap”).
There are incremental battery upgrades across the lineup. And pricewise, there were no real hikes in the product line: The Pixel 10 comes at $799, the Pixel 10 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL (now available with just one storage choice, 256 GB) at $1,199.
With most hardware news and even pricing coming earlier than ever, the event’s focus has shifted to showy demos of the company’s AI helpers.
On Gemini and AI, “there has been a lot of hype about this, and, frankly, a lot of broken promises too, but Gemini is the real deal,” Google Platforms/Devices Senior VP Rick Osterloh said at the event. “We’ve got the best models, we’ve got the best AI assistant, and it means this can just unlock so much helpfulness on your phone.”
Preorders opened alongside the event and the phones will appear in stores Aug. 28.
Foldable, Watch 4, Pixel Buds
Along with the new mainline releases, Google has a new premium folding model in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (starting at $1,799).
The Pixel Watch 4 has revised the company’s trademark curved display even more to eke out more display space and 50% more brightness. The watches range from $349 to $499 depending on size and support for LTE wireless access.
And the Pixel Buds 2A earbuds get a price bump to $129.99 and include replaceable batteries for its charging case. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 from last year will get Adaptive Audio and Noise Protection in the coming month’s update.
The event marked the formal release of Android 16, its latest mobile operating system, though as usual Pixel users previously got early access to the system.
Alphabet stock has been down slightly throughout Wednesday trading (as of 1:30 p.m. ET: (NASDAQ:GOOG) -1%, (NASDAQ:GOOGL) -1%).
Stay tuned here for any key updates from Made by Google.