After months of leaks and rumours about its upcoming Pixel 9 series, Google has finally made things official by sending out invites for the launch of its upcoming Pixel 9 series of devices. While the exact number of devices that will be revealed on that day remains a mystery, we do know that the keynote for the same will take place on August 13, which is a lot earlier than Google’s usual October timeline for its Pixel devices. The event according to the webpage set up on the Google Store (US) for the same is set for August 13 at 10am Pacific Time (PT).
Google as per the details on the event page, does not explicitly mention that it will announce any devices at the launch event. As usual, there’s a clear focus on AI (read “Magic”). However, a teaser video shows a silhouette of what matches the images of the Pixel 9 smartphones with a new visor camera design as leaked by the rumour mill over the past couple of months.
The phone in the teaser video could be the Pixel 9 Pro or the Pixel 9 Pro XL, both of which have a similarly placed three rear-facing cameras in the new capsule-shaped camera module, which is a departure from the traditional visor-shaped camera module (running from side to side) that has graced Pixel devices since the launch of the Pixel 6 series.
Meanwhile, Google also released the same teaser with the same device on its social media channels in India, hinting that the same phones will be coming to India as well, just like the Pixel 8 series of devices, which currently includes the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8 Pro and the recently launched Pixel 8a (technically an A-series device). However, the teaser for India says the phone will launch in India on August 14.
While speculation about what will be launched at this upcoming event are high, we can now confirm (thanks to the teaser) that Google will announce or at the least reveal its Pixel 9 series, which as per leaks and rumours also includes an XL-sized larger model this year. All phones are expected to be powered by the new Tensor G4 SoC, which as per a recent report will still be manufactured by Samsung.
The rumour mill over the past couple of weeks has also suggested the existence of a new foldable from Google, tagged as the Pixel Fold 2. Going by leaked details and images, it is expected to have a brand-new design and (squarish) aspect ratio for main display, which will make it appear drastically different from the more rectangular Pixel Fold.
More recently, reports of a new Pixel Watch 3 have also shown up. The Pixel Watch 3 is also set to be launched alongside a Pixel Watch 3 XL model this year, which will offer a larger display and possibly a bigger battery with a different strap fastening system. The design of the Pixel Watch 3 XL is said to be very similar to the standard Pixel Watch 3, which is expected to be similar to the Pixel Watch 2 that is currently on sale in India.
Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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