Google "Launch Night In" reaction

 

The Google hardware event has wrapped up and all the beans have been spilled. Let's see what was announced and react to it right here, right now. 

 
 

I also want to say that although the even was one of the better hardware showcases since the Pandemic (looking at you Samsung) Google kept it short. Too short, with almost no in-depth information so I'll have to wait to do deep dives of all these products but for now my reactions will suffice.  

 
 

So, I'll start with the phones, Google announced the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. Unlike past phone launches there is no "XL" variant to the Pixel 5 leaving the 5 alone. It has a 6-inch 2340 x 1080 OLED panel and 90Hz refresh rate in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio; it also keeps the 4a look with a hole-punch selfie camera, it also loses the small 4a chin to truly go edge-to-edge. The Pixel 5 comes packing a midrange Snapdragon 765G along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the build materials are unknown but if leaks are correct, I would guess a glass back and aluminum rails that are standard for premium phone. It also includes a 12MP main camera and for the first time in a Pixel it has an Ultra-wide camera, the Pixel has always had some of the best camera's in smartphones so expect business as usual from both Pixels. 

 

Image: The Verge

This phone is the clear Pixel flagship and although it won't have all the flagship specs it does have the flagship features with IPX8 water-resistance, Complete wireless charging to and from the phone, and premium build materials. It's not the traditional flagship but it's Google's flagship and for many it will be the best phone for them. The question of whether it's a good value or just a good phone remains to be seen but my initial reaction is that it's too expensive at 7994 for what it gives you especially with phones such as the Oneplus Nord in Europe and the S20 FE here in the US taking the cake in terms of value.  I'm not sure how the Pixel 5 makes sense yet but when I figure it out, I'll get back to everyone. Oh, and it comes in a light green. 

 
 

Speaking of Value, the Pixel 4a 5G is Google's Pixel 4a XL, it uses the same design as the Pixel with a few subtle differences that keeps in its value Pixel fence.  

Image Credit: Google
 

So, what is the same and what is different? The 4a 5G shares its dual camera system with the Pixel 5 along with the general design it also shares the same specs as the Pixel 5 mentioned above except it has 6GB of storage instead of 8. Now for the differences, the Pixel 5a has 6.2-inch OLED display that omits the 90Hz refresh rate and keeps the hole-punch. It also omits the Pixel 5 build materials coming with a Polycarbonate unibody like the 4a. It also omits the rest of the flagship features such as wireless charging and water resistance. Overall, the 4a 5G is shaping up to be a terrific value phone to take on favorites such as the Onplus nord at the same price range. 

 
 

 
 

Now let's talk about the new streaming dongle, the Chromecast with Google TV. 

 
I do want to mention that the product was being sold at home depot starting yesterday so tech blogs were able to get a peek at earlier than Google would have liked.  

 
 

The dongle itself will do 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second and support Dolby Vision, it's also running Google TV. Google TV is a bit confusing but the interface itself is reminiscent of Apple TV and Fire TV giving you shows instead of a row of Apps. Google is also touting the Google assistant in the controller being able use voice commands and algorithms to find new and existing things to watch. Google TV itself is a skin applied over Android TV meaning you can still sideload apps and tinker with the OS if you wish. It even has an ambient mode that taps into Google photos to show pictures on your TV. I love the idea of Google taking on the Fire stick and Roku, I also like the color and controller scheme. The controller does remind me of the Fire Stick controller with a circle D-Pad, play/pause, assistant button, and a Netflix button among other things. 

I love the blue color along with pink and white, these colors really give this dongle some life. 

The last thing I want to talk about is the new Nest Audio speaker, this is a new speaker dedicated to audio quality primarily. It has a pill-shaped, fabric-covered, design. Google claims it's 75% louder than its predecessor the Original Google Home, it has a 19mm tweeter and a 75mm mid-woofer to give it better bass and overall sound than the original Google Home. I think the biggest announcement is the new pairing system that allows you to pair two speakers to form a stereo pair and use all the speakers in the house to extend the music from room to room wherever you are in the house. One thing to note is that Sonos is currently suing Google for this technology so it may be cancelled if the lawsuit bears fruit but for now I really love this cheap and easy competitor to Sonos and most of all, Amazon's new Echo's. 

All these products are premium and have that Google look and feel that just makes all of them special. I can't wait to see how these products hold up in the real world. 
 

Best, BenTechCoder