Here are the key announcements from the Google I/O 2022 event.
Google’s developer conference returned yet again for 2022, leaving a ton of announcements in its wake. With the unveiling of three new smartphones and the brand new Pixel Watch, it looks like Google has been busy, with many of the announcements alluding to future products and software that will be rolling out within the coming year.
Keep reading to find out all the key announcements from this year’s Google I/O event.
Android 13
Google finally announced Android 13, which is bringing in a plethora of new features. Android home screens will have a new media bar, which conforms to the Material You theme, and should make it easier to navigate your apps.
Google also mentioned a lot of enhancements that will be coming to its upcoming tablet, with updates coming to a lot of stock apps to make them look a lot better on large screen devices. The notification bar will become wider, which will make it easier to read, and users will be able to use the drag and drop feature to easily move files around, with the ability to drag a picture into an email without needing to add it as an attachment.
Messages will also take on a multi-column view, looking similar to Facebook Messenger, again to make it easier for users to view and respond to messages.
Not everything has been revealed about Android 13 yet, though you can check out our dedicated hub for Android 13 to find out even more.
Pixel 6a
One of the most anticipated announcements was the Pixel 6a, which is the budget smartphone in the Pixel 6 lineup. The Pixel 6a will come in three colours, Chalk, Charcoal and Sage, and pack the same processor as the Pixel 6 Pro: Googe’s own Tensor chipset.
Google claims that the Pixel 6a can last over 24 hours and up to 72 hours when using Extreme Battery Saver mode. It will also come with a similar camera set up as its older siblings, including the same 8MP selfie camera and a dual rear camera set up, including a main and ultrawide lens. The camera will include features like Real Tone, which better represents darker skin tones in photos, as well as Magic Eraser and Night Sight.
Pre-orders for the Pixel 6a will start on July 21, with products hitting shelves on July 28 with a starting price of $449.
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Not much information was given about the future generation of Pixel phones, though we did pick up a few key details. The Pixel 7 range will keep the same unique rear camera bar that the Pixel 6 lineup has, and it will keep the same two-tone design, though the housing around the camera lens looks a little different with the white version of the phone having a silver camera bar.
Google also mentioned that the phones will be coming this autumn and run on Android 13, though it will house the to-be-released second-generation Google Tensor processor.
Pixel Buds Pro
The Pixel Buds Pro are a mark-up over the Pixel Buds A-Series model and have a pre-order date of July 21, a sale date of July 28 and a starting price of $199. It’s not clear if that date is for US customers or worldwide, though we will be sure to update this article when we find out.
These earbuds will be available in four colourways: Coral, Lemongrass, Fog and Charcoal, and seem to take on a traditional earbud shape with a soft matte finish that we expect will help in terms of touch and feel while operating the earbuds.
They are rated IPX4, meaning they will be resistant to sweat and rain, with three ear-tip sizes included to help everyone find their perfect fit. They come with hands-free support for Google Assistant and Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal, which the company claims helps the earbuds adapt to the shape of your ear, thus blocking out unwanted noise.
Pixel Watch
We only saw a glimpse of the Pixel Watch, but we can tell that it has a clean two-tone aesthetic that is overlapped by a rotating crown on the right-hand side. It looks like there will be three colourways available, black, silver and gold, and it seems that the front-facing portion has a near bezel-free display that should allow for more content to fit on screen.
It will run on Wear OS 3 and likely feature a bespoke overal that differs from the one previously seen on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The company also mentioned that Fitbit’s ecosystem will play a large role, with Fitbit’s Active Zone Minutes – which tracks week-on-week progress towards an overall fitness goal – coming to the Pixel Watch.
Fitbit sleep and continuous heart tracking will also be brought over, which suggests that the Pixel Watch will be capable of giving users an overview of their current health.
