What to expect from Google in 2023

OPINION: After a largely impressive year, Google looks ready to expand even more with plenty to look forward to in 2023.

Since the release of the Pixel 7 range, Google has been on a roll, showing exactly why it deserves to be a mainstay in the ever-developing conversation surrounding flagship smartphones. After all, the Pixel 7 Pro is one of our favourite handsets of the year thanks to its unbelievable camera chops and the seriously impressive skill set enabled by Google’s Tensor G2 chipset.

Similarly, the Pixel 6a proves that Google still has an understanding for what works in the budget space, and it only leaves us wondering what the phone’s successor might bring to the table. With that in mind, here are the main things to expect from Google in 2023.

Google Pixel Fold

If the Google Pixel Fold does eventually drop in 2023, it’ll be one of the worst kept secrets in the history of tech. Ever since Samsung veered into the foldable space with its Z Fold and Z Flip smartphones, we’ve always wondered what a Google-developed alternative might look like. But even before the product has hit store shelves, we’ve been absolutely spoiled with an abundance of leaked renders to give us a more tangible picture.

YouTube channel Front Page Tech has also predicted a price of around $1799 (which is pretty steep if you ask us), with an announcement expected at Google I/O 2023 in May. Given how many renders and leaks of the Pixel Watch we had to endure before it finally came to market, you can take this rumour with a grain of salt, but it’ll certainly be interesting to see what Google can do with the concept, particularly with stock Android apps.

Google Pixel Tablet

A surprise announcement that caught us off guard earlier this year, the Google Pixel Tablet is confirmed to launch in 2023. At present, Google hasn’t revealed too much about its first tablet under the Pixel line, aside from the fact that it will house the Google Tensor G2 chipset found in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

Given that Google has an esteemed history in developing great value tablets (just think back on the Nexus 7), we have high hopes for the Pixel Tablet reviving an industry that has otherwise been left to just Apple, Samsung and Amazon. Plus, we’d be remiss not to note the incredible looking Charging Speaker Dock that allows the Pixel Tablet to turn into something like a Nest Hub in an instant.

Update for Nest speakers

This one feels like a no-brainer given that the last Nest product to receive an update was the Google Nest Hub back in early 2021. By comparison, the Google Nest Audio first hit store shelves back in late 2020, and the Google Nest Mini hasn’t seen anything in the way of a successor since its release in 2019.

With Amazon keeping up the pressure by updating most of its Echo speakers on an annual basis, the Google Nest range is starting to feel a little outdated by comparison.

The Nest Mini in particular remains one of my favourite smart speakers to date thanks to its stylish design, so I’d love to see an updated model with better sound quality and maybe a minimalist display like the Echo Dot with Clock.

RIP Stadia

Oh Stadia, what happened? Google’s cloud gaming service should have been a home run as gamers struggled to get their hands on the latest consoles, but its benefits failed to resonate with gamers and so, as Google confirmed only a few months ago, Stadia is shutting down on January 18.

I spent a decent amount of time with Stadia, having used the service to play Cyberpunk 2077 at launch before going on to complete the entire Hitman trilogy without a console in sight. When it worked, Stadia proved to be an ingenious concept, and the ability to jump between different devices and pick up where you left off is still a killer feature that has led me to embrace cloud gaming via Microsoft’s Game Pass. I still think that cloud gaming has a future, but unfortunately it isn’t with Stadia.

Pixel 8/Pixel 7a

This is practically a given, but the thought of a new line of Pixel phones always gets us excited. After all, the Pixel 7 Pro is an absolute triumph, enough so that at times it has caused a sense of longing in this Apple enthusiast to swap out my iPhone 14 and see what all the fuss is about.

With each iteration, Google seems to be making better use of its Tensor chipsets so one can only wonder what a Tensor G3 might bring to the table in the Pixel 8. Plus, if the Pixel 6a is anything to go by then we’ll more than likely have another solid mid-ranger in the form of the Pixel 7a.