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Rick Osterloh, Google’s SVP of Platforms & Devices (pictured above), made a big hoo-ha about artificial intelligence (AI) during last year’s Made by Google showcase, and we’re expecting the company to name-drop AI even more frequently at today’s event.
Google released its latest large language model (LLM), Google Gemini, in February this year, and while the majority of today’s event will surely be dedicated to the company’s new Pixel phones and (we think) Android 15, it’s possible that we’ll hear some Gemini-specific updates, too.
Incidentally, we’ve heard that the Pixel 9 series could get a clever camera trick that lets you add the photographer seamlessly into group shots, and we’ve also heard that Gemini could soon let you make fine edits to AI-generated images. Presumably, we’ll see both features in action today.
Speaking of selfies, here’s the big man himself, Lance Ulanoff (TechRadar’s Editor at Large), at last year’s New York-set Made by Google event, which played host to the launch of the Pixel 8 series.
That event (and most Made by Google events before it) took place in October, so Google’s decision to host its Pixel 9 launch in August this year is a little out of the ordinary. Why the change? Perhaps we’ll hear an answer from Google itself later today, but it seems like the company is trying to steal a march on Apple and its iPhone 16 line, which looks set to launch in September.
Today’s event is taking place at Google’s futuristic Mountain View headquarters in California. The campus hosts 4,000 employees, totals 1.1 million square feet, and boasts a four-building lodging complex with 220 rooms.
The main building’s dragon-like canopy rooftop is made up of solar panels, which work in tandem with subterranean geothermal piles to cool the structure in hot weather and heat it during cold weather.
It’s an impressive place, rivaled only by Apple Park for Silicon Valley silliness, so let’s hope Lance and Jake send in some goofy on-the-ground selfies later today.
As a reminder, things kick off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (or 4am AEDT on August 14 if you’re in Australia).
And what of Google’s next-generation earbuds? Well, they’ll almost certainly be called the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, and like the Google Pixel Watch 3, they’re pretty much nailed-on to appear at today’s Made by Google event.
Unlike the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel 9 series, though, we haven’t heard all that much about the Pixel Buds Pro 2 by way of rumored upgrades.
The most recent Pixel Buds Pro 2 leak teases a case that looks a little more bulky than before and a new cutout next to the USB-C port, but beyond that, we’re relatively in the dark about what to expect from the upcoming buds.
What we want to see from the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is improved call quality and noise cancelation, since we criticized the original Pixel Buds Pro for having “wooly and compressed” sound in our Google Pixel Buds Pro review. Here’s hoping Google brings those upgrades to the table.
Right, onto the wearables. The Google Pixel Watch 3 hasn’t yet been confirmed by Google, but I’m 99.9% sure we’ll see it unveiled later today.
This presumed successor to the Google Pixel Watch 2 has been the subject of myriad leaks in recent weeks, so it seems a shoo-in for today’s Made by Google event.
On the upgrade front, we’re expecting the Pixel Watch 3 to come in two sizes (likely 41mm and 45mm) and boast a brighter screen and smaller bezels than its predecessor. Leakers suggest it’ll use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5100 chipset as the Pixel Watch 2, so you might not notice much difference in raw performance, but battery life will presumably be improved, too.
Sticking with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, we’ve heard that it’ll simultaneously be one of the thinnest and heaviest foldable smartphones on the market.
According to leakers, the upcoming device measures “155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5 mm when [closed] and 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1 mm when [open].” When folded, it’s reportedly 1.6mm thinner than the first Pixel Fold, and 0.7mm slimmer when unfolded.
As for the weight of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it’ll reportedly weigh 257g, which is almost 30g lighter than the previous generation, but still some 18g heavier than the recently released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Will these design upgrades, coupled with the aesthetic tweaks mentioned below, be enough to convince prospective foldable phone buyers to side with Google this year? I’m not too sure, but Google’s phones do at least offer the cleanest, most accessible version of Android, so here’s hoping we see some foldable-optimized Android 15 features announced later today, too.
As a reminder, Google has already shared a teaser image for the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which we know now to be the official name of the Google Pixel Fold 2.
The image in question shows a new square camera block and slimmer bezels for the upcoming phone, so we’re expecting a significant design upgrade over the original Google Pixel Fold.
So, what do we actually expect to see come this afternoon (or this morning, depending on your location)? Here’s what I think Google will announce:
The Google Pixel 9: Google hasn’t yet mentioned this phone by name, but it seems a formality given the confirmed appearance of the Pixel 9 Pro at today’s event
The Google Pixel 9 Pro: official product imagery has already confirmed a redesigned camera module and polished sides
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: rumors suggest this will be Google’s first extra-large handset (it’ll likely exceed 6.7 inches)
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: the name has been confirmed, as has the rear design
The Google Pixel Watch 3: expect a brighter screen and minor design tweaks
The Google Pixel Buds 2 Pro: we’re hoping for noise cancelation and call quality improvements
Android 15 and Google Gemini: expect demos for new features and a rollout timeline
Today’s Made by Google event is taking place at (surprise!) Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. We’ll be dialing in remotely and from the event itself, where our on-the-ground correspondents – TechRadar’s Editor at Large, Lance Ulanoff, and US Managing Editor for News, Jacob Kroll – will be reporting live.
Good morning, folks! Phones Editor Axel Metz here (insert wave emoji). I’ll be setting the scene for today’s Made by Google event, where we’re expecting to lay eyes on the Google Pixel 9, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google Pixel Watch 3 and other Pixel-related goodies for the first time.
Proceedings are due to kick off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (or 4am AEDT on August 14 if you’re in Australia), and we’ll be walking you through the biggest talking points ahead of, during and after the event.
If you’re keen to tune into the California-set showcase yourself, check out our guide on how to watch the Google Pixel 9 launch.
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