#MadeByGoogle is Google’s way of showing the world they mean business when it comes to the hardware market. This year, Google unveiled 7 devices with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL getting the most attention. Alongside this year’s Pixel smartphones, Google unveiled:
- The PixelBook: Google’s very own high-end ChromeBook. It’s boasts of top specs and features like a 360 degree hinge, touchscreen capabilities and is the first ChromeBook to have Google Assistant integrated into it.
- Pixel Buds: Wireless earbuds that Google designed for the Pixel kind of like Apple’s AirPods except these ones can simultaneously translate about 40 languages for its user. Amazing!
- Home Mini: Google’s small AI powered wireless speaker that won’t break the bank. You can easily place them in every room, connecting them all together using your phone.
- Home Max: A bigger AI powered speaker for those with deeper pockets.
- Google Clips: A small AI powered camera that only takes pictures at the right time. Google claims it won’t expose your privacy and all your pictures/videos are stored locally. You can use it to spy on your kids, siblings or pets.
- Daydream View: Google’s refreshed line of VR (Virtual Reality) headset with new colour options.
Since Google strongly believes AI (Artificial Intelligence) is the future of technology, they made sure to embed it into all their devices this year. Why preach something if you don’t practice it, right? Let’s take a look at the devices individually.
First up, the Pixel 2 Brothers.
They are the latest addition to Google’s smartphone family which started with last year’s Pixel and Pixel XL. The Pixel phone aren’t Google’s “first” smartphones though; we’ve had the Nexus family for years now. They are however called “Google Phones” because they were built by Google with help from HTC. Speaking of HTC, Google recently acquired a team of 2,000 people for $1.1 billion from them. So, the Pixel 2 is supposed to be the result of that acquisition.
On the outside the Pixel 2 features a 5 inch Full-HD OLED screen whereas the XL has a 6 inch 2K P-OLED screen. They both share the same metallic build with a glass finish towards the top of the device. The glass is also shorter and doesn’t encase the fingerprint scanner unlike last year’s Pixel phones. On the front of both devices, the Pixel 2 has thick bezels similar to the iPhone’s while the XL has slim bezels around the screen like the LG G6.
Under the hood, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are pretty much the same. They feature this “seasons” high-end specs. These includes a 2.35 GHz octa-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processer which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal storage. There is no memory card option.
Last year’s Pixel and Pixel XL were praised exceptionally over the last couple of months because of their cameras and Google isn’t relenting. The most remarkable thing about the cameras these year is that they can do with just one camera lens, what others are doing with dual lens (I’m looking at you Apple). The portrait mode, which allows the camera to focus on the subject/object in view and blur out the background, can be achieved with both cameras.
About those AI goodies? First we have the Always-On Display, which when enabled, constantly listens to audio around you brings up information relating to the song without you asking. There also the Google Lens which always uses the camera to get information concerning something. This could be a poster or a book or monument. It basically like eyes connected to the internet.
Finally they both have IP67 rating against dust and water. Plus, Google skipped the headphone jack this year. That’s just sad. As for price, the Pixel 2 starts from $649 (N240K) and the Pixel 2 XL starts from $849 (N310K).
The PixelBook
The Chrome OS is not as popular (or powerful) as Windows or macOS but it has a dedicated userbase. Small, but dedicated. So now, Google has released the PixelBook with features that will impress you but with a price tag that might make you look the other way. This $1000 (N400k) device is one of the most expensive ChromeBook ever released and I’m not sure that’s a good thing coming directly from Google. And that’s just for the base model. The maxed out version costs $1649 (N600K).
It features a 12.3 inch touchscreen, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage. It’s powered by Intel i5 or i7 processor. On paper the PixelBook is a beast! Most of these power however will be reserved for the Android apps the PixelBook can run and not for the operating system. Earlier ChromeBooks came with 16GB of storage and that was more than enough since most work done on them are web based. Google basically wants the PixelBook to compete with the Microsoft’s Surface and the Apple’s MacBook as a fully functional laptop and not some experiment. A bold statement from Google.
As bonus, there’s the PixelBook Pen which was specifically designed for the PixelBook and as you may have guessed, it’s AI powered. Circle something on the screen and Google Assistant looks it up for you. The Pen retails for a $99 (N35K) and is powered by regular AAAA batteries. No need to worry about low battery for a year.
The Pixel Buds
Google skipped the headphone jack on the Pixel 2 phones these year. Not sure if that’s a smart move for a company that threw punches at Apple after they unveiled the “jackless” iPhone 7, but whatever. To compensate for that, they are releasing a pair $159 (N60K) wireless earbuds. They are not 100% wireless though since there’s a wire running through each ear but they connect to the phone wirelessly.
The best part is they perform voice-to-voice translation. That is, once someone speaks, your phone hears and the Pixel Buds translate them in your local language. This is possible with about 40 languages.
The Home Mini and Home Max
The two new iterations of last year’s Home Speaker. One is a small oval shaped beauty that cost $49 (N20K) and the other is a rectangular beast that costs $399 (N150K). Powered by AI, you can do things like play your SoundCloud playlist, request for the latest news headlines or even ask them to make coffee (via a smart coffee maker). Finally, there is an option for Bluetooth streaming and both speakers, AUX connectivity on the Max speaker because in the end, they are still speakers. Smart speakers, yes, but still speakers.
Google Clips
Simply put, it’s a family-centric camera that Google has created to capture those precious moments. To achieve that, all you have to do is turn it on and place it wherever in the house and let the AI do its thing. The AI takes a 7 second clip (hence the name “Clips”) of events that are, based on Google’s algorithm, interesting. The cool (and creepy-ish) thing is that the device can learn to recognize your face and the faces of family members or even pets. Once it has achieved that over time, it learns to take pictures of those people and ignore other people. Like I said, family-centric. As for what what it does with all the clips (see what I did there?), it saves them locally on the camera, encrypts them and can only be accessed by the phone it’s paired with. The price? $249 (N90K).
In related news, Elon Musk doesn’t think this camera is innocent atall. Musk isn’t a fan of the rapid advancement of AI. He believes it could one day be to our disadvantage like start WWIII. I know, sounds like something straight out of the Terminator movie, but worth giving a thought.
Last but the least, the Daydream View
There isn’t too much to say about this guy. The DayDream view is a pair of VR (Virtual Reality) glasses that allows you enjoy VR with your smartphone. It costs $99 (N35K) for one and now has three new colours pictured above.
That’s all from #MadeByGoogle2017! If you’re thinking of getting any of the devices above, I believe you’re making a good choice. The only problem is, how do I put this gently, none of these devices will be getting a launch/release in any African country. Check Google Store’s country picker here and you see there’s no African country on the list. Which is a bit strange since Google seems to have a pretty great relationship with the continent. Sundar Pichai did, afterall, visit Nigeria back in July to discuss digital training, startups and all that good stuff. There’s even a “Google For Africa” Twitter account!
So why aren’t we getting these devices in Africa? Besides the shipping issues a few African countries might have, the most obvious question is will you buy? Let’s be honest, virtually all these devices (maybe except the Home Mini) belong to the high-end market. Don’t get me wrong, we love good things here in Africa but I personally don’t think I’ll be willing to spend N400K (or more) on a ChromeBook.
The Pixel phones are fantastic too but our mobile markets are already dominated by alot of cheap and high-end phones. The Pixel 2 brothers are going to get lost in the crowd. Inorder words, it’s not really a bad thing we don’t have Google devices here. Instead, it’s an opportunity for them to create a strategy that will win the hearts and pockets of many. For instance, they could partner with ISPs to sell their phones on contracts and reward customers with special data and voice plans. You’re welcome!
No doubt Google’s new devices are exciting and packed with mouth-watering specs but to create an African market for those devices, it’s going to take more than just a launch. But believe me, there is a market here hungry for these devices. I for one, would love to own the Home Mini.
