The News: Google recently held its Google I/O event where the company made a series of product announcements, including its line of devices such as its Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, and Google Pixel tablet. The following is a brief overview of the Google Pixel Devices. Read the Google I/O device announcements here.
Google I/O Announcements to Pixel Portfolio: Google Enters the Fold
Analyst Take: Google recently held its Google I/O event where the company made a flurry of announcements such as its Google Search, Google Maps, Google Find My Device, Android 14, WearOS 4, and its Google Pixel devices the Google Pixel 7a, Google Pixel Tablet, and its Google Pixel Fold.
Google Pixel Fold – A Foray into the Premium Market
Google moved into the premium foldable market taking on market leader Samsung (e.g., Galaxy Z Fold) with its new Google Pixel Fold. The starting price for the device is $1,799 and comes with a 5.8-inch OLED cover display coupled with a 7.6-inch OLED display with both having refresh rates of up to 120Hz for both. From a processor and storage perspective, the Pixel Fold comes with the Tensor G2 processor, 12 gigabytes of RAM, and 256 or 512 gigabytes of storage.
From a camera perspective, its rear cameras are composed of a 48-megapixel, 10.8-megapixel (ultrawide), and 10.8-megapixel (telephoto). Its front-facing camera is a 9.5-megapixel while its inner camera is an 8-megapixel. The device is capable of capturing 4k video of up to 60 frames per second. The Pixel Fold has a mattery size of 4,821 mAh, has a wired charging speed of 30W, and also includes wireless charging. When opened, the Pixel Fold is 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches and 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches when closed. Its weight is 10 ounces and comes in Obsidian and porcelain.
Google Pixel 7A Smartphone – Affordable & Good Features
The Google Pixel 7A starting price is $499 and has an OLED screen size of 6.1 inches with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The device includes the Tensor G2 processor, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and 128 gigabytes of storage. Its rear cameras include a 64-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel camera while its front-facing camera consists of a 13-megapixel camera. The battery life of the Pixel 7A can last up to 10.5 hours (60Hz) and includes wired charging of 18W coupled with wireless charging. The size of the Pixel 7A is 6 x 2.8 x 0.4 inches / 152 x 72.9 x 9.0 mm and weighs 6.8 ounces. It comes in multiple colors such as snow, sea, coral, and charcoal.
My impression is the device has solid features for users that want an affordable phone, which is perfect at this time since the market has trended in a downward trajectory as consumers have continued to be impacted by inflationary pressures.
Google Pixel Tablet – Tablet & Smart Hub
The Google Pixel Tablet starts at $499 and has an 11-inch LCD touchscreen display. It includes the Tensor G2 chip (for the first time) with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 to 256 gigabytes of storage. The company said the device’s battery has the ability to last up to 12 hours when streaming video, which I have not tested.
The device is equipped with 8-megapixel front-facing and rear-facing cameras that have the ability to capture 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Now that the device is outfitted with the Tensor G2 chip, the software suite allows the user to make various enhancements which include the unblurring of photos, and the ability to stabilize video along with other enhancements. What I really liked is the tablet comes with a charging speaker dock that when the docks it, moves into Hub Mode allowing the user to use voice to interact with it. My viewpoint is people have different tastes to what they consider the center gravity of their homes and think the Google Pixel Tablet could fit that bill for many in the future similar to rival devices.
Wrapping it up, the Google I/O show didn’t disappoint. I think Google’s new Pixel lineup of devices should ultimately resonate with consumers for many reasons. Fundamentally, competition is a healthy thing in the market, forcing rivals to innovate and also level pricing power, ultimately making devices more affordable. Thus, another entrant into the premium-based foldable market should help accomplish that goal, which could drive further adoption of the category itself (winning).
The Google Pixel Tablet and accompanying speaker dock is also a great addition, and for some could be the central hub for their home.
The new Pixel 7A smartphone should also resonate with budget-conscious consumers who are looking for a device with solid functionality at a time when people are trading up more expensive devices for mid-range or lower-end due to macroeconomic pressures. I’m looking forward to new devices coming soon.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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