At its annual hardware showcase, Google showed off its much-leaked Pixel 4 series of smartphones. While the Pixel 4 offers a range of new features, Google is doing away with what was a key incentive for buying the previous three generations of Pixel devices — unlimited, full-res Google Photos storage.
The perk allowed Pixel owners to upload their pictures and videos in the original quality for free on Google Photos. That meant it didn’t count against your Google Drive storage irrespective of how many 4K videos you have in your gallery.
Google hasn’t bundled that deal on the Pixel 4 series, meaning users will have to settle for high-quality, compressed uploads unless they’re willing to invest in additional cloud storage — just like pretty much every other Android phone.
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In lieu of that, Google is including a three-month trial of Google One on the Pixel 4 which comes with 100GB of cloud storage. It’s certainly not a fair trade-off and could end up being a significant deal-breaker especially for existing Pixel users looking to upgrade. Pixel 3 owners, in comparison, will be able to enjoy the Google Photos perk until January 31, 2022.
With the Pixel entering its fourth year, Google is most likely being more sensible and less aggressive with its promotions. It’s now hoping to convince Pixel 4 users to continue their Google One subscription which normally costs $2 a month for 100GB.
Apart from that, the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL replace the traditional fingerprint sensor with a facial recognition system. There’s a radar chip embedded under the front bezel which enables users to control the phone and perform several actions like snooze the alarm by simply waving their hands over it. In addition, the Pixel 4 has more RAM than before and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor.
The centerpiece to Google Pixel phones — the camera has also been upgraded. The Pixel 4 has two of them, a regular 12-megapixel snapper and another 16-megapixel telephoto lens. The phones house a new camera mode for astrophotography and capturing the night skies as well. Google says it has improved the Portrait Mode and it’s now more accurate at figuring out the edges around tricky subjects such as pets.
Have a Google Pixel 8? You’re about to get these 4 new features
A new set of features is set to debut as part of the June Google Pixel Feature Drop. These include fresh productivity tools and enhancements. Of the latest tools, four will undoubtedly be the most popular.
If you have a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8a, you will soon be able to use Gemini Nano on your phone. Gemini Nano, Google's most efficient AI model for on-device tasks, was previously only available on the Pixel 8 Pro. To access Gemini Nano, you must enable developer options on the phone. Gemini Nano is a bit limited today, but it sets the foundation for powerful on-device AI features down the road.
This is our very first look at the Google Pixel Watch 3
Google is expected to introduce the Google Pixel 9 smartphone series later this year. At the same time, the company is almost certainly going to reveal the Pixel Watch 3. Now, 91Mobiles has released renders that are purported to show the new smartwatch.
If you were hoping for something different from the previous two Pixel Watches, we have bad news for you.
The Google Pixel 8 is about to get a long-awaited update
If you own a Google Pixel 8 or the recently released Google Pixel 8a, we have some good news for you. A Google Pixel 8 Pro feature is finally coming to your phone.
According to an APK teardown of Google's AICore app by Android Authority, a new toggle for activating Gemini Nano on the two smartphones is present. Google also mentioned that Nano would be available on these phones through Developer Options, indicating a launch is coming sooner rather than later. This means users will likely need to activate it manually when Gemini Nano finally launches on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a.
