Google Announces Pixel 3 Smartphone, 'Home Hub' Smart Speaker, and Pixel Slate Tablet

Google today held its annual "Made by Google" fall event, unveiling a new line of products that included the all-new Google Pixel 3 smartphone, a screen-based smart speaker, and a new tablet. Notably, Google pointed out at the beginning of its presentation that 2018 marks the 20 year anniversary of the search giant.

google pixel 3
The central announcement at the event was the 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 and 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL. The Pixel 3 XL has an edge-to-edge display and a notch at the top of the smartphone that holds its front-facing camera system, akin to iPhone X onwards. Unlike Apple's smartphones, the Pixel 3 XL has a chin on the bottom of the device.

The company focused on the Pixel 3's advanced camera, including an HDR+ mode and "Top Shot," which automatically captures multiple shots with HDR+ and recommends one that might be better than your photo. Night Sight will enhance photos captured in low-light scenarios, and Google compared nighttime images on the iPhone XS with those taken on Pixel 3. Users can also now edit the depth of field effect in portrait mode, like on iPhone XS and XS Max.

google oct 9 event 2
The second camera on the front of the Pixel 3 smartphone allows for a group selfie feature, which captures 184 percent more of a scene than the iPhone XS, according to Google. The new smartphone also has a few AR features on the camera called Google Playground, including characters from The Avengers and an animated version of Childish Gambino created in partnership with Donald Glover.

Outside of the camera, Google Pixel 3 has a Call Screen feature, where Google Assistant can answer a call for you when you can't or don't want to pick up the phone. The Assistant asks the caller who is calling and to leave a message, and the entire conversation is transcribed live on the smartphone, so you can read along as the conversation happens.

Google Pixel 3 is available to pre-order today and launches on October 18 in the United States and other countries, starting at $799. The Pixel 3 XL starts at $899, and both are available in Just Black, Clearly White, and Not Pink. A new Qi-compatible Pixel Stand will also be available for $79.

google home hub
Google Home Hub is the company's latest smart home speaker, allowing users to access YouTube, Google Photos, and more on its 7-inch screen. Google says it decided to not include a camera in Home Hub to enhance privacy, and an Ambient EQ feature automatically adjusts display brightness in relation to the light in the room.

The company gave numerous examples of how you can use Google Home Hub, including following recipes in the kitchen provided by Tasty, or controlling smart home products. In regards to the latter feature, Google built a "Home View" section on Home Hub, where you can drag down from the top of the screen to see a quick update on your smart lights, locks, and thermostats in one place, like Apple's Home app on iOS. The Google Home mobile app is also updating to match Home View's design.

Google Home Hub will cost $149 and launch later this month on October 22.

google pixel slate
The company then went on to talk about the Google Pixel Slate, a new Chrome OS tablet that is aimed at use both in the workplace and for entertainment at home. The tablet has dual front-firing speakers, 8MP rear and front facing cameras with portrait modes, a 12-hour battery life, and a 12.3-inch Molecular Display with 293 pixels per inch.

On Pixel Slate, Chrome OS has been adjusted to specifically fit the tablet. This includes features like split screen, a new app launcher, deeper integration with Google Assistant, family link, do not disturb, and "nightlight" to reduce blue light on the display at nighttime.


Google Pixel Slate will start at $599 when it launches later this year in the United States. A connected keyboard and case accessory, the Slate Keyboard, will cost $199, while the Pixelbook Pen in a new midnight blue color (to match Pixel Slate) will cost $99.

More information on Google's announcements can be found on the company's website and on the Made by Google YouTube channel.

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
71 months ago
Alternatively, you can just write some of your most private information on a notecard and mail it to Google HQ in an envelope full of money.



Attachment Image
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shanson27 Avatar
71 months ago
They tapped somwhere on the display to make the photo extra dark! How clever google

Attachment Image
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnyslats Avatar
71 months ago
A phone sporting a notch AND a chin cannot be considered “edge-to-edge”
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrJohnnyN Avatar
71 months ago
Still ugly.

Notch and chin? Come on.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mgollaher92 Avatar
71 months ago
For Google having unlimited resources, they sure do make UGLY products. That Home Hub looks like some sort of early 2000's cheap korean brand of tech you'd find on eBay. The Pixel 3 also looks horrible.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigMcGuire Avatar
71 months ago
That photo looks real to me. The people are sitting on a rock under the shadow of a tree, it’s not a common scenario but I can totally see the iPhone getting fooled by that set up. Pixel generally have the best camera of its generation so it will be interesting to see more in-depth reviews.

For what I heard so far the Xs is on par with the pixel 2 and S9, maybe even a bit behind, so we’ll see if this is an incremental update or if google will leap frog again like they did with the original pixel and pixel 2.
840quadra's post answers your post perfectly. And no, that doesn't look like a real photo. That looks like someone disabled HDR, intentionally clicked on the buildings in the background to adjust white balance. Having shot many thousands of photos on my iPhones (tens of thousands), even I know this and I'm nowhere near a pro. That shot looks like it was intentionally fouled to make Google's photo look better.


Still think they had HDR off on the iphone. My personal results in (what I suspect) is similar lighting on the iPhone xS has been far better.



Also, you can pick your favorite shot on iPhone, provided you have Live Photo’s on too. Actually works really well!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...