Google set off a mobile firework at its developer conference and showed Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a. All the facts about the new devices.
The Google I/O developer conference is actually a software event. This is about presenting the next Android version and its highlights to the world – and to all software developers.
But Google also uses the opening show to present new hardware products – and this year there were three very exciting mobile devices that were presented. The most important facts about the new products.
The Pixel 7a: mid-range without compromise
The new Pixel 7a should be the least surprising. The slimmed-down version of the Pixel 7 comes on the market for 509 euros. Nevertheless, buyers hardly have to make any compromises compared to the Pixel 7:
The 6.1-inch OLED display also offers a refresh rate of 90 Hz, and the same Tensor G2 chip is in the device as in the more expensive models. On the back there is a main camera with 64 MP and an ultra wide-angle camera with 13 MP resolution – according to Google the best camera in the smartphone class.
The battery is also the same size, the device dimensions are almost identical, even the design with the metal band on the back has been adopted. Even demanding smartphone users should hardly miss anything in this cheaper A model, only a camera with optical magnification is missing.
This should make the new Pixel 7a extremely interesting for many users who have high smartphone demands but do not want to spend 800 euros or more. So the question is whether the Pixel 7a is not generally the better and cheaper alternative to the Pixel 7. We answer that in our short test in a separate article. Incidentally, the Pixel 7 a is now available from 509 euros.
Google Fold: Now folding
Smartphones with a flexible display and folding hinge are probably the biggest innovation in the smartphone market for years – however, they have still not arrived in the mass market, which is probably due to the high prices, among other things.
Now Google is launching its first smartphone in this category: the Pixel Fold (from 1899 euros). When folded, the device uses a 5.8-inch touch display in 17.4:9 format on the front. If you open the device, it becomes a mini tablet: A 7.6-inch display in an almost square 6:5 format appears.
What is special, according to Google, is that the device is said to be the thinnest on the market when folded: the smartphone measures 5.8 millimeters when unfolded and 12.1 millimeters when folded. That’s actually thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, for example, which is 15.8 millimeters deep at its thickest point.
However, this is noticeably more than a classic smartphone. For comparison: The Pixel 7 Pro is only eight millimeters thick, we will have to try whether the Pixel Fold is comfortable in the hand and pocket.
Technically, there is nothing to complain about on the Fold: Both OLED displays are high-resolution (2092 x 1080 pixels in front, 2208 x 1840 pixels inside), scroll smoothly at up to 120 Hz and are absolutely sufficiently bright with over 1000 nits.
Google’s self-developed Tensor G2 acts as the computing core – although it is significantly slower than the top models from Apple, Samsung and Qualcomm in comparison tests – Google promises that it is particularly optimized for practical AI functions on the smartphone. With the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7, the processor was never noticed to be slow in everyday use.
12 GB of RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage are also suitable for a top model.
The quality of the cameras should be interesting, because many folding phones have so far been weak here due to space and cost reasons. According to Google, special models have been developed for the very flat Pixel Fold. Users can use a main camera with 48 megapixels (MP) resolution on the back, as well as an ultra wide-angle and a telephoto camera with five times the optical zoom.
There is also a front camera (9.5 MP) and an inner camera for video telephony when the display is open (8 MP). However, only a test will show the quality of the photos. However, the Pixel Fold is an exciting option among the folding smartphones, also because Android should be even better adapted to the format. When exactly it will be available is currently unclear.
