There are exactly three weeks to go until Google’s upcoming Made by Google event on August 20 in New York, where we’re expecting Google to unveil several new products across a range of categories.
Last year’s event took place in California, where Google unveiled the new Pixel 9 series, including the second-generation Pixel 9 Pro Fold , and the flagship Pixel 9 Pro XL . However, a year later, both categories are fiercely competitive, and Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 7 is setting the benchmark for the best folding phone in the US.
Last year also saw Google unveil the new Pixel Watch 3 , including an innovative Cardio Load feature, as well as the Pixel Buds 2 Pro series. A year on, is Google set to unveil successors to these two excellent devices? Here are five key things we expect to see at the Made by Google event on August 20.
Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL
The Pixel 10 series is almost certainly going to launch at the August 20 event. Last year’s Pixel 9 Pro is still one of the best phones available, and it’s likely that the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL will build on last year’s success.
All of Google’s new phones this year are expected to feature the Tensor G5 processor, the first to be built in partnership with TSMC. There will likely be a continuation from the Google Pixel 9a , including sizable batteries and the evolved camera bar design.
The latter should make the Pixel 10 series a strong contender this year, and while the Tensor G4 was a major improvement over the Tensor G3, the switch to TSMC will hopefully deliver an experience akin to the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The regular Pixel 10 is the one to watch this year. While its more premium siblings are delivering refinement of previous generations, the regular Pixel 10 is set to add a telephoto lens to the dual camera setup used previously. Considering Google’s proven track record in achieving great results irrespective of the hardware, I can’t wait to see what the Pixel 10 can do.
Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Then there’s the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and this is arguably the phone that needs the most attention. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a fantastic folding phone and is very competitive against last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has changed the reference point globally, and the Honor Magic V5 also provides fierce competition in key non-US markets, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has aged poorly against the much thinner competition.
The leaked Pixel 10 Pro Fold specs suggest that Google is going to eschew that industry trend and make the Pixel 10 Pro Fold thicker. It’s expected to be slightly narrower, but 0.1mm thicker when unfolded. Measuring 5.2mm thick when unfolded, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold would then be 1mm thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is also expected to be one gram heavier at 258 grams, which is considerably heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at 215 grams.
Before you despair, there is a silver lining: the thickness difference means the Pixel 10 Pro Fold should feature a 5,150 mAh battery. That’s considerably larger than the 4,400 mAh battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 7, although not as large as the Oppo Find N5 (5,600 mAh) and Magic V5 (5,850 mAh). This should mean the Pixel 10 Pro Fold offers excellent battery life.
Pixel Watch 4
Alongside the new phones, it’s also fairly certain that Google will unveil its new Pixel Watch 4 . This is expected to build on the excellent Pixel Watch 3, but with two key changes that will likely solidify its position atop the best smartwatch list.
First, there’s a change to the materials used in the Active Band, which should make it more comfortable to wear. However, this will only be available for the smaller 41mm model, and not the larger 45mm size. Perhaps this marks the beginning of Google differentiating between two smartwatches of the same generation, similar to how Samsung distinguishes between the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic .
The biggest improvement is likely to be in charging, with Google set to ditch the pin connectors from the Pixel Watch 3 in favor of wireless charging like many other smartwatches. In my testing, the Pixel Watch 3 took 1 hour and 19 minutes to charge to full, while the Apple Watch Series 10 took 57 minutes. Wireless charging is set to bring much faster 25W charging to the Pixel Watch 4, and will hopefully get the Pixel Watch closer to the Apple Watch.
PixelSnap Qi2 charging
For two years, we’ve been waiting for phone makers to adopt the Qi2 magnetic wireless charging standard. However, it seems the wait could be over: Google is expected to announce the new PixelSnap charging/accessory solution at the event, which should bring Qi2 charging to the Pixel 10 range.
It’s unclear whether Google will follow Samsung’s lead and require you to use an additional case to use a magnetic charger, or if it will be closer to Apple’s MagSafe solution, which inspired Qi2 charging and embeds magnets within the iPhone hardware.
I hope it’s the latter, as we need more phone companies to adopt the full Qi2 charging for magnetic wireless charging to become as ubiquitous as the first-generation of Qi wireless charging has become.
Android 16 and Gemini
Of course, we also expect the Pixel 10 series to run Android 16 out of the box, especially as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7 , and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE have already launched with the latest version of the Android platform. Alongside this, expect Google to back each of its phones with seven years of software and security updates, which is the current industry standard that Google first implemented several years ago.
We’ve covered Android 16 extensively, but I think the Made by Google event is likely to focus more on Gemini on Android . Like last year, we can expect several fantastic live demos of existing Gemini features, as well as a live debut of several new features that Google will likely announce as well.
Earbuds, Accessories, and More
In case this wasn’t enough, Google may also unveil new headphones. They probably won’t unveil the Pixel Buds 4, but rather the new Pixel Buds 2a. This is not confusing at all; the Pixel Buds 2a should have probably launched alongside the Pixel 9a a few months ago, and the Pixel Buds 4 would be a welcome announcement alongside the rest of the new Pixel lineup, especially if Google unified its naming structure and called them the Pixel Buds 10.
Beyond audio, Google may also unveil new accessories such as a new Pixel Stand that’s compatible with the PixelSnap technology. We can also expect to see new cases that fit the new devices — and may be color matched — and possibly more from the wider Google ecosystem. I’m not sure about you, but I’m super excited with just three weeks to go!
