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At last year’s Google I/O, the Pixel Fold made its debut giving Google a foldable device that could take on the leading foldable from Samsung. Indeed, in our Pixel Fold review, we praised its thin, durable design and wide cover display. (A feature Samsung may adopt for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6, incidentally.)
We don’t expect to see the Pixel Fold 2 previewed at this year’s Google I/O, and not just because Google appears to want to keep the focus on AI. Rather, it’s because of a rumor that the next Pixel Fold might get folded into the Pixel 9 lineup and rebranded as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. If so, that means a fall launch for the foldable follow-up.
Google had some news to announce in conjunction with Apple ahead of Google I/O. The two tech giants have teamed up to boost cross-platform protections against someone trying to monitor your location with a Bluetooth tracker.
Should you be on the move with an unknown tracker along for the ride, you’re going to get an alert on your phone about that device, regardless of the platform its paired with. Previously, iPhone users would see alerts for Apple AirTags that were monitoring them without their knowledge, but not necessarily other trackers paired to Android devices.
The feature’s included on the just-released iOS 17.5 update for iPhones, while Google’s adding support for any Android device running Android 6 or later.
We expected to see the Pixel 8a debut at Google I/O today, but Google had other plans in mind. Instead, it announced the Pixel 8a last week — no doubt to clear the stage for all the AI talk we’re going to hear later today.
We may not have a Pixel 8a demo, but we’ve got the next best thing — a Pixel 8a review. And it sounds like this phone really impresses, thanks to its Tensor-powered AI features in a sub-$500 device along with Google’s extended software and security support.
You can read our full preview of Google I/O 2024, but here’s a rundown of some of the things we’re expecting to hear during today’s opening keynote.
Gemini: Google’s AI model is likely to get a new version, and we may find out more about Google’s apparent plans to use Gemini as the basis for a new version of the Google Assistant that’s reportedly called Pixie. (We’d expect Pixie to debut on the next Pixel flagships, which could mean an early Pixel 9 teaser at Google I/O.) Additionally, we’d plan for lots of demos showing how Google’s AI efforts are adding to new features to a number of existing Google products. (Maps seems like a natural, but we could also be talking about things like Docs, Chrome, Gmail and search.)
Android 15: You can already download a beta for the next version of Android to a Pixel device before its full release toward the end of summer. But with an audience full of developers, Google is likely to take a moment to recap Android 15 and talk about some of its major new features.
Wear OS: Android isn’t the only operating system Google makes. There’s also Wear OS, which powers a number of smartwatches including the Pixel Watch 2. We could find out what features are coming to these wearables, and it certainly wouldn’t be a shock if AI-powered capabilities were on the list. A sneak preview of the Pixel Watch 3, apparently set for the fall, would be a longshot, though.