Google recently invited the media to its annual 'Made by Google' hardware event in New York City. The entire show will be live-streamed on YouTube so that you can watch the action unfold for yourself online.
Here's how, plus everything you can expect the company to announce.
When is Google's event?
The Made by Google event - aka Pixel 4 event - starts at 10am ET on Tuesday 15 October. Here are the different local times:
- San Francisco: 7am PT on 10 September
- Chicago: 9pm on 10 September
- New York: 10am on 10 September
- London: 3pm on 10 September
- Berlin: 4pm on 10 September
- Hong Kong: 10pm on 10 September
- Beijing: 10pm on 10 September
- Seoul: 11pm on 10 September
- Sydney: 12am on 11 September
- New Delhi: 7:30pm on 10 September
- Moscow: 5pm on 10 September
- Cape Town: 4pm on 10 September
How to watch Google's event online
You can watch the stream via the video atop this page come event day.
What to expect from Google's event
Google is asking the press to come “see a few new things Made by Google”, a tagline it's used before. Here's all the hardware we expect to see.
Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL
Google's flagship Pixel devices are usually unveiled in October during a Made By Google event. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were announced October 2017, for instance, while the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL followed in 2018.
This year, the heavily leaked Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL should debut. Reports suggest the Pixel 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen and the Pixel 4 XL will have a 6.3-inch display for 2019. It's claimed both displays will offer 90Hz refresh rates, like the OnePlus 7 Pro, offering a smooth and slick experience. For a complete round-up of leaks and rumours, check out Pocket-lint's guide.
Nest Mini
Google might launch a second version of the Google Home Mini, a $29 Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker that launched in 2017 to directly compete with the Amazon Echo Dot. The new version, the Nest Mini, could come with a built-in wall mount and better sound. Keep in mind Google and Nest combined into a single brand called Google Nest in May.
The Nest Mini should be around the same size as the first Home Mini, according to 9to5Google, but it will add a 3.5mm stereo jack. It could also come with proximity awareness and will be available in a series of new colours to choose from. If you needed more proof of its existence, the Nest Mini may have recently surfaced at the FCC, indicating an imminent release.
Nest Wifi
Google might also update its Google Wifi mesh router system. 9to5Google claimed it's called “Nest Wifi” and features a single hub router and two new “beacons” that serve as Google Assistant smart speakers. So, it's embedding Google Assistant into the router system, offering two Google Home Mini-like speakers that blanket your house with Wi-Fi and sound.
They should work with new Google Assistant commands that'll let you halt the internet by device or room - a useful trick for parents - and they'll be backward-compatible with Google Wifi routers. Now, in the past, we heard about a similar setup code-named “Mistral”. It was rumoured to be a Wi-Fi mesh router with smart speaker capabilities and support for Wi-Fi 6.
Mistral also offered Bluetooth 5.1 and worked with ZigBee-based smart devices.
Pixelbook 2
An update to the Google Pixelbook recently appeared at the FCC and in leaked images, revealing it comes with a 4K display. The new Chromebook, codenamed Atlas, will have thinner bezels and may be available in more colours. Other than that, details are thin. But Google has also already confirmed it's doubling down on Pixelbook, thereby confirming a Pixelbook 2 should arrive at some point.
Pixel Buds 2
This one is a long-shot, as we haven't heard much about an update to Pixel Buds, but 9to5Google's Stephen Hall seems to think they're coming.
The Pixel Buds are two regular-sized earphones, linked together by a cloth-covered cord. They pair to most smartphones via Bluetooth. There's no gesture for skipping songs, oddly, although you can activate Google Assistant with a tap-and-hold, at which point you can ask to go back to a track, as long as the music-streaming app you're using supports voice playback controls.
The company hasn't really pushed Pixel Buds since it launched them a couple years ago, nor has it fully marketed their smart features, like the ability to handle real-time language translation, perhaps because they weren't well-received. Maybe it'll attempt a do-over with Pixel Buds 2?
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