Google I/O 2019 is upon us, and it’s set to bring us the latest on Google Pixel 3a, Nest Hub Max, Android, Google Assistant, Chrome, and much more.
Google I/O 2019 is upon us! If years past are any indication, the annual developer event in Mountain View, California is set to bring us the latest in Android, Google Assistant, Google Maps, AR initiatives, YouTube, and much, much more. This year is particularly notable, though, because we’re expecting some new developments from the hardware side of things too…
While Google I/O was an annual hardware showcase for many years, that tradition disappeared after a slew of Android Wear watches — you may remember them as the LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live, and the Moto 360 — were announced at Google I/O 2014.
Since then, Google I/O has been primarily a software show — although attendees have gone home with some hardware in a couple of the years since… a Nexus 9 in 2015, and a Google Home Mini in 2018.
This year, it looks like hardware is making a big comeback, in the form of what appears to be a second #MadebyGoogle event of sorts. We’re expecting a new Pixel and a new Nest Hub Max.
The star of the Google I/O 2019 hardware show is most certainly going to be the Google Pixel 3a, a more affordable, toned-down, and lesser-specced version of last year’s Google Pixel 3. There’s few surprises with this device left.
We had the scoop on everything there is to know about the Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL almost two months ago (and our Damien rounded up all those details in a video, too). Google itself has even — accidentally — confirmed their existence, and we’ve even seen them show up on the shelf at Best Buy.
Look, I don’t know how else to say it — there just aren’t any surprises left for the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. And that’s pretty much par for the course with Google smartphone launches over the last couple years. A Google Pixel 3a packaging leak has corroborated the third color’s ‘Purple-ish’ name, screen size, hints at pricing, and details even the accessories in the box.
As mentioned, we gave you the deets on the Pixel 3a and 3a XL extensively last month. The smaller device will have a 5.6-inch OLED display at 2220×1080, a Snapdragon 670,4GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel wide-angle front shooter, and a 12-megapixel rear shooter. There’s also a 3,000mAh battery, Active Edge squeezable sides, the Titan M security chip, eSIM, and 18W fast charging via USB-C.
One leak even hinted at pricing for the Pixel 3a, which will supposedly start at $399. Meanwhile, the larger Pixel 3a XL will cost $479, according to the person that shared photos of the retail box. We reported that the Pixel 3 could come to T-Mobile, and AP said the 3a will too.
More last-minute leaks:
The other hardware announcement we’re expecting to hear about at Google I/O 2019 is a device called Nest Hub Max. Interestingly, this story actually originated all the way back in February, when our Kyle noted the existence of a likely larger version of the Google Home found in the Fuchsia source code. Then, Google managed to leak a “Nest Hub Max” product on its own storefront. Whoops.
Kyle did a great job rounding up everything we know about the Nest Hub Max, but the skinny is this: It’s a larger version of the Google Home Hub with a camera for Duo calls. And it has the Nest brand, obviously, which we’re not clear will be represented in the actual product or not. Will this be a Nest product “proper”? Or is the first of many Google products that simply has “Nest” as a “feature”?
Specs? Here’s the brief list that our Kyle has deduced based on his assumption that the “Sherlock” prototype in Google’s Fuchsia OS source code is indeed the Nest Hub Max:
Another interesting tidbit which can inform what to expect along the lines of Nest at I/O 2019 is evidence we surfaced in the Google Home app. A product called “Zion” is described in the app as a “border router” with a “built-in smart plug” that enables the “Google ecosystem in a home” (a new Nest Connect?). There’s also “Castell”, which could be a Nest Detect. That would make sense if Google unbundles Nest Guard from the rest of the security system so that Nest Hub Max can be used instead.
As a side note, we’ve exclusively reported that Google is planning to rebrand the standard Google Home Hub as Google Nest Hub.
