The Pixel line has often been on the cutting edge of mobile photography. This year, that means baking AI straight into the camera app and making us grapple with all of the very messy things that means. I’ve been scouring the internet for sample images of the Pixel 10 Pro’s AI-enhanced 100x zoom feature — Pro Res Zoom — and the early results have been all over the place. There are early samples that look great and others that make me very worried about what Google has unleashed.
This week on The Vergecast, we’re talking all things Pixel. Victoria Song and Allison Johnson join me to discuss the launch in detail, starting with the strange, keynote-reshaping Jimmy Fallon-hosted, cameo-packed event. From there, we dive into the Pixel 10 lineup, particularly its new AI features and Qi2. And we spend a bunch of time puzzling over the camera (which Google insists in metadata is a camera, by the way).
Then, we change gears to discuss wearables. Between the Pixel Watch 4 and Fitbit’s AI coach, Google has a surprisingly opinionated take on smartwatches coming up. We dig into the repairability of the Watch 4 and the new Pixel Buds 2A. And we touch on Google’s announcement that Gemini is coming to smart home speakers as well as its very brief tease of some future speaker hardware.
Finally, the Thunder Round returns with some crucial stories. We’re talking about Hank Green’s Focus Friend, Ricoh’s GR IV pricing, YouTube’s content strategy, Masimo’s lawsuit against US Customs, and Chipotle getting into drone delivery.
If you want to read more about the stories we discussed, check out the links below.
- The Made by Google event felt like being sucked into an episode of Wandavision
- The Google Pixel 10 and 10 Pro come with magnets, a new chip, and AI everywhere
- The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable
- Google says the quiet part out loud: IP68 protection doesn’t last
- The best new features of the Pixel 10 lineup
- The Pixel 10 Pro puts generative AI right inside the camera
- The magnets are the coolest thing about the Pixel 10
- Google is launching its first magnetic wireless charging accessories
- Google’s Pixel Watch 4 has big ideas — and an even bigger focus on AI
- Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in
- The unbearable obviousness of AI fitness summaries
- Google’s Pixel Buds 2A add Gemini, noise cancellation, and a replaceable battery
- Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are getting new AI-powered features in September
- Gemini for Home is Google’s biggest smart home play in years
- Is that a new Nest smart speaker I spy?
- Hank Green’s Focus Friend swapped my screen time for bean time
- Ricoh’s GR IV launches in September for a much steeper price than its predecessor
- YouTuber Mark Rober is getting a Netflix series
- The Duffer Brothers are joining the Paramount family
- Now Masimo is suing US Customs over Apple Watch imports
- Chipotle is testing drone delivery