What We Didn’t Get From Google’s Pixel 7 Event – CNET

Google has unveiled its latest smartphone with two models — the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro — and a brand-new watch, the Pixel Watch. Yet there were plenty of potential products the company didn’t announce at its event Thursday.

The search giant’s consumer wing offers everything from smart home devices like the Nest Audio and the Nest Thermostat to the latest software for the popular Android smartphones. Aside from these established products, there are also rumored devices like Google’s answer to the foldable phone that were conspicuously absent.

When I asked CNET’s Scott Stein what the company missed out on he (jokingly?) told me that it didn’t announce a new hovercraft. That’s something you could park alongside your Apple Car, perhaps.

Here are some of the possible products and services Google didn’t mention at its fall event today.

Now playing: Watch this: Everything Revealed at Google’s Pixel Event (October…

9:58

Pixel Fold

Folding screens are one of the biggest design changes in the history of smartphones, and Google has been rumored to be working on its own foldable, called the Pixel Fold. But while the Pixel 7 was unveiled in all its glory, nothing was said about a potential rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

Android

Pixel phones and new releases of Android go together hand in hand, so it was kinda disappointing to not see any updates on Google’s handheld OS. That said, while it wasn’t announced at the event, the latest Android 13 beta (QPR1) did go quietly out to developers yesterday.

Smart home

If you were looking forward to more smart home news, after the announcement of the Nest Video Doorbell and Nest WiFi Pro earlier this week, you’ll have been sorely disappointed. Surely there was a speaker, or something, right?

Smart speakers

It’s been a while since Google refreshed its smart speaker line, with the most recent being the Nest Audio back in 2020. Given that the company hasn’t had a larger speaker since it killed off the Google Home Max, it’s a shame we didn’t see any new releases. Also, I’m always hopeful that a redesigned Chromecast Audio will make an appearance, but a new audio dongle designed for existing speakers is a pipe dream at this point.

Google Assistant

Alongside Siri and Alexa, Google Assistant is one of the most popular voice assistants in use today, and from time to time the company unlocks new capabilities. From being able to stop Google from babbling to asking multiple questions without needing to use the wake word. Alas, there were no new capabilities unveiled this time around.

Google Fi

Google Fi is the company’s mobile carrier service and while the company has made some changes this year, including making its plans cheaper and extending Wi-Fi calling to iPhone users, there were no updates this time around.