Google’s foray into the smartwatch scene with the Pixel Watch line has been met with a mix of praise and critiques. Design-wise, they’re head-turners, no doubt. But when it comes to how long they last between charges? Suffice it to say that across the two generations of Pixel Watches so far, the biggest complaint on everyone’s mind has been about the battery life.
Recent reports have hinted that a Pixel Watch 3 XL could join the regular Pixel Watch 3 this year. This news had us pretty excited, not because the original Pixel Watch is too small, but because a bigger watch might finally mean better battery life.
So, we asked our readers if better battery life would influence their decision to buy the Pixel Watch 3 XL, and the response was clear. A significant 82% of respondents would only consider purchasing the XL model if it offered improved battery life. In comparison, 11% said the larger form factor would suffice in itself, and 7% expressed disinterest altogether.
The good news is that a bigger casing and chassis almost certainly means the rumored Pixel Watch 3 XL would pack a larger battery than the regular Watch 3. Looking at Samsung’s Galaxy Watches, which come in multiple sizes, the larger models typically pack up to 30% more battery capacity.
Of course, there’s a catch. Bigger watches often have bigger, higher-resolution screens that guzzle more power. Samsung, for instance, says both sizes of its Galaxy Watch 6 last 30 hours, but folks who’ve used them (myself included) have noticed that the bigger one usually squeezes out a bit more time between charges. Let’s hope the bigger Pixel Watch surprises us with its battery performance.
Of course, we might not have to wait until fall to see the new Pixel Watches in action. Google has announced a surprise Pixel launch event for August 13, and the Pixel 9 series is confirmed to be making an appearance at the event. Since Pixel Watches typically launch alongside Pixel phones in October, it’s likely the Pixel Watch 3 series, including the rumored Pixel Watch 3 XL, will be announced at this event.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.
At I/O 2024, Google announced a slew of generative AI-powered features across all its major products. In fact, the company made a little joke at the end of the keynote by tallying how many times someone on stage said the term “AI” (it was over 120 times). However, as is Google’s wont, not many of the features the company launched that day are actually available for the public to use yet. Today, though, Android Authority got an early look at a Gemini feature launched at I/O called “Ask This Page.”
As its name suggests, Ask This Page allows you to glean specific information from a webpage by first having Gemini “read” it. Think of it like an interactive personal assistant. It does the heavy lifting for you by reading the whole webpage, and then you can simply ask it for the specific information you’re looking for, thus saving you a ton of time.
This is very similar to two other “Ask This…” features Google launched at I/O: “Ask This PDF” and “Ask This Video.” We already had the opportunity to test out Ask This PDF at I/O on a loaner Pixel, and it worked really well (check the video embedded above for that experience). However, that test was in a very controlled environment on a device that wasn’t ours, and it had only one test PDF. With our early access to Ask This Page, though, we had a lot more time to push the system to see if it has any cracks — and sure enough, it does.
Before we dive in, let me be upfront and say this is all based on an early look at this feature. It is possible Google could make significant changes before it rolls out to the general public. In other words, take everything here with a grain of salt.
Gemini’s Ask This Page: How it works
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
To activate Ask This Page, you simply pull up the Gemini overlay while looking at a webpage on your Android phone by holding down the power button. Since Gemini is now context-aware — a topic Google spent a significant amount of time discussing at I/O 2024 — it will know that you’ve pulled it up over a webpage. This will trigger the Ask This Page icon you see in the image above.
Tapping that prompts Gemini to scan the page. This can take a little time, the amount of which will depend on how long/complex the page is. Once it’s ready, it will give you a text box prompt saying, “Get help with what’s on this page.”
Once you see that prompt, you can ask questions about the page in natural language. Check out some screenshots below to see how this worked on an Android Authority article about a new Microsoft OneNote feature leak.
In this example, we pulled up the Gemini overlay over the article, scanned the page, and then asked whether or not the feature described in the article is actually released. You can see Gemini’s answer in the third screenshot: “According to the article, the reminder feature is currently under development and not yet released.” This is accurate, so we have a great test run for Ask This Page!
However, this was a very simple test. Let’s find out what happens when we push the limits.
Ask This Page is siloed to one page…but only sometimes
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
My first gut reaction for how to test Ask This Page was to feed it false information and see if it could use its broader understanding of the web to give proper context to any questions I ask it. In other words, if I’m reading a website that has false information and ask Gemini about that article, will Gemini just feed me back the false info?
In this test, that’s exactly what it does. We pulled up a silly satirical (read: completely made-up) article from The Onion and asked Gemini questions about it. In the article, a mother named Dina Marchesi (who does not exist) refuses to believe that she repeatedly makes snide comments to her daughter and others. For this article, we asked Gemini, “Did she tell her daughter about her dress?” Gemini confirms that Dina Marchesi did comment on her daughter’s dress. Check out the screenshot below for the full response:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Let’s break down this response a bit. First off, Gemini dutifully answers the question without giving any context to the fact that this webpage is The Onion — arguably the most famous satirical news site ever. It does have a disclaimer at the bottom about how Gemini “may display inaccurate info, including about people,” which seems to be a catch-all way to account for situations like this. Still, this is The Onion, and you’d think Gemini would point that out. What if this was a site with false info that isn’t as open about it as The Onion is?
The response also clearly lists the source of the information Gemini provides, which, in this case, is this solitary article. This means we’re not getting any broader context from the internet, at least not for this question.
Essentially, this example makes it seem like Ask This Page is a more complex version of an AI summary. Instead of summarizing an article into a few core bullet points, it lets the user trigger summaries about specific information contained therein.
At this point, we thought this was the limit of Ask This Page. But then we tried a few more experiments and found that it’s more open-ended than it would seem.
Ask This Page? More like ‘Ask Parts Of This Page’
There’s a lot more to a webpage than just text. For this next set of tests, we wanted to see if Gemini could glean information from the entirety of a page, including images, tables, comments, etc. To do this, we fed Gemini our recent hands-on article with the new Chipolo trackers.
Let’s start with images. We asked Gemini if there’s an acceptable use policy for the new Chipolo trackers. The answer is “yes,” which a human reading the article would see by looking at one of the screenshots on the page. Unfortunately, Gemini didn’t find this info in that image. It did, however, find the information on the web:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
This is a very confusing outcome. The first sentence of Gemini’s response is, “The document linked doesn’t explicitly mention an acceptable use policy,” except it very much does, just in an image instead of in the text. For whatever reason, Gemini couldn’t find that information, so it went hunting elsewhere. This proves two things: Gemini can confidently tell you that what you’re looking for isn’t on a page even though it is, and that Ask This Page can seek broader context from the internet for certain questions. In other words, the previous issue with Gemini not acknowledging that The Onion article is satire isn’t due to an inability to access information outside of the specific webpage you’ve fed it. Google just doesn’t have a safeguard in place for those situations.
Next, we asked Gemini if the new Chipolo tracker is water-resistant. This information isn’t mentioned in the written text of the article, but it is shown to have an IPX5 rating in an included specs table. This time, Gemini had no issue finding that info:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
OK, so images don’t work, but specs tables do. What about comments? In the article itself, there’s no mention of the tracker supporting a left-behind notification. However, this information is discussed by the article’s author in the comments. Let’s see what happens when we ask Gemini for this information:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Once again, we have a situation where the information is on the webpage, but Gemini doesn’t find it and then confidently tells us it’s not there before searching the web instead.
Finally, can Gemini tell us more about who actually created a webpage (or, in this example, who wrote the article)? This article’s author, Rita El Khoury, is a staple of the tech journalism world, with literally thousands of articles written over a career that’s lasted for nearly two decades. Here’s what Gemini had to say when we asked for more information on the article’s author:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
In this case, Gemini simply didn’t answer the question. It had plenty of information on Rita on the page itself (if you tap Rita’s photo in the byline, you’ll find a ton of info about her), and it did not search the internet for further details, of which there are plenty.
Gemini Ask This Page hands-on: Can you trust it?
All in all, this feature is not terrible. It certainly does not tell us to put glue on pizza, drink urine, or eat rocks, as Google’s AI Overview results have recently done. That’s a low bar, but Ask This Page rises above.
Still, there’s so much lacking here. There is no warning that the page you are reading is blatant satire. It seems to pick and choose when it wants to search the web for further info/context or just stay on the one page you’ve fed it. It can’t “read” an entire webpage, with things like images and comments hiding valuable details that you’d likely want to know about. And, sometimes, it just doesn’t answer the question even though it has the ability to do so.
Will you be using Ask This Page?
0 votes
As I mentioned at the top of this article, this feature hasn’t officially rolled out yet, so there’s still time for Google to make some tweaks. However, based on Google’s push for AI features to go live, regardless of whether or not they are ready, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ask This Page launches in its current state with few alterations.
What do you think? Based on our experiences here, will you use Ask This Page when it goes live? Let us know in the poll above, and be sure to hit the comments to explain your answer.
Google Pay will now display relevant card benefits during checkout for select cards.
The “Buy Now, Pay Later” options are expanding to more online stores and Android apps.
Autofill in Chrome and Android will now allow users to fill in all card details, including security codes.
Google has announced a series of updates to its online payment platform, Google Pay. This is not to be confused with the Google Pay app, which is used for peer-to-peer payments and is being phased out in the US in June. Both are separate from Google Wallet, a digital storage solution for various credentials. I know; Google *needs* a lesson in intuitive naming.
Nevertheless, the company highlighted three key areas of improvement, addressing user concerns about security, convenience, and smart spending tools.
Card benefits visibility
Among the most notable changes is a new feature that displays relevant credit card benefits during checkout. This feature is currently rolling out for select American Express and Capital One cardholders using Chrome on desktop. It aims to help users make informed decisions by highlighting cashback percentages, point multipliers, and other perks associated with each card. Google plans to expand this functionality to more cards in the future, potentially making it a valuable tool for savvy shoppers.
More BNPL options
Google Pay is expanding its support for “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) services for US shoppers. This feature, which allows shoppers to split payments into installments, was initially piloted earlier this year with select merchants. Google Pay is now integrating BNPL more broadly across various online stores and Android apps, partnering with providers like Affirm and Zip.
Autofill convenience
Google Pay is enhancing the autofill feature in Chrome and Android to expedite the checkout process. Now, instead of manually entering your card information and security code, you can choose to autofill all details, including the security code, by using your device’s existing unlock method (fingerprint, face scan, or PIN).
For added security, users can opt to set up device unlock, which requires unlocking your device before Google Pay reveals the full card details. The company claims that Google Pay may still require manual security code entry in certain situations, such as when suspicious activity is detected.
Overall, these enhancements aim to make Google Pay a more user-friendly and secure payment option for online shoppers. Whether Google’s security measures will adequately protect sensitive card data remains to be seen.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it’s your choice.
Apple and Google announced on Monday that iPhone and Android users will start seeing alerts when it’s possible that an unknown Bluetooth device is being used to track them. The two companies have developed an industry standard called “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers.” Starting Monday, Apple is introducing the capability in iOS 17.5 and Google is launching it on Android 6.0+ devices.
Users will now get an “[Item] Found Moving With You” alert on their device if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is seen moving with them, regardless of the platform the device is paired with.
The move follows numerous cases of Bluetooth trackers like Apple’s AirTags being used for stalking. Last May, Apple and Google announced that they would work together to lead an industry-wide initiative to create a way to alert users in the case of unwanted tracking from Bluetooth devices.
When Apple launched AirTags, they were quickly adopted as a way to track the location of everyday items like keys. However, the trackers also ended up being adopted by bad actors who use them to track people. To address this, Apple released a “Tracker Detect” Android app in 2021 to help people who don’t own Apple products to identify unexpected AirTags near them. The new industry standard announced on Monday takes an OS-level approach to addressing the issue of unwanted Bluetooth trackers.
Bluetooth tag companies including Chipolo, eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee have committed that future tags will be compatible with the new industry standard, Apple says.
Apple and Google say they will continue to work with the Internet Engineering Task Force, a standards organization for the internet, via the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers working group to develop the official standard for this technology.
If you already hate ads on YouTube, then you’re going to have a bad time with Pause Ads. During its earnings calls on Thursday, Google crowed about the success of the tests it’s run on the ads, which could indicate the “feature” will roll out to even more watchers.
No Google AI Search, I Don’t Need to Learn About the “Benefits of Slavery”
As the name implies, Pause Ads are unskippable advertisements that play when you hit pause on a video. Google is trialing Pause Ads on TVs playing YouTube videos, and according to yesterday’s call, the company is happy with the results.
“In Q1, we saw strong traction from the introduction of a Pause Ads pilot on connected TVs, a new non-interruptive ad format that appears when users pause their organic content,” Philipp Schindler, senior vice president and chief business officer at Google, said in Thursday’s earnings call. “Initial results show that Pause ads are driving strong Brand Lift results and are commanding premium pricing from advertisers.”
Schindler didn’t say if Pause Ads will roll out to more YouTube users or if these unwanted advertisements will find their way to smaller screens like phones and desktops. YouTube first highlighted the feature last year in its Upfronts post saying how these ads were a great opportunity for brands to “drive awareness or action by owning that unique interactive moment when people pause a video.”
It’s no surprise that YouTube wants people to watch more of their ads because that’s where it gets a lot of its money. That and people who pay for YouTube Premium because they’re sick of the ads.
The video platform has been cracking down on ad blockers for the past year. This move appears to be helping Google’s bottom line as the company said in its earnings call that YouTube Ads revenue was up 21% over the same time last year.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro remain one of our favorite pairs of true wireless earbuds, offering robust active noise cancellation (ANC), punchy bass, reliable touch controls and a host of convenient features for Android users in particular. That said, given how competitive the wireless market is these days, they aren’t the greatest value at their standard list price of $200.
Today, though, Wellbots is running a sale that brings the pair down to a more palatable $135 with the checkout code ENGPIX65. This isn’t an all-time low — the buds fell as low as $117 in a similar deal last October and went for $119 for much of the holiday season — but it’s the best price we’ve tracked in 2024. For reference, the device dropped to $139 last month. This offer applies to each of the set’s colorways.
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
This is the lowest price we’ve seen this year for Google’s highest-end wireless earbuds.
Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele gave the Pixel Buds Pro a review score of 87 back in 2022. By default, they have a sculpted, hyped-up sound with thumpy bass and elevated treble. It’s the kind of signature that won’t suit audio purists but should work well with modern pop music. As with many pairs, though, you can tweak the sound with a graphic EQ. The earbuds themselves have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so they should be able to withstand typical workouts. Battery life is solid at roughly seven hours with ANC on or 11 hours with it off, while the case supports wireless charging. You can connect to two devices at once, and the pair supports in-ear detection, so it’ll automatically pause when you remove an earbud.
Maybe the biggest reason to consider the Pixel Buds Pro is how tightly they integrate with Android. It’s somewhat similar to how Apple’s AirPods work with iOS: You can call on the Google Assistant hands-free, quickly swap between paired devices, utilize adaptive and spatial audio modes, ring the earbuds remotely and access Google Translate, among other OS-specific features. Last fall, Google also added a “conversation detection” mode that automatically pauses your music and turns off ANC when you start talking to someone. All of this functionality is natively available on Google’s Pixel phones; with other Android devices, you can access most of the same tricks through a separate Pixel Buds app.
There are still issues to note. While we didn’t have any comfort issues in testing, the fit may be tricky for those with smaller ears. Call quality isn’t great, nor is the included transparency mode. For more discerning listeners, there’s no support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs like aptX or LDAC. And again, this is a busy market: Other pairs like the Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 or Anker Soundcore Space A40 can provide better noise isolation, sound quality or overall value in a vacuum. It wouldn’t be a huge shock if we saw a new model at Google’s I/O conference next month, either. Still, the current model remains a well-rounded choice for Android fans today, and this discount brings them down to a more appropriate price.
Back in October 2023, Google launched the Pixel 8 series. While the Pixel 8 offered a ton of capabilities at a reasonable price, all eyes were on the Pixel 8 Pro. With the best camera hardware we’ve ever seen in a Pixel, a new chipset, and a slew of AI tricks, the Pixel 8 Pro was cool enough for me to pre-order my own unit on Day 1 (the free Pixel Watch 2 didn’t hurt, either).
Since then, I’ve used the Google Pixel 8 Pro exclusively as my daily driver. With six months gone since that launch — and our subsequent Editor’s Choice award and best smartphone of 2023 win — I thought it was the right time to tell you my thoughts on it. What’s aged well? What’s aged poorly? And, ultimately, is it still worth buying, even with the Pixel 9 series looming on the horizon?
The good
The Pixel 8 Pro is Google’s top-of-the-line offering at the moment, and there’s a lot to love about it. Here are the things that have aged particularly well about this phone since it launched.
Flat display
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The Pixel 8 Pro is great for many reasons, but the flat display is probably one of my favorites. The display was big news when it launched: This is the first Pro-level Pixel to have a flat display. Previously, we’ve only had curved displays on Pro phones. This aligns with trends, as we’ve had curved displays on most flagship Android phones.
Now, I’m not trying to say curved displays are bad. Curved glass is nice because it hides the phone’s bezels, so when you’re watching Netflix or other types of video content, you feel immersed in it.
If I never use a curved display again, it will be too soon.
The problem, though, is that when you’re doing gesture navigation — which, let’s be honest, you’re doing a lot more often than watching content — you need to swipe over that curve on the edge, which isn’t nearly as effective as swiping on a flat display. Simply put, the Pixel 8 Pro is easier and more enjoyable to use because of this. When you add this to the other highlights of the screen — 1440p resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, insane 2,400 nits of peak brightness — you get one of the best displays on the market.
I’d like to point out that many other Android phones, including the entire Galaxy S24 lineup, also have flat displays. That means this is probably a trend we’ll see going forward, which makes the Pixel 8 Pro a good investment for the long haul. You’re not going to be trapped with a curved display years from now when no other flagships are using curved displays anymore.
Class 3 face unlock
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Another thing I love about the Pixel 8 Pro is Class 3 biometric support in Face Unlock. Class 3 is the highest possible biometric security class in the Android world. Before the Pixel 8 series, the only Android phones that supported Class 3 security through the front-facing camera needed additional hardware to do so. This meant either hiding all the hardware in a chunky bezel (as we saw on the Pixel 4 series) or making the display cutout larger to fit the extra sensors (like we see on modern iPhones and their Dynamic Island). Now, Google’s AI smarts allow for the highest level of security in the same single-lens selfie cutout we expect with most Android devices.
Speaking of iPhones, the most recent ones rely wholly on Face ID for unlocks since they don’t have fingerprint sensors. With the Pixel 8 Pro, you have the best of both worlds. You have the speedy and secure fingerprint sensor underneath the display, and then you also have Face Unlock, which offers the same level of security. Eat your heart out, iPhone.
This all means that you can either use your face or your finger to unlock your phone, approve contactless payments, or log in to sensitive apps, such as banking apps. This one feature has made my life so much easier.
And don’t forget that most other Android phones don’t offer Face Unlock with this level of security. Aside from some outliers that still include that extra camera hardware (such as the HONOR Magic 6 Pro), Class 3 support is something you’ll only get with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. You read that right: Even the mighty Galaxy S24 series doesn’t have this.
Useful AI tricks
Damien Wilde / Android Authority
Of course, we can’t talk about the Pixel 8 Pro without discussing all the cool AI features Google introduced with this phone. There are so many that have become integral to my life, but I want to touch on three really quickly.
First, we have Circle to Search. Honestly, I have used this feature nearly every day since I got it. It’s so easy to see something I want to learn about, hold down the nav bar, and then circle what interests me to get a full Google search on it. I’ve used it to shop, identify people, places, and things, and even translate signs while traveling. Of course, this feature is also available on other phones, but it’s been on the Pixel 8 series for the second-longest amount of time (the Galaxy S24 series got it first).
Google shocked us all by rolling out a bunch of AI features that weren’t just gimmicks.
The second is Magic Editor. This is another incredible feature that I use all the time. It allows me to delete things from photographs or change the color and lighting of a photo without needing to edit it manually or, even worse, retake it. Sometimes, a photo is just a little bit off, and Magic Editor is always there to rescue me. This is a Pixel 8 exclusive for now, but it’s coming to many other phones in May.
Finally, we have Video Boost, which is exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro. This allows you to capture a video, upload it to Google’s servers, and then download an enhanced version. Simply put, it’s incredible the difference you can see between what you shot and what you get after Google processes it. If you want to see what I mean, watch the video at the top of this article!
But the best thing about all these AI tools is that Google’s not done yet. Since the Pixel 8 Pro will get seven years of updates, there’s no telling what new tricks it could learn. I’ll touch on this a bit more later.
An amazing camera
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Finally, we can’t talk about Pixels without talking about cameras, and the Pixel 8 Pro has, bar none, the best camera of any Pixel ever. All of the lenses in this camera are astounding. The main lens is a 50MP monster that produces stunning results. The ultrawide lens has terrific color accuracy, especially when you compare it against that main lens. And the periscope telephoto lens is just mind-blowing in how crisp its photos look even at 10x.
I just went on a trip to South America, and while I was there, all my family members designated me as the default photographer. This wasn’t because I’m good at taking photos (I actually am pretty mediocre), but because most of them use iPhones and readily admitted that the Pixel 8 Pro captured better photos every time. This was especially apparent when zoom was necessary, as nothing the iPhone can do in that realm even comes close to what the Pixel 8 Pro can do.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s a collection of shots from that South American trip:
The bad
Despite all its pedigree, the Pixel 8 Pro is far from perfect. Here are a few things that have aged poorly or will likely age poorly as the years go on.
Useless temperature sensor
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
I won’t mince words here: The temperature sensor on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro is one of the worst Pixel gimmicks of all time.
When Google first launched the Pixel 8 Pro, it said that you could use the temperature sensor on objects only, like a soda can or a cup of coffee. This was laughable, as who in their right mind is doing this often enough to need it baked into their phone? Google did say that it would eventually roll out FDA approval so you could use it on yourself. To its credit, Google did do that. But even with FDA approval, I won’t trust my phone over a classic thermometer if I feel under the weather. All evidence shows the Pixel 8 Pro’s thermometer is woefully inaccurate when compared to hardware specifically designed for the task, such as an IR thermometer or even a traditional one. If I’m getting sick, I want to know what’s going on, and I don’t want to need to hope that my phone works the way it’s supposed to.
Honestly, I used this feature once when I first got the phone, just to try it out. But I have not used it again.
The worst thing about the temperature sensor is that it’s driving up the phone’s price. This phone is pretty expensive, and if Google hadn’t included a temperature sensor in it, the price could have decreased slightly. Unfortunately, whether you want it or not, you’re stuck with it.
Tensor G3 won’t age well
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Honestly, I’ve been pleased with Tensor G3. It doesn’t run nearly as hot as Tensor G2 and it has no problem handling the tasks I throw at it daily, which includes editing my Android Authority YouTube Shorts. However, I simultaneously can admit that there’s a high likelihood that Tensor G3 will age poorly.
When Tensor G3 launched in October 2023, it was already behind. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 already beat it in numerous metrics. Now, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is out, and the 8 Gen 3 clobbers the Tensor G3. Just think of how behind Tensor G3 will be in a year or two.
Tensor G3 is fine for now, but will it still be fine five years from now?
Now, I want to be clear that the Tensor G3 is a good chipset. It’s going to do what you need it to do, especially if you’re doing basic smartphone tasks like shooting a video, browsing the web, checking your email, or even playing games. It’s also powering all of that AI-centric tech with on-chip hardware.
But if you really want to push the limits of what the processor can do by playing very intensive games or trying to do high-level tasks, you’re going to face some bottlenecks. At least, you will face bottlenecks that you wouldn’t face if you were using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 instead. You’re also going to have thermal problems. The Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t get as hot as my Pixel 7 Pro did, but it still can get pretty toasty.
The bottom line here is that Tensor G3 isn’t going to be the best investment for the long run, especially if you’re a power user.
Removed camera controls
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Finally, I want to touch back on the camera. I know I’ve already lauded this phone as being one of the best camera phones you can get, but Google did make a controversial change.
Before the launch of the Pixel 8 series, when you opened up the camera app on a Pixel, you would see three slider controls on the viewfinder: brightness, shadows, and white balance. As you composed your shot, you could slide these to make on-the-fly changes. What’s more, you could quickly adjust for each subsequent shot, giving you fast (and easy) control over what you capture.
With the Pixel 8 series, though, Google introduced a new Pro Mode to the Pixel 8 Pro, the first time ever that a Pro Mode has been in a Pixel. Google must have thought, “Hey, since we have Pro Mode now, why do we need these sliders?” Hence, Google took those sliders away.
My colleague Rita goes over why this was such an infuriating move, but I can quickly summarize it for you. Basically, if you want to replicate the same controls you previously had on Pixel phones, you need to swipe and tap multiple times in Pro Mode to modify each of these three settings. As you move around the area and want to make further adjustments, you’ll need to repeat this ad nauseum, making what could have been a one-second task into something that takes multiple seconds. In certain situations, those extra seconds could cause you to completely miss your desired shot. This doesn’t even touch on the fact that the Pixel 8 Pro is the only phone with Pro Mode. All other Pixels just need to deal with the loss without any replacement.
It’s possible Google could revert this change at some point in the future, since people are quite mad about it. For now, though, this is what we’re stuck with.
Google Pixel 8 Pro revisited: Is it still worth it?
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
So, is the Pixel 8 Pro still worth buying today, six months later? For those of you just looking for a simple answer, I will say “yes.” I love the Pixel 8 Pro. I think it’s the best Android phone that you can get right now — at least for the price you’ll pay, which is around $1,000. That’s still significantly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1419.99 at Amazon), which would be the most comparable Android phone. So you’re going to save a little money comparably, get many of the same features, and even get some features that the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t have, such as Class 3 Face Unlock.
Powerful Google phone with powerful camera features
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is packed with unique camera features and AI-assisted software that puts the smart into smartphone.
For those of you looking for a more nuanced answer, I’m going to say, “Yes, but…” Remember how I said the Pixel 8 Pro will get seven years of updates? That’s a huge deal, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Even though Google plans on supporting this phone for that long, what is that support going to look like? Yes, you’re going to get the latest security patches and the newest versions of Android, but are you going to continue to get innovative feature updates for that entire time? For example, if Google releases an awesome new camera feature for the Pixel 11 in 2026, will the Pixel 8 Pro eventually get that feature? That’s a big question we don’t know the answer to because we’ve never seen Google support a phone for this long. That makes me slightly nervous about recommending the Pixel 8 Pro to people, especially when the Pixel 9 series is right around the corner.
For me, the Pixel 8 Pro is nearly perfect except for its size. I really wish this phone was just a little bit smaller, and all the leaks so far suggest that the Pixel 9 Pro that’s coming out in October 2024 will be a little bit smaller while still including most of the Pixel 8 Pro’s features, including a periscope zoom lens. If you’re like me and you wish your phone were just a little more compact, it might be worth waiting for that Pixel 9 Pro.
In the end, though, if long-term feature updates and the smaller Pixel 9 Pro don’t concern you and you just want the best Android phone you can get right now for the money, I have no hesitation in saying that the Pixel 8 Pro is going to do great for you. For everyone else, if you can wait six months for the Pixel 9 series launch, I’d recommend you do that.
Normally, I would never recommend that someone buy a streaming device that tops out at 1080p resolution. Even if you somehow don’t have a 4K TV already — I’m not judging, there are plenty of good reasons — you might well have one in the future. And at that point, it’s better to not have to buy new hardware until absolutely necessary. Just go ahead and spend the extra $30 now for a 4K version.
But it’s hard to say no to a $20 Chromecast with Google TV HD.
I wouldn’t use this on my main television. When it comes to the TV I’ll be watching most — whether that’s in the living room, or the bedroom, or wherever — I think it’s worth spending a few extra bucks to get the best streaming device you can afford. Not that everything you ever watch will be available in 4K resolution. And there’s an argument to be made that maybe you won’t even notice the difference. (We’ve long said that a good 1080p stream is better than a bad 4K stream.)
If there’s a single use case that makes sense for a $20 streaming device, it’s this: Put it in your travel bag, and leave it there. Do not take it out when you return home. This is your on-the-go streaming device, and it shall never be more than that.
I’m on the road a fair amount. Whether it’s long distances for work (and fortunately, that’s not as often as it used to be), or shorter regional trips for the kids’ soccer tournaments, I’ve lived out of a bag plenty. The novelty wears off pretty quickly, especially when it comes to the quality of the televisions in the hotel room. The little bit of normalcy that comes with being able to watch your channels on your streaming service of choice goes a long way.
In fact, Chromecast With Google TV (the full 4K version) has lived in my go-bag for a long time. There are a few reasons for that. One is that it’s small. The dongle, remote, and charger don’t take up much space at all. (Kudos to whomever opted for a plug whose prongs fold into the body of the power supply.)
The second reason — and perhaps the most important — is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money. It’s about one-third the cost of my at-home platform of choice, the Apple TV 4K. And the trade-off of not having 4K for a few hours in a hotel is one I’m willing to make. Eventually I’m going to be in a rush to check out and will accidentally leave the Chromecast attached to the hotel-room TV. It hasn’t happened yet, knock on wood. But if and when it does, I’ll only be out $50.
Or, if you take advantage of this $20 Chromecast sale, you’ll only be out a couple Hamiltons.
The News/Media Alliance, formerly the Newspaper Association of America, asked US federal agencies to investigate Google’s removal of links to California news media outlets. Google’s tactic is in response to the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), which would require it and other tech companies to pay for links to California-based publishers’ news content.
The CJPA would require Google and other tech platforms to pay California media outlets in exchange for links. The proposed bill passed the state Assembly last year.
In a blog post last week announcing the removal, Google VP of Global News Partnerships Jaffer Zaidi warned that the CJPA is “the wrong approach to supporting journalism” (because Google’s current approach totally hasn’t left the industry in smoldering ruins!). Zaidi said the CJPA “would also put small publishers at a disadvantage and limit consumers’ access to a diverse local media ecosystem.” Nothing to see here, folks: just your friendly neighborhood multi-trillion-dollar company looking out for the little guy!
Google described its link removal as a test to see how the bill would impact its platform:
“To prepare for possible CJPA implications, we are beginning a short-term test for a small percentage of California users,” Zaidi wrote. “The testing process involves removing links to California news websites, potentially covered by CJPA, to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience. Until there’s clarity on California’s regulatory environment, we’re also pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem, including new partnerships through Google News Showcase, our product and licensing program for news organizations, and planned expansions of the Google News Initiative.”
In its letters, The News/Media Alliance lists several laws it believes Google may be breaking with the “short-term” removal. Potential federal violations include the Lanham Act, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The letter to California’s AG cites the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, regulations against false advertising and misrepresentation, the California Consumer Privacy Act and California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL).
“Importantly, Google released no further details on how many Californians will be affected, how the Californians who will be denied news access were chosen, what publications will be affected, how long the compelled news blackouts will persist, and whether access will be blocked entirely or just to content Google particularly disfavors,” News/Media Alliance President / CEO Danielle Coffey wrote in the letter to the DOJ and FTC. “Because of these unknowns, there are many ways Google’s unilateral decision to turn off access to news websites for Californians could violate laws.”
Google has a mixed track record in dealing with similar legislation. It pulled Google News from Spain for seven years in response to local copyright laws that would have required licensing fees to publishers. However, it signed deals worth around $150 million to pay Australian publishers and retreated from threats to pull news from search results in Canada, instead spending the $74 million required by the Online News Act.
Google made more than $73 billion in profits in 2023. The company currently has a $1.94 trillion market cap.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the governing body overseeing the country’s widely used Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mobile payment system, is set to engage with various fintech startups this month to develop a strategy to address the growing market dominance of PhonePe and Google Pay in the UPI ecosystem.
NPCI executives plan to meet with representatives from CRED, Flipkart, Fampay and Amazon among other players to discuss their key initiatives aimed at boosting UPI transactions on their respective apps and to understand the assistance they require, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
UPI, built by a coalition of Indian banks, has become the most popular way Indians transact online, processing over 10 billion transactions monthly.
The new meetings are part of an increasing effort to address concerns raised by lawmakers and industry players regarding the market share concentration of Google Pay and PhonePe, which together account for nearly 86% of UPI transactions by volume, up from 82.5% at the end of December. Walmart owns more than three-fourths of PhonePe.
Paytm, the third-largest UPI player, has seen its market share decline to 9.1% by the end of March, down from 13% at the end of 2023, following a clampdown by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
An overview of India’s UPI ecosystem. (Image: Macquarie)
The conversation follows the central bank expressing “displeasure” to the NPCI over the growing duopoly in the payments space, a person familiar with the matter said. An NPCI spokesperson declined to comment.
In February, a parliamentary panel in India urged the government to support the growth of domestic fintech players that can offer alternatives to the Walmart-backed PhonePe and Google Pay apps.
The NPCI has long advocated for limiting the market share of individual companies participating in the UPI ecosystem to 30%. However, it has extended the deadline for firms to comply with this directive to the end of December 2024. The organization faces a unique challenge in enforcing this directive: It believes that it currently lacks a technical mechanism to do so, TechCrunch previously reported.
The RBI is also weighing an incentive plan to create a more favorable competitive field for emerging UPI players, another person familiar with the matter said. Indian daily Economic Times separately reported Wednesday that the NPCI is encouraging fintech companies to offer incentives to their users, promoting the use of their respective apps for making UPI transactions.
