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9 best Google hardware colors of all time
Your definitive (and absolutely not subjective) list of the best colors Google has offered
Have you been wondering what the best Google hardware colors of all time are? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Sure, color preference is almost entirely subjective - but to hell with that, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to give you the definitive list. Don’t like our picks? Let us know - but we’ll still be right. In the world of tech there are dominant colors - black, white, silver, and grey. These neutral shades sell well, but they’re hardly inspiring. Add to that the fact our phones, tablets, and headphones are some of the most personal devices we own, and these bland color options don’t help you express your individuality. We even said so much a couple of years ago - Rita El Khoury declared ‘I’m tired of bland, boring flagship phone colors’. Amen, Rita. So forgive us for wanting bolder, brighter color options for our tech. It’s taken a while, but in recent years manufacturers have started showering us with the full rainbow of colors. Google is no different, and even though it started its Nexus, Pixel, and Home lines off with the go-to black and white hues (and a splash of blue), we’ve been treated to a veritable buffet of color in the years since. Here are the best Google has had to offer.
Where has this year gone? Halloween is now weeks behind us, Thanksgiving is coming in hot, and before you know it, it'll be the end of December. You won't hear us complaining though, as scores of Black Friday deals are starting to hit the web. We've already seen significant discounts on everything from top tablets to our favorite wireless headphones, and we expect to see many more in the coming days.
Google's Pixel ecosystem is getting good, but it's far from finished
At least the hardware looks good together
Saying Google is a massive company might be a bit of an understatement, but I'd be willing to bet that the thing most associated with that name remains search. Rarely do you hear someone tell someone to look up something online — instead, you're told to "Google it." As you move further into the realm of consumer hardware products and the services used on those devices, you'll begin to see how wide the branches of Google stretch.
Google's 25th anniversary is coming up, and the celebration could mean deals like these
Google has almost been around for a quarter of a century
Google is soon to turn 25. The company was first founded on September 4, 1998, by then-students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It got its start with the Google search engine, which is still its main product, but over the next few years it managed to branch out into many more things. For the past quarter of a century, it has positioned itself as one of the main tech companies out there, and of course, Google wants to celebrate it. How, exactly? By holding a big sale on some of its most popular hardware products, of course.
Adaptive Charging may be adapting itself to Pixel users without alarms
Shaking up what it means to wake up
This isn't the first story we've had this weekend about Adaptive Charging on Google's Pixel phones, but this is the first major change to this battery-preserving feature we've heard about in a long, long time. It's a feature that's meant to prevent phones from achieving a full charge until shortly before an alarm is set to go off. But those who didn't set an alarm between 3 and 10 AM or one at all haven't been able to take advantage of Adaptive Charging. That may soon change, though.
Google stops accepting new Pixel Superfans in the UK shortly after launch
All four UK countries could briefly join the club
There's a lot to love about Pixel phones. Maybe it's the software, or the cameras, or the unique design and feel, but there's something about the Pixels that just draws people in. Google might not sell as many phones as Samsung or Apple, but they're among the best smartphones your money can buy, and they attract a very loyal kind of user. Because of that, Google made the Pixel Superfans program — a club that the most loyal Pixelheads can join to get swag as well as invitations to events and meet-ups, and referral codes to earn them an extra buck or two. The caveat is that the program was only available in the US for the longest time. That changed on the weekend, as the Pixel Superfans program silently extended to the UK — only for Google to close it down again.
Samsung is already testing the third-generation Tensor chip, set to debut on the Pixel 8
We're still waiting to try out the second-gen Tensor chip
Last year, Google's Pixel 6 series brought many firsts to the Pixel lineup. Perhaps the most important of them was the inclusion of the Google Tensor chip. While it was designed in-house by Google, the company notably enlisted the help of Samsung for actually putting it together. It looks like this collaboration will keep going for the foreseeable future, as Samsung is reported to be already hard at work testing a next-generation Google Tensor chip — one that could be interesting if you're planning to put off your Pixel purchase until 2023.
Google is rolling out Android 13's improved Pixel battery widget to older Android releases
A new 'Other devices' field now lists further connected accessories
Android 13 Beta 3 is officially out. It definitely looked like more of a minor update at first glance, with the most notable thing about it being its platform stability milestone, but there are definitely a lot of changes on it that you might take a while to come across once you install it on your phone. Among them, you'll find more fine-tuned phone search capabilities or a slightly larger, iOS-like gesture navigation bar. A revamped version of the recently-introduced battery widget was also spotted. It's good news even if you're not a beta user, though, because it's also rolling out to older Android versions as well.
Google Pixel Stand 2 review: Google is bad at accessories
All the bells and whistles in the world won't make it a good value
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The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were a much-needed breath of fresh air in Google's smartphone lineup. After years of half-measures and poor decisions, the Pixel team finally nailed it. While Google is getting better at phones, it still struggles with accessories. Case in point: the $79 Pixel Stand 2. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro can charge at up to 21 and 23W, respectively, matching wired charging speeds. However, that's just the maximum speed. Most of the time, the Pixel Stand charges much slower. That makes the price tag hard to swallow, particularly when other OEMs are producing much faster custom wireless standards. To top it off, the stand's Pixel-exclusive features don't work well enough to make up for that.
2022 is shaping up to be the most significant expansion to the Pixel franchise yet. At Google I/O, we weren't just treated to official announcements for the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro — we also saw brief teases of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, the Pixel Watch, and a Tensor-powered tablet that may just end up sporting the "Pixel" brand name. One long-rumored member of the family — the Pixel foldable — was notably missing from the event, and as we're learning today, we might be waiting even longer than expected.
Android 12 QPR3 beta might be breaking the Pixel Launcher app search for some users
Few users are also reporting it on the stable version of Android 12
Google started rolling out the Android 12 QPR3 beta 3 updates to the Pixel 4 and newer Pixel phones early this month, ahead of June’s Feature Drop. It polished the battery widget experience and fixed some existing bugs in previous versions, including several issues that could hamper connectivity and call quality and an issue where some Pixel 6 Pro screens flashed a white line after waking up. However, some users with the software downloaded are now experiencing a Pixel Launcher bug that prevents them from searching for apps installed on their device.
Google's new Pixel wallpapers celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
You can have them for yourself, too, even if you don't have a Pixel
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and while you probably won't come to know everything about the vast diaspora that runs through this country, it's definitely a worthwhile cause to support our AAPI communities. You can take part in the celebrations by putting on some lovely new wallpapers from Google's Curated Culture collection.
The Pixel 4's silliest feature would be right at home in Google's Nest speakers and displays
I don't want to wave my hands at my phone, but I do want to wave them at all of my smart speakers
The Pixel 4 was a better phone than a lot of people give it credit for. Yes, it was overpriced, and yes, battery life on the smaller model sucked — alright, maybe it wasn't a great phone, but it was at least a very cool one. It marked a number of firsts for Pixels: it was the first with a high-refresh rate display (at 90Hz), it was the first to offer multiple rear cameras, and it was the first (and thus far, only) Pixel to offer secure face unlock. It was also the first consumer product to feature Soli, Google's radar tech. Its utility in the phone was... questionable, but I think a similar implementation in Nest speakers and displays could be a game-changer in how we interact with them.
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The Pixel 6 has had a tumultuous early life. Unanimously praised in initial reviews for its price, performance, and photo prowess, wider use of the phone uncovered a number of serious bugs and other issues. To make matters worse, its first handful of updates arrived late — and some units missed December's update entirely. Problems have been far from universal, but for a time, they were common enough to dominate the conversation around the phone.
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Back in 2019, the Pixel 4 debuted with a pretty elaborate face unlock system. For whatever reason, Google ended up rethink its approach to biometrics, and the 4a and 5 functioned with fingerprint sensors alone. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro came out in late 2021 and still, there was no sign that face unlock was returning. Following the discovery of some evidence suggesting there still might be ongoing work towards updating these phones with full face unlock support, a new report offers an insider look at the plan.
Google's new DIY repair program will let you fix nearly any Pixel phone in your collection
Riding the right-to-repair wave
In a strange twist, right-to-repair seems to be slowly catching up with smartphone makers who used to actively vilify it. Apple's Self Service program offers to make original iPhone parts available for people daring enough to fix their device at home, while Samsung recently followed suit with a similar program of its own. Now, Google is jumping on the bandwagon with a partnership with iFixit to provide original OEM parts to independent technicians.
Today is another milestone in the development of Android 13 with the release of the second developer preview. Yes, it seems like we just had an Android release, but that was the unusual mid-season bump to 12L. Android 13 is the big update for 2022, and Google is adding even more privacy functionality. The new DP adds a Quick Settings shortcut to your privacy controls and security settings.
Google Pixel Watch pops up alongside Pixel 6a in carrier inventory system
Colors and storage capacities, too
The long-rumored Pixel Watch and far less controversial Pixel 6a finally appear to be getting ready for their retail debut. Evidence of both devices has begun appearing in a US carrier's back-end inventory system. In addition to suggesting that a launch could be happening in the near future, we also pick up some insight into colors and storage options for both devices.
Devices launching with Android 13 may get to load games in the fast lane
Upgrading Pixels can also get a boost
Phones and tablets launching with Android 13 may be able to load games faster than ever with a short boost in CPU speeds.
Material You is one a centerpiece of Android 12 on the Pixel phones, and that makes your choice of wallpaper more important than ever. Google offers a wide selection of backgrounds on Pixel phones, and the options have expanded today. Pixel owners will find three new images, courtesy of Daren Thomas Magee of Real Fun Wow.