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Google Pixel 3a, 3a XL 'Affordable' Phones Launched; Nest Hub Coming to India: Google I/O 2019 Highlights

Google Pixel 3a, 3a XL 'Affordable' Phones Launched; Nest Hub Coming to India: Google I/O 2019 Highlights

All the major announcements from Google I/O 2019.

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 9 May 2019 12:45 IST

Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL price in India has been revealed

Highlights

Google I/O 2019 keynote is scheduled to begin at 10.30pm IST
Google is expected to launch Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL smartphones
We’ll hear more about Android Q during the keynote

Google I/O 2019 began at 10.30pm IST on Tuesday, May 7, at Mountain View, California. Google announced several improvements to Google Assistant first. Then the company announced Android Q and showed off its major features. Google Pixel 3a and Google Pixel 3a XL were launched at Google I/O 2019. Google Pixel 3a price starts at $399 in the US. Google Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL price in India has been revealed.

Here's how to watch Google I/O 2019 keynote live online.

Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL specifications

Google Pixel 3a has a 3.5mm headphone jack, an OLED display, and has a starting price of $399. Google Pixel 3a ships with the same camera smarts that Pixel 3 has, which includes the Night Sight feature for low light photography. The Pixel's portrait mode and Super Res Zoom features also make it to Pixel 3a and 3a XL. These devices bring some cool augmented reality features to Google Maps that let you see arrows on the road via the camera for better navigation. Google has claimed that you can get up to 30 hours battery life on a single charge, and the included 18W fast charger lets you get 7 hours of battery life with 15 minutes of charging, Google said.

Google Pixel 3a ships with Snapdragon 670 SoC, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, a 3,000mAh battery, and support for 18W fast charging.

Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL price in India

Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL price in India is Rs. 39,999 for the 5.6-inch display and Rs. 44,999 for the 6-inch model. Google Pixel 3a price in India will determine whether it's a gamechanger or another overpriced Pixel smartphone. The US price of Google Pixel 3a is $399 for the 64GB variant and will be available via most major carriers in the country. The Pixel 3a will be available in India from May 15.

Android Q

Android Q has native support for foldable displays. There's one feature called Screen Continuity that allows apps and games to seamless transition from folded display to the unfolded larger screen. Android Q will also support 5G natively. Android Q has a new feature called Smart Reply, which provides reply suggestions, which suggests replies that you can quickly send via any app. Android Q also has native support for dark mode.

We'll list all the major features of Android Q right here as they are announced. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, you can quickly download and install Android Q beta to check these features out but be sure to know that this is not going to be as stable as the final version of Android Q and you may lose data or end up with a non-functional device if something goes wrong. Android Q has improved privacy settings that let you easily limit ad tracking. It also adds more granular controls for location access.

Android Q OS modules can be updated without rebooting the device, which means that certain components of the update can be quickly updated. Android Q has a new mode called Focus Mode, which quickly disables distracting apps until you want to use them again. This is coming to Android Pie and Android Q later this fall. There are also better parental controls on Android Q. Android Q beta 3 is available on 21 devices in all, including Google Pixel smartphones.

Other major announcements at Google I/O 2019

Google announced that a feature called Full Coverage from Google News will be brought to Google search directly. When you search for any event such as Google IO 2019, you will get in-depth information from various news sources about it, a timeline of events from the thing you searched for, and also the addition of podcasts to search. Google also said it will be adding AR features to Google Search, showing you things such as a 3D model of arm flexion, or how a shoe is likely to fit you.

Google Lens can now be used to identify popular dishes from a restaurant's menu simply by pointing the camera at the menu. It can also be used to calculate the tip and split the bill. Google Go, the search app for entry level devices, is getting a new camera feature. You can point the camera at a signboard to make Google Go speak the words written on any signboard, and you can quickly translate it to your own language as well. The translated text is written right over the original words on the sign, and you can even listen to the translation. This feature is rolling out later this month.

Google Duplex is now available in 44 states in the US -- this is the AI tech that can do things such as have conversations with restaurant staffers to book a table for you. Google Assistant can book a car rental for you with just a voice command. This came via a new feature called Duplex on the web, and more details of that will be revealed later this year.

Google Assistant is also getting much faster. Google demonstrated how much faster Assistant has become and how it can process multiple requests almost instantly. Google Assistant is much better at contextual understanding as well as you don't have to say "Hey Google" over and over again to share multiple requests. This next-gen Google Assistant is coming to Pixel phones later this year.

Google Assistant is coming to Waze later this week. It's also better suited for use while driving now. Google Assistant's upcoming driving mode can be activated by saying, "Hey Google, let's drive". This mode has everything voice enabled, according to Google. During driving, Google Assistant will announce calls and make sure you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Driving mode is coming to Google Assistant this summer. You can also finally stop timers and alarms directly by saying "Stop" instead of first saying "Hey Google" and then "Stop".

On to security and privacy features, Google Maps is going to be getting an incognito mode and this is coming to Google Search as well. Google is also integrating a two-step verification feature directly to your Android phone. Live Caption is a new feature that works completely on-device and with one click it allows you can turn it on for any podcast, video, and even something you record at home. This makes subtitles available for pretty much any audio in English.

Google Assistant can allow hearing impaired people to have a voice call with anyone as well, via a new technology called Live Relay. The replies can be made via your keyboard and Assistant will read out the responses to the person calling you. Google showed its Project Euphonia, which aims to correctly understand what people with speech impairment are saying.

Google also announced some of the AI improvements it has been working on. It has been using AI to help diagnose cancer. It has begun sending early flood warnings to people in flood affected areas in India.

Smart home devices

Google Home smart home devices will now be under the Nest brand. Google Home Hub will be called Nest Hub. There's a new device called Nest Hub Max, which is smart display powered by Google Assistant. Nest Hub Max has a larger display, supports Google Duo video calls, and all the features of Nest Hub (formerly Google Home Hub). Google focused on privacy in this part of the keynote as well, focusing on how the camera has a helpful green light to show when it is on. Nest Hub Max has a feature called Face Match, which shows only your information when you walk in front of the devices. This is done by storing your face on the device in encrypted form, Google said. Nest Hub Max lets

Nest Hub Max will be available for $229 in US, UK, and Australia. Nest Hub's price is down to $129 and it will be available in 12 new markets including India.

Google Pixel 3a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good cameras
Good software features
Guaranteed updates for three years
Stereo speakers

Bad
Expensive
Weak processor and low storage for the price

Read detailed Google Pixel 3a review

Display 5.60-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 670

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 9 Pie

Resolution 1080x2220 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 3a XL

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Very good cameras
Good software features
Guaranteed updates for three years
Stereo speakers

Bad
Expensive
Weak processor and low storage for the price

Read detailed Google Pixel 3a XL review

Display 6.00-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 670

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3700mAh

OS Android 9 Pie

Resolution 1080x2160 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

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