Google Pixel Phones, Watch Get March Feature Drop With Improvements and New Features: Details

Also brings Jio 5G connectivity for users in India.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 14 March 2023 13:01 IST

Google Pixel Phones, Watch Get March Feature Drop With Improvements and New Features: Details

Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users now get access to more features

Highlights

Faster Night Sight is now available on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro
Fall detection comes to Pixel Watch
Magic Eraser arrives on more Pixel smartphones

Google has started seeding its latest Pixel Feature Drop to its devices. The March Pixel Feature Drop is now available for download and applies not only to Pixel smartphones, but to Google's new Pixel Watch as well. Apart from packing the March security patch, the update brings plenty of fixes, new features and improvements as well. While some features like improved Night Sight are available only on Tensor-powered smartphones, some like Magic Eraser are now more widely available. The update is around 500MB in size and is already rolling out to supported Pixel smartphones in India.

Faster Night Sight, which was first available with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones, is now finally available on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro models. The feature which uses advanced algorithms with Tensor processors to cut down those lengthy Night Sight exposures when shooting people or landscapes under dim lighting can now be accessed on the recent Pixel models as well. Google claims that this leads to sharper blur-free photos in dimly lit shooting scenarios, but is surprisingly not available for the Tensor-powered Pixel 6a.

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Magic Eraser is another feature that has gradually trickled down from the Pixel 6 series and is now being made available to more widely non-Tensor-powered smartphones. Utilising this feature will still need users to subscribe to a Google One plan. The software feature which is available through the Google Photos app basically lets users remove unwanted people or objects from a photo using Eraser and Camouflage editing tools.

While not available in India yet, more users in the US will be happy to know that Pixel devices (up to the Pixel 4a now support the Direct My Call feature. The feature basically lets users skip the wait times and long and complicated IVR options when calling a business. It does this by presenting users with an on-screen menu of the same, making it easier to navigate such calls and get to the right extension quickly.

New to Pixel is the built-in Health Connect app, which like the Privacy Dashboard, brings all of a user's health and fitness-related data sharing in one place. While the app has been available as a separate download, Google claims that having it baked into the software makes it easier to track which apps are getting access to a user's on-device health and fitness data.

Another handy addition from the latest Pixel feature drop is the ability to track timers across devices. Those who own more than one Pixel or Google device, can now set a timer on one device and track them across other Google devices like a Google Home or a compatible Nest device. The “At a Glance” widget on smartphones will also relay timer-related information and will also send notifications when the timer goes off.

Moving to Pixel Watch, a long-awaited feature, which was announced at launch has finally made it via this feature drop. Google's fall-detection feature is now finally rolling out to its Pixel Watch and will detect if a user has taken a hard fall and also connect them to emergency services if needed. Google will also be bringing new sound and display settings to the Pixel Watch “in the coming weeks”. These settings will make it easier for people with hearing limitations or with specific visual preferences to customise the sound and display on their Pixel Watch to suit their requirements.

The March update also brings 5G connectivity for Pixel users in India. Gadgets 360 can confirm that Jio's 5G services can be availed by enabling the same in the phone's Settings app.

Among the smaller updates, Google will now allow users to use their Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones as a digital car key. Fast Pair support will now also be extended to select Chromebooks and new emoji combinations have also been made available on the Emoji Kitchen via Gboard. Also, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro owners will now be able to use two eSIMs with Dual SIM Dual Standby as well.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a hefty price tag compared to the company's 2022 flagship model. How does it fare against other high-end phones launched in 2023? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Google Pixel 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 90Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Good battery life
IP68 rating

Bad
Video recording could be better
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 7 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 120Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Premium design, IP68 rating

Bad
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Underwhelming battery life
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 6

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.40-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4614mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 6 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 11.1-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5003mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 6a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
IP67-rated design
Impressive cameras for photos
Vibrant OLED display
Stock Android 13 software

Bad
Plastic back is prone to scratches
60Hz display does not feel fluid
Cannot handle heavy gaming
Recorded video needs work
Relatively slow charging, no wireless charging
Battery life could be better

Read detailed Google Pixel 6a review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 4410mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 4a

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Reliable camera performance
Lean software with guaranteed updates
Stereo speakers
Vivid OLED display
Light, built well

Bad
Relatively low battery capacity
No ultra-wide camera

Read detailed Google Pixel 4a review

Display 5.81-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12.2-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB

Battery Capacity 3140mAh

OS Android 10

Resolution 1080x2340 pixels

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Google Pixel Watch

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Compatible OS Android 8.0+

Dial Shape Round

Ideal For Unisex

More Google Smartwatches

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Further reading: Pixel, Google, Pixel feature drop, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 4a

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More