On March 8, Google officially announced that it will host Google I/O 2023 on May 10. Like last year, this year's Google I/O is also carried out in the form of offline + online live broadcast.
And what are the bright black technology and hardware new products in this year's science and technology event? We've put together some intelligence for you:
Operating system: Android 14, Wear OS 3, what new features to look forward to
The first is Android 14. By convention, Android 14 also has a code name called "Upside-Down Cake", which means "Upside-Down Cake".
According to the information in the just-released Android DP 2 and the previous first developer preview, several features of Android 14 are worth looking forward to:
The support for tablet and folding screen devices is more perfect, so that the visual experience of multiple devices is more unified;
Optimize how applications work together to improve system health and battery life;
The upper limit of the non-linear font display ratio has been adjusted from 130% to 200%, which is more friendly to the visually impaired group;
More granular control of media read permissions;
The background inventory can see the running or running applications in the background, so as to better manage the running status of the phone, and the activities of the applications entering the background will be stopped after a few seconds;
Password and autofill services will be combined into one service, which is easier to manage;
The management of health equipment is simpler and more intuitive;
For dual-SIM devices, it can automatically switch mobile data to a SIM card with better network status;
The benefits of applying Cloned Apps needless to say, the gospel of multi-account parties;
Privacy and security improvements continue with the addition of Credential Manager to simplify user authentication and improve security with key support.
From the information that has been made public, Android 14 UI update is not large, will continue the style of the previous generation, and focus on the improvement of functionality and practicality.
However, Android 14 has only just released its second developer preview, and the official version will have to wait until August this year, and we don't know if there will be any new changes in the meantime.
As Google's masterpiece in wearables, Wear OS 3 has been running on multiple products for a long time and has ushered in multiple rounds of small updates. However, there are no more important rumors about whether the system will usher in a major update. Through the Wear OS design guide update, we can only understand that Google is promoting the consistency of the software experience, as for whether there will be other heavy news at this conference, we will wait and see.
New hardware: belated Pixel Fold, tepid Pixel tablets and phones
Compared with Android 14, Google's annual hardware products are also worth paying attention to. But the bad news is that this year's lineup may not be "strong".
In addition to the long-rumored first folding screen device Pixel Fold, there is the mid-range model Pixel 7a of the Pixel 7 series released last year, and the high-end tablet that was briefly unveiled last year.
First, let's talk about Google's first folding screen Pixel Fold.
Pixel Fold rendering
According to a report last year, Google ordered a batch of 7.6-inch foldable OLED panels from Samsung Display, and some big whistleblowers since then have also confirmed that the Pixel Fold's inner screen unfolds 7.69 inches, and there is a center hole above the screen for placing the camera. The exterior screen is 5.79 inches. The thickest point (camera module) is about 8.3mm, and the overall size is 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm.
Oppo Find N2 (green), Google Pixel Fold (red), Samsung Galaxy Fold4 (blue)
In terms of cameras, we will not discuss them because multiple sources give very different lens combinations and parameters. However, it should be noted that Google Camera has always enjoyed a fairly good reputation among Android users, and Google, which is known for its algorithms, believes that it will not disappoint us in the camera.
Google Pixel 7 uses Google Camera to take photos, source: The Guardian
In terms of performance, it is basically certain that the Pixel Fold will use its own Google Tensor G2 SoC and carry 12GB of RAM, which is still confident that the device can run smoothly in various situations.
According to a report last month, people familiar with the matter revealed that the battery capacity of the Pixel Fold is close to 5000mAh, which is the largest battery capacity in the folding screen devices on the market. The price is that it may weigh more than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold4 (263 grams). Whether it is worth trading weight for more battery capacity is a matter of opinion.
△ Pixel Fold rendering, source: Front Page Tech
The price of Pixel Fold is reported to be $1799 (about 12500 yuan), while another previous report said that its price is $1400 (about 9746 yuan), compared to several mainstream folding screen devices on the market, the price can only be said to be decent.
Moreover, it has to be said that although there are clues that Pixel Fold will be released in 2020, but in the rapid development of the folding screen market and Android mobile phone manufacturers have released more mature products today, whether Pixel Fold can win back a city for Google, it can be said that there are still considerable challenges.
△ The folding screen market is growing against the trend in the case of sluggish demand in the global mobile phone market in 2022, and product shipments have repeatedly reached new highs, data source: IDC
Like the previous "close to the people" exposure of real photos before the release of Pixel Watch, a suspected Pixel Fold real photo has also become popular on the Internet recently, but the place to appear is not in the restaurant, but on the subway.
According to the whistleblower, a Google employee was using the Pixel Fold on the train to watch YouTube, and the phone looked very slim, with a blue and black color scheme.
The Google Pixel tablet has been unveiled at last year's Google I/O, we will not repeat it, this tablet is also equipped with Google Tensor chips, and according to Google hardware head Osterloh, this device is positioned as "high-end" to enrich the range of Pixel devices and complete Google's ecology.
One thing to note is that the official homepage of Google I/O, the countdown area resembles a tablet or an unfolded folding screen phone, which seems to indicate that at least one of these two devices will be unveiled at this conference.
At last year's Google I/O conference, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro appeared as the annual flagships, and at this year's Google I/O, its brother Pixel 7a will also be unveiled.
As a mid-range model, the Pixel 7a uses a 6.1-inch AMOLED display with a screen refresh rate of 90Hz and a screen resolution of 1080p. Compared with the "predecessor" Pixel 6a, it is quite sincere to support a 90Hz refresh rate.
△ The interface of the Pixel 7a real machine shared by Vietnamese netizens can see that the screen resolution can be set to up to 90Hz
Also sincerely in terms of images, Pixel 7a uses the Samsung GN1 mobile image sensor (50 million pixels, 1/1.3 inch sensitive area) first equipped on the Pixel 6 series, the front camera is a 13 million pixel IMX712 camera, and the rear dual camera includes a 1/1.3-inch, 64-megapixel Sony IMX787 telephoto and a 1/1.3-inch, 13-megapixel Sony IMX712 wide-angle camera. The front camera is also a 13 million Sony IMX712 ultra-wide-angle camera. The combination of hardware and software basically ensures that the Pixel 7a's photographic quality will not disappoint.
△ Pixel 7a rendering
In terms of performance, it is reported that Pixel 7a will be equipped with Google Tensor G2 SoC, compared with the previous generation of Tensor chips, there will be a certain improvement in performance.
In addition, the Pixel 7a will support wireless charging, but the charging power of 5W makes it somewhat chicken. However, the ceramic back cover or ceramic coating makes people keep a lot of expectations for its feel.
Black Tech: Can Conversational AI Service Bard Come Later?
After talking about hardware, let's talk about "technology and hard work".
In fact, the highlight of Google's I/O every year has to be Google's various AI technologies. In the past, technologies and services for voice conversations such as Google Assistant have continued to evolve; The prototype of AR glasses unveiled last year has an unpretentious appearance, and practical functions such as two-way voice translation and sign language interpretation are exciting.
△ Google AR glasses unveiled at Google I/O last year
Unfortunately, we don't have enough information yet. But it can basically be concluded that Bard, who "overturned" before, will make a comeback at this conference, after all, the sudden explosion of ChatGPT has made similar products/services explode, and the technology giant Google obviously cannot lag behind.
Because of the rollover incident, Google needs to highlight the relevant improvement measures and progress at this Google I/O, and be more cautious when displaying other related services. More likely, Google will describe it as an "experimental conversational AI service" rather than a "next-generation Google search" and showcase improvements over time. ■
Appendix 1: Google I/O 2022 Highlights Recap
New hardware family bucket:
Affordable mobile phone Pixel 6a, annual flagship Pixel 7/7 Pro, Pixel Buds Pro benchmarked against AirPods Pro, belated first smartwatch Pixel Watch, short-lived tablet Pixel Tablet, next-generation smart speaker Nest Hub Max, which can wake up at a glance, consumer AR glasses featuring pragmatism;
Google Translate：
Added 24 new translation languages to break down communication barriers for more people;
Multisearch near me：
The composite search method of image + text adds geographic information to make the search results "closer" to you;
Google Maps：
Added Immersive View, which allows you to browse real scenes around the world in 3D modeling, and Eco-friendly routing, which helps users find the most "environmentally friendly" routes;
Google Workspace ：
Google Doc introduces automatic summarization, so you don't have to go crazy with lengthy documents;
Google Assistant：
"Look and Talk" combines the face and voice to determine the user's identity, so that Google Assistant can be activated without a wake word; Quick phrases can use fixed phrases to directly execute specific instructions;
LaMDA 2：
LaMDA 2 can understand millions of topics and produce "natural conversations" without repetition;
AI Test Kitchen：
As a model-driven AI demonstration center such as LaMDA 2, AI Test Kitchen enables users to interact with models in limited ways, bringing a new way to explore AI capabilities;
Pathways Language Model（PaLM）：
PaLM has breakthrough performance in many natural language processing tasks, and by combining it with "chain-of-thought", it can greatly improve the accuracy of PaLM. In addition, PaLM solves the challenge of cross-lingual conversations, greatly improving the ease of use of Google Search and other tools.
Appendix 2: Google I/O 2021 Highlights Recap
LaMDA：
Google's new language model, which allows for more natural, deeper conversations and adapts to different contexts.
MUM（Multi-Task Unified Model）：
This is a new AI feature from Google that can understand information in multiple languages and domains to provide users with better search results.
Google Maps：
Google Maps has added several new features, including an enhanced version of Live View capabilities that provide more precise navigation and AR navigation, better integration with Google Assistant, and more.
Project Starline：
A new video calling technology that uses deep learning and 3D rendering to create realistic 3D video conferencing in different locations.
TensorFlow：
Google's machine learning framework, TensorFlow, introduced new features, including better natural language processing and computer vision models.
TPU v4：
The AI chip TPU designed for AI and machine learning ushered in the fourth generation, doubling the computing power compared to the third generation of products.
Android 12：
The latest Android operating system, which adds many new features, including better privacy protection, better notification management, and a better user experience. It also supports NFC or UWB digital car keys.
Material You：
It's a new design language that automatically adjusts the colors and styles of your app to suit the user's individual needs. At the same time, it also improves the smoothness and operation efficiency of the system.
Wear OS 3：
The new platform, jointly established by Google Wear OS and Samsung Tizen, optimizes battery life, app loading speed, animation smoothness, etc., while reducing developer workload.
Dermatological aids:
Using a camera to take a picture of your skin, hair or nails and answer a few questions can give a diagnosis.
Main author: Statement / Shenzhen Bay
Editor: Xiaoyue / Shenzhen Bay