Well, this is a bit of a surprise. Seemingly out of nowhere, Google has announced that it’s holding a big event on August 13. And it’s likely going to be a big one for Pixel devices.
On Tuesday, June 25, Google sent out press invites for a new Made by Google event. The event invite says Google will be showcasing “the best of Google AI, Android software and the Pixel portfolio of devices.” It’s taking place at 10 a.m. PT on August 13, 2024, in Mountain View, California.
Additionally, Google updated the Google Store website with a banner at the very top that says, “Change is coming,” followed by the Roman numerals “VIII XIII MMXXIV” – translating to “8 13 2024” (aka August 13, 2024, the date of the event). Although the invite and teaser page don’t explicitly mention what’s coming, the URL for the Google Store page contains “magazine/google_pixel_9_pro,” meaning that at least one of the announcements will be the Pixel 9 Pro.
If this seems way earlier in the year than we normally expect new Pixel hardware, that’s because it is. Google traditionally holds Made by Google events in October to announce its newest Pixel smartphones. However, it looks like the company is shifting things up a lot earlier than expected.
So, other than the Pixel 9 Pro, what else can we expect from this event? Rumors suggest there will be four new Pixels coming this year: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and a new folding Pixel phone. We’ve seen it referred to as the Pixel Fold 2 and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. I certainly hope it’s the former.
We should also see the Google Pixel Watch 3 — likely in two sizes: a regular Pixel Watch 3 and a larger Pixel Watch 3 XL. This would be the first time Google has offered multiple sizes of the Pixel Watch, and it’s a change I cannot wait for.
That covers the “Pixel portfolio of devices” part of the event. What about the Google AI and Android news? For Google AI, we’ll probably see more information about some features Google talked about at Google I/O 2024 earlier this year. Google could also use this event to release the public build of Android 15. That would make it a stacked event, but it sounds like that’s what we’re in for.