9to5Google Weekender: Pixel leaks galore, and this week’s top stories

Ben Schoon | Apr 23 2023 - 9:00 am PT

As Google I/O quickly approaches, this past week has seen an absolute flood of Pixel leaks for the Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and the Pixel Tablet. Here’s everything you might have missed.

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Pixel 7a

Starting with Google’s next budget phone, the Pixel 7a, we exclusively reported this week that the phone would start at $499 in the US and be available on May 11 in stores. That’s up $50 from the previous model but with the additions of wireless charging, a better camera, and more. Another leak added that Pixel 7a may ship with Google’s camera-based Face Unlock feature. Prior to this week, we also recently saw the first leaked image of the Pixel 7a in its new blue color, as pictured above.

Google Pixel Fold

Next up is the Pixel Fold, which saw quite a few details drop this week. That started with a leak regarding its release date, saying that Pixel Fold will be announced on May 10 and released later on in June. That was quickly followed by a report from CNBC which was the first time we’d heard that Pixel Fold will feature water resistance. That leak also hinted at strong battery life and the “most durable hinge,” contributing to the price of over $1,700. And finally, a third major leak offered better insight into the specs of the Pixel Fold and told us that the foldable will include a free Pixel Watch for early buyers.

Pixel Tablet

It was actually the Pixel Tablet that saw the most leaks this week, starting with our exclusive report that Google’s first Pixel-branded tablet will include its speaker/charging dock and that it would include 8GB of RAM under the hood. Further leaks included that very dock showing up on Amazon for $129 and the first hints at pricing for the tablet out of Europe. The device was also spotted at a Google display in Milan. New leaked renders also show a “privacy switch” similar to Google’s smart home devices.

This Week’s Top Stories

GM won’t give up on ditching Android Auto and CarPlay

In a new interview this week, an exec from General Motors stuck by the company’s controversial decision to ditch support for Android Auto and CarPlay from its coming electric vehicles. The shocking twist, though, is that the argument kind of makes sense, as we discussed in a 9to5Google’s Take earlier this week.

GM doubles down on its decision to ditch Android Auto and CarPlay

Google Assistant will talk to you less

In a move that’s welcome for smart home users, Google has tweaked its Assistant smart speakers and smart displays to lessen how much the Assistant will speak to you when controlling devices. Basically, the Assistant will simply make a chime noise instead of reiterating what you asked it to do.

‘Now Playing’ on Pixel is about to get even better

As we reported this week, Google is preparing a new “Summary” feature for the “Now Playing” feature on Pixel phones. When it arrives, this feature will categorize songs your phone has heard.