Will Sattelberg

The days of foldables being an Android-only experience are over. The iPhone Duo is set to arrive next month for a relatively-competitive $2,000 price point, and it seems like Apple’s decision to sit back and observe since the launch of the original Galaxy Fold more or less paid off — that is, until you consider the iPhone Duo’s size and shape.

Tonight’s game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks isn’t just a Super Bowl LX rematch — it’s also the official start of the 2026 NFL season. Google has invested pretty heavily in football over the past few years through YouTube TV, but today, it’s giving Search some big improvements to make following the season a little easier.

Welcome to episode 43 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by 9to5’s Daniel Bader for an interview with Fairphone’s CTO Chandler Hatton. The trio discusses the brand-new Fairphone Gen 6+, the company’s first official US launch, the appetite for repairable devices amid the growing RAM crunch, and much more.

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Welcome to Pixelated episode 115. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dig through Google’s latest Android Drop and discuss their most-wanted feature additions for Android.

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The Pixel 11 series is out in the hands of plenty of (hopefully) happy users, and for the most part, I can count myself among them. This generation marks a massive shift for the camera in particular, as Google has finally loosened up its HDR-centric grip on processing. Really, the only big downsides with Camera Looks appeared to be how it saved your default look — and, as it turns out, there’s a setting to fix that, too.

Casting from YouTube to your television has been a thing since, well, since Google first rolled out its Cast protocol well over a decade ago, and though the site’s default TV interface is pretty good these days, casting remains the preference of Chromecast veterans everywhere. If you count yourself among that crowd, good news: Google is overhauling how the app-to-TV experience works with YouTube.

Welcome to Pixelated episode 114. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will discuss the Pixel Watch 5 as they look towards the present and future of Google’s wearable efforts.

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At this point, phones have been boring for long enough that even calling them boring feels a little passé. The days of smartphones feeling like the cutting edge of technology are long gone, replaced with iterative updates and a big focus on software-as-a-service. Disconnecting from your smartphone might not seem too difficult on its face, but from rideshare apps to mobile payments, today’s solutions tend to leave a lot more gaps in your life than you might otherwise expect. 

Welcome to episode 42 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Damien Wilde joins Will as they continue to break down what’s good — and not so good — about Google’s latest phones. Come for the Snapdragon-Tensor debate, stay for a sweaty analogy that compares the Pixel 11 series to various Halloween sequels.

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Buying a new smartphone usually means buying a new case alongside it, unless you’re one of those risk-fueled daredevils who opt to go caseless. And while there’s no shortage of third-party case options piling up at your local Best Buy or in Amazon warehouses, sometimes, going the first-party route just makes sense — especially if you’re able to pick one up with store credit. If you’re salivating over the new Pixel 11 series, I beg of you: please don’t choose Google’s wildly overpriced Pixelsnap Clear Case. It’s simply not worth the cost.

Welcome to Pixelated episode 113. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dive into their thoughts and reviews of the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

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The Pixel 11 lineup has earned its reputation as a safe upgrade — or boring, if you’re looking to be a little less generous to Google — but it’s delivering one thing I’ve been begging for literal years: Camera Looks. Google’s take on the iPhone’s Photographic Styles have been a long time coming, and appear to be set to play a big role in shaking up the conversation around the Pixel’s evenly-lit, HDR-heavy processing. I’ve been experimenting with them while working towards my eventual Pixel 11 Pro XL review, and I have to say, I’m mostly satisfied. Mostly.

Welcome to episode 41 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Ben Schoon joins Will to discuss the future of Pixel, as Google’s Pixel 11 attempts to bridge the gap between always-accessible AI assistant and a more minimalist, digital wellbeing-friendly experience. They also dig into the world of AI ads, posters, and more, and wonder whether they’re doing far more harm than good to the people who choose to monetize them.

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Welcome to Pixelated episode 112. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will share their early impressions of the Pixel 11 series, offer a full breakdown of the actual Made by Google event, and share some big picture thoughts on the future of Pixel hardware inspired by this HiLight ad.

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Google’s new Pixel 11 series seems really promising, but they’re also all $100 more expensive across the board than last generation. Luckily, if you’re already sold from our various hands-ons, there are a ton of surprisingly excellent pre-order deals and trade-in valuations you can take advantage of to bring that price tag down — and frankly, no one has Amazon beat.

The Pixel Watch 5 might offer a much more robust experience than the display-less Fitbit Air that Google launched earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean the smartwatch team isn’t pulling from the Air’s playbook. Alongside all of the standard options for the Pixel Watch 5, Google is also launching a special Steph Curry-branded variant for those of us focused on athletics over all else.

The Pixel 11 series might look familiar on the outside, but Google’s packed plenty of changes both behind the scenes and under the hood, and nowhere is that more evident than when you dive into its cameras. From new processing styles and a full creator-focused editing suite to that fancy new HiLight LED flash, there’s a lot new this year.

It’s been a couple of years since Google rolled out a new set of Pro-branded earbuds, and while it’s still not ready to debut a true third-gen set for its premium audio offering, it does have a fresh colorway for the Buds Pro 2 alongside a fresh software upgrade for all users both new and existing.

You might think you know everything about Google’s next-gen Pixel 11 lineup, but the company is still hoping to surprise you at tonight’s live primetime-adjacent Made by Google event and it’s sounding like one you won’t want to miss.

Google has spent the past few years ramping up its efforts to get Android users to download more apps — and, in turn, to spend more cash on games, in-app purchases, and more. Today, Google is adding Venmo as an all-new way to make purchases on the Play Store, meaning that $40 you keep forgetting to transfer to your bank account just became your ticket to movie rentals, ad-free apps, and more.

Welcome to Pixelated episode 111. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will preview what to expect at next week’s official unveiling of the Pixel 11 series, including final rumors, leaks, expectations, and some very wrong guesses on who the host might be.

Enjoy the episode? You can listen to our brand new weekly members-only Pixelated Pro bonus episode by signing up for 9to5Google Pro!

Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription to the company’s suite of privacy-friendly services by signing up using our link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring the podcast.

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