Remember Google Clips? The not-quite-a-GoPro that used AI to automatically capture key moments was released at the second Made by Google event, and felt like the company’s penchant for experimental software was going to extend into hardware. 

During my hands-on with Android XR glasses last month, I kept returning to the digital clock that was displayed over the real world. Professionally, I have been waiting over a decade for Google to re-enter the smart glasses space, and everything is lining up for this to happen in 2026.

One thing that I thought we’d see more of in 2025 was how Gemini could control your Android phone. There was the May demo and other underlying work, but we don’t have Google’s complete vision yet.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been looking back on some of my favorite products of the year, with two standouts in particular. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Pixel Watch 4 are far and away my favorite products of the year. What were yours?

Google rolled out a major Pixel Watch update this week that, for Pixel Watch 4 owners, delivers support for new one-handed gestures. They’re super useful already, but do they measure up to the gestures Google introduced a decade ago?

Over the past few months, especially, Gemini has taken over everything Google, with Assistant having largely vanished. Yet, in most cases, the biggest upgrade I’ve felt from Gemini is just the lack of Assistant being so awful. But there is one big exception, and that’s with Gemini on Android Auto.

I think Android laptops are happening in part because Google does not see a future where Chromebooks rival Mac and Windows for market share. All the success Google has in various consumer form factors comes down to Android. To that end, one of my biggest questions about this reboot of Google’s desktop strategy is how much will Android laptops try to copy the success of smartphones.

Since Google introduced Pixel VIPs in June, the widget has become the primary way I message and call people. I use it multiple times throughout the day and it’s close to entering my first homescreen.

The most important thing Google announced last week is generative UIs. Fully embraced by Gemini 3, I think generative AI and interfaces will lead to a new generation of apps, but not in the way you think.

If Samsung or Apple can’t sustain a market for ultra-thin phones, Google is certainly not entering the space. I find that a real shame, but if the Pixel needs an aspirational design direction, might I suggest the flat Pixel 9a.

Apple has had iPhone owners trapped within its walled garden for years, with many genuinely not knowing what lies beyond that ecosystem. But Google has been working over the past few years to poke some holes in that wall, and its latest move in bringing AirDrop compatibility to Android Quick Share is just another reminder of how things are getting better. But… is anyone actually switching?

I’m not really a huge fan of modern AI. For the past couple of years, it’s just been shoved into everything online, and usually not for the better. Google, though, has really hit its stride lately in finding incredible, out-of-the-box ways to use AI to just make things better, and there are a couple of key examples of this.

Gemini for Google Home has arrived and, with it, a glimpse of Google’s view of the future of the smart home. But that future is still held back by the simple fact that, like anything with AI, it makes too many mistakes.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite hit the scene this week with the promise of being a much more affordable smartphone. It is that, but it’s also haunted by some of the quotes and jokes that Nothing has made over the years, and is really putting a sour tone on what should have been a great year for the growing brand.

If there’s one thing Google is good at with Pixel, it’s color. This year, “Indigo” is the standout color, even if it’s not on the flagship series, and my new Pixel Watch band reminded me just how good “Indigo” is.

Following new announcements this week, the future of Google Home is brighter than ever, and that’s exciting.

Over the years, the Google Home ecosystem – Nest included – has changed a lot, largely to fit Google’s priorities of the time. But, more often than not, any one step forward has resulted in taking two steps back which, as a user, means there’s always some annoyance at play. As Google prepares to present Home and Nest news next week, what’s the one thing you would change about Google Home if you could?

Samsung appears to be adopting Qi2 magnets in the Galaxy S26 series, but there’s a key problem with that, and it’s going to require Samsung to eventually redesign its Galaxy phones to fully embrace the standard.

One of the big new announcements coming out of Google’s Pixel 10 launch this week was that the Fitbit app is about to get a massive redesign and, after spending some time playing around with it and getting an overview of all of the new features, I think Google is putting together something that’s going to be incredibly helpful, but bordering on information overload.

The Pixel Watch 4 is set to introduce a brand new charger – the third one in four generations of Google’s smartwatch – and while it really seems like the pros outweigh the cons here, I’m dreading a couple of small things.

As we near the launch of Pixel 10, I’m getting some déjà vu with Google’s new devices, as the company has been pushing forward with its flagship phones for the betterment of the entire Android ecosystem, rather than just its own benefit. Sound familiar?

In July, Google finally launched a bottom address bar for Chrome on Android. Are you using it?

The clear difference between Gemini and AI Mode will be an assistant. That’s already the case today, and what LLMs continue to make possible will only widen that gap. However, the similarities today make me wonder whether this is confusing for most users.

It’s no secret at this point that the Pixel 10 series is not going to be a massive upgrade, but with that in mind, leaks point towards it being perhaps the best kind of subtle upgrade. Here’s why.