Earlier today, Google announced the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G, both of which Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) will carry. But if you want to purchase the latter through the carrier, you’ll have to pay $600 or $25 per month on a two-year Verizon Device payment plan to get the device. That’s $100 more than the $499 Google plans to sell the Pixel 4a 5G through its website when the phone goes on sale next month.

You can chalk up the price hike on the fact Verzion’s version of the phone, the Pixel 4a 5G UW, has additional radios and antennas to take advantage of the carrier’s mmWave 5G buildouts. If you live in a city with mmWave coverage, you’ll get access to blazing-fast download speeds, but finding those areas can feel like a scavenger hunt. Here’s the other thing. For a $100 more, you can buy the Pixel 5 through Verizon and get a phone with a bigger battery, IP68 water resistance, Qi wireless charging, a 90Hz display and more RAM. Oh, and it too can connect to Verizon’s mmWave network.

The removal of Soli also means the Pixel 5 has a fingerprint sensor and a notch-less design, with a clean pinhole punchout adorning the phone’s 6-inch, 2,340 x 1,080 display. Thankfully, the screen still includes the 90Hz refresh rate of last year’s model. Anyone who has had to put with woeful battery life on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 will also be happy to learn the Pixel 5 comes with a larger 4,000mAh capacity battery.  

Some other notable tweaks include a rejigged primary camera system made up of 12-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensors capturing photos from wide and ultra-wide lenses. It wouldn’t be a Pixel launch without new software features for those cameras and Google didn’t disappoint. One new feature is a panning tool that there’s to help you capture smooth video. Rounding out the Pixel 5’s spec list is support for Qi wireless charging, a water-resistant design, 128GB of storage and a price tag that starts at $699.

Pixel 4a 5G

Google

Pixel fans will notice we didn’t mention an XL model above. That’s because there’s isn’t one this year. Instead, Google plans to release a more premium version of the Pixel 4a — or a more affordable take on the Pixel 5, if that’s how you want to look at things. The $499 Pixel 4a 5G surprisingly has many of the same marquee features as its more expensive sibling. Both phones feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor. They also have the same front and rear camera arrays. What you won’t get with the Pixel 4a 5G is support for Qi wireless charging, waterproofing and a 90Hz display. But it does come with a headphone jack. 

Chromecast

Google

Google’s new Chromecast comes with a remote. Yes, Google has finally listened to its customers, but there’s a lot more to its latest streaming puck than merely a new way to control things. Google has gone with an updated design that borrows from both the Chromecast Ultra and its colorful Nest Mini speakers. Inside, the puck features a new processor that allows it to play 4K HDR content at up to 60 frames per second. Additionally, there’s support for Dolby Vision and surround sound.  

As for that remote, it has a built-in microphone for quick and easy Assistant access. In terms of buttons, there are Back, Home, Mute, Power and Input keys, as well as a dedicated volume rocker. It also comes with shortcuts for YouTube and Netflix. Handy that. 

Where things get somewhat confusing is that the new Chromecast runs Google TV. The platform runs on top of Android TV and adds a new interface to the mix that borrows features from Google’s Play Movies and TV app. 

You can grab the Chromecast starting today for $50. 

Nest Audio

Google

Lastly, Google announced a new smart speaker called Nest Audio. Like the Nest Mini, the Nest Audio is covered in fabric. Google outfitted it with a 19mm tweeter and 75mm mid-woofer. The company says those components allow the Nest Audio to get 75 percent louder than the Google Home. It also produces 50 percent more bass than that speaker. 

On the device, you’ll find LED lights that turn on when you speak to Assistant. But there’s also a mute switch on the back of the speaker if you don’t want the digital helper turning on by accident. It also comes with a Media EQ feature that Google says will automatically tune your Nest Audio depending on what you’re listening to, and there’s support for multi-room audio.

You can also pair two Nest Audios to get stereo imaging, which will be tempting since a single speaker only costs $100.

You can pre-order the Pixel 5 starting at $699 at Amazon, Best Buy and Google’s own store.

Buy Pixel 5 at Amazon – $699 Buy Pixel 5 at Best Buy – $699 Buy Pixel 5 at Google – $699

Google Pixel 4a 5G — $499

Google

This is the 5G version of the Pixel 4a that many have been waiting for since the original debuted during the summer. The hardware is mostly the same as the Pixel 4, but it has a few key differences: it obviously supports 5G and the Pixel 4a 5G also has a larger, 6.2-inch OLED display, the same 16MP ultrawide camera as the Pixel 5 has and a 3,885mAh battery (which is slightly larger than that in the Pixel 4).

The Pixel 4a 5G is currently on waitlist only — you can sign up to be notified when it becomes available at Best Buy and Google’s online store.

Buy Pixel 4a 5G at Best Buy – $499 Buy Pixel 4a 5G at Google – $499

Nest Audio — $99

Google

The newest fabric-wrapped smart speaker from Google is the $99 Nest Audio, which has a 19mm tweeter and a 75mm mid-woofer. Google claims it will provide 50 percent more bass and 75 percent more volume than previous Nest speakers. It also supports stereo audio if you have multiple in one household and there’s a mic switch on the device for when you want extra privacy.

You can pre-order the Nest Audio smart speaker for $99 today at Best Buy and Google’s store.

Buy Nest Audio at Best Buy – $99 Buy Nest Audio at Google – $99

Chromecast with Google TV — $49

Google

The new Chromecast with Google TV is the biggest update to the little streaming dongle that we’ve seen in a long time. The device streams 4K HDR content and supports Dolby Vision, putting it in line with some of the newest streaming devices from Roku, Amazon and Apple. For the first time, it has a proper on-screen OS that you can control with the included voice remote, so you’re not forced to use your connected smartphone anymore. Google TV is essentially Android TV with a new skin plus new features, and you can control the entire thing using Google Assistant voice commands.

You can buy the Chromecast with Google TV at Best Buy, Walmart and Google’s online store.

Buy new Chromecast at Best Buy – $49 Buy new Chromecast at Walmart – $49 Buy new Chromecast at Google – $49

Google’s Nest Audio was all but revealed already when it appeared in a Walmart a week ago, but now it’s official. The company just announced its latest Google-powered speaker at its annual Pixel event. As you can tell from the pictures, the Nest Audio is a fabric-clad speaker similar in style to the company’s Nest smart displays except, of course, there’s no display this time. 

According to Google, the new Nest Audio has a 19mm tweeter, a 75mm mid-woofer, all of which will result in “fuller, clearer, more natural sound.” It also apparently has 50 percent more bass and 75 percent more volume than its predecessor. You can pair two Nest Audio speakers together for stereo sound. Google says the Nest Audio is made out of 70 percent recycled plastic.

Google’s Pixel 5 event is finally here. The “Launch Night In” starts at 2PM ET/11AM PT, and you can watch it with us below. Alongside the company’s stream, we’ll offer our commentary on all the news in real time. We know that Google will announce a new Pixel phone, Chromecast and smart speaker, and several leaks have already provided additional details on those products. It’ll be interesting to see what’s left to announce.

When Google launched the Pixel 4a in August, it promised that 5G-ready versions of the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 would arrive this fall. We know the 5G devices will start at $499. Thanks to leaks, we also know that they’ll come with OLED displays and be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor. They’ll support 18W fast charging, too.

Google expanded Meet’s availability earlier this year to give more people access to the video chat service in the midst of coronavirus-related lockdowns. The tech giant didn’t just make it available to everyone with a Gmail account, though, it also made its premium features accessible at no cost until September 30th. One of those premium features is the ability to make unlimited calls, without which users would have to deal with a 60-minute limit per call. The good news is that free Gmail users won’t have to worry about call limits tomorrow or anytime soon: the tech giant has extended their access to unlimited Meet calls until March 31st, 2021.

In a post announcing the extension, Meet Group Product Manager Samir Pradhan said Google wants to “continue helping those who rely on Meet to stay in touch” over the holiday season, especially since not everyone can travel to be with their families and friends. The post also talks about Meet’s recent feature additions, including the ability to cast Meet calls on TV, to join calls hands-free on the Nest Hub Max and to blur backgrounds. More recently, Google has also rolled out noise cancellation for Meet on Android and iOS to filter out background sounds for those who prefer taking video calls on their mobile devices.

Just one day before Google’s Pixel 5 reveal, Sonos has filed a new lawsuit against the search giant, alleging it has infringed five more patents. The patents cover technologies that form the basis of some of Sonos’ best-known features, including its Trueplay tuning tool.

The new lawsuit is the latest development in the ongoing legal spat between Sonos and Google. Sonos first sued Google at the start of 2020. It alleged at the time that the company had violated five of its speaker patents, including one that details a technology that allows wireless speakers to sync with one another. In June, Google countersued Sonos, claiming the speaker company had been using its search, software, networking and audio processing technologies without paying a licensing fee.“While Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement, it must assert its intellectual property rights here,” Google wrote in the complaint.

Google wants more people to check out Stadia Pro, the subscription-based version of its video game streaming service. To that end, the company is adding six titles to its freebie lineup on October 1st, including Dead by Daylight. The asymmetric horror game, which is already available on other platforms, pits four survivors against another human-controlled menace. The Stadia version will support cross-play and Crowd Choice, a streamer-focused feature that allows viewers to vote on what happens next. “Select whether they play as the Killer or a Survivor in Dead by Daylight, then pick which Killer or Survivor they’ll become,” Google teased in a blog post.

Other Stadia Pro additions include Celeste, a critically-acclaimed indie platformer, Human: Fall Flat, a party game with intentionally-bad controls and physics, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, an isometric take on the franchise, Mind Control Delete, a time-bending expansion to Superhot, and Jotun, an action-adventure game about a deceased viking warrior. They’re not the biggest games — not in September 2020, anyway — but generally high quality and worth playing if you haven’t got around to them already.

Now, Google has reportedly offered to restrict the use of Fitbit data for Google ads and tighten the monitoring of that process, Reuters says. The company also formalized its commitment to supporting other wearable manufacturers on Android and allowing Fitbit users to choose third party services through APIs, Google said in a statement. Those third parties will have access to Fitbit users’ data, as long as those users consent.

Those are relatively minor concessions, but this isn’t quite a done deal. EU officials will now collect feedback from competitors and consumers before accepting Google’s concessions. There’s a chance that Google will have to meet additional demands. Either way, the Commission will decide on the deal by December 23rd.

Meanwhile, in the US, Google will have to appease both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ). The company is also facing a broader review of competition. The DOJ is preparing an antitrust case against the company, and a dozen states are expected to join that DOJ lawsuit.

As part of an antitrust settlement in Europe, Google has to offer new Android users a choice of downloading a rival search product. These choice slots are auctioned off, and Google has just published the options that will be presented to users between October 1st and December 31st of this year. The biggest news is that Microsoft has managed to get its rival product placed in some of Europe’s biggest markets. 

From October 1st, Bing will be one of the four options available to users in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway and the UK. As Bloomberg reports, Info.com, PrivacyWall and GMX were all big winners, taking the majority of the slots across the continent. But the big news is however much Microsoft paid to get Bing in front of users in those markets, and if that will help improve its market share — currently believed to be 3.06 percent.