Since the original Pixel, the special sauce for all of Google’s phones has been its software. We’ve seen this throughout the years in its cameras with things like HDR+ processing and Google’s potent Night Sight mode. And more generally with features like Call Screen, Live Translate and the Recorder app. But on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, thanks to the new Tensor G3 chip and focus on machine learning, it feels like Google’s latest flagship phones are taking some of the buzz from the recent AI hype cycle and turning it into tools you’ll actually want to use.

Design and display

The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro don’t look terribly different from last year’s phones, but you’ll notice a number of small tweaks and improvements on closer inspection. Their corners are a touch more rounded and Google deleted the small chin below the screen by making its bezels a uniform size all around. One notable change is that the Pixel 8 has shrunk a bit to a 6.2-inch screen (down from 6.3 inches on the Pixel 7). This is something I can get on board with because the phone is now more compact and easier to hold, without straying too far into tiny handset territory like on the iPhone Mini 13 (which was canceled for its sins – RIP).

Meanwhile, the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro has received other tweaks including a new matte finish on its back and an almost completely flat display instead of the curvy sides on previous models. The camera bar has also been streamlined to feature a single lens cover for all of its cameras and its new temperature sensor. But regardless of which model you’re looking at, both phones sport a solid build made from Gorilla Glass Victus with IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance and in-screen fingerprint readers.

As for the screens themselves, Google is using Actua and Super Actua branding to describe the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s displays and I kind of hate it. Don’t get me wrong, they look great and with peak brightness of 2,000 or 2,400 nits depending on the model, they’re even better looking and more viewable outdoors than before. My issue is that I don’t want to live in a world where every component on a device needs to have a catchy name with nebulous definitions. We have Retina displays on iPhones, PixelSense screens on Surfaces and now Actua panels on Pixels. It’s too much.

That said, I have noticed that in Google’s quest for precise, realistic colors–which is what its Actua branding is meant to suggest–some hues and tones appear more muted on the Pixel 8 than on rival devices. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just may result in things like food looking a bit more appetizing on competing devices. The Pixel 8 also has a slightly lower resolution (2,400 x 1,080 vs 2,992 x 1,33) than the 8 Pro and a narrower range for its variable refresh rate (60-120Hz vs 1-120Hz).

Performance

Packing a new Tensor G3 chip and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM depending on the model, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s performance feels like it has gotten a noticeable boost compared to the previous generation. Unfortunately, because I’ve been testing devices prior to their official release, apps like Geekbench 6 don’t work yet so I don’t have a ton of numbers to work with. But I have noticed that loading games happens faster and the phone is generally more responsive, though still not quite on the same level as a device with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. The Pixel 8 Pro has also gotten a big boost in the storage department with support for up to 1TB. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the Pixel 8 which still tops about at 256GB.

Of course, horsepower is more than just clock speeds and benchmarks. Google claims the Tensor G3 runs more than twice as many machine learning models on-device compared to the Pixel 6’s G1 processor. Now that figure is difficult to put into perspective, but with the arrival of features like Magic Editor that uses generative AI to manipulate photos, now I actually care about how powerful a chip’s NPU is. Currently, when tweaking a photo or using AI to create a new wallpaper in Android 14, there’s a solid two or three Mississippi before I can see results. That’s understandable considering the novelty of the software, but given how often I’ve been using the features, I’m already dreaming about making them work faster.

Cameras

Nowhere on the phone is Google’s improved software and AI more evident than when shooting photos and videos. In addition to new sensors that include a 50-MP main camera and a 12-MP ultra-wide (or a 48-MP ultra-wide and 48-MP telephoto with a 5x optical zoom on the 8 Pro), the Pixel 8 delivers a fresh suite of tools for making everything your capture look better.

The most impressive new feature is Magic Editor, which combines lasso and content-aware fill capabilities, similar to Photoshop, in a single place. All you have to do is highlight something with your finger and then you can choose to delete it (like in the case of a distracting element) or move it somewhere else, at which point the Pixel uses AI to fill in any holes. It sounds simple in theory, but anyone who‘s ever tried to crudely cover up a blemish with the clone stamp tool knows it’s not quite that easy. But the Pixel makes it seem like it is and the results are surprisingly good. The caveat is that in order to use Magic Editor, you first need to back your pic up in Google Photos. So if you run out of storage space or don’t have a good data connection, you might be in for a minor headache.

For example, check out this picture I recently took at a wedding. Even before editing, it looks great, which is a testament to Google’s excellent image processing. Then, thanks to the Magic Editor, I had no trouble removing small distractions like a neon exit sign. This results in a photo that draws your attention back to the bride and groom (where it should be).

And for anyone who’s ever been annoyed by a group pic that was ruined because one person was frowning when it happened, there’s Best Take. Instead of shooting a single group shot and calling it a day, Best Take can look at a series of images, recognize people’s faces and then give you the option of putting whichever reaction you want on each person’s head. Granted, it’s not perfect and, depending on the composition of the photo, you might notice some small bumps around people’s necks and shoulders or some misplaced hair. But it’s good enough that people might not notice unless they’re actively looking for flaws. You just have to remember to shoot more than just one photo, but you already do that anyway right?

Note: The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro use the same 50-MP sensor for their main camera. In this review, I primarily used the Pixel 8 Pro for camera testing. 

However, the Pixel 8 Pro takes things even further with the addition of pro camera controls. This is something I’ve personally been hoping to get for a while and, even though Google certainly took its time making it happen, the results are solid. You can activate Pro controls by tapping the settings icon and switching over to the new Pro tab. Then you can tap the button in the bottom right to adjust things like file type (JPEG or RAW), shutter speed, white balance and more. There’s even a manual focus option that includes focus peaking to show you what’s sharp and what isn’t.

Video is getting some big improvements too. Audio Magic Eraser does an impressive job of eliminating distracting ambient noises from your clips. It’s not as good as having dedicated mics and a full-time sound editor. But if all you want to do is make things easier to hear, this is a big help and it fits in a pocket.

The downside to a software-first approach is that things take a bit more time. So not only do you have to wait for images or clips to get processed, some of the Pixel 8 Pro’s most promising features like Zoom Enhance and Video Boost with Night Sight won’t be available at launch and aren’t scheduled to arrive until a feature drop sometime in December. Now while it’s possible that this a result of a longer pipelines for software development, I hope this doesn’t become a trend. It’s a bit of a shame that everything isn’t ready on day one

More generally, Google’s HDR+ and low-light modes are as good as it gets. Shots taken with Night Sight were routinely, sharper, brighter and more detailed than what I got from an S23 Ultra. And while its 5x optical zoom isn’t quite as long as the S23’s 10x, it often feels more usable, especially when you’re shooting indoor events. Regardless, between its upgraded sensors, Google’s excellent image processing, the new pro controls and a fresh kit of AI-powered tools, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like the most powerful smartphone camera on the market. And despite having one fewer lens and fewer features, the regular Pixel 8 isn’t far behind.

My one question is that I’m not sure why Google is restricting pro camera controls solely to the more expensive model. Even without a telephoto camera, having access to advanced settings would be a welcome addition to the base model. Heck, some folks have already figured out a way to hack pro controls onto the Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and the Pixel 8 by messing around with the Google Camera APK. So hey Google, how about just officially porting over Pro controls to as many devices as possible?

Other new features

The AI-powered functions don’t stop there though. If you feel like creating a custom wallpaper, you can simply generate one based on a few adjustable parameters. It’s an interesting way to create a unique backdrop, but as evidenced by the awkward-looking hands on the one I created, it still succumbs to a lot of the pitfalls that often plague AI art.

When you want to save some time, you can ask the Google Assistant to summarize an article from the web. Or you can ask it to read the story aloud, which creates a new audio popup so you can listen while you multitask. It’s like having the ability to turn every article into an audiobook, which is just really convenient. The entire internet is now a podcast. And if that’s not enough, you can even have the assistant translate stories into another language at the same time too.

Thanks to the Tensor G3 chip, Google also says that Pixel 8 supports more natural voice and text recognition, which powers features like a proofreading tool in Gboard and improved Assistant voice typing across multiple languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish). Unfortunately, the only other language I speak is Mandarin, which isn’t supported yet, so I’ll have to check in again on this when that gets added.

Lastly, Google says that by using a new algorithm alongside upgraded hardware, Face Unlock is significantly faster and more secure than before. In my testing, that increased speed definitely checks out. And a few times when I set the phone down on a wireless charging pad, it automatically unlocked from six feet away when I walked in the room, so facial recognition seems to have been improved as well. The one issue is that during setup, I found you need to be in a rather bright room, otherwise you’ll run into errors and a message asking you to try again.

Lastly, while it doesn’t have anything to do with AI, there’s a new temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro that at launch can be used to measure drinks and whatnot. And in the future, if granted permission by the FDA, Google is hoping you’ll be able to use the sensors as a thermometer for people. It’s a nice but not essential added feature, though I imagine it will come in handy for parents of small children like me who are constantly in fear that their kid is coming down with something.

Battery Life and support

While the Tensor G3 has given the Pixel 8 a big boost to its AI capabilities, it’s provided a bump in longevity too. On our standard video rundown test, the Pixel 8 lasted 20 hours and 16 minutes, which is a two-hour increase over last year’s phone. The Pixel 8 Pro fared even better, as it lasted 21 hours and 9 minutes versus 16:42 for the P7 Pro. Additionally, wired charging is now slightly faster at 27 watts for the Pixel 8 and 30 watts for the Pixel 8 Pro. However because you don’t get a power adapter in the box, you’ll need to buy an appropriate charging brick separately.

The biggest upgrade across the entire device, though, might be Google’s pledge to give the Pixel 8 line seven years of software and hardware support. That includes Android updates, monthly security patches and regular feature drops from now until 2030. And while it remains to be seen how these phones are going to hold up after all the time, it’s hard to be salty about having the longest support commitment of any Android phone not named the Fairphone 5.

Wrap-up

Back in 2018 when the Pixel 3 came out, that was the first time it felt like Google’s software-first approach to phone design really came together. And now on the Pixel 8, between the Tensor G3 and compelling new tools that chip is powering, Google is using AI to level up its playbook. More importantly, it’s doing so in a more tangible and practical way than services like ChatGPT or Midjourney. The Pixel 8 delivers AI to the palm of your hand that makes your photos look better, videos sound better, news easier to digest and your drunk texts easier to understand. And with even longer software support, there’s a pathway for the Pixel 8 to get better down the line.

It is a bit of a shame that both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro now cost $100 more than before. But just like everything else, phones aren’t immune to inflation. And that price is even higher for people on Verizon who want support for mmWave 5G, as Big Red’s version of the Pixel 8 starts at $799 instead of $699. Still, the less expensive new Pixel comes with an upgraded main camera, better battery life and a more refined design, not to mention Magic Editor, Best Take and a bunch of other AI tools. But despite the price hike, the Pixel 8 feels like a great deal and I consider its slightly smaller screen an upgrade in general wieldability. It’s a nearly ideal small Android phone.

Then we come to the Pixel 8 Pro, which is even more impressive. Google’s phones already took some of the best photos you could capture with a pocket-sized device. And with the power of AI and a full suite of upgraded sensors, the Pixel 8 Pro is basically unmatched when it comes to overall photography prowess. For the past three years, I’ve been using some kind of big foldable as my daily driver. But the Pixel 8 Pro is the first handset that has me wanting to go back to a traditional glass brick. The real magic of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro though is that even if you don’t know or care how AI is impacting its software, Google’s latest tricks are too enticing to pass up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pixel-8-and-pixel-8-pro-review-googles-most-compelling-phones-in-years-specs-price-170022742.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro review: Google’s most compelling phones in years

Being stressed is not usually a good thing. But when you’re reviewing a high-profile smartwatch that touts stress-tracking as one of its most noteworthy new features, experiencing stress can be helpful. During the time I tested the Pixel Watch 2, I was going through a lot emotionally. I was maid of honor at our senior commerce editor’s wedding, had a family funeral to think about and was getting updates on the results of my best friend’s cancer diagnosis. Add to that the frenzy of Google’s hardware launch event and a super tight deadline for this review, and my mental landscape became the perfect testing scenario for the Pixel Watch 2’s body-response sensor.

That’s not the only new feature Google is bringing to its sophomore smartwatch. The company also updated the heart rate sensor, added a skin-temperature sensor, made the case lighter and used a more powerful processor that should prolong battery life. Though the Pixel Watch 2 doesn’t look like a major upgrade on the outside, it promises some improvements that should make daily use meaningfully better.

Pixel Watch 2: Design

As much as I adore the Pixel Watch 2’s round, shiny case and how it feels, one thing sticks out. Literally. The crown on the right side of the case juts out and is extremely easy to trigger when bending your hand backwards – I’ve already accidentally summoned the emergency SOS menu twice.

It also gets in the way when I’m working out, especially while doing push-ups or on a stationary bike. The solution for this is to adjust the watch so the screen is on the inside of your wrist, but even then I’ve accidentally pressed the knob once. To be fair, I also have to do this with the Apple Watch, especially the Ultra, but the dial on Google’s wearable just feels a bit more in the way.

Thankfully, the accidental pushes don’t happen often enough to completely ruin my workouts, and I otherwise love the Pixel Watch 2’s aesthetic. In the year since I reviewed the original, I’ve become more adept at swapping out bands using Google’s press-and-twist mechanism and can switch out the boring gray sport band I received for something nicer, like the slim black metal strap that I saw at the Pixel launch event.

On paper, the watch is five whole grams lighter than its predecessor, which had a stainless steel case. This year’s model is made from recycled aluminum, and I have yet to scratch or damage it. Though it uses a less durable material, the new Pixel Watch has an IP68 rating for dust- and water-resistance, as well as the same 5 ATM water (pressure) resistance as the original. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 9 has similar parameters, with an IP6X rating (dust-resistance only) and the ability to withstand up to 50 meters of submersion in water. The lightest model of the Series 9 also weighs about a gram more than the Pixel Watch 2.

Like it did last year, Google only offers the Pixel Watch 2 in one size: 41mm. For my relatively petite wrist and decent eyesight, this felt adequate. I had little trouble aiming at onscreen buttons, but I imagine there are probably people who wish this came in a larger size.

A key part of the Pixel Watch 2’s updated design is on the underside of its case. It houses three new sensors — a multi-path heart rate reader, a skin temperature sensor and a continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor. The heart rate scanner is supposed to be more accurate since it has multiple diodes compared to a single LED in the middle. While I was initially concerned that that potentially meant increased contact with my wrist, which could be uncomfortable, I didn’t feel a noticeable difference.

Heart-rate and fitness tracking

The updated sensor array means the Pixel Watch 2 can track even more of your physiological data than before, like your overnight skin temperature and number of minutes a day you had a “body response.”

I’ll explain that latter term in a bit. But I want to point out that, because you need to wear the device to bed for at least three nights before you can get a body temperature measurement, I have yet to see a result. For one thing, I’ve been traveling over the weekend and forgot to bring the Pixel Watch 2’s charger, and on other nights I prioritized plugging the device so I could test it the next day. (I also hate wearing a watch to bed.)

With the new heart rate sensor, the Pixel Watch 2 is supposed to deliver more-accurate readings during vigorous activities, which should mean I’m getting a better report on my HIIT sessions.

I’ve been wearing the Pixel Watch 2 alongside the Apple Watch Series 9 to all my workouts this week, and they generally showed similar results. It’s worth mentioning that you still have to use the Fitbit app to view your stats from Google’s watch. On devices by Samsung and Apple, you’ll just use the native health apps. Oh, and a quick aside: The AI chatbot that Google showed off at its keynote last week won’t be available in the Fitbit app until 2024 at the earliest.

On the Pixel Watch itself, you’ll have to launch the Fitbit Exercise app or set up a tile to start a workout session. To see your data on your wrist, you’ll use the Fitbit Today app. I get that Fitbit doesn’t want to disappear into the Google ecosystem, but this still makes the Pixel Watch 2 feel a little disjointed compared to its competitors.

On my HIIT sessions, both Apple and Fitbit showed my duration and average heart rate as the exact same number. But they differed on stats like calories burned and how long I spent in each cardio zone. The Pixel Watch 2 tended to say I spent more time in “vigorous” and “moderate” ranges, while the Series 9 determined I hung out more in “Zone 1,” “Zone 3” and “Zone 4.” Apple clearly labels the number of beats per minute each of those zones include, while Fitbit doesn’t.

Based on my memory of these workouts (and how out of breath I felt), I think Apple’s calculations were more accurate. But these aren’t precise scientific devices and frankly this type of data is best used to look at your progress over time rather than for a snapshot of your performance in an individual session. I do appreciate that Apple automatically tracks and shows me my post-workout heart rate, since that metric is quite telling of my heart health.

One of the most glaring features missing on the original Pixel Watch was automatic workout start and stop prompts. While it would record your activities without you having to first launch them, Google’s debut smartwatch would not alert you if it had detected you had been, say, out brisk walking for a while. It also didn’t nudge you when you had stopped.

This year, the Pixel Watch 2 brings these reminders to start (and stop) for seven types of activities — walking, running, rowing, outdoor biking and more. It’s a very simple feature, but it brings me so much joy. The activity I track the most is the 20-minute trek to and from my gym, and I don’t always remember to start it when I head out. Having the reminder pop up when I’ve been walking for ten minutes is usually a relief, especially compared to the frustration I feel when I realize at my destination that I’d forgotten to launch the tracker.

New features: Stress and body-response management

Speaking of frustration, the feature I was most keen to check out this year was the body-response measurement system. Now, “body response” is sort of vague wording, but in this case it’s specifically referring to how your body reacts to stress. Using the cEDA sensor, the Pixel Watch 2 will look for physical signs of stress and prompt you to log your mood or take a walk when it detects these. Typically, cEDA sensors are looking for sudden changes in sweat levels, and Google takes that data, alongside your heart rate variability, to determine how stressed you might be.

In the few days I’ve worn the Pixel Watch 2, my stress levels have been fairly high. Like I mentioned before, I’ve encountered numerous moments of emotional intensity, and for the most part it seems like the device noticed about a third of them. For example, it registered that I had a body response at about 8:50 am on the morning of the wedding, which lines up with when the bridesmaids and I had to rush and finish getting dressed for photos. However, it didn’t notice my excitement when I got a message with some good news from my best friend about being in a relatively early stage of cancer. When it did detect a reaction, it usually served an alert about 15 to 30 minutes later, so I sometimes had to struggle to remember what caused my response.

When the Pixel Watch 2 notices one of these moments, it can prompt you to log your feelings or start a walk, as long as you’ve enabled the feature. The problem is, along with the generic “body response” wording, the results are hard to make sense of. First of all, when you’re looking back at your daily report in the Fitbit app, you’ll see in the “Body responses” section under “Stress and mindfulness” a number of minutes. Not the number of instances you were found to have been having a reaction, but a duration for all the emotions you logged that day.

So on Tuesday afternoon, all I see under “Body responses” is “5 minutes” and one mark on a horizontal scale showing 12 am on the left and 11:59 pm on the right. Tapping on that card brings up more details like a stress management score, number of mindful days and a weekly summary. Scrolling down shows me all the body responses logged in the previous days, and here I can see that Monday was particularly stressful, since I had 36 minutes of body responses that I had labeled as “frustrated.”

On days like Friday where I had logged different emotions, the app says I was “stressed then content.” It’s a tiny bit more useful than I had expected, and though I still find number of minutes to be a strange metric, I can see it being a handy reference when I’m comparing stressful days in future.

You can edit your logged moods via the app and add them to detected body responses that you maybe neglected to label in the moment. I encountered a strange quirk on Monday afternoon where, after I labeled what I was feeling on a bunch of body responses that had been registered on Friday, they showed up on the Fitbit Today dashboard on the watch as having been registered on Monday. It’s a bug that shouldn’t exist, especially when you consider that Fitbit’s been offering stress management tools since it launched the Sense smartwatch in 2020.

Google’s approach to tracking your emotional wellbeing is also slightly unsophisticated when compared to the option on watchOS 10. While Apple’s system doesn’t register changes in your body, it does offer more mood options for you to log. On the Pixel Watch 2, you can only choose from one of eight choices, like “Excited,” “Content,” or “Sad.” Meanwhile, you can choose from dozens of labels and varying intensities on an Apple Watch. I’ve found on at least two occasions that none of the eight words offered by Google fit what I was feeling, and went with, say, “worried” when it would have been more accurate to say I was feeling “unsettled.”

These are, however, issues that feel easy enough to fix via a software update in the future, and aren’t so major that they’d prevent me from recommending the watch. I’m encouraged to see more mainstream tech companies consider emotional and mental wellbeing as part of overall health, and giving users a convenient means to log their feelings will help people have more informed conversations with their therapists or healthcare professionals, too.

Performance and in use

Beyond the new sensors, the Pixel Watch 2 also has a new Snapdragon Wear 5100 processor that should be more responsive and power efficient. Swiping through the Wear OS 4 interface was a breeze and most stats displayed quickly. Using the smart home shortcut to turn my lamp off was satisfyingly convenient, and it reacted quite quickly.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my inbox load quickly in the Gmail app, and I have yet to struggle to read text on the screen. It’s mostly been cloudy these days, so I haven’t had an issue seeing what’s on the Pixel Watch 2’s AMOLED panel. It does go up to the same 1,000 nits as its predecessor, though it’s worth noting that the Apple Watch Series 9 can hit 2,000 nits.

The Google Assistant was slightly slow at noting what I was saying, especially compared to Siri on the Series 9, which processes on-device. I wish Google would make on-device Assistant processing available on its smartwatch soon. When I left my phones at home while going to the gym one day, Siri was still able to launch an outdoor walk workout while the Google Assistant was completely useless. Neither watch was set up with cellular connectivity, and they were both offline. I also had to laugh when I looked at the Fitbit app and saw it had recorded a 7-hour walk during which I apparently traveled just 0.9 miles.

This is what actually happened: I was on a fairly vigorous hike with some rowdy friends, racing each other up some hills, and I didn’t realize the Pixel Watch 2 was running out of juice. Before it died, though, it had recognized that I had been “walking” for a while and suggested I start tracking. I did, and shortly after that the watch conked out. It still had some power left, because tapping the screen aggressively would show the time and a red empty battery icon.

I believe it was probably still tracking the duration of my workout in the background but couldn’t log any other metric (like distance or steps). This is funny, since Google says your stats will be recorded up till the device dies, and then be uploaded and synced with the Fitbit app after it’s recharged and turned back on.

That’s another small gripe I have about the Pixel Watch 2 — for your data to show up in the smartphone app, you’ll have to be connected to the internet. It doesn’t matter if your devices are paired over Bluetooth. You’ll have to be online for the information to sync.

If you’re a Fitbit Premium subscriber (for $10 a month), you’ll be able to send emergency communications over LTE even if you don’t have a cellular plan for your watch or you’re not within range of your own provider. To be clear, this only works on the LTE model, not the Wi-Fi only version. This is particularly handy for the new Safety Check feature, which Google brought over from the Pixel phones. With it, you can select an activity like walking alone, hiking or going for a run. Then, start a timer for however long you think you’ll be out and confirm your emergency contacts.

When you are one minute away from the countdown ending, the watch will buzz and nudge you to end the timer. If you don’t, your contacts will get a selection of information that you can choose, including your live GPS location and whether you’ve called emergency services. You can also decide to alert them when your battery dies.

All of this is stuff you’ll have to set up in the Fitbit or Watch app on your phone, which brings me to another observation: I never really have to go deep into the Apple Watch’s settings to enable new, helpful features. With the Pixel Watch 2, I had to be sure to enable everything, even the reminders to start and stop workouts, which seemed like things that should be on by default anyway. This is pretty emblematic of the Android vs Apple experience, where the former is typically more involved, but is more customizable. You can add a tile to make your favorite functions easier to find, for example. Apple products, meanwhile, don’t require a lot of work out of the box, but you don’t have as much freedom to organize your apps.

It’s not really a criticism of the Pixel Watch 2, though I will point out that this year’s model comes with Always On Display enabled by default, whereas the original didn’t. Google was probably taken to task for not making this the primary setting out of the box, and it’s possible the company turns more features on by default in future. AOD activated makes so much more sense, but I understand the impact it has on battery life.

Battery life and charging

With its new processor and slightly larger battery, the Pixel Watch 2 is supposed to last 24 hours with the AOD enabled. I was pleased to see that when I took the watch off at the end of the day, it usually still had about 35 to 40 percent left. That’s enough to track your sleep at night, according to Google.

My concern is if I do opt to wear the watch to bed instead of charging it overnight, it might not juice up fast enough for my morning workouts. The Pixel Watch 2’s overhauled contact charging system is supposed to get you back to 100 percent in 75 minutes, which is a grand total of five minutes shorter than last year’s model.

That’s not a dramatic improvement, but thankfully I was able to get the watch from 29 to 44 percent in about 5 minutes, and that lasted me through two outdoor walks, a circuit training session and several workouts with heart-rate range and pace alerts enabled. By the time I was able to plug the watch back in after all that, I still had 21 percent left.

In general, the Pixel Watch 2 lasted almost as long as the Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm model), which means it’s closer to being on par with its main competitor. Of course, Samsung watches and other activity trackers tend to last longer, but Google has a higher pulse sampling rate of once every second. Sadly, like its predecessor, the Pixel Watch 2 doesn’t support wireless charging, so you can’t use your Pixel or Samsung handsets to share a bit of juice when you’re on the go.

Wrap-up

I’m conflicted. The Pixel Watch 2 is a definite improvement over its predecessor, and offers several unique features that set it apart from the competition. In particular, the stress management tools are things that rivals like Apple are yet to offer. Fitbit (or Google) continues to offer industry-leading heart rate measurements and insights, thanks to years of experience and expertise. But some software quirks and confusing data presentation get in the way.

With the Pixel Watch 2, Google is reducing the gap between it, Apple and Samsung on things like battery life, while giving itself an edge with its approach to measuring stress as part of wellbeing. It’s still far from being the best smartwatch around, but for Android users at least, it’s becoming more of a solid contender.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pixel-watch-2-review-not-leading-the-way-but-no-longer-lagging-170007702.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Pixel Watch 2 review: Not leading the way, but no longer lagging

As we dive into the second (and last) day of Amazon’s Prime Day (or “Prime Big Deal Days“), Logitech continues to offer strong discounts on gaming gear, including sales on keyboards, mice and other gaming accessories. Most deals are just for Prime members, but a few are open to all. If you’ve been thinking about updating your setup or have gamers on your holiday shopping list, now’s a good time to stock up on peripherals from a solid brand. We’ve recommended Logitech gear in many of our reviews and guides over the years and a few of our picks are on sale. And if you’re looking for gaming deals that aren’t from Logitech, we’ve got an entire roundup devoted to just that. Here’s the best gear from Logitech’s Prime Day sale. 

Logitech G915 Lightspeed RGB

The G915 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard is down to $180, or 28 percent off. That’s a Prime member-only deal, and looks to be about $20 more than its all-time low, but still a decent savings on a mechanical gaming keyboard. The low-profile mechanical switches aim to make typing more comfortable and ultimately faster. 

The G Pro X Superlight

While this isn’t the newest version of this mouse, we were still fans of the original Logitech G Pro X gaminng mouse, and called it “a no-nonsense gaming mouse” that’s also good for productivity. It’s down to $110 instead of $160, but again, just for Prime members. If you’re up to date with your Amazon club dues, however, it’s a great deal as this looks to be the lowest price Amazon has ever sold it for. 

The G703 Lightspeed Mouse

While it’s admittedly an older mouse, Logitech’s G703 Lightspeed mouse has dipped to $60 (40 percent off) for prime members. It’s got 6 programmable buttons, weighs just 95 grams and has a claimed battery life for up to 35 hours of use. 

Zone Vibe 100

The Zone Vibe 100 lightweight wireless headset is down to $80, which is a 20 percent savings. We called these a “breath of fresh air” in our guide to the best gaming gear on a budget. It draws on Logitech’s expertise to deliver solid gaming audio but the stylish wireless package can pull double duty as respectable wireless headphones. 

G915 Lightspeed Keyboard

The G915 Lightspeed keyboard is down to $180 for Prime members, which is $70 off. It uses low-profile GL switches that are half the height of typical mechanical key switches, making it about 25 percent faster to press a key. The version on sale uses the “tactile” key switch that lets you feel the actuation without being as noisy as the “clicky” version. It has a quintet of programmable keys and support for 16.8 million colors through the RGB lighting system. And of course, it’s wireless, using Logitech’s Lightspeed tech for minimal lag. 

Other notable deals

Another key product on offer is Logitech’s G Pro X superlight wireless gaming mouse ($110, 31 percent off) that weighs just 63 grams, while offering excellent speed and accuracy. If it’s a headset you need, the Logitech G535 offers neutral sound and agreeable listening experience. Its Logitech G Fits wireless gaming earbuds are also on sale for $160 (30 percent off), delivering features like long battery life, premium sound and noise cancellation. And on the productivity side, the Brio 501 full HD webcam offers auto light correction, dual noise reduction mics and more. 

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-day-deals-up-to-40-off-on-gaming-accessories-from-logitech-165545189.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Prime Day deals: Up to 40% off on gaming accessories from Logitech

Amazon’s October Prime Day sale is rolling on, and there are a bunch of solid deals for Nintendo Switch users. Not only can you scoop up several games (including Nintendo first-party titles) for a lower price than usual, you can snap up a microSD card for a song to boost the console’s storage.

On the games front, many Switch exclusives are at least $10 off. The turn-based strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is $30 (its predecessor, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, isn’t on sale but it will run you $24). This spin-off series could be a solid entry point for those looking to explore a different genre popularized by the likes of XCOM.

Another Mario spin-off is on sale, with Mario Golf: Super Rush dropping to $40. Those looking for a more traditional flavor of everyone’s favorite plumber may be tempted by the wonderful Super Mario Maker 2, which offers millions of user-created 2D Mario levels along with a bunch that Nintendo developers crafted. That game will run you $40.

There are several other Switch exclusives on sale that may catch your eye. Metroid Dread, Samus’ ultra-tense return to a Nintendo console, is $40. Fire Emblem Engage, a tactics RPG that debuted at the start of this year, has dropped to $30.

And then there’s the small matter of Nintendo’s most important game of 2023. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is not on sale on Amazon at the minute, unfortunately. But you can find a good deal on the game of the year contender at Walmart, where it has dropped to $48.

You might not stop with these games, though. You may end up buying some from Nintendo’s eShop as well (of note, some of these game deals are available for digital versions). In which case, you’ll probably need a microSD card to store them on, given the Switch’s paltry onboard storage of 32GB.

Samsung’s Evo Select is our pick for the best value microSD card. It doesn’t perform as well as the Samsung Pro Plus, but it’s plenty adequate for the Switch and the prices are hard to beat. The 512GB version of the Evo Select, which should give you enough space to store dozens of games, is on sale for $28. That’s $7 off the usual price and it marks an all-time low. The 128GB model is also chapear than ever. It’ll run you $10.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-nintendo-switch-prime-day-deals-you-can-shop-right-now-165501176.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The best Nintendo Switch Prime Day deals you can shop right now

Third-party iOS Reddit app Narwhal introduced a $4-per-month subscription plan that will take effect in the next week or two. The developer announced the plans Tuesday on Reddit (via The Verge). The pricing is designed to allow the developer to cover Reddit’s widely disparaged API fee hikes, which led to mass online protests earlier this year and the shutdown of the beloved client Apollo.

The app’s developer, who uses the handle u/det0ur on Reddit, wrote that the pricing was “definitely an experiment” as they try to keep their app afloat. “If I absolutely have to, I will transition to some other plans,” Narwhal’s creator wrote. “But I want to try this first.”

The developer had previously announced tiered pricing based on users’ API calls, but u/det0ur scrapped that after realizing how cumbersome that would be for users. “[Let’s] be real, the 2003-esque cell phone plan with monitored usage just isn’t great,” the developer wrote in a separate post from last week. “Who wants to even worry about what an API Call is? Let alone how much it will cost.”

However, API calls are an inescapable financial reality for third-party developers hoping to offer users an alternative to the official Reddit client. Reddit revealed its maligned API changes this spring, which led Apollo developer Christian Selig to say the updated pricing would cost him $20 million to keep the app going “as-is.” More than 6,000 subreddits went dark to protest the changes, but (unlike Unity’s recent walkback) Reddit dug in its heels and weathered the storm, leading to Apollo’s closure and the forced reopening of communities that continued to protest.

Users switching to Narwhal sound pleased with the pricing and the app. “The customization options are great; I have been able to ‘rebuild’ Apollo as closely as possible,” wrote u/Neryuslu. “You’re the first developer ever to get a monthly sub from me. I have refused this model so far, but in this case it’s obviously different. Still sucks to indirectly pay Reddit like this. Fuck you, u/spez,” they wrote, referring to the handle of Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-client-narwhal-tries-4-monthly-pricing-to-navigate-api-changes-163042022.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Reddit client Narwhal tries monthly pricing to navigate API changes

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft brought back samples from the asteroid Bennu and, in a livestream earlier today, NASA scientists showed us what it found hanging out in the great vastness of the cosmos. Simply put, the agency brought back a fairly large sample collection of various-sized rocks, dust particles and intermediate-sized particles. 

The big news here is that samples from the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid contain not only carbon, which is to be expected, but also water. These are the building blocks of life on Earth and, likely, everywhere else, so this is a big deal.

“The OSIRIS-REx sample is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

While space rocks and dust may seem boring to those expecting a bevy of friendly aliens, there’s still plenty of time to make more fantastic discoveries. These samples have only been on the planet since September 25 and initial studies just began. NASA says they’ll continue to study the particles and will create a registry of some kind so scientists from other organizations can borrow portions for a looksie. Some samples are also heading to museums. 

The space agency says that the “secrets held within the rocks and dust from the asteroid will be studied for decades to come, offering insights into how our solar system was formed, how the precursor materials to life may have been seeded on Earth, and what precautions need to be taken to avoid asteroid collisions with our home planet.”

Additionally, scientists were pleasantly surprised by the presence of “bonus asteroid material” covering the outside of the collector head, canister lid and base. Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, says that the agency is ready with additional specialized tools to “study this precious gift from the cosmos.”