Here’s What Happened at Google’s Nexus Event

Today was Google’s big Nexus event, at which they announced two new smartphones, a new tablet, a new Chromecast and Chromecast off-shoot, and multiple changes and improvements to the various services they offer. There’s definitely some exciting stuff on the way, but for those who didn’t want to sit through the live stream, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know.

Nexus 5X Smartphone

The Nexus 5X is the first of two smartphones officially announced at today’s event. The semi-successor to the Nexus 5, it features a 5.2-inch 1080p Gorilla Glass 3 display, a 12-megapixel camera that shoots 1.55-micron pixels and 4K video, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 2,700mAh battery, and – as is quickly becoming standard – a USB-C charging connector. It’s protected by a fingerprint sensor located on the back, which is part of a new initiative Google is calling Nexus Imprint. It takes only 600ms to recognize your fingerprint.

The 16GB Nexus 5X is available for pre-order now for $379 in the US. It’s also available in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Korea, and Japan, and more countries will be added on October 19th. It will ship in the second half of October.
Nexus 6P Smartphone

Perhaps you’ve been spoiled by bigger screens and the Nexus 5X’s 5.2-inch display just doesn’t do it for you. You’ll want to go with the Nexus 6P, with its 5.7-inch WQHD AMOLED display. Google isn’t messing around with what they call their “most premium phone yet.” It’s a got an all-metal body (which was confirmed in a leak the other day), the first Nexus of its kind, two front-facing speakers, the Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor on the back, a 12-megapixel camera on the back, and an 8-megapixel camera on the front. On the inside, the Nexus 6P sports a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, and an impressive 3,450mAh battery. This thing is a beast.

The 32GB model can be pre-ordered right now for $499, with the price going up to $549 and $649 for the 64GB and 128GB models. The phone will come in white, silver, and black, and like the Nexus 5X, comes unlocked. The phone will ship in late October.

Pixel C Tablet

The Pixel C is a 10.2-inch, USB-C-equipped tablet that runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow as opposed to Chrome OS. On the hardware side, it boasts a Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a full-sized Bluetooth keyboard. With the keyboard attached, the tablet charges it inductively, and the Pixel C can be adjusted from 100 – 135 degrees.

The Pixel C will start at $499 and the keyboard will cost an additional $149. Both will be available in time for the holiday season.

Chromecast and Chromecast Audio

The Chromecast didn’t just improve, it multiplied. There’s now the (new and improved) Chromecast and the Chromecast Audio.

The new Chromecast sports a new look, 5GHz Wi-Fi capabilities, and costs $35.

Chromecast 2.0 supports the new Google Photos, which allows you to display, share, and label your content, and later this year it will get an album-sharing feature similar to Apple’s shared photo streams. This will allow you to build photo albums with the help of your family and friends.

Chromecast 2.0 is also getting Showtime and Sling TV support, though Sling TV is coming in the new few weeks while Showtime is available now.

The Chromecast Audio does for speakers what the Chromecast does for televisions. Plugging the Chromecast audio into literally any speaker makes it Wi-Fi compatible, allowing you to stream music from Google’s Play Music app, Pandora, or any music-streaming service, which now includes Spotify. By the end of the year, Chromecast Audio will also support multi-room audio streaming.

Semi-related: Play Music will be launching a family plan later this year that lets six subscribers use one plan for $14.99.

Chromecast Audio is also $35.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Starting next week, Marshmallow will be rolling out wide, hitting Google Nexus devices first. Unlike Lollipop before it, Marshmallow doesn’t bring a lot of visual changes, but instead focuses on behind-the-scenes improvements.

One of these improvements is called Doze, a feature that automatically shuts down certain processes if the device hasn’t been moved or used for a period of time. A revised app permissions system will give the user greater control over what data an app has access to, which is especially useful in this day and age when everything wants to gather as much information as it can.

Speaking of things that gather information, the Now on Tap feature will give Google’s search engine access to your apps and what’s on your screen so that they can better assist you. Google Now will now work in context-based ways, allowing you to ask it questions about what’s currently displayed on your screen. Now on Tap definitely feels like the biggest change to the Android system.