The biggest moment for Google Messages in 2024 was when the iPhone gained RCS support with iOS 18 in September. In terms of new features, there were some highlights but the biggest one — a redesign of the text field — was stuck in limbo. There are quite a few big additions in the pipeline. 

Now in its third year, the Pixel Watch experience remains quite consistent in 2024. Compared to Pixel phones, it’s harder to distinguish each generation’s hardware, while the software has changed even less.  

In 2024, Made by Google rolled out big updates with new features to Pixel phones on six occasions. The year saw everything from routine operating system updates to entirely new apps and even a rebrand. 

Just got a new Android smartphone for the holidays? If it’s your first one, it could be a little intimidating, so to get you started, here are a few apps you should immediately install or set up on a new Android device. Alternatively, if you’re not already using these apps, it might be time to give them a shot!

Getting a new phone — be it your first or the routine upgrade — can be overwhelming given the variety of features there are to explore. We have a few tips on how to set up and get the most out of your new Google Pixel.

Customization is one of the best aspects of a smartwatch compared to its mechanical counterparts. Google’s wearable is no exception, and here are some tips on getting started with the Pixel Watch 3.

Mixed reality headsets are not new. My personal novelty with them ended upon buying Apple’s Vision Pro earlier this year. In using Samsung’s Android XR-powered Project Moohan for about 30 minutes last week, Google has got all the basics down. However, Android XR has a true differentiator with Gemini, while bringing together almost a decade’s worth of Google efforts in a seamless, integrated manner. 

As a child, my first vision for the future of technology was shaped by an aspect of Star Trek that’s different from most people’s: the absolute ubiquity of touchscreens and tablets (PADDs). I was enamored with the idea of interacting with information via touch and being able to do so anywhere instead of in a fixed place. All that became reality with the iPhone and Android, and I live it every day. 

My next vision of the future came with a 2:30 minute concept video. It ingrained in me that what comes after the smartphone is information overlaid with your line of sight as it’s contextually needed.

After six major previews and betas, Google is ready to launch Android 15 for Pixel devices today. There are some notable additions and changes, but it’s not a particularly notable release in a continuation of the recent trend. Today’s release also coincides with the October 2024 Pixel (Feature) Drop.

I’ve spent the past few days with Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is a stunning year-over-year upgrade from the company’s first foldable. Ahead of our full review, here’s what has made an impact for me after a bit of time using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – the hardware, the battery, and the software.

Google has been working on the Fitbit Ace LTE for the past two-three years, and it shows. In my brief usage of the Fitbit-branded device powered by Wear OS, what strikes me the most — as someone outside the intended kid/parent audience — is how much of an end-to-end experience it provides.

Foldable smartphones are still pretty expensive, but prices have been coming down. MWC 2024, though, was the place where it became abundantly clear that cheap foldables are coming, as several made an appearance.

I took my first trip to Europe this week and, while packing, neglected to grab the charger for the OnePlus Watch 2 I planned to wear. Luckily, the OnePlus Watch 2 is supposed to have amazing battery life, but how long can you really stretch that out?

At I/O 2022, Google announced that it will update over 20 of its first-party apps for large screens in a show of its commitment to the form factor. This will undoubtedly improve the experience for existing owners and is meant to encourage other developers to do the same. Here’s every Google app on Android that has a tablet update and what’s still to come.

About 10 years ago, OnePlus hit the scene with the OnePlus One. A device that blew most folks away for its clean software, excellent hardware, and dirt cheap price. Over the decade since, a lot has changed. The brand has delivered a lot of memorable devices, and made plenty of mistakes, but it really seems like things have finally hit their stride, with the OnePlus 12 bringing all the good, and the bad, of a OnePlus device, but finally with the core issue fixed, and all for a fantastic price.

Samsung has all but perfected its formula for a flagship smartphone at this point, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the logical 2024 step for that project – just throwing a bunch of AI at the problem. But at a new and higher price of $1,300, Samsung has a lot to deliver on.

Generally speaking, Made by Google has six big software launches over the course of a year. Some of the quarterly Pixel Feature Drops are bigger than others, an observation that continued to be the case in 2023, while the other two moments are tied to the mid-year and fall hardware launches. 

Something can be said about simplistically designed phones and how great they can be. By nature, a foldable phone isn’t that, but the Motorola Razr (2023) tries. At $699, it’s the cheapest clamshell foldable you can buy; just don’t expect too much beyond that.

OnePlus has, despite its “Never Settle” tagline, always struggled a bit with cameras. While there have been improvements, I’ve never been super happy with the brand’s efforts, but the OnePlus Open finally changes that with a camera that’s capable of some truly stunning shots.

The first foldable from OnePlus has arrived in the “OnePlus Open.” The $1,700 foldable doesn’t bring the lower price we were expecting, but it has absolutely stellar hardware and a multitasking system that’s unique and powerful.

Before the Pixel Watch, I happily used various Fitbit trackers because all the Wear OS 2 options were lacking. Now that a Google-made smartwatch is available, I didn’t foresee pairing any other wearable to my Android phone. The Fitbit Charge 6 changed that, and I very much consider it to be a Pixel Watch Lite.

The Pixel Watch was, in my eyes, better than I expected it to be. But, ultimately, it was still far from being as good as the competition. With the Pixel Watch 2, Google hasn’t gone back to the drawing board, but a collection of small tweaks add up to a much better overall product.

Before the Fold, I used the Pixel 7 daily because it was the smallest phone Google put out. That device, frankly, lacked a discernible personality and did not feel more than the sum of its parts. With the Pixel 8, Google designed something so entirely different – and good – that the whiplash is truly profound.  

Google has been making its own smartphones since 2016, but it’s really never felt as though the company has really hit the nail on the head. Each model has had some random dealbreaker or quirk that left it just short of really getting it all right. After the Pixel 7 Pro showed that Google was finally pointing itself in the right direction, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like it is the device that brings everything together.