Google unveiled its latest offerings, including two new Pixel smartphones and its latest Pixel smartwatch, at its Made by Google event in New York City.

The Pixel 8 starts at a price point of $699, while the Pixel 8 Pro begins at $999. This marks a $100 increase compared to last year's Pixel 7 and 7 Pro models. It's worth noting that while the Pixel brand has been steadily increasing its market share, Google's hardware division contributes only modestly to the overall revenue of its parent company, Alphabet. For example, of the $74.6 billion in revenue reported by Alphabet in the second quarter, a significant portion, $58.14 billion, came from Google ads, with an additional $8 billion generated by Google Cloud.

Both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro smartphones, along with the Pixel Watch 2, which starts at $349, are now available for pre-order, with availability in physical stores beginning on October 12.

Here are some of the standout features of Google's new products:

1. **Design**: The new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro boast rounder corners and a flatter display compared to their predecessors. The entry-level Pixel 8 features an improved screen with refresh rates as fast as those found in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, promising smoother scrolling and gameplay.

2. **Tensor G3 Chip**: Both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are powered by Google's new Tensor G3 chip. This in-house chip allows Google to harness its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, particularly in enhancing the phone's camera.

3. **AI-Powered Editing Tools**: The Pixel 8 Pro introduces new AI-powered editing tools. It retains the popular Magic Eraser tool for removing unwanted elements from photos and adds a new feature called Best Take. Best Take allows users to combine similar photos into one, ensuring that everyone in a group picture is looking at the camera and smiling. Google also claims to have improved its Real Tone photography feature to better capture the nuances of different skin tones.

4. **Audio Magic Eraser**: Users can now remove unwanted sounds from videos using the Audio Magic Eraser feature. This is especially useful for eliminating distracting background noise from videos.

5. **Built-In Thermometer**: The Pixel 8 Pro comes equipped with a built-in thermometer, primarily marketed for gauging the temperature of beverages and cookware through scanning. Its additional uses remain to be seen.

6. **Enhanced Call Quality and Spam Call Filtering**: Google's G3 Tensor chip is expected to enhance call quality and improve the phone's ability to detect and filter out spam calls.

7. **Android 14**: Notably, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are the first smartphones to launch with Android 14 pre-installed.

These new features and innovations aim to make Google's Pixel lineup more competitive in the smartphone market.