Google’s Pixel 7 phones to hit store shelves in Taiwan next week

The newest smartphones produced by U.S.-based internet tech giant Google Inc. — the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro — and its first smart watch — the Pixel Watch — will become available in Taiwan on Oct. 13, the company has announced.

 

Google Vice President of Hardware Elmer Peng (彭昱鈞) unveiled the new products in Taiwan at a press event Friday and said the addition of the Pixel Watch to complement the Pixel smartphones and earphone Pixel Buds has created a more comprehensive Pixel product portfolio.

 

He pledged that Google would continue to build on its software and hardware strengths and develop artificial intelligence applications to offer better products and tailored services for consumers.

 

Prices for the 6.3-inch Pixel 7, 6.7-inch Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch will start from NT$18,990 (US$599), NT$26,990 and NT$10,990, respectively, in Taiwan, Google said in a separate statement.

 

Preorder sales have begun, and orders can be placed through Google Store, telecom operator Taiwan Mobile, and e-commerce sites, the company said.

 

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will be the first Google phones run on the tech giant’s new Tensor G2 chip, which enables the phones to more efficiently execute computing and machine learning functions such as image processing and speech recognition, the statement said.

 

The Tensor G2 chip also offers a significant upgrade in graphics compared with its predecessor, and in addition to fingerprint recognition, the new phones have a new face recognition feature to help users quickly unlock their devices, Google said.

 

Phone users will get five years of security upgrades and access to technical support for a built-in VPN feature that will be coming soon to strengthen security in web connectivity, the company said.

 

Both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have faster Night Sight mode and Photo Unblur functions for producing sharper shots, while the bigger Pixel 7 Pro is equipped with an advanced ultra-wide lens that enables the phone to offer a Macro Focus mode for enhanced close-up shots.

 

As for the Pixel Watch, the device embeds health tracking features from Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2019, to allow users to track workouts, how well they slept, and how many steps they took, the company said.

 

With an expansion in the Pixel product portfolio, Peng said Google’s development team in Taiwan will continue to expand.

 

In 2018, Google spent US$1.1 billion to acquire Taiwan-based smartphone brand HTC Inc.’s ODM manufacturing assets, which previously produced the Pixel smartphone line for the U.S. client.

 

Under the deal, HTC transferred its 2,000 HTC engineers to work for the U.S. tech giant, and the team continues to produce the Pixel for Google, the company said, without providing any updated information on its Pixel-related workforce in Taiwan.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel