5 new Google gadgets you need to know about: Pixel 5, Nest Audio and more!

5 years. That's how long Google has been making its products for, rivalling the likes of Amazon when it comes to trying to make our homes smart.

In those five years, it has refined its products to the point that its phones are now at the near top when it comes to camera technology, its Chromecast a go-to when you want to spruce up a TV with streaming technology.

This latest product haul comes at a strange time - not for Google but the world. Like Amazon recently, it has had to adapt with launching new gadgets not to a gaggle of tech journalists but to a virtual crowd.

Called the Launch Night In event, Google still put on a decent display - showing off a whole host of new products that will be out in the coming months.

And when it comes to the gadgets on display, there is a at-home feel to what's on show with Google's latest design ethos seemingly about its products fitting in to the surroundings of your home and not sticking out.

Here are 5 gadgets you need to know about (one of which you can get right now).

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1. Google Pixel 4a 5G

The Google Pixel 4a feels like something we have been waiting forever for in the UK. It's a brilliant phone - read our Google Pixel 4a review for more details on this - and should be launching 1 October. This is some months after the phone launched in the US, which was way back in August.

Now, you have a choice: the Pixel 4a or the Google Pixel 4a 5G. The latter is a new phone by Google and offers 5G in a chassis that's a little bigger than vanilla Pixel 4a. The other big difference is price. Where the original Pixel 4a came in at £349, this Google Pixel 4a 5G price is £499 - which is still pretty cheap for a 5G phone.

For this you get a Full-screen 6.24-inch (158 mm) display, dual cameras (one of them is an 16MP ultra wide and not available on the original 4a, the other 12MP) on the back and a front-facing 8MP camera. The phone comes in black only, with 128GB of storage.

You can join the waiting list now with the Google Pixel 4a 5G release date penned in for 15 October.

2. Google Pixel 5

This is where things get interesting. The Google Pixel 5 isn't quite a phone with flagship specs - Google is instead going down the affordability route with the Google Pixel 5.

That said, its specs and chassis are more premium that the Pixel 4a range. It offers up a phone that has wireless charging (and reverse wireless charging), one with a powerful all-day battery. It's waterproof, too, with an enclosure made from recycled aluminum. The cameras are in keeping with what's on the Pixel 4a 5G and come with the all-important Night Sight.

It's a smaller phone than the Pixel 4a 5G. Screen-wise it has a Full screen 151 mm (6.0") display with transmissive hole (compared to 6.2 inches on the Pixel 4a 5G) and it has the same camera setup and 8GB of RAM. It also comes with 5G technology so we're surprised Google didn't bite the bullet and just call the thing the Google Pixel 5G.

Colour-wise, you have a choice of Just Black and Sorta Sage and you can pre-order now for £599 with the Google Pixel 5 release date 16 October.

It's worth noting that if you buy either the Pixel 5 or Pixel 4a 5G, you will eligible for a pair of Bose QC 35 IIs which is a great deal, given they usually retail for around £200. Head to the promotion page to see how to pick them up.

3. Google Nest Audio

Google has been slowly but surely shifting its Google Home range over to the name Nest which is a little confusing but will make sense in the long run. Nest was a company that Google bought a while back to bolster its smart home line-up - you might even have one of its thermostats in your house.

Since 2018, it's been part of the Google hardware team official and we saw the Google Nest Mini smart speaker launch last year (a replacement for the Google Home mini). And now we have a replacement for the full-fat Google Home.

Called Google Nest Audio, this is a speaker that Google has made sure it fits in your home. It's been inspired by home furnishings (pillow in particular) and has been given a material finish.

It boasts room-filling sound and uses Google Assistant. You can connect two speakers up together for stereo and can move music from speaker to speaker.

The Google Nest Audio is available in Chalk and Charcoal and is just £89, putting it head to head with the new Amazon Echo. It's available from 16 October.

4. Google Chromecast with Google TV

The Google Chromecast with Google TV costs £59.99. Colour wise, they are described as Snow, Sky and Sunrise?! and you can pre-order now, with it launching 16 October.

5. Google TV

Google has decided to take to rebrand its Google Play Novie and TV apps into one app called Google TV. The big thing about it is that it's not another streaming service. Rather confusingly, it is also launching Google TV (which is what you get with the new Google Chromecast). This is an updated UI for all your streaming needs, where you will find it easier to see all the subscription packages you have in one place, as well as find new content thanks to Google's search expertise. To be clear, this isn't a subscription service by Google, more making sure that you can get all your video and TV content in one place. Google has a rather awesome video on how it works, so head there for more information.

And there's more...

Okay, this isn't a new product as such but we've been playing with the Google Pixel Buds for some months now and while we loved them in our Google Pixel Buds review, there were some annoying audio cutouts. Google has recently rectified this in a recent firmware update (552). If you haven't yet seen the Pixel Buds, then they are small True Wireless earphones that work seamlessly with any Android phone.

They cost £179 and are available now.

Google also anticipated its gaming streaming service Google Stadia as being a standout gift in the holiday season, with many people still working from home. It will be a device that many will be looking into, given that Amazon has just revealed Amazon Luna (its streaming rival) and we have the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X consoles on the horizon.

Stadia costs £59 for the controller, £89.99 for the Stadia Premiere Edition, which includes a Chromecast Ultra, and you can sign up for the £8.99/month service that offers 4K, free games and 5.1 surround sound.

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