Google has taught phones to wait for a response from a support operator - now you won't have to listen to that awful music for half an hour

There are two problems: you need a new Pixel, and you need to live in the US

On September 30, Google held its traditional autumn presentation. The event lasted only about 30 minutes — during this time, Google showed two new smartphones, a new version of Chromecast, a Nest Audio speaker, and an operating system for Google TVs.

Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A smartphones…

At the presentation, two smartphones were announced at once - the flagship Pixel 5 and the budget Pixel 4A - with support for the next-generation 5G networks.

The Pixel 5 has a six-inch display, 128 gigabytes of memory, an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, and a 4080 mAh battery. The phone also has an additional 16-megapixel wide-angle camera for the first time in the Pixel line.

The Pixel 4A 5G has a larger screen than the older model (6.2 inches versus 6 inches for the Pixel 5) and the same Snapdragon 765G processor. However, unlike the Pixel 5, it does not have water and dust protection or wireless charging, and has a smaller battery capacity. But it does have a headphone port, which was removed from the flagship model.

Sales of Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A with 5G will begin on October 15 in nine countries (Russia is not among them). Pixel 5 will cost $699, Pixel 4A 5G - $499.

…with automatic operator response waiting function!

A new Android feature called "Hold for Me" will eliminate the need for users to wait for an operator to answer when calling support services or other similar services.

The function will work as follows : when a call to the support service is put on hold, the smart Google Assistant will take over monitoring the operator's response, while the user can go about their business. When an answer is received, the phone will notify its owner about it with a sound signal or vibration and a notification on the screen, and the voice assistant will ask the operator to wait so that the user can get to the phone and answer.

For now, Hold for Me is only available in the US as a test, and only on the announced Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A models.

Nest Audio

The new smart speaker in the Google line is positioned as a replacement for the Google Home, which was released back in 2016 — the new Nest Audio is more functional than the News Mini, but inferior to the Nest Max. The new speaker is 75% louder than Google Home, and its bass sound is 50% better. In addition, several speakers can be used to create stereo sound in one room.

The Nest Audio will cost $100 and will go on sale on October 5 in 21 countries, Russia not among them.

Google Chromecast with Remote Control

The new Chromecast TV set-top box has one of the most anticipated features in the device’s seven-year history: remote control support. The small remote works via IR and Bluetooth, and has a wheel and nine buttons. Among them are dedicated buttons for quick access to YouTube and Netflix, as well as a Google Assistant button. And there’s no touchpad, which has irritated some Apple TV owners.

Chromecast can play 4K video at 60 frames per second. However, the new Chromecast cannot stream games from Google's Stadia cloud service - although this feature is available on the older Chromecast Ultra. Google, however, promises that this feature will appear in the first half of 2021.

The new Chromecast will be the first device to support Google TV, a new addition to the Android TV operating system that will replace the Google Play Movies & TV app.

The new Chromecast is now available in the US for $49.99, and can be pre-ordered in several other countries (Russia is not on the list yet).

Grigory Levchenko