Google employs some of the best scientists and researchers in the world and some of that research makes its way to consumers – for example, the company announced Night Sight Timelapse videos are coming to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. It can transform a 20-minute 4K video into a 10-second time lapse, with special optimizations for low-light shooting.
There’s more, the Pixel 8 Pro is apparently the first smartphone engineered for Gemini Nano. In case you missed it, Gemini is Google’s latest AI and one version of it powers Bard. A version of Gemini powers the Pro Pixel’s Summarize feature in the Recorder app and the Smart Reply in Gboard.
This is exciting stuff and you can be at the forefront with a Pixel 8 Pro. The larger model, which also gets special treatment when it comes to software on top of the hardware advantages is available at $100 off.
Without a “pro” tag by its name, the Pixel 8 misses out on some features – the Gemini things, but also things like a periscope. At least the main camera is the same as on the Pro as are the video recording capabilities, so the Night Sight Timelapse feature is not affected.
Here are the official Google cases made out of stain-resistant silicone that also absorbs the shock of impacts. The colors have been picked specifically to complement the Pixel 8 colorways.
There’s also the Google Pixel Stand, a Qi wireless charger. It’s not very powerful at 23W output (but that’s the most that the Pixel can handle), but it still includes a fan to keep temperature under control. Special software integration allows the phone to turn into a Nest controller for your smart home or a display for your Nest cameras. The stand has also been optimized for Google Meet video calls and you can turn the phone into a digital photo frame while its battery gets topped off.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 gets the S-class update schedule of 4 OS updates (it already had one – Android 14) and 5 years of security patches (so it will be good up to 2028). The Pixel 8s do offer longer support (7 years), but they cost more too. The A54 has a microSD slot (which even S-phones don’t have anymore) and is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance.
Bose recently launched the QuietComfort Ultra headphones – both over-ear and TWS models. Both have been getting positive reviews, especially about their Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which has always been of the strong suits of QC headphones. The other is being comfortable to wear and the Ultra modes got high marks for that too.
These are only a month old or so, which means that the discounts are small. However, you can always pick up the rival headphones from Sony – the WF-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM5.
Apple users might prefer Apple headphones, so here are the 2nd gen AirPods Pro (these have a USB-C charging port) and the AirPods Max (over-ear, still using the Lightning port).
Speaking of Apple users, new iPhones are fairly expensive, but they age slower than most smartphones. So, if you can’t fit a brand new device into your budget, check out these refurbished offers.
There are the older iPhone 12 and 12 Pro from 2020. These predate the dynamic island and USB-C of current models, but they will receive software updates and in-store support for many years to come.
The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro from 2021 bring some relatively important upgrades like sensor-shift image stabilization for the main camera and larger batteries. On the 13 Pro, the main camera also has a larger sensor (1.9µm pixels vs. 1.4µm) and a longer tele lens (3x vs. 2x). Also, the batteries are slightly larger.
We also found an iPhone 13 mini offer – possibly the last mini from Apple. And you can’t even find it on apple.com anymore as it was discontinued. While you might find new units at other stores, you may as well save some cash and go for a refurbished unit.
We will wrap up with a PlayStation 5 bundle – the new slim version of the PS5 (disc edition) that comes with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
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