Google September 29th 2015 Event: Everything you need to know

Google made a lot of announcements today (some of which were leaked earlier) from two new Nexus phones to brand new Chromecasts.

For those of you who missed the event, here you go:

Huawei Nexus 6P

The Huawei Nexus 6P doesn’t actually have a 6-inch screen like last year’s Motorola Nexus 6. Instead it has a 5.7-inch QHD display (with a resolution of 1440×2560 at 518 ppi). That screen goes nicely with the front-facing speakers.

The main camera on the back is 12.3 megapixels which is 1.55 μm pixels. That means that the camera can let in more light and give a overall better picture. Google claims that it is even better than the iPhone 6’s camera. There is also IR laser assisted autofocus and you can take 4K video.

A notable omission is OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) but Google says that the new camera won’t need it.

The front camera is 8 megapixels and 1.4 μm pixels which Google says should be great for “selfies”.

To help power the Nexus 6P is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and the Adreno 430 GPU. It also has 3GB of RAM.

The Nexus 6P and 5X both have fingerprint sensor which Google calls Nexus Imprint. Google also says that it is lightning quick.

On the Nexus 6P, you’ll also find the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a Nano SIM card slot but you will also find a USB Type-C port. That means you can expect to find faster charging and faster data speed on both the Nexus 6P and 5X. That fast charging is Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 2.0. With the USB Type-C port, it won’t matter how you plug it in because it is reversible just like Apple’s Lightning port.

All of this is in a all-metal body which looks great. For those of you wondering about the black glass bar on the back of the Nexus 6P, that is where the NFC chip and other antennas are located.

Another thing to point out is that the Nexus 6P had a RGB LED notification light but you may have to root your device to be able to use it just like you did with last year’s Nexus 6.

The Nexus 6P (along with the Nexus 5X )will be the first phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The battery on the Nexus 6P is 3450 mAh which should give you full day of battery (especially with the Doze feature in Android 6.0).

Another notable omission is wireless charging which has been on every Nexus device since the Nexus 4. This may be due to lack of use and there is QuickCharge 2.0 instead or because the body of the phone is made of metal and the technology to wirelessly charge through metal was just announced a few months ago. We won’t see any metal phones with wireless charging until at least 2016.

The Huawei Nexus 6P will be available in three capacities and three colours.

The colours are Aluminium (Silver), Graphite (Black) & Frost (White). There is a gold version but that is exclusive to the Japanese Google Store (at least for now).

The Nexus 6P starts at $699 CAD for the 32GB model, $749 CAD for the 64GB model and $849 CAD for the 128GB model.

The Nexus 6P is available to pre-order now in Canada, US, UK, Ireland and Japan and will ship in late October.

Buy the Nexus 6P: here

LG Nexus 5X

Google says that the Nexus 5 from 2013 was one of the most loved Nexus phones they have ever released. So it’s no surprise that they wanted to make a sequel to that.

The Nexus 5X had a 5.2 inch FHD display (with a resolution of 1920×1080 at 423 ppi).

The main camera on the Nexus 5X is the same as the Nexus 6P’s camera with a 12.3 megapixel sensor. Both the Nexus 5X and 6P have dual LED flash. The front-facing camera is 5 megapixels.

To help power the Nexus 5X, it is running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor with a Adreno 418 GPU. It also has 2GB of RAM.

Just like the Nexus 6P, the 5X also had a fingerprint with Nexus Imprint. You’ll also find the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a Nano SIM card slot but you will also find a USB Type-C port.

The battery is 2700 mAh, which should give you at least a day and it should last longer because the screen is a 1080p display instead of a Quad-HD display found on the Nexus 6P.

The LG Nexus 5X will be available in two capacities and three colours.

The colours are  Carbon (Black), Quartz (White) and Ice Blue.

The Nexus 5X starts at $499 CAD for the 16GB model and $559 CAD for the 32GB model

The Nexus 5X is available to pre-order now in US, UK, Ireland, Japan & Korea and will ship in late October. It will come to Canada and other countries later this year.

The Nexus 5X is now available for purchase in Canada via the Google Store.

And like all other Nexus phones, both the Nexus 5X and 6P will be unlocked so you can use it anywhere in the world.

Also both phones can be used on Google’s Project Fi (which is US and invite only for now).

Buy the Nexus 5X: here

Nexus Protect

No that’s not the name of a Nexus version of the Nest Protect (that would be silly). Nexus Protect is a new program that Google is launching with the Nexus 5X and 6P.

It is essentially an insurance program for your phone(s). It’s like Google’s answer to AppleCare. You can purchase Nexus Protect coverage from the Google Store. It will cost $69 for the Nexus 5X and $89 for the Nexus 6P.

Nexus Protect will give you two years of warranty and you can make up to two claim for a replacement phone for a deductible for $79. You can make a claim 24/7 and you can get a replacement within 24 hours of making your claim.

Currently, Nexus Protect is US only and there is no word as to whether or not it will come to other countries or other devices.

Chromecast (2015) and Chromecast Audio

Google has introduced two new Chromecast devices. The first one is a major revision that has a hockey puck design with a dangling HDMI cable. There is also better Wi-Fi support (802.11 ac and 5GHz) and you should get better video with the improved antenna design.

It now comes in three colours, black, lemonade (yellow) and coral (red). It will cost $45 CAD and is available now from the Google Store.

The other Chromecast device is the Chromecast Audio which will allow you to connect it to any audio system (or at least one that has a 3.5 audio connection) and then you can Cast your audio from your devices to your speaker rather than your TV. The Chromecast Audio supports RCA and optical but only a standard auxiliary cable  is included.

Chromecast Audio will work with multiple audio devices on the same network including iOS devices or even you guest’s devices. You’ll also be able to access other users’ playlists while they are playing on a speaker. And now Spotify has gained Chromecast support in it’s Android app.

The Chromecast Audio comes in one model and cost $45 CAD just like the Chromecast (2015) and is available now.

In addition to the new Chromecast devices, Google also revealed a new Chromecast app update. The app is no longer just used for setting up your Chromecast devices  but now there is new functionality to help you find new content, more backdrop options and the ability to search so you can find your favourite movies and TV shows.

The updated Chromecast app is available from Google Play and the App Store.

Google Play Music Family Plan

Google has also introduced a new Family Plan for Google Play Music All-Access. Instead of paying for multiple individual accounts, families can signup for the Family Plan which will give you access to Google Play Music All-Access for up to 6 family members for $14.99 per month.

This is to compete with Apple Music’s family plan which is the same cost and the same number of family members included. This All-Access Family Plan is a better deal than what Spotify offers. They charge $14.99 for two members, $19.99 for three, $24.99 for four and $29.99 for five.

The new family plan is coming later this year and should be available to those with access to Google Play All-Access.

New features in Google Photos

You’ll soon be able to label people who are in the photos that you have uploaded to Google Photos. You can label people however you fit best, whether you want all the photos of your best friend to be label by what their nickname is, you’ll be able to do that.

People Labeling will be coming to Google Photos users in the US later this week on the Android app. While it is coming soon to iOS and the web app.

Also coming later this week to the Google Photos app on Android (coming soon to the iOS app), is Chromecast + Photos. You’ll be able to Cast your photos and videos onto your Chromecast (or Google Cast device), so then it’s easier to view photos together with family or friends.

Even if your photos are still on your device and haven’t been backed up to Google Photos yet, don’t fret because you can still cast them by viewing them in the Google Photos app.

Coming later this year to all user is Shared Photo Albums. You can have all the photos that you took with family and friends and their photos too all in one place. You’ll also get a notification wherever new photos or videos are added.

To be added to an album or to create a Share Album, it’s as simple as sending a link to whoever you wait to join. Shared Albums will be on any of your devices that has Google Photos.

Google Pixel C

Google has announced a new tablet that caught everyone off-guard. The Pixel C was design by the same team at Google that designed the Chromebook Pixel.

The Pixel C is the first tablet running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It has 10.2 inch display with ppi of 308. It is being powered by an Nvidia Tegra chipset. The backlight on the device can go up to 500 nits (which can be really bright).

There will be an optional Bluetooth keyboard for the Pixel C which can charge the tablet when the two pieces are attached and is folded up. It will cost $149 USD.

Just like the Chromebook Pixel (2015) and the Nexus 5X & 6P, it has a USB Type-C port.

Google has said that the Pixel C tablet will be available at the beginning of the holiday season (that points to November/December). No word on if the Pixel C will be coming to Canada at all. However, Google did say that the Pixel C will cost $499 USD for the 32GB model and $599 for the 64GB model.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Google didn’t announce anything new about Android 6.0 that wasn’t already seen at Google I/O 2015 back in May. Google show a little bit of how the fingerprint sensor will on the Nexus 6P and 5X.

If you want to know more about what’s to come in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, read this: Google I/O 2015: Everything you need to know.

However, Google did announce when we can get our hands-on Android 6.0 Marshmallow on older Nexus devices.

It will rollout to the Nexus 5,6,7 (2013), 9 and Player starting next week. Most likely on October 5th but the rollout of the OTA can be slow so just be patient and you’ll get Android Marshmallow in no time.

Source: Google, Nexus 5X (on Google Store), Nexus 6P (on Google Store)

Update (10.1.2015): The Nexus 5X is now available for purchase in the Canadian Google Store, this post has been updated to reflect that and added links to the Google Store.