Technology

Google unveils new flagship Pixel phones and its first smartwatch, which has Fitbit built in

Published

3 years ago

October 6, 2022

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Pixel Watch.

Google

Google on Thursday announced the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones and its first watch, the Pixel Watch. The devices were first teased during Google’s developer event in May, but the company used an event in New York City to provide more detail about each new product, such as what’s new, how much they’ll cost and when you can buy them.

The Pixel is gaining momentum, but it still has just a fraction of the phone market. During Alphabet’s earnings call for the first quarter, CEO Sundar Pichai said the Pixel Series 6 is the “fastest-selling Pixel ever” and said the company set an all-time quarterly sales record. The company hopes that it can carry that momentum with the new Pixel 7.

Pixel 7 Pro.

Google

Google makes most of its money from advertising and doesn’t report revenue directly from its hardware products. The company reports an “other” revenue segment, which includes hardware, Play Store, and non-advertising YouTube revenue. In the second quarter of this year, the company said it brought in “other” revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, down slightly from $6.62 billion the prior year. Conversely, Apple made $50.5 billion in iPhone revenue during its second quarter.

The Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Watch launch Oct. 13.

Here’s what you need to know about them.

The Pixel Watch has Fitbit built in

Pixel Watch.

Google

The Pixel Watch will embed health tracking features from Fitbit, which Google acquired for about $2.1 billion.

You can use Fitbit on the watch to track workouts, how well you slept, steps taken and more. If you’ve already used a Fitbit, it will sync right up with the existing app you already have on your phone. The Pixel Watch also comes with a six-month Fitbit premium membership. The service includes access to more than 200 workouts, offers information on how sleep and heart rate trends have changed over time and more.

But, like the Apple Watch, it has smartwatch features, too. It runs the company’s Wear OS software, which allows you to download apps from the Google Play Store. And it ties seamlessly into Google’s products such as Wallet, Gmail, Calendar and Google Home. The Pixel Watch only works with Android phones.

Google says the Pixel Watch can last up to 24 hours on a single charge, which is six hours longer than the Apple Watch Series 8.

The Pixel Watch starts at $349.99 for Bluetooth and WiFi and $399.99 for 4G LTE. Like Apple’s Series 8, it has Emergency SOS. The company says it will add fall detection later this year.

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Pixel 7 all colors.

Google

The $599 Pixel 7 and $899 Pixel 7 Pro are the first phones to run on Google’s new Tensor G2 chip. It shows Google is continuing to build its own chips instead of using a chip from Qualcomm, which it ditched last year when it launched the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Tensor processor helps enable features that Google said it couldn’t provide otherwise, such as increased camera functions, on-device translation and more.

Google said the Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch screen that’s 25% brighter than last year’s model for improved visibility outdoors. It’ll be offered with 128GB and 256GB of storage, which is plenty for most people, though folks who need more space to save big files such as videos should consider the Pixel 7 Pro, which ships with up to 512GB of storage.

Google’s Pixels have been known to have some of the best cameras on the market in past years. We don’t know how the Pixel 7 will match up just yet, but Google says it’s made improvements.

Google bumped the resolution of the back camera up to 50 megapixels, which should offer sharper images than last year’s phones. And, despite the cheaper price, the Pixel 7 has the same front-facing, main and ultrawide sensors as the more expensive model, but doesn’t have the added zoom lens on the back.

Pixel 7 Pro colors.

Google

The Pixel 7 Pro has a few other high-end trimmings. It has more memory, which should make apps and multitasking feel faster, and has a better display with a sharper resolution and higher peak brightness outdoors. It also has a higher refresh rate, just like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which means scrolling through websites or playing games will look smoother.

You can order the new phones and watch beginning Thursday ahead of their Oct. 13 release.

Technology

How black boxes became key to solving airplane crashes

Published

9 hours ago

November 30, 2025

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How black boxes became key to solving airplane crashes

After the search for survivors and recovery of victims in tragic aviation accidents — like that of a UPS cargo plane shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky last month — comes the search for flight data and a cockpit voice recorder often called the “black box.”

Every commercial plane has them. Aerospace giants GE Aerospace and Honeywell are among a few companies that design them to be nearly indestructible so they can help investigators understand the cause of a crash.

“They’re very crucial because it’s one of the few sources of information that tells us what happened leading up to the accident,” said Chris Babcock, branch chief of the vehicle recorder division at the National Transportation Safety Board. “We can get a lot of information from parts and from the airplane.”

Commercial aircraft have become very complex. A Boeing 787 Dreamliner records thousands of different pieces of information. In the case of the Air India crash in June, data revealed both engine fuel switches were put into a cutoff position within one second of each other. A voice recording from inside the cockpit captured the pilots discussing the cutoffs.

“All of those parameters today can have a very huge impact on the investigation,” said former NTSB member John Goglia. “It’s our goal to to provide information back to our investigators who are on scene as quick as we can to help move the investigation forward.”

This crucial data can also help prevent future accidents. A crash can cost airlines or plane manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars and leave victims’ families with a lifetime of grief.

But in some circumstances black boxes were destroyed or never found. Experts say further developments such as cockpit video recorders and real-time data streaming are needed.

“The technology is there. Crash worthy cockpit video recorders are already being installed in a lot of helicopters and other types of airplanes, but they’re not required,” said Jeff Guzzetti, aviation analyst and former accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB. “There’s privacy and cost issues involving cockpit video recorders but the NTSB has been recommending that the FAA require them for years now.”

Watch the video to learn more.

— CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.

Technology

Stocks end November with mixed results despite a strong Thanksgiving week rally

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

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Stocks end November with mixed results despite a strong Thanksgiving week rally

Technology

Palantir has worst month in two years as AI stocks sell off

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

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Palantir has worst month in two years as AI stocks sell off

CEO of Palantir Technologies Alex Karp attends the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 15, 2025.

Nathan Howard | Reuters

It’s been a tough November for Palantir.

Shares of the software analytics provider dropped 16% for their worst month since August 2023 as investors dumped AI stocks due to valuation fears. Meanwhile, famed investor Michael Burry doubled down on the artificial intelligence trade and bet against the company.

Palantir started November off on a high note.

The Denver-based company topped Wall Street’s third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations. Palantir also posted its second-straight $1 billion revenue quarter, but high valuation concerns contributed to a post-print selloff.

In a note to clients, Jefferies analysts called Palantir’s valuation “extreme” and argued investors would find better risk-reward in AI names such as Microsoft and Snowflake. Analysts at RBC Capital Markets raised concerns about the company’s “increasingly concentrated growth profile,” while Deutsche Bank called the valuation “very difficult to wrap our heads around.”

Adding fuel to the post-earnings selloff was the revelation that Burry is betting against Palantir and AI chipmaker Nvidia. Burry, who is widely known for predicting the housing crisis that occurred in 2008 and the portrayal of him in the film “The Big Short,” later accused hyperscalers of artificially boosting earnings.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp vocally hit the front lines, appearing twice in one week on CNBC, where he accused Burry of “market manipulation” and called the investor’s actions “egregious.”

“The idea that chips and ontology is what you want to short is bats— crazy,” Karp told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Despite the vicious selloff, Palantir has notched some deal wins this month. That included a multiyear contract with consulting firm PwC to speed up AI adoption in the U.K. and a deal with aircraft engine maintenance company FTAI.

But those announcements did little to shake off valuation worries that have haunted all AI-tied companies in November.

Across the board, investors have viciously ditched the high-priced group, citing fears of stretched valuations and a bubble.

In November, Nvidia pulled back more than 12%, while Microsoft and Amazon dropped about 5% each. Quantum computing names such as Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum have shed more than a third of their value.

Apple and Alphabet were the only Magnificent 7 stocks to end the month with gains.

Sill, questions linger over Palantir’s valuation, and those worries aren’t a new concern.

Even after its steep price drop, the company’s stock trades at 233 times forward earnings. By comparison, Nvidia and Alphabet traded at about 38 times and 30 times, respectively, at Friday’s close.

Karp, who has long defended the company, didn’t miss an opportunity to clap back at his critics, arguing in a letter to shareholders that the company is making it feasible for everyday investors to attain rates of return once “limited to the most successful venture capitalists in Palo Alto.”

“Please turn on the conventional television and see how unhappy those that didn’t invest in us are,” Karp said during an earnings call. “Enjoy, get some popcorn. They’re crying. We are every day making this company better, and we’re doing it for this nation, for allied countries.”

Palantir declined to comment for this story.

WATCH: Palantir CEO Alex Karp: We’ve printed venture results for the average American