Google is expected to take the stage at its annual developer conference, Google I/O 2023, later this week. The event, which is mostly followed by developers around the world as it showcases the latest generation of the Android operating system, will also feature a number of major hardware announcements from the search and AI giant. The event precedes Microsoft’s Build 2023 and Apple’s WWDC 2023 and showcases the latest-generation Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Android 14, and a host of other AI-related announcements the company may make for the year ahead.
This year, Google could put a greater emphasis on AI as it is this battle that is heating up between Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta and other Big Tech companies. In that regard, here’s a look at everything we expect to see at Google I/O 2023.
Also Read: Google Pixel 7a Launch Round-Up: Expected price in India, how to watch the launch event, specs and more
Google I/O 2023: Watch live stream
Physically hosted at Shoreline in Mountain View, California, home to Google’s global headquarters, Google I/O 2023 will also be streamed online on May 10 at 10:30 PM IST. Viewers can click this link to join the live stream, or click the video below to follow all the announcements.
Google I/O 2023: everything we expect to see
From the latest generation of Android 14, which has been tipped as an incremental upgrade over the current Android 13, to devices like the now-confirmed Pixel Fold and the expected Pixel 7a, Google I/O 2023 has plenty to offer everyone. This is what we expect to see.
Pixel fold
The Google Pixel Fold has been confirmed to launch at I/O 2023, with Google showing off a teaser of the smartphone itself last week. The foldable smartphone has shown off a slim hinge profile as well as a display on the outside with a narrow bezel, albeit with rather large on the foldable display on the inside.
Specs will remain a secret for now, of course, but Google is expected to use a 5.8-inch outer display, a 7.6-inch foldable display that could offer a fast refresh rate, the Tensor G2 SoC, and up to 24 hours of battery life. While other specs remain to be seen, the camera module on the outer fold seems to suggest three rear cameras. Other important details remain hidden for now, which we should all see for ourselves this week.
Also Read: Google Pixel Fold Launch Round-Up: Expected price in India, how to watch the launch event, specs and more
Pixel 7a
Google is tipped to release the Pixel 7a mid-range smartphone at I/O 2023, and to India soon after. The company has scheduled a hardware launch event for May 11, which will likely showcase the Pixel 7a. Key details of the smartphone have appeared on multiple leaks, so we have a fair idea of what to expect from the Pixel 7a.
The main expected specs of the Pixel 7a are the Tensor G2 chip, a 6.1-inch OLED 90Hz display, a 64MP dual rear camera, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and a 4400mAh battery with 20W fast charging. It could also offer a similar design to the current Pixel 7, so it remains to be seen how it’s priced and how it differentiates itself from the Pixel 7 at launch.
Android 14
Android 14 is the only certainty we’ll see at Google I/O 2023, as the event was primarily about showcasing the latest in software innovation for the world’s most popular operating system – after all, Android controls more than 95 percent of all phones in India.
This year, Android 14 is expected to ship with a number of incremental upgrades. The list of new features, based on what we’ve seen from Google through the Developer Preview releases and the first Public Beta release, includes non-linear font scaling that could make text more readable on Android phones – especially for those with display disabilities , per-app language preferences for users and developers that could lead to more local language interfaces on apps, a number of privacy and security improvements, including not allowing unrestricted app access to sensitive accessibility information – something often used by attackers to steal of personally identifiable information, a sign-in credentials manager, a new back arrow animation when gesture navigation is enabled, previous app previews in gesture navigation, and more.
Google is also expected to emphasize satellite connectivity as a native feature of Android smartphones in the future, a feature that has built up since Apple announced satellite connectivity on the iPhone 14 series. This too could be included in Android 14’s general list of features.
Also Read: Android 14 Update Tracker: Expected release date, key features, compatible devices and more
AI, AI everywhere
Google I/O 2023 will surely be all about AI as this is the biggest industry level conflict in the Big Tech space. For its part, Google has already revealed how AI will be integrated into Google Cloud and all the tools under its Cloud workspace suite, including generative AI that helps users compose emails or generate text in Google Docs.
At I/O 2023, Google may reveal important details about the future of its generative AI applications. Rumors in developer channels have suggested that Google could start demonstrating ways it would bake AI into Android, and have generative AI features as part of offerings like the Google Assistant. It’s not clear exactly how this would work, but Google has previously shown off its AI work in features like call receiving assistant. More details will appear at I/O 2023 itself.
Conversations about Google’s use of AI and using Android as a vessel to popularize its AI began with the arrival of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot, which opened the floodgates for AI conversations across the web, and Microsoft lead the space with its Bing AI search and chatbot engine. Google has already introduced Bard, a chatbot based on the company’s own language model, PaLM – and has also pioneered AI itself, with the transformer models invented by a team of Google researchers themselves.
However, early examples of using Bard have attracted attention for all the wrong reasons, leading to examples of AI hallucination and misinformation being the biggest problems.
Other launches: Pixel 8 Series, Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Tablet and more
While Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Android 14 and AI are expected to headline the event, we may also see additional elements showcased at Google I/O 2023. These include announcements about a number of Google initiatives in the area of operating systems, which may include Google TV, Android TV (the two are now separate initiatives), Wear OS (in partnership with Samsung), and more.
Rumors may also have pointed to (finally) launching Google’s Pixel Tablet, though nothing is certain at this point. Google itself has showcased the tablet several times, including during last year’s I/O and beyond. The tablet also appeared on the US FCC certification site earlier this month, suggesting it could almost be a commercial launch.
Leaks have stated that the Pixel tablet will support Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE, and will also come with a charging dock accessory that turns it into a smart home display that looks identical to the Google Nest smart speakers. Other features include the Tensor G2 chip, an 11-inch screen and 256 GB of storage.
Finally, while there is always an outside chance, the Pixel 8 series and the Pixel Watch 2 are not expected to launch at Google I/O 2023.