Google Pixel 2 event: Why new phone won't be the most important thing

Google will launch the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 tonight, but they’re arguably not the most important new products we'll see from the company.

Google is working on something much bigger than smartphones, and it's planning to bring it to more people than ever before.

Here’s what else we’re expecting from tonight’s Google event.

The Google Home Mini may just prove to be most important new product we’ll see tonight. The successor to Google Home, which came to the UK earlier this year, the Mini is a small and affordable smart speaker.

It will feature Google Assistant, a virtual assistant that both understands and responds to your voice commands. It’s a clever piece of technology, which also lives on a number of Android phones, and is growing more and more capable by the month.

You can hook it up various smart electronics around your house, such as your TV (via Chromecast), Philips Hue lights, the Nest thermostat, Samsung SmartThings, Belkin Wemo and Honeywell devices, and control them simply by speaking.

You can also ask it the same questions you’d typically put to Google search.

Google sees Assistant as the future, and wants it to become the central hub of users’ homes.

The upcoming Home Mini, which is rumoured to cost $49 (£37), will help it reach a lot more consumers than the regular, £129 version, and that could be far more important to Google than expanding the Pixel brand.

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Chromebooks are growing increasingly popular, but are still largely seen as cheap and cheerful alternatives to Windows laptops and MacBooks.

Google will show off a completely different side to the Chromebook tonight by unveiling the Pixelbook, an expensive, high-end laptop that can also be used as a tablet.

It’s expected to have a 12.3-inch display that’s compatible with a stylus, and to cost between $1,199 and $1,749. That’s a lot of money for a laptop, let alone a Chromebook, and Google will have to pull something special out of the bag to justify that price tag.

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Google is also set to unveil a new version of its soft Daydream View VR headset, which will be available in charcoal, fog, and coral colour schemes.

Daydream hasn’t really taken off since it was launched last year, with the platform only supporting a handful of phones.

Reports suggest the new Daydream headset will cost $99 – $20 more than last year’s version – which suggests Google intends to keep pushing it as a high-end option.