Google has announced three new devices at its annual I/O developers’ conference — two smartphones with NFC and a tablet with ultra wideband.

The Google Pixel 7a is a sub-US$500 mid-range Android smartphone which offers NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and LE, and what Google terms in its spec sheet “BT Diversity” — likely to refer to Bluetooth antenna diversity, which offers a stronger link in adverse environments at the potential cost of some latency.

The Google Pixel Fold is a US$1,800 flagship Android smartphone with a large folding screen. It offers NFC, ultra wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth 5.2.

The Google Pixel Tablet is a capable 11-inch Android-based tablet which offers Bluetooth 5.2 and UWB “for accurate ranging” — but not NFC. This could represent a missed opportunity for Google as NFC-based softpos solutions are now starting to take off worldwide but it would appear that the Pixel Tablet cannot be used in a point-of-sale context without adding an external contactless reader.

The Google Pixel Tablet is set to retail at US$500.

All three devices also include a Titan M2 security coprocessor, Google’s equivalent of Apple’s Secure Enclave chip.

• Find details of current and upcoming NFC phones in our comprehensive NFC devices list.

Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions