Google's annual developer event, called I/O, will run from May 13 until May 14. As usual, it will begin with a keynote address at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, close to the company's headquarters.

The dates of the 2020 instalment of I/O were revealed after Google fans took part in an online collaborative game to restore a fictional satellite network. Once complete, the game revealed the dates of May 12-14.

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Although Google's main hardware event doesn't take place until the fall, the company has in recent years used I/O to announce new products, from both its hardware and software divisions.

Last year we saw the debut of the first cut-price Pixel handset, the well-received Pixel 3A and larger 3A XL. We expect to see a successor at I/O 2020, which will likely be called the Pixel 4A. Recent rumors claim the handset will have a hole-punch front camera — that is, a selfie camera positioned behind a small circular cut-out in the display.

The Pixel 4A is expected to offer excellent photographic performance for the price — a staple of the Pixel family — and it is also tipped to retain its headphone jack. With Apple expected to announce a circa-$400 handset based on the iPhone 8 in March, the Pixel 4A will have some tough competition from the moment it lands.

Last year's I/O event saw the debut of the Nest Hub Max, so we can expect to see another new product or two from Google's Nest smart home division. The original Google Home smart speaker is now over three years old, and with the Home Mini updated (and renamed Nest Mini) in 2019, we expect to see a new Nest Home this year, and potentially at I/O.

Should the Nest Home arrive, it will likely be a close rival to the Amazon Echo and pricier Echo Studio, but sit comfortably below the $300 Apple HomePod.

All that said, I/O is primarily a software event and an opportunity for Google to show developers what additions it has made to products like Google Maps, Photos, and the Google Assistant. On that note, we hope to see an update on Duplex, the eerily realistic Assistant tool capable of making restaurant reservations on its own.

With all that in mind, the circa two hour keynote will likely tell us a lot about Google's plans for 2020 and beyond.