At the Made by Google Pixel launch event, the company unveiled its next lineup of premium smartphones in the Pixel 9 series, a new Pixel 9 Pro Fold foldable and the Pixel Watch 3. But even with new hardware, generative AI still stole the show with new features that are native on the new phones and will be available on other handsets -- including in a new subscription-based premium service.
This isn't too much of a surprise given all the AI features and tools Google unveiled at its I/O event back in May. The big question was how much these features, including its Gemini (formerly Bard) chat assistant, would be integrated into its new devices. The answer seems to be: Gemini is everywhere.
"We're fully in the Gemini era, with AI infused in almost everything we're doing at Google across our full tech stack," Rick Osterloh said on stage.
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Gemini AI stole the show...again
Gemini has been integrated at the Android operating system level, Osterloh said, and plenty of stage time was spent showing off practical ways the AI assistant could make everyday tasks a little bit easier using your phone. Google was selling Gemini so hard it brought competitors' phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 on stage to demonstrate the AI assistant -- even before the new Pixel phones were revealed.
While Google ended up with a decent slate of devices -- phones, foldables, watches and earbuds -- by the end of the event, it didn't pass up an opportunity to explain how Gemini was integrated in its lineup. Despite some noticeable hardware improvements in the Pixel Buds Pro 2, most of the fun new features announced were software- or AI-related. Some of these may trickle down to older Pixel devices, while others like the Pixel Watch 3's Loss of Pulse Detection may rely on new sensors to function and be exclusive to that device.
Google's vision for Gemini has it completely replacing the old Google Assistant feature. With generative AI, Gemini can anticipate user needs, Google says.
Google wasn't shy about showing Gemini on phones beyond just the Pixel, as it name-checked how the generative AI assistant helps users on the small cover screen of the Motorola Razr 2024 and how it can be used in split screen on the larger inner display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
But regular Gemini isn't the only AI that Google showed off. Gemini Live, a voice chat version that converses with users, is exclusive to Gemini Advanced, a subscription service for Android devices priced at $20 per month. Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL buyers get one year of Gemini Advanced with purchase of their devices.
Google is aware of privacy concerns, assuring users that its data processed through Google's secure cloud won't lead to personal data being sent to third parties. Google also lauded its on-device generative AI in Gemini Nano, where the data is processed on device, like in summarizing phone calls, meaning the data never leaves your phone.
Pixel 9 lineup and Pixel 9 Pro Fold
The Pixel 9 series introduces a new smaller Pixel 9 Pro model between the basic Pixel 9 and the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL. All three have a newer design, abandoning the "Geordi Visor" rear band for a standard (if still very wide) camera block. It's undeniably a cleaner look.
That all comes with a $100 price hike: The Pixel 9 starts at $799, the Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is $1,099.
Otherwise, the phones don't look or feel too much different than their predecessors, and that extends to their internals. The phones pack the latest Google-designed Tensor G4 chipset, and for the Pixel 9, 12GB of RAM to start, with storage options of 128GB and 256GB. The Pro and Pro XL models also have 512GB and 1TB options and come with 16GB of RAM. There's a new cooling chamber inside the phones, and Google claims they have 20% greater battery life despite battery capacity not increasing significantly from their predecessors.
The cameras for the base Pixel 9 have been slightly upgraded with a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (up from 12 megapixels in the Pixel 8), though the 9 Pro and Pro XL's cameras are pretty much unchanged. Instead -- and unsurprisingly -- Google is leaning hard on the AI photography features, like Add Me, which composites multiple photos to get the perfect group shot that includes everyone in the photo. Guided Frame also helps limited-sight and sightless phone users align their face in frame when taking selfies.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, as the follow-up to last year's Pixel Fold has been named, has left its predecessor's wider size for a taller format like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and other book-style foldables. In addition to adopting the Pixel 9's sans-visor design, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has some spec upgrades. Its baseline configuration remains the same with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but its 512GB and 1TB options bump the RAM up to 16GB. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799.
There are cute software tricks coming to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold after launch, too. Made You Look shows fun characters on the cover screen to engage your baby when taking a photo.
Read more: Google Pixel Fold Deals: Preorder the New Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Save on the Previous Model
The Pixel 9 series is launching with Android 14, not the upcoming Android 15, though Google has assured us that the phones will get the update when it comes out at an unspecified date. This isn't surprising given Google pushed the Pixel 9 launch date up a couple of months to August, ahead of its typical October window for Pixel events. Still, all Pixel 9 phones get seven years of Android operating system and security updates.
Satellite SOS, a new feature that allows the phones to seek help using satellite networks (much like Apple's Emergency SOS), is coming on all Pixel 9 devices.
Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2
The Pixel Watch 3 has come, and at long last it's available in two sizes. The 41mm standard size returns with 10% more display area for $349, while also adding a larger 45mm size with 40% more display and 35% more battery for $399. Both sizes get new Actua displays with higher maximum brightness.
While the design doesn't look too different from last year's Pixel Watch 2, the watches have new features like Hold Call that you can tap when a phone call comes in to buy yourself a minute of time (AI will inform the caller) while you find a quiet place to chat. Improved heart-rate sensing makes for more accurate beat-per-minute readings during workouts.
The Pixel Watch 3 has a new safety feature called Loss of Pulse Detection, which works sort of like crash detection in alerting emergency services when the wearer's pulse drops -- something that could be caused by, say, a cardiac event (like a heart attack). The watch will look at physiological and motion data to determine when an emergency has happened and direct emergency services to the wearer's location. It's coming in September.
Read more: Google Pixel Watch 3 Can Detect a Lost Pulse, a Smartwatch First
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are improvements on the Pixel Buds Pro in every way, though they come at a slightly higher $229 price tag (up from the $199 price of their predecessor). These "first earbuds of the Gemini era," as Google said on stage, have better sound, noise canceling that's twice as strong and improved voice calls, thanks to its new Tensor A1 chip.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are 27% smaller and 24% lighter, Google says, which will help them fit better in ears and keep them snug during workouts. As noted, Google integrated Gemini into the earbuds with access to Gemini Live, the conversational voice assistant feature for subscription-only Gemini Advanced users on Android devices.