The Pixel 9 smartphone. Image: Google
The Pixel 9 range has a clear focus on AI, while Google shares plans to bring more Gemini-powered features to Android devices.
Google has shared details on the upcoming Pixel 9 smartphone range, along with new AI features, smartwatches and more.
At its annual Autumn event – Made by Google – the company unveiled improvements to Gemini, its flagship AI model designed to compete with the likes of OpenAI’s GPT offerings. Google also says its latest Pixel phones are designed to support advanced AI models, being “the first phone designed for the Gemini era”.
Google’s focus on bringing AI into its smartphones follows similar moves by major players in the market such as Samsung and Apple.
The Pixel 9
Google has revealed four new Pixel smartphones in the newest version – the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and the spin-off Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The tech giant claims these phones come with various upgrades over its predecessors, with a higher rated display that is 35pc brighter than the Pixel 8 range. The Pixel 9 also comes with a 48mp camera and roughly 20pc longer battery life.
But the main focus is AI, which is unsurprising given Google’s investments into this technology. The Pixel 9 phones include the Tensor G4, Google’s custom chip that was designed by DeepMind and “optimised to run our most advanced AI models”.
Google said this will be the first processor to run the Gemini Nano model “with multimodality”, allowing the Pixel 9 phones to understand text, images and audio. The Pixel 9 phones have also been given a significant amount of RAM – 12GB for the Pixel 9 and 16GB for the Pro versions – to help the phones run their AI features smoothly.
“We’ve arrived at an inflection point where we believe the helpfulness of an AI-powered assistant far outweighs its challenges, and we’re excited for you to try Gemini as the default assistant on the Google Pixel 9,” Google said in a blogpost. “We’re in the early days of discovering all the ways an AI-powered assistant can be helpful and — just like Pixel phones — Gemini will just keep getting better.”
The Pixel 9 smartphone is available for pre-order at a starting price of €919, while the Pixel 9 Pro model starts at €1,119. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with a steeper price tag of €1,919.
AI and accessibility
Gemini continues to dominate Google’s events, as the company revealed plans to integrate its main AI models into more devices and services. Purchasers of Pixel models will get access to Gemini Advanced for a year, offering extra AI features.
One of those new features is Gemini Live, which lets users get AI-powered answers to queries by engaging in “free-flowing conversation”.
Gemini is also getting integrated more into Android devices – users will be able to bring up a Gemini overlay on top of an app they’re using to ask questions about what’s on the screen. Google said a batch of AI-powered updates are coming to supported Android devices next month.
Google also revealed AI-powered accessibility features for Pixel and Android users, such as Guided Frame – designed to help users who are blind or who have low vision take great photos.
“Previously, Guided Frame was only accessible through TalkBack, Android’s screen reader,” Google said in a blogpost. “Now you can also turn the feature on right from the camera settings, making it even easier for those who don’t use screen readers.”
The Pixel camera will also be able to help users with low vision to get more information on their surroundings. For example, users can search for specific words in their surroundings, or use the “picture-in-picture format” to quickly get more context on something, such as a menu.
Pixel Watch 3
Google also revealed its next move in the wearables market with the Pixel Watch 3, its latest smartwatch designed with fitness features from Fitbit.
The Pixel Watch 3. Image: Google
The new watch comes in two sizes – 41mm and 45mm – along with brighter displays and automatic light adjustment to make it usable while running for example. The Pixel Watch 3 has “dependable all-day battery life” and uses machine learning to know when to go into Bedtime mode, turning off notifications and conserving the battery.
The smartwatch’s fitness features include Daily Readiness, which tracks and analyses a user’s key recovery biometrics such as resting heart rate, heart rate variability and recent sleep, to show how ready the user is for training each day.
Google said the Pixel Watch 3 also comes with tools to help users plan their runs, guide them through routes and reflect on their progress. The Pixel Watch 3 is available for pre-order at a starting price of €399.
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