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Yesterday, in Mountain View, California, Google unveiled the new Pixel 9 lineup, the Pixel Watch 3, and the Buds Pro 2. Although, you’d be forgiven if you’ve forgotten already about the hardware because this felt far more like a Gemini AI event than it did a hardware launch.
That’s a shame, because the hardware launched, as ever when it comes to Pixel devices, looked rather lovely. It’s also the biggest update to the Pixel smartphone lineup ever, with four new devices hitting the market.
There’s a lot to chew over here, but I’ll take the opportunity today to give you my initial thoughts on the event and the hardware in which I have the most interest.
It’s (still) all about AI – but is that a mistake?
Google told us yesterday that they’re “getting real” about AI. This was with a public nod towards the fact that many AI demos have, thus far, been nothing more than that, and the reality of getting AI tools into the hands of consumers has been either bug-riddled or a total non-event.
I’ve made my feelings on AI clear multiple times recently. The more commentary I read on the topic among my YouTube followers, the more I think there’s merit in suggesting that device manufacturers and brands are far more obsessed with it than their customers are.
Artificial intelligence is at its best when it does stuff silently and without any kind of fanfare. Automatically fixing the imperfections in the photo you’ve just taken; amalgamating all of your fitness metrics into one relatable health score; providing an estimation of your journey time to the office when you get in the car tomorrow morning – that stuff is genuinely useful and unobtrusive. Fixing photos in post, generating a different tone for the text message you’re sending to your boss, and turning scribbled photo graffiti into something more impressive is demo fodder, nothing more.
Apple seems to understand this. The initial demos (yes, I’m aware that’s all they are at the moment) of Apple Intelligence revealed in-context AI intervention and on-hand assistance which tapped into everything your device knows about you. If it works just as well away from Apple’s tightly controlled demo world, it could be game-changing.
Google is, clearly, very keen to match Apple on this one. Most of the Gemini AI demos we saw yesterday fell into the more useful buckets above. There was still the occasional show-off feature, including ‘Add Me’ which enables Pixel 9 users to chuck themselves into a group photo if a passer-by isn’t available to take the photo of the entire group in one shot. But we can let them off – they need some new marketing fodder for this launch.
There was a huge demo fail, too. While attempting to show off one of the contextual AI demos, presenter Dave Citron was left staring helplessly at the never-ending whirring of Gemini’s cogs as it failed to come up with an answer. It took three goes to get it working, and multiple device swaps.
It’s unfair to pick fault with Google for that (and Citron handled it brilliantly), but it does once again demonstrate that AI remains an entirely niche edge case for most users, and it simply isn’t fully ready for the prime time just yet.
What I’m far more interested in is the new Pixel 9 hardware.
Pixel 9 lineup gains a new member
Four new Pixel devices. Yep, you read that right.
There’s a simple reason for this, though. Google has taken Apple’s lead and split its Pro devices in two – a big one (Pixel Pro 9 XL) and a small one (Pixel Pro 9). Below that, we have the regular Pixel 9 and the new Pixel Pro Fold.
Is this getting confusing? Possibly. It certainly is when you look at Google’s current range of smartphones; at the time of writing, you can still buy the 7a, 8a, 8, and 8 Pro alongside the new stuff. Only the original Pixel Fold has disappeared from the lineup.
Good luck guiding your non-techy mate to the right purchase.
I must say, though, the new Pixel 9 design aesthetic looks lovely. All devices are slightly bigger all around and have brighter displays. They’re also packing more RAM and feature the Google Tensor G4 powering proceedings.
The camera systems haven’t seen much of an upgrade, bar the ability to shoot 8K video on the Pro devices. There’s a slight caveat here, though, which is the fact that the 8K footage is achieved by sending 4K footage to the cloud and using Google’s Video Boost feature to upscale it. That means it isn’t native 8K, as it is on the Samsung S24 Ultra. It’s not the cleanest solution and it does raise questions about the Tensor chip’s ability to match what Snapdragon is doing with its chips.
The new kid in the lineup, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, certainly lives up to its name. It’s got a 6.8-inch display which is a notch (excuse the pun) bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s also, I think, the most expensive Pixel phone ever at its base storage level (£1,099 for 128GB).
The Pixel Fold goes Pro
I was a big proponent of the first-generation Pixel Fold. There were issues (namely that it didn’t open anywhere near flat and some users experienced overheating problems) but they were easily overlooked due to that brilliant front display and unfettered Android experience. I liked the design, too.
Now, Google has nestled the Pixel Fold into the 9 lineup by calling it the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It’s a bit of a mouthful (I’d have preferred ‘Pixel Fold 2’) but I can see where they’re going with this. They want all of their smartphones under the banner of whichever generation it is.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is thinner and taller than the outgoing model and features Super Actua displays that are bigger and brighter. The battery is smaller, but the same stamina is quoted by Google. There’s also more RAM (16GB up from 12GB) and the Tensor G2 chip makes way for the new G4 silicon.
There’s not much more to say about the new Pixel Fold until I get it in my hands, but the marketing photography suggests they’ve fixed the non-flat opening and reduced the bezel sizes (another common gripe of the first generation). I reserve full judgement until it arrives, though, of course.
Wrapping up
I’ll be reviewing the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold within the coming weeks (there’s a bit of a delay this time around, I’m afraid, but we’re working on it – I promise).
Will I switch to one of these new Pixels? No. I’m too ensconced in Galaxy Z Fold6 life for that and can’t be doing with the faff – but I am fascinated to see how these photos perform above the din of the AI gravy train.
Stay tuned.
Made By Google 2024: Buy
You can buy these devices from Google (obviously) and at Amazon and BestBuy…
BestBuy:
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Amazon:
Google Pixel 9
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Before you go
This post includes affiliate links
Images courtesy of Google.
