Lionel Sujay Vailshery
Research expert covering cloud computing and emerging tech industries
Made by Google launch event - statistics & facts
Gemini, Google’s powerful artificial intelligence (AI) model, took the spotlight at the company’s 2024 “Made by Google” hardware event, marking a significant shift in the smartphone landscape. Its integration into the entire portfolio of Google devices as the new AI assistant could be the game-changer for Pixel devices. The event, typically held in October, was advanced to August 2024, and saw the unveiling of the Pixel 9 series of flagship smartphones in four flavors, the Pixel Watch 3 in two sizes, and Pixel Buds Pro 2 with AI enhancements. The Pixel ecosystem of smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds now serves as a platform for Google to showcase its industry-leading AI innovations and capabilities for everyday use cases.
Apart from the regular Gemini (formerly Bard) now replacing Google Assistant as the default service on Android phones, there was Gemini Nano for on-device generative AI with multimodal capabilities, and Gemini Live, a voice chat version very similar to ChatGPT 4o. However, voice chat is exclusive to Gemini Advanced subscribers on Android.
On the software end, Gemini is deeply embedded into the Pixel 9’s functionality to improve user experience with AI. The camera system heavily relies on AI to improve “Night Sight” and “Super Res Zoom” to produce impressive low-light and zoomed-in photos. “Magic Editor” offers advanced image editing capabilities, allowing users to change or even generate a new scene by selecting parts of the photo through “Reimagine”, or by removing objects and adding missing individuals with “Add Me” in group photos using augmented reality and AI. Generative AI takes a step further by using an on-device diffusion model with the “Pixel Studio” app for AI image generation. Finally, with “Call Notes”, the AI will summarize phone calls which are at least 30 seconds long, after you hang up, ensuring that users never miss out on crucial information from their conversations.
Apart from the smartwatch, Google announced the successor to its flagship hearable, the Pixel Buds Pro 2, with an all-new A1 processor for better audio and active noise cancellation. Furthermore, this year, the popular streaming device Chromecast saw its demise with the announcement of the Google TV streamer. The new streaming device has AI at the forefront, as with the other devices announced this year, and has been designed with a high level of smart home integration.
While some launched devices might not be at the forefront of hardware technology compared to the competition, Google does have an edge when it comes to deeper levels of AI integration and computational photography. With the level of AI integration on Pixel phones, it wouldn’t be wrong to say Google has set a new standard for what an AI phone should look like in today’s world.
Gemini takes center stage
Earlier in 2024, Google had already unveiled a range of Gemini AI features and tools at its software developers conference, Google I/O 2024. The question was how much of this would be integrated into the Android operating system for smartphones. AI was given top billing this year, evident from Pixel’s Android rivals, Samsung and Motorola, which were used to demo Google’s Gemini AI features.Apart from the regular Gemini (formerly Bard) now replacing Google Assistant as the default service on Android phones, there was Gemini Nano for on-device generative AI with multimodal capabilities, and Gemini Live, a voice chat version very similar to ChatGPT 4o. However, voice chat is exclusive to Gemini Advanced subscribers on Android.
Noticeable hardware changes and a lot of AIs
On the hardware front, the entire Pixel 9 lineup, starting at 799 U.S. dollars, packs in the latest Tensor G4 chipset, with significant improvements from the older chip for better speed and battery life through AI on the chip. However, the Pro models differentiate themselves with a telephoto lens offering 5x optical zoom and 16 GB of RAM, compared to the Pixel 9's standard lens and12GB RAM. As a rival to Apple’s Emergency SOS, the Pixel 9 features Satellite SOS with no carrier limitations.On the software end, Gemini is deeply embedded into the Pixel 9’s functionality to improve user experience with AI. The camera system heavily relies on AI to improve “Night Sight” and “Super Res Zoom” to produce impressive low-light and zoomed-in photos. “Magic Editor” offers advanced image editing capabilities, allowing users to change or even generate a new scene by selecting parts of the photo through “Reimagine”, or by removing objects and adding missing individuals with “Add Me” in group photos using augmented reality and AI. Generative AI takes a step further by using an on-device diffusion model with the “Pixel Studio” app for AI image generation. Finally, with “Call Notes”, the AI will summarize phone calls which are at least 30 seconds long, after you hang up, ensuring that users never miss out on crucial information from their conversations.
Shift in Pixel ecosystem
The Pixel Watch 3 has made its debut with some exciting changes, including a brighter screen, thinner bezels, and better battery life through a dual-chip architecture. The introduction of a new 45 mm size, in addition to the regular 41 mm, caters to a new demographic of smartwatch users who prefer larger displays. The watch also comes with an opt-in life-saving feature, “Loss of Pulse Detection,” which alerts emergency services in case of medical emergencies, making it a unique and potentially life-saving addition to the Pixel ecosystem.Apart from the smartwatch, Google announced the successor to its flagship hearable, the Pixel Buds Pro 2, with an all-new A1 processor for better audio and active noise cancellation. Furthermore, this year, the popular streaming device Chromecast saw its demise with the announcement of the Google TV streamer. The new streaming device has AI at the forefront, as with the other devices announced this year, and has been designed with a high level of smart home integration.
While some launched devices might not be at the forefront of hardware technology compared to the competition, Google does have an edge when it comes to deeper levels of AI integration and computational photography. With the level of AI integration on Pixel phones, it wouldn’t be wrong to say Google has set a new standard for what an AI phone should look like in today’s world.
