Google LLC today announced its new family of Pixel 9 smartphones, along with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, powered by a new AI-focused chip, that feature the company’s artificial intelligence Gemini family of models to enhance apps and experiences.

The company also unveiled the new Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 at its Made by Google event, alongside a raft of AI features built on its Gemini large language models. Much of Google’s latest apps and features lean into the launch of the new Tensor G4 chip, an upgrade over the G3, which was built into the Pixel 8 lineup.

Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL

The new Pixel 9 lineup continues to maintain the familiar Pixel round front design of the smartphone, but the camera “bar” has been reduced and rounded on the back of the phone. The company said the phones are “twice as durable as Pixel 8.”

The Pixel 9 comes with a 6.3-inch display, the same as the Pixel 9 Pro, and the XL version is 6.8-inch and features a Super Actua display with a peak brightness of 2,700 nits, making it extremely visible even in bright lighting conditions. According to Google, this is 35% brighter than the Pixel 8 screen.

Although Google has kept the details on the Tensor G4 close to the vest, the company said that it would make web browsing 20% faster and apps launch 17% faster. Android Authority reported that the chip is a semicustom chip built in collaboration with Samsung, using Arm for the central processor and graphics cores, and Google’s in-house silicon for AI, photographic processing and security.

The new phones also have upgraded memory with 12 gigabytes of RAM for the Pixel 9 and 16 gigabytes for the Pro and XL.

Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL are all available for pre-order today starting at $799, $999 and $1,099. They will all be available on store shelves starting Aug. 22.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Google’s newest foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, is the company’s largest-ever display that the company says is also the thinnest yet.

When folded, the display is 6.3-inch, much the same as a standard smartphone, but folded out, it is tablet-sized at eight inches. The cover display and the internal fold display feature the same 2,700 nits brightness as the Pixel 9, which Google says is 80% brighter than the Pixel Fold.

The device is also built with a specialized “fluid-friction hinge” that will snap into place and keep the device fully flat to provide a better foldable experience. The screens also feature Corning Gorilla Glass, which is scratch-resistant and water-resistant for up to 1.5 meters for anyone who accidentally takes their phone for a brief swim.

With access to the larger screen, users can split-screen paired apps and easily multitask, drag and drop photos, use dual-screen on Google Meet and more.

The new phone is available for pre-order today starting at $1,799 and will be at stores on Sept. 4.

AI-powered phone features

With the new Tensor G4 chip powering the Pixel 9 family of phones, Google made a point of rolling out several AI-powered apps for the devices, some of which iterate on previous apps such as image creation and search.

Users can quickly generate images with Pixel Studio by accessing an on-device text-to-image model and the company’s Imagen 3 model running in the cloud. All they have to do is launch the app, type in what they want and it will generate an image and iterate on the fly. Once it’s created, they can share it with friends in Gmail or text.

With Pixel Screenshots users can quickly save, organize and rediscover important images and information they want at any time. It works like an image library that allows them to analyze content whenever they need it with search prompts that can also access the web. For example, users could use Pixel Screenshots to save images of gift ideas for a fiancée and at a later time open the app and search, “gift for Anne,” and it will surface potential gifts from their organized folders and let them look at them on shopping sites.

An “AI Call Notes,” feature can keep track of what was said during calls so that users don’t need to jot down notes so they can easily recall statements or important information. The system uses Gemini Nano, an AI model that runs on the device itself so that no private information leaves the device. So if users have a chat with friends about a restaurant they’re going to meet up at but can’t recall the address, they can always check the call notes.

Gemini Assistant and Gemini Live

Gemini is multimodal, so it can work with pictures taken from the phone. That means people can take a picture of a poster for a touring musician and a user can ask, “Check my calendar and tell me if I’m free on the dates that she’s in town.” The assistant can then decide if the user can actually make a concert date or not and even check ticket prices and set a calendar event to make sure it isn’t missed.

Gemini Assistant requires users to activate it with “OK Google,” or other start words, with every interaction. Gemini Live is fully conversational and can engage in back-and-forth chats without needing to reactivate it each time. This makes it a lot easier to bounce ideas off, get information from and talk to in a free-flowing conversation.

Gemini Live also permits people to choose among a variety of voices, whereas Gemini Assistant only has a male voice. A number of people online have expressed frustration that the old Google Assistant also had a range of voices and the new Gemini Assistant has only one voice – a boring male voice.

The new Gemini Live will be available first in English to Gemini Advanced users on Pixel, Samsung and other Android phones.

Google Pixel Watch 3 made for health and fitness

Google’s newest flagship smartwatch, Pixel Watch 3, comes in two sizes including an all-new 45-millimeter version that comes alongside the current 41-millimeter size.

The watch face displays feature a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which the company says is twice as bright as the previous generation, which should be more than bright enough to be visible in sunny conditions. They will also automatically adjust to almost one nit in dark environments to remain discreet, such as in movie theaters. The displays also run closer to the edge with smaller bezels, providing the 45-millimeter one with 40% more screen, and the 41-millimeter one 10% more screen than the previous generation.

With battery saver mode, the company said, the life of the watch can be extended up to 36 hours across both versions without compromising health or fitness tracking features. Google added that the new 45-millimeter Watch 3 includes a 35% bigger battery than before.

Putting user safety foremost, Google added a “Loss of Pulse” feature to Watch 3.  If the watch fails to detect a pulse from the individual, along with other information such as lack of motion and other data that suggests that a person is in danger, the watch signals the individual that there may be an emergency. If the user does not respond in a set amount of time by canceling, it will contact emergency services with information on the user’s status and location.

Google Watch 3 is available for pre-order starting at $349 for the 41-millimeter version and the 45-millimeter version is available now starting at $399 at the Google Store.

Google Pixel Buds 2 with better noise cancellation

Google’s new noise-canceling earbuds come with a brand-new custom-designed AI audio chip that improves their performance. The company also said it completely redesigned the buds for comfort and secure fit.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are 24% lighter and 27% smaller than the previous generation, the company said. The new in-ear design has a “lock” feature that allows them to be twisted once placed so that the user can secure them for workouts, or leave them naturally fit for comfort.

Google also developed the Tensor A1 chip, an ultra-low-latency audio processor that can provide active noise cancellation by adapting to the environment “3 million times per second.” This is twice as powerful as the previous generation, the company said, and it can do this in a separate channel as the continuous audio processing used for music.

The new Pixel Buds Pro 2 are available for pre-order for $229 and will be in stores beginning Sept. 29.

Images: Google