Made by Google 2024: It’s Gemini All The Way

What can AI do for me?

Google’s opening thought for their Made by Google event held at Mountain View, California probably echoes a lot of people’s thoughts about AI. After all, there’s been plenty of promises and features said to be “coming soon”, but it still remains to be seen how much AI actually helps with our day-to-day workflow.

Google, of course, is looking to change that by focusing on introducing AI to things that we use a lot on our smartphones. More practical applications for the tech. But, what are they promising exactly?

Gemini AI: New-ish Features

Google immediately starts with a brief talk about their current AI projects such as Gemini Pro 1.5 which they’re still actively working on, and Gemini Nano; a more efficient model meant to be used for Android phones. There’s also Gemini Live, which is basically a customizable AI chatbot of sorts.

Summarizing emails, responding to queries, creating lists…a lot of these are already things most AI models were already doing. Google’s efforts this time are more about improvement, bringing it to other form factors like foldable devices (the Galaxy Z Fold6 was even featured in a brief cameo) as well as further integrating it within Google’s other apps.

In short, it’s an upgraded Google Assistant and this time, it can now access your data in apps like Google Docs, Keep, and even Gmail. For privacy-oriented users though, Google does assure that these are all opt-in; you can choose which data to share and which ones it leaves alone.

We do want to point out that Gemini’s live demo did fail a couple of times when showcasing a feature with Google Calendar which was kind of funny. They’ve also taken great care to explain how the AI’s generative outputs are meant more as a draft to be polished up by the user later on; possibly a response to their recent Olympics ad fiasco.

Google Pixel 9: A Bigger Family

Now we get to the actual hardware reveals and of course, it’s the Pixel 9 series. This time, the whole product suite is even bigger as we get two new phones in the line, for a total of four devices: The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, the bigger Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

We’ll be taking a much closer look at the differences between these devices in more detail later on. For now, we’ll be looking at the broad strokes.

All phones are running Google’s latest Tensor G4 chip and come with Gemini Nano with multimodality. It basically just means the AI can process data in context beyond text like sights and sounds. Serious multitaskers will definitely appreciate the increased RAM though, with the base Pixel 9 starting with 12GB and the Pro models getting 16GB of RAM.

Google also promised to address some of Pixel’s thermal and battery efficiency woes by the process improvements brought by Tensor G4. Specifically, they claim that this should result in nearly 20% longer battery life compared to its predecessor. There’s also a new vapor chamber built into the Pixel 9 Pro models to help with heat.

All four models will come built with their Satellite SOS system, which can help you connect to emergency services even when you’re out in areas with limited or no cellular connectivity. It’s only available in the US for now though, with plans to expand this later on.

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AI for Everyday

Just like Samsung, Google appears to be banking on AI features in order to really make the Pixel 9 stand out. There’s the Gemini Assistant of course, but they’ve also built a new ‘Pixel Weather’ app which the company claims offers more insights than others thanks to their AI chops.

There’s the improved Pixel Call Assist, which has been very good in blocking spam calls based on patterns it recognizes. This has been improved in the Pixel 9 via the addition of ‘Call Notes’, which helps provide a quick transcript of your calls in case you need to remember some details of a conversation.

Google does promise that all of these functions are done on-device, without connecting to their cloud, which should be big for people who are big on privacy.

There’s Pixel Screenshots which basically acts as an AI-powered galleries app for all your screenshot, bringing up all the relevant images it can find based on your prompts. There’s also the new Pixel Studio, which generates images based on your prompts while also giving you the tools to edit them to your liking.

Camera Features

Cameras across the Pixel 9 lineup (barring the Pixel 9 Pro Fold) appear to be quite similar. You get a 50MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide camera across the base phone and the Pro phones. The 9 Pro and the XL though, get a 48 MP telephoto camera capable of 5x Optical Zoom with the front camera being bumped up to 42MP from the base phone’s 10.5 MP.

As for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you get a slightly downgraded 48MP main camera, a 10.5 MP ultrawide, and a 10.5MP 5x telephoto camera. In a way, it’s similar to what we’ve seen in the original Pixel Fold.

Performance appears to be quite solid but one thing to try out with the Pixel 9’s camera is its new ‘Add Me’ feature, which uses AI and AR in order to edit you into a photo you may not have been a part of. For the Pro Fold specifically, you get rear camera preview, allowing you to easily check how your selfie might look before taking the shot.

Pro Phones also get access to Google’s cloud-based HDR+ pipeline, for those interested in giving their low-light photos and videos a much needed boost. No word as to whether this will be available to the previous Pixel 8 Pro or even the base Pixel 9 in the future though.

We’ll definitely have to take a much closer look at all of these camera features too once we get the phones in-store. Pixel phones have always been known for their camera shops so it’s only right to really give it the focus it deserves.

As for other products, there’s only the Pixel Watch 3 and the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Pixel Watch 3: Now with Gemini

Let’s start with the Pixel Watch 3. The new wearable will now be available in two sizes, with the 41mm and a new, larger 45mm. Both models also get new Actua displays, making them twice as before, perfect for exercising and tracking all your health statistics under the sun.

Additionally, its deeper integration within Google’s own Pixel ecosystem allows some cool features like using the watch to change the channel on your Google TV streamer or even open a live camera feed on the Google Home app when someone rings your doorbell.

Its Gemini integration is a lot more practical, with Google’s AI on the watch basically implementing its Call Assist in order to block spam calls or even hold genuine ones while you wait to reach a quiet space to take it.

The new Loss of Pulse detection does genuinely seem very interesting. In the event these emergencies happen, the Watch will immediately call emergency services in order to get much-needed help. It’s only available in the UK and select EU countries for now though.

Pixel Buds Pro 2: Lighter Fit, Better Sound

Right away, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 immediately seems like a big upgrade in every way over the older Pixel Buds Pro. For one, they’re a lot smaller and lighter, making them much more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time.

For those worried about how these changes affect the fit, then Google’s also got you covered. They brought back the wing fins so you simply have to twist them in your ears in order to get a more secure fit for when you’re out and about.

Gemini is also integrated into the Pixel Buds Pro 2, courtesy of their new Tensor A1 chip, which also helps raise the sound quality and even better noise-cancellation than the previous model. Gemini also helps facilitate things like automatically pausing your music during a sudden call as well as support for Gemini Live in case you want to talk to your AI model.

According to Google, the earbuds can easily last up to 8 hours on a single charge, even with active noise cancellation. This goes up to 30 hours with the charging case, making it a great option for when you’re out and about.

A Product Launch or an AI Showcase?

Following its previous promise with the Pixel 8 series, Google also announced up to 7 years of OS and security updates for their Pixel 9 phones, which will hopefully continue throughout other releases as well. All three Pro model phones also get free 1-year access to Google’s more powerful Gemini Advanced suite as well as 2TB of cloud storage with Google’s One AI Premium service.

Indeed, Google’s latest flagship event has felt more like an AI showcase rather than the hardware-focused events prior. There were still cool physical products on showcase of course and we’re definitely going to cover them once they come out locally but Google’s own Gemini was definitely the star of the show.

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