Google’s next major hardware event is scheduled for August 13 at 10am PTThat’s about a two-month lead over the Made By Google event, which traditionally takes place in mid-fall. The company will also, notably, announce its newest flagship, the Pixel 9, before the iPhone 16. Apple’s latest announcement is scheduled for September.
Google hasn’t offered a justification for the shuffle. Perhaps it will be too noisy coming less than a month before what has already become the most bizarre presidential election in modern American history. The company will no doubt have plenty to talk about on the Gemini front, too. The new devices will almost certainly introduce major new generative AI features ahead of the rest of the Android field.
One tradition Google has maintained this year is unveiling devices ahead of its event. The move inevitably sucks some of the oxygen out of the room before the big event, but it’s proven to be an effective way to generate excitement during the summer consumer electronics grind. Earlier this week, Google showed off two new devices: the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Fold, the most premium entries in the line.
Phones Built for ‘The Gemini Age’
Both carry the tagline “A (foldable) phone built for the Gemini era,” setting the stage for the latest in a long line of AI-themed tech events. Gemini took center stage at Google I/O in May, though the developer-focused event saw much more news focused on laying the groundwork for the company’s AI ambitions.
Google actually made a conscious effort to distance its consumer hardware offerings from the developers conference, announcing the budget-focused Pixel 8a just days before the event. Notably, the most intriguing consumer-facing Android AI feature didn’t debut on a Pixel device at all this year; Circle to Search first arrived on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 in January.
Apple made its own AI splash at WWDC in June with the launch of Apple Intelligence. Cupertino doesn’t have the same generative AI firepower as Google or OpenAI, which is precisely why it has opened itself up to partnerships with both.
Apple’s approach to the category is small, doing as much as possible on the device. Google has taken its own steps in that direction with the Gemini Nano. The significantly smaller model arrived on Pixel 8 devices via a feature drop last month.
In recent years, Google has been clear about its ambitions to grow the Pixel line beyond its longtime second-fiddle position in the Android market. The company now produces several generations of mobile chips in-house. Combined with all the R&D poured into Gemini, could this be the moment when the Pixel finally breaks free?
Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold
The Pixel 9 Pro was one of two teaser videos the company released earlier this week , and unsurprisingly, Gemini got considerably more screen time than the hardware. Twenty of the video’s 30 seconds are devoted to asking GenAI to write a “breakup letter” for an old phone, in favor of “something magical.”
That thing is, you guessed it, the Pixel 9 Pro, which rotates 180 degrees to reveal the camera bar, putting an end to all camera bars. Google baked the camera bar into the Pixel’s design language, but this pronounced visor is enough to make Cyclops blush. The bar no longer runs the entire length of the back of the device, but the camera bump now juts out at a sharper angle.
The video for Google’s latest foldable is near-identical, though the screen here opens up to reveal the words “Oh hi, AI” before closing to reveal the rear of the device. The design language on the camera bump is similar, though the foldable’s is off-center and features stacked lenses.
Google’s decision to go with the “Pixel 9 Pro Fold” instead of, say, the Pixel Fold 2 seems to signal a deeper integration into the base Pixel line. The company may ultimately choose to position the Pro Fold as the true premium device in the line. Even with the $100 price bump that came with last year’s Pixel 8 release, the line has undercut Samsung and Apple.
The company ultimately threw caution to the wind with the first Pixel Fold, which arrived last summer with a hefty $1,799 price tag. However, the starting price has since dropped considerably. You can now buy one directly from Google for $1,300 . You’re advised to wait a few weeks to see what Made by Google has in store, though.
Google is expected to announce four Pixel devices: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Premium. All of the devices are expected to feature the company’s latest in-house chip, the Tensor G4, and run Android 15.
Android 15
The latest beta of Android 14 (beta 4) was released last week. While some features were previewed at I/O, you’ll have to wait until the August 13 event for the final release. The latest version of the mobile operating system, codenamed “Vanilla Ice Cream” (those delicious dessert names are still in use internally), will bring new features and UI tweaks.
Already announced marquee features include improved multitasking and satellite connectivity. Private Space, meanwhile, is a sort of incognito mode on the device, which brings additional authentication requirements for sensitive information. An improved Doze mode, meanwhile, should improve the device’s battery life.
What about Assistant?
The question of Google Assistant’s fate has played a big role in the last few Gemini updates. It’s clear that Google ultimately wants its own GenAI to take over Android’s most pressing tasks, but it’s questionable whether that means replacing Assistant entirely or beefing it up the way Apple has with Siri.
Users can currently rely on Gemini as their primary assistant if they so choose. However, Google ultimately made the right decision by not replacing Assistant entirely.
Assistant has played a more central role in previous years’ Made by Google events, thanks to the inclusion of Google Home/Nest announcements. Now that the excitement around smart home devices has waned, however, the company has taken its foot off the gas pedal. Perhaps the arrival of Gemini can breathe some much-needed life back into the space.
The Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2
The smart home category may have cooled, but Google has been pretty bullish on wearables since its 2020 acquisition of Fitbit. The Pixel Watch 3 seems destined to take the stage at the August 13 event. So do the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Made by Google launches August 13 at 10am PT. Stay tuned for more information.