The next era of Google gadgets is here. At the Made by Google event in August, we not only got to see a ton of phones, wearables, and a pair of headphones, but also future AI features.
Would you like to know exactly?
Here you will find all the important updates and upgrades, minus all the tech marketing nonsense and hype.
1. The Pixel 9 series gets larger screens
The Pixel 9 family is here. These are the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
All three have a new camera housing design. And this year, there’s a small but significant overhaul in screen sizes. The standard Pixel 9 goes up from 6.2 inches to 6.3 inches. And the Pixel 9 Pro XL jumps from 6.7 inches to 6.8 inches, all without a significant increase in the size of the larger phone.
Even bigger news: The Pixel 9 has taken on the Apple iPhone by offering both small (6.3-inch) and large (6.8-inch) versions of the Pro range. The main difference with the Pro version? A 5x zoom camera and a higher resolution screen. Is it worth £200? That’s up to you.
2. A number of new AI features are on the way
We already knew that Google was going to expand significantly in AI. Now let’s take a closer look at what that actually means.
Google wrote a blog about the 14 new AI enhancements. Highlights include the ability to add people to photos by taking a second picture and having the AI stitch them together.
Call Notes gives you a summary of your phone conversations. But is there much overlap between those who still make personal phone calls and people interested in AI? We doubt that. But it does let you get addresses and appointment information, which could be worth its weight in gold for some.
A new Pixel Screenshot app will also use AI to pull important information from screenshots you’ve taken. That could be useful because even though we don’t use phones as often these days, we take screenshots all the time.
3. Pixel Watch 3 is now available in a larger size
Of course, Google has packed a lot of AI stuff into the new Pixel Watch 3, too. But the most noticeable change is that this generation is now available in 45mm and 41mm sizes, not just the 41mm of the older versions.
Although you have to pay a little more for the larger model, otherwise it looks pretty similar.
What’s new? Google says heart rate monitoring is better and that it automatically detects when you’ve gone to bed to silence notifications. And it can detect when your heart stops and call emergency services to try to save your life. Yikes. This feature is only available to EU countries at launch.
The fitness features are also being expanded to better compete with Garmin and Apple.
4. New Pixel Buds Pro 2 to be released in September
Released two years after the original, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will be available from September 26 for $229/£219 (pre-orders open today).
The big claim is that you get “twice the noise cancellation” compared to the older model. One problem with these claims is that they may refer to a specific frequency range – that doesn’t mean the ANC is necessarily feel twice as strong. Google says the middle range sees the greatest improvement.
However, if Google can bring the Pixel Buds Pro 2 up to the level of Bose and Sony, we will be more than satisfied.
The new design also features a new wingtip for better stability and allows you to chat with the Gemini assistant whether your phone is unlocked or not. Battery life with ANC also increases from seven to eight hours.
5. Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold is getting thinner
The first Pixel Fold was a good phone. But compared to those from Huawei, Honor and Samsung that have been in the business for longer, the design was not as polished.
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold is here to solve that problem. It’s thinner, just 10.5mm when folded, and narrower so it feels smaller in the hand, but it also has larger screens. We get a 6.3-inch screen on the outside and an 8-inch screen on the inside, compared to 5.8-inch and 7.6-inch.
How? Well, it’s not a magic spell. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a larger screen. And of course, the inner bezels are a bit smaller too. Thanks to the big gap between releases, the processor of the new foldable device is also two generations older than the last one.
As you might imagine, however, at £1,749/$1,799, it’s not exactly cheap.
