Aside from the first event of the year, it’s notable to me that Google is using “magic” to tease the Pixel 9 Pro.
9to5Google has a rebooted newsletter which highlights Google’s biggest stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Register here!
On the Google Store homepage, “Don’t miss the magic” and “Get ready for the magic at #MadeByGoogle” serving as social contribution which was widely shared. Compared to last year, the trailer (and invitation to the event) already explicitly references/links AI, implying that Gemini will be responsible for these magical experiences.
Made by Google will showcase what happens when we combine the best of Google AI and our mobile platform. Tune in to see the latest exciting updates for Android, Gemini and the Pixel portfolio.
“Magical” experiences with a product range from it “just working” to something so futuristic you’re surprised it’s possible with today’s technology. To date, Google has labeled three features as “Magic”. The first two are in Google Photos – Editor and Eraser – while the third is in Google Messages – Compose.
Looking at what Google is up to, I think Gemini Live is the most likely thing to top that “magic” quota for the Pixel 9 series. Live is designed as a way to have “more natural conversations” with Geminis. “State-of-the-art speech technology” allows you to “speak at your own pace or interrupt mid-response with clarifying questions.”
The feeling of talking to a real person—with 10 voices to choose from—could be enough to wow people and encourage mainstream use of Gemini, especially for those unfamiliar with text chatbots. For me, the most interesting aspect of Gemini Live on mobile is if it serves as a precursor to availability on next-generation smart displays and speakers.
Then there’s Project Astra’s upcoming camera features that let you point at the world and ask questions. As we wrote last week, Google’s goal is to make an AI assistant for the real world. The ability to point the phone at something and connect a voice prompt for help is a key part of this. However, the Astra’s “later this year” timeline makes me think it won’t be ready in time for the Pixel 9 launch, with a feature drop in December looking more likely.
Meanwhile, the feature I’m most excited about is Ask Photos powered by Gemini. Running this Google Photos feature on the Pixel 9 makes a lot of sense. It basically turns your library of images and videos into a repository of knowledge about you. It seems to me that this could be much more useful in my personal life than Gemini.
Since this is a Pixel, we need new camera options and I think Zoom Enhance should be the main feature. Announced at the end of last year’s keynote, it’s still not on the Pixel 8 Pro. At this point, Google could very well save it as the main feature of the Pixel 9 Pro, especially in advertising.
The Call Assist suite – Call Screen, Direct My Call and Hold for Me – last year benefited from new artificial intelligence that is said to reduce spam calls by an average of 50%, a more natural-sounding voice and the ability to ask if the call is ringing. is urgent. More features seem inevitable as technology improves.
Another big update to the Gemini Nano is multimodality, where the model can handle audio, images and videos. Examples shared by the Android team at I/O are dynamic suggestions where Gemini understands what’s on your screen, TalkBack for rich image descriptions, and real-time fraud alerts.
Android – which is now part of the same division as hardware – mentioned in the keynote was very new. Since this merger is still fairly recent, I doubt this is the year we’ll see actual integration, so the new Gemini Nano could be the scope of the job.
What would you consider magical about the Pixel 9? Call below!
FTC: We use automatic income earning affiliate links. More.