Google Launches Pixel 9 Phones, Pixel Watch 3 In Renewed Push To Sell AI

(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc.’s Google is rolling out upgraded smartphones, watches and earbuds, aiming to take on Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. and offer more ways to use artificial intelligence.

Google is touting the products — unveiled weeks ahead of Apple’s newest gadgets — as the best way to experience its latest AI technology. The hardware also has outward changes, with Google moving away from the curved design it has used for several years on its Pixel phones.

Dominant in internet search but long an underdog in tech devices, Google has been working to more tightly integrate its hardware and software. After putting devices chief Rick Osterloh in charge of Google’s Android platform earlier this year, the company is betting that this more unified approach can turn its hardware business into an engine for AI growth.

The new devices include the Pixel 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL phones, as well as an upscale folding model called the 9 Pro Fold. Google also unveiled a Pixel Watch 3 in two sizes and the Pixel Buds Pro 2. 

The phones will feature an upgraded version of Google Assistant with the company’s Gemini generative AI, making it capable of more sophisticated responses, such as providing a cooking recipe after seeing a photo of ingredients. The company is offering a choice of sizes with its high-end Pro model, including a 6.3-inch version, a 6.8-inch edition and a foldable option with an 8-inch inner display.

The standard Pixel 9 starts at $799 and will go on sale Aug. 22. The $999 and $1,099 Pro versions include better cameras and higher-end materials. The company said that its Pixel 9 phones are twice as durable as the models they are replacing. The foldable edition also sports a new design, adopting a more square shape when open. It starts at $1,799 and reaches stores on Sept. 4.

The new Pixel Watch line includes an XL option, measuring 45 millimeters across, and improved displays that provide a larger active area and can be twice as bright as prior models. Google promises 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display, and the watch will let users interact with delivery people via the company’s Nest Doorbell. The device can be used to control a connected Google TV set as well.

The watch starts at $349 and ranges up to $499 for the larger size with built-in cellular connectivity. It goes on sale Sept. 10.

Google acquired Fitbit in 2021 and has been integrating the fitness company’s technology into its products. As part of the announcements Tuesday, Google is offering a selection of Peloton Interactive Inc. classes to users who subscribe to the premium version of Fitbit’s service. 

The Pixel Buds are now 27% smaller and 24% lighter, Google said. The $229 earbuds include a new A1 chip for audio processing and will get as much as eight hours of battery life on one charge in noise-canceling mode.

The announcements come at an unusual time, as Google has typically updated its flagship Pixel devices in October. This year’s move jumps the company ahead of Apple’s September debut of its iPhone 16 line. Apple is also planning an update to its watches and AirPods. Samsung, meanwhile, recently rolled out the Galaxy Watch Ultra alongside new, pricier Galaxy Fold and Flip models.

Google has shown recent signs of progress after years of struggling to compete with Apple, Samsung and Chinese brands. Pixel holds 4.6% of the US market, according to research firm IDC, up from 3.6% in 2022. But Apple controls more than 50% of the market in the US.

In May, Google rolled out a lower-end Pixel 8a phone and cut the price of its tablet, aiming to make further inroads. 

Here’s what’s new for each device model:

Pixel 9

• A 50-megapixel wide-angle camera and 48-megapixel ultrawide camera sensor (an increase from 12 megapixels on the Pixel 8) on the back.
• Autofocus for the front camera.
• A 35% brighter screen.
• 12 gigabytes of memory, up from 8 on the Pixel 8.
• 20% longer battery life, including a new 100-hour ultra-low-power mode.

Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL

• A 50-megapixel wide-angle camera, 48-megapixel 5X telephoto camera and 48-megapixel ultrawide camera sensors.
• A 42-megapixel front camera, up from 12 on the Pixel 8 Pro, with a wider field of view and better light sensitivity.
• The displays have 15% thinner borders than the prior Pro model.
• 16 gigabytes of memory, up from 12 on the Pixel 8 Pro.
• Charges as much as 70% of its battery in half an hour.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

• Both screens are larger, with the exterior display moving to 6.3 inches from 5.8 inches and the unfolded screen going to 8 inches from 7.6 inches. The interior screen is also 80% brighter.
• Google says the device is lighter than its predecessor and has the largest unfolded screen of any foldable phone.
• Similar cameras to the prior model, including a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera.

The new Pixel phones each have a new Tensor G4 chip, designed in-house, that Google says is about 20% faster at launching apps and loading webpages. The phones add new software features, including a weather app with AI-based summaries, enhancements for making calls sound clearer, and an app for sorting through screenshots and parsing out key information. 

Google also outlined new camera features:

• Its new Add Me feature allows a photographer to insert themselves into a shot by taking another photo in the same location and blending the two using augmented reality and AI.
• The Magic Editor adds an Autoframe tool that uses AI to recompose an image and people’s positions in it.
• The Reimagine feature can change the background of an image based on a text prompt.
• A new Video Boost option uses AI to upgrade video into what Google calls 8K-like quality.

Google is also adding a few enhancements that Apple has rolled out in recent years, including a satellite-based communication service for off-the-grid emergencies, an AI-based image-creation app, and a tool for recording phone calls and providing a summary of the conversation. And Google is offering access to its Gemini Nano AI models for free to buyers of its new phones.

(Updates with Peloton in ninth paragraph.)

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