Google Pixel 9 launch event announcement: all the news

Besides the regular Pixel 9, all other phones are now Pro models. These include the Pro 9, Pro 9 XML, and the new Pro 9 Fold. The phones have lots of AI features, specially in the cameras. For example, you can add people to photos after taking them.big AI magic is also in the new cameras. For example, you can add people to photos after taking them.

You might like the ear wing on the new Pixel Buds 2 Pro, or the thin edges and larger sizes of the Pixel Watch 3. The watch has new health and fitness features, and works better with other devices. There are aslo new phone colors.

Google's Tuesday event was supposed to be about Pixel devices. But it was really about AI.

Google's Rick Osterloh made this clear from the start. He talked more about Google's artificial intelligence work than about the devices.

While showing new Pixel phones and AI features, Google also took some shots at Apple. Some were subtle, others were very clear.

Companies often compare themselves to competitors at big events. But Google seemed to mention Apple a lot during this event. Maybe it's because Google is trying hard to be the best in AI, which Apple has only just started to work on.

At its recent Made by Google event, the big search company showed four new phones: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. This is more phones than Google has ever sold at once. When you add the cheaper Pixel 8A from May, choosing which one to buy can be confusing.

So, we thought it would help to explain the main differences and similarities between the four new models. We'll also list all the details for you to look at. We hope this helps you choose between the new Pixels, which will come out in two groups on August 22nd and September 4th.

A big article in Wired magazine about the Google team behind Pixel cameras just came out. Let's look at how they explain their AI-powered changes to what a photo is:

To Reynolds and the broader Pixel Camera team, it’s not necessarily the photo that’s important, but your memory. [...]

“What some of these edits do is help you create the moment that is the way you remember it, that’s authentic to your memory and to the greater context, but maybe isn’t authentic to a particular millisecond.”

It seems that making the "enhance!" joke from TV shows real wasn't as easy as Google thought. Today, the company said in a blog post that Zoom Enhance is finally coming to the Pixel 8 Pro. It will also be on the Pixel 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold when they launch.

Google announced the AI-powered Zoom Enhance during last year's Made by Google event. But we've waited until a whole new generation of phones for the feature to be ready. Last October, Google's hardware boss, Rick Osterloh, explained the feature: "When you zoom in, Zoom Enhance can make your images sharper and show more details. So you can get closer than ever, even if you forgot to zoom when taking the picture."

Now that Google has officially announced the Pixel Watch 3 after many leaks and rumors, Android users have even more smartwatches to choose from. Google's newest watch will come out on September 10th and start at $349.99. The older Pixel Watch 2 will still be sold for $249.99. Sadly, Google has stopped selling the first model, but you can still buy it on sale from other stores.

A week ago, I was on a three-day car trip when all the sound in my car stopped working. No podcasts, no directions, even the turn signal wasn't making noise. My friend tried to find a fix using Google, but it took at least five minutes. Today, Gemini Live, the new version of Google's voice helper that you can keep talking to, found a solution that worked in about 15 seconds. It felt like magic.

Google just finished its Made by Google hardware event, where we saw the new Pixel 9 phones and updates to Google's other devices. Even though many leaks about the Pixel event were true, Google still had some surprises.

"Let's go to the demo area, Rick." "Everything we've shown you is coming out in the next few weeks." Osterloh is finishing up and says that Project Astra will be part of Gemini Live. Apps will work with Gemini Live too, and he tells us to "wait and see."

"Let's talk live." We're seeing a live demo of the Buds Pro 2 and Gemini Live, which led to an awkward introduction of YouTuber Mark Rober.

New chip alert! Google Tensor A1 is inside the new Pixel Buds Pro 2 to handle noise cancellation. The buds are smaller and lighter, and they're the first earbuds that let you use Gemini directly.

The Pixel Watch 3's pulse detection mode could be amazing. But it might also cause more unnecessary 911 calls. We need to do more research to see how game-changing this new feature for Google's watch is right now, but it could lead to an exciting and less scary future for people with sick family members or those who live alone.

Pixel Watch 3 is here. There's a bigger one, and both sizes have brighter screens. Lots of new running features, a readiness score, and a new "Morning Brief" from Fitbit. Also, it can detect when you lose your pulse. Now for a video that will make me worry about my health.

Google announced a new app for making images during its Pixel 9 event today. The company says the app, called Pixel Studio, will come already installed on every Pixel 9 device.

Google has announced Pixel Screenshots, a new AI-powered app for its Pixel 9 phones that lets you save, organize, and find information from screenshots. Pixel Screenshot uses Google's private, on-device Gemini Nano AI to look at what's in an image and make it searchable.

Google is following Apple in making a way to use your phone to talk through a satellite in an emergency. During its big Pixel 9 reveal event on Tuesday, the company shared details of Satellite SOS, which will let you contact emergency helpers and share where you are when you don't have cell service.

The new Pixel 9 phones will be the first Android devices to have this feature. Google says it will work in most places around the world, even where there's no cell service or Wi-Fi. This could be really helpful for people who like outdoor activities or travel to remote areas.

To use Satellite SOS, you'll need to answer some questions about your emergency. Then, the Pixel will use AI to compress this information and send it to emergency services through a satellite. The service can also share your location with your emergency contacts.

Google is working with Garmin Response, a 24/7 emergency response center, to make sure help gets to you quickly. The company says Satellite SOS will be free for Pixel 9 users for the first year, but hasn't said how much it will cost after that.

This new feature shows how smartphone makers are trying to make their devices more useful in emergencies. It's a big step for Android users, giving them a safety net similar to what iPhone users have had since 2022.

Google showed some funny AI stuff too. When they were showing how to edit photos, the AI made two normal hot air balloons and one weird one that looked like bread and a basketball mixed together. AI can be silly sometimes!

They also showed new ways to fix photos. You can now fix tilted photos and even change the ground to look like flowers. It's pretty cool what AI can do with pictures now.

A basketball player named Jimmy Butler came to show how you can add yourself to group photos. He wore a funny Google hat. We're not sure why he was there, but it was fun.

Google compared their new panorama photos to iPhone photos. They didn't say "iPhone" out loud, but we could see it on the screen. Looks like Google thinks their photos are better!

Then they showed how you can make new pictures from words. You just tell the phone what you want, and it makes the picture. It uses AI on the phone and in the cloud to do this.

Suddenly, an actress named Keke Palmer showed up to talk about an event after this one. It was a bit random, but she's known for being very charming.

The new phones have more memory to run AI stuff. The regular Pixel 9 has 12GB, and the other models have 16GB.

They also showed how the phone can write down what people say in phone calls. This stays on your phone to keep it private.

Google talked about their new folding phone too. They said it has the biggest screen you can get on a phone.

CREDIT: Thanks to Umar Shakir, theverge.com. This content was originally updated on Aug 14, 2024.