Unveiling the Future with Google's Latest Innovations : Meet Pixel 9 Pro, Foldable Marvel, Gemini Concept, and Next-Gen Smartwatch!

Unveiling the Future with Google’s Latest Innovations : Meet Pixel 9 Pro, Foldable Marvel, Gemini Concept, and Next-Gen Smartwatch!

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Google held its annual “Made by Google” event today, launching the latest Pixel hardware, including the Pixel 9 series, Pixel Buds Pro 2, and Pixel Watch 3. Of course, sprinkled throughout the event was the season’s hottest tech – generative AI .

In addition to the hardware, Google announced new Gemini capabilities in Android 15 , including the much-anticipated launch of Gemini Live. AI features beyond Gemini were also spread throughout Android 15, upgrading photo-editing, phone calls, and more.

If you didn’t have a chance to tune into today’s event, here’s a breakdown of all the products and services unveiled so you don’t have to miss a thing.

Newsletters

ZDNET Tech Today

ZDNET’s Tech Today newsletter is a daily briefing of the newest, most talked about stories, five days a week.

See all

1. Google Pixel 9 series: Pro, XL, and Fold

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Google unveiled its Pixel 9 series , which, unlike previous years’ models, includes the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. They don’t necessarily roll off the tongue, but the differences are more streamlined than the names suggest. Below are the key distinctions within the smartphone lineup.

Pixel 9: The smallest, standard Google phone features a 6.3-inch Actua (not Super Actua) display, 12GB of RAM, a 10.5MP front camera, and only two rear cameras (50MP wide and 48MP ultrawide). Pricing starts at $799, and the handset is available in Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Wintergreen (mint green), and Peony (baby pink).
Pixel 9 Pro: The “Pro” model of the Pixel 9 features a 6.3-inch Super Actua display (with a higher brightness rating than the Actua), 16GB of RAM, a 42MP front camera, and three rear cameras (50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto). Pixel 9 Pro users also get one year of Google One AI Premium Plan , which includes Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live access and 2TB of cloud storage. Pricing starts at $999, and the device is available in Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel (grey), and Rose Quartz (pink).
Pixel 9 Pro XL: The XL model of the Pixel 9 Pro features a larger 6.8-inch Super Actua display and the same memory and camera configurations. The price starts at $1,099 and is available in the same colors as the Pixel 9 Pro.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold: The foldable version of the Pixel 9 Pro features a 6.3-inch Actua outer display and an 8-inch Super Actua inner display, 16GB of RAM, a 10MP front camera, and a similar camera configuration as last year’s Pixel Fold (48MP wide, 10.5MP ultrawide, and 10.8MP telephoto.) The price starts at $1,799 and is available in Obsidian and Porcelain.

Also: The best Google Pixel phones of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

All four models run on Google’s own Tensor G4 chip, have a 24-hour+ battery life, support emergency SOS with crisis alerts, and receive seven years of software and security updates. Pre-sale for all these models begins on August 13.

See Pixel 9 at Google

See Pixel 9 Pro at Google

See Pixel 9 Fold at Google

2. Android 15, Gemini, and more AI tools

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

On the backs of Samsung’s and Apple’s AI push , Google expanded on its Gemini and AI offerings, spread throughout its new product lineup.

Also: The 6 best AI features coming to Google’s new Pixel 9 lineup

The suite of ecosystem-exclusive tools includes old-timers like Circle to Search, Best Take, and Call Screen, as well as helpful features including:

Gemini upgrades: Gemini replaces Google Assistant, becoming the default assistant on Android phones. This means users will now have access to a more intelligent assistant that can better understand their interactions, be interrupted, and even understand the content on their screen with the new Gemini overlay feature. Google also made Gemini Live available for Android users who are subscribed to Gemini Advanced, giving them access to Live’s more advanced conversational capabilities.
Add Me: This new feature merges a group photo with a photo of the person behind the camera alone to create a new image of everyone together.
Pixel Screenshots: This feature uses AI to process screenshots and help you find them later with simple text prompts. Despite being similar to Microsoft’s Recall, it addresses Recall’s shortcomings by only ingesting screenshots that users take and allowing users to toggle it on or off.
Call Notes: Once activated, this feature, accessible from the call screen UI, will provide users with a detailed AI-powered summary of the call’s key points.
Reimagine: The feature allows you to “reimagine” or edit a part of a picture you want with AI. To reimagine an image, tap the area you want to change, type what you want to see, and enter a prompt such as “add sunset” or “make the grass greener.”
Magic Editor updates: Auto Frame in Magic Editor automatically reframes your photo, suggests the best crop, and even expands your image post-production.

To address privacy and security concerns, Google shares that the Android operating system uses Gemini Nano, the on-device multimodal AI model, ensuring that your data never leaves your phone or depends on the cloud.

3. Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

It’s been two years since Google launched the original Pixel Buds Pro , and while ZDNET found them rich in sound and stylish by design, they’re due for an upgrade. Today, Google unveiled a revamped set of Pixel earbuds with a similar two-toned aesthetic as the originals but with several upgrades (including AI).

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 comes in four color options: Hazel, Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony. All of them are encased in a familiar egg-shaped charging cradle. The case has an IPX4 rating, while the earbuds have an IP54 rating, making these earbuds sweat- and water-resistant.

Also: Google unveils Pixel Buds Pro 2: Here are the three features I’m most excited about

As for new audio and voice features, these earbuds feature a custom-designed 11mm dynamic speaker driver, Tesnor A1 chip for audio processing, Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal 2.0, Transparency mode, Conversation Detection, a voice accelerometer, and three microphones.

The earbuds’ most comfortable design yet features a bulb and wingtips. They also feature capacitive touch sensors, which users can use to tap and swipe to control music, calls, and more. The earbuds are priced at $229 and have the same pre-order date as the smartphone lineup: August 13.

See Pixel Buds Pro 2 at Google

4. Google Pixel Watch 3

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The new Google Pixel Watch 3 introduced minor changes, including a brighter screen (2,000 nits peak), better battery life made possible by the dual chip architecture, and more advanced fitness features, such as a Morning Brief that features a readiness score from previous day’s activity, and advanced training metrics. However, the star of the Pixel Watch 3 announcements was the highly anticipated larger XL model.

The larger Google Pixel Watch 3 model has a 45 mm screen (vs. the regular 41mm) to reach a new demographic of customers who could benefit from a larger screen. Case in point, ZDNET’s Matthew Miller tested both the original and second-generation Pixel Watch models, and the smaller, tighter fit was a constant reason why he couldn’t make the switch.

Some other differences of the 45mm version include a bigger 420 mAh battery, though a larger capacity doesn’t always correlate to longer endurance if the display consumes more power; and fewer colorways – a matte black aluminum case with an obsidian active band, polished silver aluminum case with a porcelain active band and matte hazel aluminum case with a hazel active band.

Also: I went hands-on with Google Pixel Watch 3: These three best features make a difference

Both watches sport an Actua display, Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen, ultra-wideband (UWB), which is crucial for features like Find My Device tracking, and Wear OS 5.0.

Pre-orders for both products start on August 13. The Google Pixel Watch 3 41mm starts at $349 and is available in a Matte Black aluminum case with an Obsidian active band, a Polished Silver aluminum case with a Porcelain active band, a Champagne Gold aluminum case with a Hazel active band, and a Polished Silver aluminum case with a Rose Quartz active band. The Google Pixel Watch 3 45mm starts at $399.

See Pixel Watch 3 at Google