Due to a recent DOJ decision, Google’s lucrative relationship with Apple’s iPhone is in jeopardy, and that means the Pixel is even more important than ever to the company’s success. In 2024, it seems like the company will be leaning into AI. It’s got the Pixel 9 Pro with plenty of Gemini AI features, plus the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The company’s also launching a new Pixel Watch 3 as well as the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
This repair-friendly design lets you remove the device’s display for screen replacements, or just the backing if you need to change the battery. But it seems Google hasn’t perfected this yet, as the display broke when iFixit carefully removed it.
And just like the Pixel 8, its successor comes with pull tabs that can make the battery a pain to remove.
Android Authority spotted a change to the Android Beta Exit release notes that reveals Google won’t be rolling out the update next month.
Android updates typically come in October, but so do new Pixel devices — Google released its Pixel 9 lineup two months earlier than usual, so many people were expecting a September drop for Android 15.
[Android Authority]
Let’s put this sloppy, bad-faith argument to rest.
New Pixel 9 owners might notice some device setup and transfer changes, as highlighted in this thread by Google’s Paul Dunlop.
Now transfers can be done at any time, you can move over only media Google Photos hasn’t already backed up in original quality, and you can plug in a USB cable to combine its speed with Wi-Fi while moving data.
Our basic assumptions about photos capturing reality are about to go up in smoke.
As Google promised last week, some Pixel 9 owners are now seeing the satellite connectivity feature arriving on their devices. Availability is currently limited to the US (with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska) and there’s no word on when the rollout will expand to other regions.
[Android Authority]
I got Pixel Studio, Google’s AI image generation tool on the Pixel 9, to come up with some questionable things. But they’re nothing like what the folks over at Digital Trends got out of it, which feature popular cartoon characters firing AK47s, drunk driving, and donning Nazi uniforms. Google seems to have clamped down on some of these, but oof, not a good look.
The AI is inconsistent, but the hardware is oh so good.
While previous Pixel devices only allowed you to move over your existing data during the initial setup process, Google’s new Pixel 9 series has no such restrictions. Android Authority spotted a new “Back up or copy data” option in the device settings, with a “copy data” page that lets users “bring data from another device” at any time.
In the latest public beta for Google Maps, the app will automatically download maps, apparently for your local area, and you’ll have the option to delete them, according to 9to5Google.
Without the update, you’d need an LTE version of wearables like the Pixel Watch 2 for turn-by-turn directions without a paired phone nearby. (The Pixel Watch 3 already supports offline maps.)
[9to5Google]
9to5Google and Android Central point out that after Google announced its new Pixel 9 lineup with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, its store listing for the original foldable Pixel phone went away.
However, Android Central has heard from Google that it will return after the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s launch, which is scheduled for September 4th.
Michael Fisher’s latest video has a great interview with Google devices boss Rick Osterloh. When asked whether Google has interest in creating a more affordable flip-style Pixel, Osterloh suggests that Samsung and Motorola have that foldables category pretty well handled for now.
As for adopting Qi2 wireless charging, he says it’s “a matter of time.” Maybe the Pixel X?
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels more premium than Google’s original foldable. Some people are inevitably going to miss the unique shape of the first-generation Fold, but by every other measure, my first impression of the 9 Pro Fold is that it could be something special.
Thing is, there’s no getting past that $1,800 price — especially when the cameras are far from Google’s best.
“Everything we’ve shown you is launching in the next few weeks.” Osterloh is wrapping things up and tells us that Project Astra is going to live in Gemini Live. Apps will integrate with Gemini Live, too, and he tells us to “stay tuned.”
We’re getting a live demo of the Buds Pro 2 and Gemini Live, which led into an awkward introduction for YouTuber Mark Rober.
Google Tensor A1 is inside the new Pixel Buds Pro 2 to handle processing for noise cancellation. The buds are smaller and lighter, too, and they’re the first earbuds to let you access Gemini directly.
But it could also lead to a lot more unnecessary calls to 911. We’ve got a lot more reporting to do to figure out just how game-changing this new feature for Google’s wearable is in its current iteration, but this could lead to an exciting and less scary future for people with sick relatives or folks who live alone.
There’s a bigger one, and the screens are brighter on both sizes. Lots of new running features, a readiness score, and a new “Morning Brief” from Fitbit. Also, loss of pulse detection. Cue the video that will trigger my health anxiety.
We got a chuckle as one of the generative AI options in the Magic Editor demo produced two normal-looking hot air balloons and a weird one that looked like a cross between a loaf of bread and a basketball. AI, everybody!
Magic Editor comes with some new tools this year, including Auto Frame to correct the angle in a slanted photo while using gen AI to fill in the gaps. Oh, and then you can reimagine the grass on the ground as wildflowers. It’s something!
