Google Launches First AI-Based Android Update, New Pixel 9 Phones – NBC 7 San Diego

• Google has announced a new Android software update and a series of smartphones using its Gemini AI assistant.
• The company has announced the launch of the Pixel 9 series with enhanced features in an effort to make its AI-powered products available to more consumers.
• “At Gemini, we’ve completely rebuilt the assistant experience,” the company said Tuesday.

Google on Tuesday announced new artificial intelligence features coming to Android devices. The move to bring its Gemini AI assistant to supported devices shows once again how Google intends to put its AI in front of consumers ahead of Apple, which will bring its AI to iPhones, Macs and iPads this year.

Google doesn’t make much money from hardware sales, but Android’s latest features could bring in new revenue thanks to the company’s Gemini AI subscription program.

“We’ve completely rebuilt the assistant experience in Gemini, so you can talk to it naturally, just like you would to another person,” Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat said in a blog post Tuesday. “It can understand your intentions, follow your train of thought, and complete complex tasks.”

“Starting today, you can bring up the Gemini overlay on top of the app you’re using to ask questions about what’s on your screen,” Samat wrote. It will be available on hundreds of phone models from dozens of device manufacturers, according to Google.

Google has offered some AI features on Android before, but this year marks the first time the company is putting so much emphasis on new capabilities based on a large AI language model running on devices.

One example the company gave was for a user to upload a photo of a concert listing and ask Gemini to check if the calendar is available, at which point Gemini checks Google Calendar. If the user has available dates in their schedule, Gemini offers to set up a reminder to check ticket prices later that evening.

The Assistant can also perform tasks using information from Google apps.

“For example, Gemini can help you create a daily workout plan based on your personal trainer’s email address or use your Google Drive resume to write your professional bio,” the company said in a blog post.

The company also said that a user can ask the Gemini assistant to compose an email and “create an image of a cake for someone who loves space,” which the assistant can create and attach to the email. Or on YouTube, a user can ask Gemini a question about the content in the video.

You can also ask about what’s on your phone’s screen in other apps, like Maps, Flights, and Gmail. Google has said it’s working on adding support for third-party extensions, suggesting developers may add the option to their own apps later.

The Gemini assistant has a range of voices. Users can engage in human-like conversations through the Gemini “Live” feature, which the company first announced at its May developer conference. “Live” will initially be available for select devices and subscribers to Google’s Gemini Advanced program, which costs $19.99 per month.

In June, Apple announced the much-anticipated launch of an AI called Apple Intelligence, which can perform tasks such as recognizing notifications relevant to personal context, perform cross-app tasks, and enable Siri to use OpenAI’s ChatGPT for tasks such as writing tools or image creation.

Apple’s system is currently in testing. Some early features will roll out this fall with new iPhones, but most of the system won’t be released until next year.

New Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 phones

Google also announced the latest line of its own “Pixel” phones, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which are equipped with Gemini AI features.

The Pixel 9 series features an improved camera and a screen that’s 35% brighter for better viewing in direct sunlight, among other things. It ships with Google’s latest Tensor G4 processor and 16GB of RAM to support AI usage. RAM stands for random-access memory, an important part of a computer’s hardware that stores data needed to run apps.

RAM is a key component to running AI on a smartphone. Google has stated that the amount of memory is a major factor in whether a phone can run AI.

In turn, Apple Intelligence technology will only be able to support the most expensive iPhone models released in 2023, which, according to the creators of artificial intelligence, is due to the smaller amount of memory installed in older iPhone models.

The Pixel 9 starts at $799, which is $100 more than the Pixel 8, but smartphone prices have been rising across most phone manufacturers over the past year. The Pixel 9 Pro, which comes with a free one-year “Gemini Advanced” subscription, starts at $999, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799.

Finally, Google also announced the Pixel Watch 3. It comes in two sizes, 41 millimeters and 45 mm, with larger screens than previous models. New features include the option to plan running workouts, recovery information with cardio readiness and load data, and AI-powered workout recommendations. Google also said the Pixel Watch 3 is more deeply embedded in its ecosystem, giving you access to Nest cameras and doorbell feeds, the Google TV remote, offline Google Maps, and more. The Pixel Watch 3 offers up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, or up to 36 hours in battery saver mode.

— CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this report.