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Android Google AI

Google's Pixel 9 Lineup is a Pro Show (theverge.com) 34

Posted by msmash from the feed-and-speed dept.
Google unveiled its latest Pixel smartphone series on Tuesday, introducing four new models with enhanced AI capabilities and updated designs. The Pixel 9 lineup includes the standard Pixel 9, two Pro models, and a foldable device. The new Pixel phones feature flat sides and an elongated camera module on the rear, departing from the curved edges of previous generations. Screen sizes range from 6.3 inches on the standard Pixel 9 to 6.8 inches on the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

All models are powered by Google's new Tensor G4 processor and come with increased RAM, with Pro models boasting 16GB. The devices run on Android 14 and will receive seven years of OS updates and security patches. Google has significantly expanded the AI capabilities of the new Pixels. An updated on-device Gemini Nano model can now analyze images and speech in addition to text. New features include automatic screenshot cataloging and retrieval, and an AI-powered illustration generator called Pixel Studio. Camera improvements are a key focus, with all models receiving upgraded ultrawide lenses and the Pro versions featuring a new 42-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus. Google has introduced "Magic Editor," allowing users to transform parts of an image using text prompts and generative AI.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google's second-generation foldable device, is thinner than its predecessor at 5.1mm when unfolded. It features a larger 8-inch inner display with increased brightness, reaching up to 2,700 nits in peak mode. Pricing for the new Pixel lineup starts at $799 for the standard Pixel 9, representing a $100 increase from last year's model. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL are priced at $999 and $1,099 respectively, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will retail for $1,799. The devices will be released in stages, with the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL available from August 22, followed by the 9 Pro in September and the Pro Fold on September 4.
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Google's Pixel 9 Lineup is a Pro Show More

Google's Pixel 9 Lineup is a Pro Show

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  • 9 looks pretty cool, but its still hard to replace my 4a as it's working perfectly. Replaced the battery 2 months ago, feels like it's brand new. I'll wait for the 10 I think.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The camera in the Pixel 8 was a huge upgrade over previous generations. The new Sony sensor can apparently capture two exposures simultaneously. The result is that low light photos look a lot more like ones taken with a DSLR or even film. Low noise, lots of dynamic range. Works great for video too. Basically it looks like a much larger sensor than it actually is. It's so good I found myself not bothering with the Night Sight mode much.

      I watched MKBHD's hands-on preview and he mentioned that the 9 series has

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by flink ( 18449 )

      Still on a 4a as well, not in the least part because it still has a headphone jack. Jumped ship from Apple when my iPhone 6 died and there wasn't any Apple alternative /w a headphone jack. Now that I'm used to having a real Firefox with plugin support on my phone, I'm not sure I could go back to Apple even if I didn't care about wired headphones. Not sure where I'm gonna go next.

      • Me too. I have two 4a's, staggering major Lineage OS installs and battery replacements. I'll see how long I can keep them going.

    • Still using the 6 myself and it is perfectly fine. I am thinking that when it goes out of support next year I will move up to the 9.

    • How do you reliably buy a replacement battery? The last time that I tried it, the replacement battery died faster than the original.
  • Seriously, I'm getting real tired of being able to stream HD video but not being able to get a text message because my carrier's texting backend sucks balls. It's 2024 google, make the carriers get with the times.

    • Seriously, I'm getting real tired of being able to stream HD video but not being able to get a text message because my carrier's texting backend sucks balls. It's 2024 google, make the carriers get with the times.

      Haven't you been paying attention to what people say about this on /.? You're obviously supposed to install Signal and then evangelize it to all your friends and family, and chastise them when they forget to use it and send you regular texts anyway.

      Or just get an iPhone and then you can go "Eww, filthy green text peasants. Yuck."

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bartoku ( 922448 )

      Google has been providing a free solution to your problem since 2009, let me introduce you to Google Voice.
      You cannot only send and receive SMS messages, you can do MMS and voice calls all over data!
      You are not limited to a phone, but any device that can run the web browser version of Google Voice and manage all the features from SMS, MMS, to Voice calls.
      The iPhone and Android apps even will let you route over your carriers voice call method if data is too weak; but that is probably not an option you are lo

    • Seriously, I'm getting real tired of being able to stream HD video but not being able to get a text message because my carrier's texting backend sucks balls. It's 2024 google, make the carriers get with the times.

      Switch to Google Fi.

    • That's what Rich Communication Services [wikipedia.org] does, and Google have been supporting it for quite some time now. Even Apple have finally decided they'll support it.

  • I see the bulging camera bars that keep the phones from laying flat are still a thing. This combined with the slick nature of the outside casing of the phone is just asking for dropped phones and shattered screens in my opinion. I know I cant count the number of times I've laid my current Pixel on a perfectly flat surface only to have to vibrate off when a call comes in or an alarm goes off. Fortunately it hasnt broken yet but I don't plan to buy a phone with this type of design again.

  • In other words, Google is increasing the specs so they can spy on you more effectively, and convincing you to pay more for the privilege.

    I'm all for better hardware. More RAM, great. Better camera sensor, cool. What bugs me is these trivial software features tied to hardware. "Automatic screenshot cataloging" requires buying a new phone? Really?

    I'm actually more interested in what useful features they've removed. Put that in a keynote.

  • Although I've never seen a folding phone in real life, I like the idea of them and glad to see they are still progressing with updated devices. At some point maybe we'll see that design gain a lot more traction if the price comes down somewhat.

    I think it would be cool to have a model that is more limited on power but still offers folding, for people who want the fooling feature primarily to have a larger reading device. Right now it seems like all folding phones have beefier pro-level hardware specs all a

    • I was on a flight a few months back where the guy sitting next to me had a Pixel Fold.

      I could see the line down the middle of the display from twice the distance of the user.

      No thanks.

      • I could see the line down the middle of the display from twice the distance of the user.

        I did wonder how that would look in practice, but I always figured I could probably get over it for reading - especially if you could rotate the device to read so the line was between lines of text.

        For games or other full screen graphics stuff like movies it does seem like it would be pretty hard to ignore.

  • The insipid article gushes over the RAM, AI, and camera and camera specs but not once mentions how much storage the phones include. That'd be an acceptable omission back when most phones had MicroSD slots, but Google pulled an Apple awhile back and put the kibosh on that. I realize Google expects you to use the device in some fantasy reality where everyone can afford the highest-end wireless plans and the service never cuts out, but back here on planet Earth, ample amounts of local storage is still quite

    • This.

      And it's not just Google. I would have kept my Samsung Note 20 Ultra due to the microSD slot. It corroded after too many drops in the hot tub, and was deemed unrepairable. My current S22 Ultra no longer has this slot, sadly.
      I don't know which manufacturer still makes high end phones with a microSD slot.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      The insipid article gushes over the RAM, AI, and camera and camera specs but not once mentions how much storage the phones include.

      To answer your question, it's available in 128/256/512 GB, and 1TB storage sizes

  • Somehow Chinese-made phones have been able to include very high-quality thermal camera sensors in inexpensive phones for like a decade but none work on US carriers and no US carrier offers one.

  • Tensor G4 is barely better than the G3. People complain about the 7 and 8 modem, but it generally works just fine for me. 16GB? 12GB is plenty. I average less than 8GB currently, and I'd probably not notice a difference if I "only" had 8 GB. It's a phone, not a real computer. Screen nits? No issues with the 7 Pro or 8 Pro seeing in direct sunlight if I turn the brightness up. The 8 Pro has a noticeably but only somewhat better camera than the 7 Pro. No need to get a 40+ mpixel front facing camera f

  • They look like great phones. In a couple of years they will be available on Ebay for $350 and I'll get one.

  • $1799? I come from the pre-euro days and this thing would have cost around 4000 guilders in that case. It's crazy how normal overpriced gadgets have become, especially in the hands of kids.

    I thought â250 for my new Samsung Xcover 7 was already too much, but unfortunately I had requirements, among which the most important the ability to swap the battery (without a lot of fussy work), and only very few phones have that option according to Tweakers Pricewatch.
    At least I now have a legal blunt weapon for s

  • I didn't look but assuming no headphone jack?

    Really annoyed with my 6A over this.

    I have headphones I like. They fit my ears, and are exactly what I want. But they have headphone jacks. (Imagine that.)

    USB-C headphone adapter cables SUCK. They mess up the headphone buttons, and randomly stop. (The connections never seem 100%, and there's some wiggle room. I am either walking or cycling when I'm listening to music, and some random movement seems to move it enough it disrupts the connection and the music stops.

  • My Pixel 7 has simply awful batter life, even after crippling/disabling every modern great feature of the phone. I had to (ironically) Google the MAH, and the Pixel 9 is barely above the Pixel 7. "Get up to 100 hours" (after of course you turn on Extreme Battery Saver (tm) which reduces your phone to a shiny brick. It really excels at processes and situations where I don't need to use it. Had a Motorola previously, it had fantastic battery life. So do my friends with Samsung Galaxy phones. No idea why the

    • They claim about 20% more battery life over the Pixel 8 when the screen is on. The 8 was pretty good already so I'm hopeful, but we'll just have to wait for reviews of the device.

  • Every time he said "AI", take a shot. I had to stop watching after about 15 minutes. I think he said "AI" over two dozen times!

  • How very promising the all-knowing designers decided to bevel the razor sharp edges of the cam module. Who could possibly have known outside nonbevelled edges would destroy pocket fabric, and inside nonbevelled corners would be impossible to keep clean.

    I like my Pixel in most other aspects, but the sharp edges is such a product designer ego trip.

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