Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday unveiled a line of new Pixel smartphones with deeper integrations of its artificial intelligence technology as it tries to incorporate AI into its hardware.
The event at Alphabet’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., bucks a tradition Google has maintained with each iteration of the Pixel — its flagship smartphone launched in October 2016 — to announce the new version in the fall.
The earlier timing is Google’s latest bid to keep up with rivals in injecting AI features into its consumer-facing products and comes ahead of Apple’s planned launch of a new iPhone in September.
In June, Apple announced that devices including its latest version of the iPhone would receive improvements that include “Apple Intelligence,” a host of AI-powered generative features within native apps, and an integration with ChatGPT, the chatbot developed by OpenAI supported by Microsoft.
“We’ve seen a lot of AI announcements in a short period of time as of late. I don’t think you want to sit on it too long if you’re Google,” said IDC analyst Linn Huang.
The new AI integrations announced Tuesday include a Pixel-only feature that lets users search for information stored in screenshots.
Android users can also now drag Gemini, Google’s chatbot, as an overlay on top of another app to answer questions or generate content.
The Pixel 9, the base model with a 6.3-inch display, will sell for a starting price of $799, which is $100 more than the previous model.
That and the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL will start shipping later in August, a company spokesperson said.
The Pixel 9 Pro, which comes with added features like a better camera, and the foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold will ship in September.
The new kits are available for pre-order on Tuesday.
Google holds less than 1% market share in global smartphone shipments as of the second quarter of 2024, according to IDC.
According to IDC, it lags far behind Samsung’s 18.9% market share and Apple’s 15.8% market share.
This is partly because Google has entered fewer markets and focused on higher price segments.
In the United States, Google’s 4.5% share makes it the fourth-largest smartphone maker, according to IDC.
But the Pixel line has also allowed Google to show off advances and boost the developer ecosystem around its Android operating system, which is used by device makers like Samsung.
Android represents one of several front lines where Google is battling competitors to introduce artificial intelligence in ways that consumers will use.
In May, it debuted a series of improvements to key products like its search engine.
The company’s engineers redesigned the exterior of the Pixel and included improvements to the camera, as well as Google’s new Tensor G4 chip.
Google also announced new versions of its Pixel Watch 3 smartwatch and Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless headphones on Tuesday.
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