Pretty much as expected, Google leaned hard on the AI capabilities of the Pixel 9 series as selling points over major hardware improvements (a nice new design notwithstanding), but its implementation of these -- especially the generative AI additions -- lacks anything close to the proper levels of disclosure they needs.
As I write this, there is a Pixel 9 Pro XL in my hand with a beautiful, newly designed camera bump -- but what's inside is largely the same as what we've seen before. Sure, Google says they're more durable, have a longer battery life, and feature a redesigned imaging pipeline from the sensor to the photo, but what is the real improvement from last year's model? Well, some would say that the improvement isn't real at all, because the Pixel 9 is all about the powerful new generative AI tools added to the Magic Editor.
We have been extremely skeptical of AI tools, especially as they relate to photography. But today during the launch of the Pixel 9 Pro, Google said its latest round of Gemini-powered AI would be actually helpful and after seeing some of what it can do, we might agree.
The Made By Google hardware event tomorrow, August 13th, will mark the debut of the Pixel 9 smartphone family. Here's what Pixel fans can expect.