Google announces its AI-powered Pixel 10 smartphone series
The Alphabet company announced the Pixel 10 family of smartphones, saying the devices can use Google's AI to do smart tasks, like quickly surfacing the address of an Airbnb when someone sends a text asking for it.
The Pixel 10 series includes several models and incorporates new AI and camera features. The baseline model, the Pixel 10, starts at $799 and is available in several colors. A more powerful Pixel 10 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL with a larger screen and 256GB of base storage starts at $1,199. Google is also releasing an updated version of its folding phone, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, that starts at $1,799.
Google's Pixel phone launch comes before Apple is expected to announce new iPhone models in September. While the Pixel typically has single-digit market share — far behind brands like Samsung, Motorola and Apple — the devices enable Google to release cutting-edge Android features without going through third-party hardware makers. The Pixel line of devices also allows Google to showcase how it believes its Android software compares with that of the iPhone.
The latest series of smartphones also have the potential to serve as a funnel for Google's artificial intelligence services and subscriptions. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis previously described a vision for a universal assistant that "can seamlessly operate over any domain, any modality or any device." Hassabis told employees at an all-hands meeting last year that "the products themselves are going to evolve massively over the next year or two."
Google's Gemini models are considered by critics to be more advanced than the models underpinning Apple Intelligence, the iPhone's built-in AI suite.
Earlier this year, Apple delayed a big update to Siri until 2026, creating an opening for Google to secure a lead among AI-eager customers with its well-respected Gemini assistant, which can already hold a natural conversation and manage calendars and other apps. A Google Pixel 10 ad released earlier this month poked fun at Apple's Siri delays.
"If you buy a new phone because of a feature that's coming soon, but it's coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of soon, or change your phone," the Pixel ad said.
Among the Pixel 10's key AI features is "Magic Cue," which Google said is an AI product that "brings a new level of personalized intelligence and helpfulness."
If calling an airline, Magic Cue surfaces flight details "as soon as you dial," the company says, adding that it is meant to anticipate the users' needs and suggest "relevant information and helpful actions based on the context on your phone."
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, meanwhile, has the largest inner display among devices with foldable screens at 8 inches, Google said. The screen is built with two layers of anti-impact film for added drop protection. It also has a new "high-strength" hinge that the company says can handle over 10 years of folding.
Google touts the Fold's "split screen" abilities which allows users to navigate to different apps on the two screens.
"Imagine planning a trip with friends by comparing flight details in one app and checking hotel availability in another," the company said.
Already, Samsung appears to be gaining momentum with its line of foldable Galaxy Z Fold 7 phones. Analysts say Apple is expected to release its first foldable-screen iPhone as soon as 2026.
The Pixel series also incorporates Gemini Live, a Google product that allows back-and-forth chat about what the phone is "seeing" on its screen in real time. It's built on Google's image recognition prototype Project Astra, which the company announced last year.
For the smartphone camera, Google announced a new assistant called "Camera Coach," that can describe the scene of a photo, offer suggestions, and recommend the best angle and lighting. It can also find and combine similar photos into one "where everyone looks their best."
The Pixel 10 Pro phones come with a one-year subscription to Google's "AI Pro" plan, which is typically $19 a month and gives users some extra Gemini features, priority access to AI products like NotebookLM and Veo 3 as well as extra storage.
Despite Google's unique smartphone offerings, there haven't been major signs that artificial intelligence has yet become a key driver of smartphone sales, or that users are deciding to switch from Apple's platform to Android due to AI offerings. No major manufacturer has claimed the features have significantly boosted sales. But analysts say that eventually, Google could crack an AI feature that catches on among users and starts to erode Apple's installed base.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Android Authority
an hour ago
- Android Authority
Google finally lets you customize icon shapes on your Pixel's home screen
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR You can now customize icon shapes on your Pixel Launcher's home screen. Android will give you five options. Including the default circle, there's square, four-sided cookie, seven-sided cookie, and arch. These options are currently only available in the August 2025 Android Canary release, but we expect it won't be long before they make their way into the QPR2 track. Hot off the heels of the Pixel 10 launch, Google unveiled a new Android Canary release. The August 2025 Android Canary update rolled out today to users enrolled in the Canary program, and it finally brings a long-awaited personalization option: the ability to customize icon shapes on the home screen. While the new version doesn't let you create your own icon shape, it does let you choose from five delightful presets, one of which will definitely suit your fancy. Don't want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. After installing the latest Canary release and opening the Wallpaper & Style app, developer Kieron Quinn noticed that the 'Icons' menu had changed. Instead of only having a toggle to enable icon theming, the 'Icons' menu now has several icon shape options. These include the default circle shape as well as new square, four-sided cookie, seven-sided cookie, and arch options. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Interestingly, the sixth 'complex clover' shape that we spotted back in March is missing from this page. We're not sure why that shape was removed, but perhaps it clashed too heavily with certain icons. Another thing missing from this build is the new forced icon theming feature that Google added in Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1. It's not clear why, but we suspect this is merely a quirk of the build date and release structure of the latest Canary versus the latest QPR beta. The next Canary release may add the forced theming feature, while the next QPR2 beta is likely to gain these new icon shape options, though nothing is guaranteed. We'll keep an eye out on both release tracks to see what happens with this feature as well as Google's other upcoming icon customization options. Follow
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Generative Engine Optimization, GEO, A Playbook For Online Retailers
Google's search loosing relevance for e-commerce, and Amazon's homepage is losing traffic. The future belongs to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. For brands to stay visible, they must embrace Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) also called LLMO, or AEO. Content is still king — but the rules have changed. Yesterday, shoppers browsed; today, they ask. Instead of scrolling through endless menus or filtering product grids, consumers now turn to AI assistants — and the answers drive their purchases. A new front door to retail has opened, but it no longer belongs to the retailer or Google or Amazon. It belongs to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. And for retailers, the stakes couldn't be higher. The End Of The Homepage Just as media outlets once lost homepage traffic to Google and Facebook, retailers are now facing the same shift — only faster. Consumers aren't browsing your carefully designed website anymore; they're asking AI assistants. 'Best outdoor jacket near me' is no longer the query. Instead, someone might ask: ChatGPT responds with: Claude, meanwhile, suggests: Claude or ChatGPT have the power to say what will be found, a position formerly only Google had. It's not hard to understand why I wrote earlier this year about e-commerce unbundling. But where are Mammut, Columbia, or The North Face? These brands have quality products, yet they're absent. The reason? Training data. Models surface answers based on the content they've been exposed to. Patagonia, REI, and Helium have done a better job supplying structured, high-quality information to AI systems. If your brand isn't present in AI answers, you're effectively invisible. GEO > SEO — Generative Engine Optimization Takes Over How to get noticed in this new e-commerce order? Content, Content, Content. But, the old SEO playbook — keywords, backlinks, and blogspam — won't work. AI assistants don't crawl for short-form content. They rely on authentic, Q&A-rich, structured data that helps them understand and contextualize answers. Enter Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), also known as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO). The rules have changed: AI-driven traffic is still small in volume—but its impact is outsized. Studies show that traffic originating from LLMs converts up to 9x better than other channels. Why? Because recommendations feel personal, contextual, and trustworthy. One example stands out: a consumer uploaded their blood results into ChatGPT and immediately purchased €200 worth of vitamins—no browsing, no comparison, pure trust. And timing matters. Soon, most large language models will introduce paid placement channels. Brands mentioned organically today will enjoy a lasting competitive advantage tomorrow. The window to secure this advantage is now. For two decades, I've built data and monitoring tools—and I've seen this movie before. In the early days of social media, brands obsessively measured mentions without asking the deeper question: what exactly should we measure? Take the jacket example again. If a user specifically asks, 'What's the lightest jacket on the market?' the answer might be the Montbell Versalite. But do users ask those hyper-specific questions. We don't know and OpenAI or Google will not tell us. The challenge for brands is therefore to predict what users will be looking for. One thing is for sure, it wont be the marketing copy the company put out. Rather one should be tapping into Just don't run and start to monitor your brand but rather try to understand the best set of questions to monitor. Training LLMs is expensive—Elon Musk recently revealed he spends $1 billion per month on training xAI. Models won't index every piece of content; they prioritize information that is authentic, novel, and trusted. Your goal isn't just to be searchable. Over are the times where 'keywords' were all you need to do. You need to the models who you are so you become part of their default answer set. The New Generative Engine Optimization Playbook for Brands Until AI assistants open up fully to paid placement, organic visibility depends on creating content designed for LLMs to learn from as I outlined in this Forbes article The homepage isn't dying — it's obsolete. The battle for discovery has shifted to AI assistants, and the winners will be the brands that learn to optimize for answers, not clicks. The future of retail belongs to those brands who have a unique story to tell. As I said more than once 'The future is Indie'. Agree? Disagree? Have a different take? I've posted the Forbes article here on LinkedIn — add your thoughts in the comments and let's discuss.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Masimo sues US Customs over approval of Apple Watch imports
By Blake Brittain WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Medical monitoring technology company Masimo sued U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday over a decision by the agency that allowed Apple to import Apple Watches with blood-oxygen reading technology during a patent dispute between the companies. Masimo said in the lawsuit in Washington, D.C., federal court that Customs improperly determined that Apple can import watches with pulse oximetry technology, reversing its own decision from last year without notifying Masimo. Masimo told the court that it learned of the agency's August 1 decision only after Apple announced it would reintroduce blood-oxygen reading to its watches last week. Spokespeople for Apple and Customs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Masimo spokesperson declined to comment. Irvine, California-based Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology to use in its Apple Watches. Masimo has separately sued Apple for patent infringement and trade secret theft in ongoing federal court cases. Masimo convinced the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 based on a determination that Apple's technology for reading blood oxygen levels infringed Masimo's patents. Apple has continued to sell Customs-approved redesigned watches without pulse oximetry since the ITC's decision. Apple said on Aug. 14 that it would reintroduce its smartwatches' blood-oxygen reading capabilities with approval from Customs. Masimo said the agency's decision to approve the watches without input from Masimo or any "meaningful justification" deprived the company of its rights. "CBP's function is to enforce ITC exclusion orders, not to create loopholes that render them ineffective," Masimo said. Masimo asked the Washington court to halt the agency's ruling and continue to block Apple from selling watches with the blood-oxygen feature.
