Google Gemini upgrades add more autonomous AI to phones and watches
Shipping on the just-announced Pixel 10 Android phones, the new Magic Cue feature enables the chatbot to comb through your digital life and pull up relevant information on your phone just when you need it.
Placing a call to an airline will automatically display your booking information from Gmail in the phone app. Or when a friend texts about brunch on Sunday Gemini will suggest a suitable coffee shop and show your calendar in line with your messages.
The feature is part of a series of artificial intelligence upgrades for the newly announced Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro Fold phones. Each has the new Tensor G5 chip, which runs Magic Cue and other AI tools locally on a device.
Leo Gebbie, a principal analyst at the research firm CCS Insight, said Google was 'arguably positioning on-device AI more effectively than any of its rivals' and that the Magic Cue feature was 'an early step towards the much-vaunted agentic AI experiences, which have been promised on smartphones for some time'.
He added: 'Google can take advantage of the fact that most Android users will already have heavily populated apps such as Gmail, Calendar and Maps with their personal information, and it is now drawing this data together in a more helpful way than ever before.'
The Pixel 10 has a 6.3in OLED screen and an upgraded imaging system that includes a 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto camera for the first time, taking the number of cameras on the back to three, compared with two on previous models. The Pixel 10 Pro comes in two sizes with a 6.3in or 6.8in screen and features three cameras on the back including a 48MP telephoto camera capable of 10x optical zoom.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold becomes one of the first folding phones to feature the full IP68 water and dust resistance common among standard slab phones, as Google attempts to allay durability concerns of the flexible screen. It features a similar camera system to the Pixel 10.
The phones also support various AI photography features including the new Camera Coach that uses Google's AI servers to analyse the scene in front of the camera to suggest different framing, angles and lighting to take a better photo.
The Pixel 10 starts at £799 (€899/$799/A$1,349) and the Pixel 10 Pro starts at £999 (€1,099/$999/A$1,699) and ships on 28 August. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold costs from £1,749 (€1,899/$1,799/A$2,699) and ships later on 9 October.
Google also unveiled the Pixel Watch 4 smartwatch, which brings Gemini to the wrist and can act as personal AI heath coach. Part of the new Fitbit app, Gemini can create personalised fitness and sleep plans, measure the impact of training in real time and answer health and fitness questions chatbot-style.
The Pixel Watch 4 is available in two sizes and has a domed screen that is 10% larger than its predecessors. It is the first smartwatch to offer SOS satellite-based emergency services when off the grid, starting with the US. The device is also the first Google smartwatch to be designed for serviceability including battery and screen repairs, finally catching up to Apple and Samsung. It costs from £349 (€499/$349/A$579).
Meanwhile, the Pixel Buds 2a are a cheaper version of Google's compact Bluetooth earbuds and cost £129 (€149/$129/A$239). They have a same Tensor A1 chip as the company's top Buds Pro 2 earbuds, and have noise cancelling and integrated Gemini AI assistant. The Buds 2a charging case is also designed with a replaceable battery, although the earbuds themselves are not repairable.
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