As expected, Google today announced an expanded family of Pixel 9 series smartphones that includes larger Fold and Pro XL models in addition to the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. But the event was really about the company’s broader AI efforts, and how its Gemini Assistant, Gemini Nano on-device AI models, and improved family of apps will improve our lives, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. This was perhaps predictable: Google, like Apple, often makes its keynote and remote audiences wait for the devices everyone wants to see so that it can push complementary products and services first.
But AI is a much bigger, and more expensive, innovation that’s central to everything Google is now doing. And so the event started off with an overview of the Gemini Assistant for Android and its growing list of functionality throughout the stack. Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.
99) as a special welcome gift! Google also pushed how these advances aren’t just for new flagship devices or only shipping in the U.S. in English: The firm is bringing Gemini functionality to hundreds of millions of existing devices from dozens of partners.
And it is doing so across 45 languages in over 200 countries and territories. It’s also collaborating with partners like Motorola and Samsung to best take advantage of the unique new form factors we’ve seen in recent year.
