According to an expert, Google will use the upcoming launch of its new phone to get ahead of its competitors and take the lead in the AI smartphone market.
The US company is widely expected to unveil its Pixel 9 smartphone series during its Made by Google event on Tuesday evening.
The launch is earlier than usual, meaning Google is making its announcement before Apple unveils the next iPhone, which is traditionally unveiled in September.
Ben Wood, smartphone expert and chief analyst at CCS Insight, said Google is trying to get ahead of its competitor with new AI tools.
“It’s interesting that Google is holding this event in August rather than October as usual. We believe this is an attempt to get ahead of Apple’s iPhone event in September, especially when it comes to AI announcements,” he said.
“Apple will likely focus on why the iPhone is ‘the best phone for AI,’ and it wouldn’t be a surprise if there was some overlap in the potential use cases of the new Pixel phones and the new iPhone.
“This would allow Google to be the first to announce new AI capabilities based on its previous announcement and claim leadership in this area.”
AI-powered tools have become a major battleground for innovation in the technology sector.
Google has unveiled its own generative AI chatbot, Gemini, and the Pixel 9 series will be the company’s first line of phones built around this tool.
“We expect Google to continue to flex its muscles when it comes to ‘camera capabilities,’ given the central role the camera now plays in the decision to purchase a new smartphone,” Wood said.
“In addition, Google will likely talk at length about its Tensor chipset and how it gives the company a competitive advantage when it comes to delivering AI-powered experiences on the new phones.
“Google will likely spend a lot of time talking about AI features and why its devices are better than its competitors.
“Anchor services like Circle to Search will be introduced – but also improvements in the way messages are handled, options for editing photos and more.
“We’ve also heard rumors of new features like ‘Add me to this photo,’ in case a person taking a group photo wants to add themselves. Google has launched these ideas many times before others and we wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again.”
Google’s launch comes after Samsung integrated its own suite of AI-powered tools into its lineup of foldable phones.
Galaxy AI was introduced in new Samsung phones in January with tools that can translate and transcribe conversations for users and help with photo editing and other tasks.
In June, Apple previewed what it calls Apple Intelligence, plans to bring more artificial intelligence features to the iPhone later this year and beyond – including a deal with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to integrate the AI chatbot into Apple software.
