Will Google’s new Gemini AI features convince people to switch to a Pixel phone?
On Tuesday, Google announced a number of new Gemini AI features at its Made by Google event, where it also unveiled a new line of Pixel phones. Google highlighted a big step forward in on-device AI capabilities, but is that enough to get people to switch to Pixel?
The competition for on-device AI is heating up, and the rivalry between Google Gemini and Apple Intelligence is already in focus. Google is going at it with momentum and bringing its AI features to market faster, but it will need serious innovation to win over long-time Apple users and even people who currently use a non-Pixel Android phone.
Here’s a look at the new Gemini features Google announced this week, how they compare to the competition from Apple, and how they might convince some people to upgrade to a Pixel.
Gemini on Pixel: The Good, the Bad and the Boring
On August 13, Google held its annual Made by Google event, where it unveiled a new line of Pixel phones and some major updates to its Gemini AI platform. Highlights include Gemini Live, new Magic Editor features, a Microsoft Recall-like screenshot tool, AI-generated phone call summaries, on-screen awareness, and the Pixel Studio image generator.
Twins Live is Google’s revamped AI assistant that will replace Google Assistant. It’s currently exclusive to Gemini Advanced subscribers, who pay $20 a month for the Google One AI Premium plan, which includes 2TB of Drive storage. But Google clearly wants people to try Gemini Live—it includes a free year of Google One AI Premium (a $240 value) with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.
The main difference between Gemini Live and Google Assistant is that Gemini Live can have natural, spoken conversations with you (instead of having you type questions).
Pixel screenshots is another eye-catching AI feature from this year’s Made by Google event. This is Google’s version of Microsoft Recall, which was met with a flood of skepticism when it was announced earlier this year. Google’s approach aims to dodge privacy concerns by making its version manual.
When you manually take a screenshot, Gemini recognizes contextual information in it, such as the date of a reservation or a typed reminder. You can then use the Pixel Screenshots app to easily find and organize screenshots with Gemini, or ask Gemini to retrieve information from a screenshot. This feature could be useful, but some users may not like having an AI scanning all of their screenshots. At least Gemini only looks at screenshots you’ve taken manually, rather than automatically taking screenshots like Microsoft Recall.
The third notable new Gemini feature is Call noteswhich creates summaries of phone calls that last longer than 30 seconds if you enable the feature. If you often make long phone calls for work, this feature could be useful. If you enable it, the person you’re talking to will receive an audible notification that the call is being recorded. Despite these precautions, this may feel a little intrusive to some people. The recording and transcription are done entirely on the device, according to Google, so this feature seems private to those who choose to use it.
Notably, most of the new features, including Pixel screenshots and the new Magic Editor features, are currently available exclusively on Pixel phones. This seems to be Google’s policy for its on-device AI updates. If you want to take advantage of the latest Gemini features, you’ll need a Pixel phone.
How does Gemini on Pixel compare to Apple Intelligence on iPhone?
Google’s suite of new AI features comes just a few months after Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, a similar set of on-device AI features for the iPhone. AI is clearly becoming an important part of the competition between Apple and Android. Are Google’s AI features enough to give the company an edge over its biggest rival?
That depends. What matters is how well the AI features on both platforms work in real life and in everyday use. It’s one thing to show off a potentially tantalizing AI feature in a demo, but if the real thing is buggy or broken, it will make little difference to which phone people buy. That goes for both Apple and Google.
While it’s too early to tell how well Apple Intelligence or Google’s new Gemini features will work, there are some reasons to bet on Google.
First, Google currently has the edge in the on-device AI race because it’s rolling out its features earlier. Apple Intelligence is on track for an extended rollout that will last until 2025, long after the initial release of iOS 18 (which Apple Intelligence is set to be a part of). In contrast, Google’s new Gemini features will launch with the new Pixel phones, which will be available for pre-order and ship later this month.
There are some similarities between Gemini and Apple Intelligence, but Gemini has much more extensive AI photo editing capabilities. Google’s Magic Editor has long been the leader in AI-powered photo editing, so it will be difficult for Apple to outshine it. Following this week’s new Gemini features, Magic Editor will soon be able to insert people into photos and “reframe” photos with more eye-catching, yet still realistic, backgrounds.
Moreover, it is a neck-and-neck race depending on which company does on-device AI better. Both have on-screen awareness, an image generator, text generation, and improved natural language processing.
Is it worth switching from Gemini to Pixel?
Given the updates Google announced this week and the comparison between Gemini and Apple Intelligence, is the new and improved Gemini enough to get people to upgrade to a Pixel phone?
That’s possible, but probably not for a large portion of users. If you frequently use AI photo editing tools, a Pixel phone is the way to go, as Google’s Magic Editor currently has the most to offer in that niche. Other Pixel-exclusive features like Pixel screenshots and call notes will likely be helpful for certain people, but aren’t groundbreaking enough (at least not on their own) to justify switching to a Pixel.
The strongest argument for switching to a Pixel right now is future-orientation. It looks like Google will be rolling out all of its latest Gemini features to Pixel phones first.
Google is currently the leader if you want to be at the forefront of on-device AI innovation. Apple is trying to catch up, but the slow adoption of Apple Intelligence leaves the company far behind Google in 2024.
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