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Pixel 9 starts at $799, which is $100 more than previous

model

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New AI features include screenshot search, Gemini chatbot

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Announcement comes two months ahead of Google's typical

schedule

By Kenrick Cai, Max A. Cherney

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Aug 13 - Alphabet's

Google on Tuesday unveiled a lineup of new Pixel smartphones

with deeper integrations of its artificial intelligence

technology as it races to incorporate AI into its hardware.

The upgrades include a Pixel-only feature that lets users

search for information stored in screenshots. Android users can

also now pull up Gemini, Google's chatbot, as an overlay on top

of another app to answer questions or generate content.

"There have been so many promises, so many coming-soons, and

not enough real-world helpfulness when it comes to AI, which is

why today we're getting real," said Rick Osterloh, Google's

senior vice president of devices and services.

"We're fully in the Gemini era," he told engineers, executives,

analysts and media attending the bigger-than-usual event at

Alphabet's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California.

The event bucked another tradition: the latest versions of

its Pixel smartphones were announced in the summer rather than

in autumn as Google had done with every iteration of the device

since its launch in 2016.

"I've been to a lot of Google events and not only was this

one of the most elaborate, but it was one of the most complete,"

said Avi Greengart, lead analyst at Techsponential. He said

Google demonstrated that it was at the forefront of AI.

The earlier timing of the event is Google's latest bid to

keep up with rivals in injecting AI features into its

consumer-facing products and comes ahead of Apple's ( AAPL )

planned launch of a new iPhone in September.

In June, Apple ( AAPL ) announced that devices including its latest

version of iPhones would get upgrades that include "Apple

Intelligence," a slew of generative AI-powered features within

native applications, and an integration with ChatGPT, the

chatbot developed by Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI.

Google employees showcased several live demos of new Gemini

functions, such as a voice conversation feature, though an

attempt to use Gemini to cross-reference a picture of a concert

poster with the calendar app took three tries and two devices to

run successfully.

Pixel 9, the base 6.3-inch display model, will retail at a

starting price of $799, which is $100 more than the previous

model. This and the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL will begin shipping

later in August, a company spokesperson said. The Pixel 9 Pro,

which comes with added features like a better camera, and the

foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold will ship in September.

The new gadgets are available to preorder on Tuesday.

'MANAGE MY LIFE BETTER'

"The two things that (consumers are) looking at AI to do

right now is organization - and that's across communications,

across calendaring, basically manage my life better than I can -

and then the other thing is content creation," said IDC analyst

Linn Huang. "I think Google nailed both."

Google holds less than 1% market share in global smartphone

shipments as of the second quarter of 2024, according to IDC. It

trails far behind Samsung's market share of 18.9%

and Apple's ( AAPL ) market share of 15.8%, in part because Google has

entered fewer markets and is focused on higher-end price

segments.

In the United States, Google's 4.5% share makes it the

fourth-biggest smartphone maker.

The Pixel line has also enabled Google to show off advances

and spur the developer ecosystem around its Android operating

system, which is used by device manufacturers like Samsung.

Android, globally, is installed on more than 80% of smartphones.

Android represents one of several frontlines where Google is

battling competitors to embed AI in ways that consumers will

use. In May, it debuted a swath of upgrades to core products

like its search engine.

The company's engineers redesigned the Pixel's exterior and

included camera upgrades as well as Google's new Tensor G4 chip.

Google announced new versions of its smartwatch, the Pixel

Watch 3, and Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds on Tuesday as

well.

Google also added a "Loss of Pulse" feature to the new Pixel

Watch. The feature uses algorithms to determine whether a user's

heart has stopped and can contact emergency services. The

feature will be available in the United Kingdom and the European

Union.

Also on Tuesday, Google and Peloton, the fitness

company known for its stationary bike, announced a content

partnership in which subscribers to Google's Fitbit Premium

service would gain access to a library of Peloton's training

classes.