Google Launches New Pixel 9 Smartphones With Gemini AI

[Aoligei]

What goes over my head is why people are willing to just give all their information to Google? I mean everything. That device is just next to some brain implant.

Google knows where you are, what you browse, what apps you use, who you sent email, what you search from internet. That is so crazy that I cannot just comprehend.

And AI makes it worse. You interact even more with your Google device. And that is excatly what they want. More data.

I own every Pixel phone, and I have all Google apps installed on my iPhone.

I hate walled garden and I am refuse lock myself inside Apple's ecosystem. I am fine with using iPhone, iPad and Mac, but all my staffs are synced with Google account. I will never buy Apple Watch, because it will trap myself in Apple's ecosystem.

Plus, all Pixel phone have unlockable bootloader. Which means it is possible to install ROM without any Google services. ROMs like LineageOS le GraphanieOS.

 

[Aoligei]

Probably because android needs that ram to actually run smoothly.

These phones are ugly as expected.

Not entirely true. I have Android 14 runs on Pixel 4 which has 6GB RAM, it works decently. Pixel 4 also have 90hz display unlike some premium iPhone offering.

 

[Aoligei]

Lmao let’s not encourage our fellow macrumors community to downgrade.

There is a alternative to iPhone section...

 

[ChedNasad]

I think I'm officially old. None of the AI features made any sense. Whay would I want to do anything of what they showcased? Never happened, never will.

Tbh most AI still seems to be largely cool parlor tricks you play with when you first get it or to show a friend but largely will go unused otherwise. Apple, if they can deliver on what they showcased, at least seems like it could be more useful on the regular.

 

[TAJones99]

I'd skip this generation. The Tensor G5 will be produced by TSMC and not Samsung and that will likely bring substantial efficiency and performance gains. The previous Tensor processors have all lagged behind the competition by a significant margin.

I was gonna wait as well but I went on an ordered the Pixel 9 Pro XL, my last Pixel was the 7 Pro, but I will more than likely upgrade to the 10 Pro XL next as well lol. I love having all 3 iPhone Pro Max, Samsung S Ultra, and Pixel.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I was gonna wait as well but I went on an ordered the Pixel 9 Pro XL, my last Pixel was the 7 Pro, but I will more than likely upgrade to the 10 Pro XL next as well lol. I love having all 3 iPhone Pro Max, Samsung S Ultra, and Pixel.

Pretty much the same for me although I own an iPhone 13. I received $740 incentive to trade in my 7 Pro for the XL. I was planning to wait till next year but the incentives were too good to pass up.

 

[scorpio vega]

They are almost identically designed phones with one having a pill shaped camera cutout while the other a tiny punch hole. And the differences in visor vs square back camera arrangements. Calling it ugly is pretty much admitting the iPhone is ugly.

View attachment 2405789

No sug. Not anywhere the same.

 

[scorpio vega]

Not entirely true. I have Android 14 runs on Pixel 4 which has 6GB RAM, it works decently. Pixel 4 also have 90hz display unlike some premium iPhone offering.

The pixel
4? Really lmao.

And what premium iPhone currently doesn’t have 90hz or more?

 

[scorpio vega]

Buah ha ha, the iPhone one of the lamest phones in existence today. I laugh every time someone breaks out a new one and tries to brag on it. I usually ask them to show me the iPhones multitasking and customization capabilities, which is when I really start cracking up! 🤣

Lmao the lamest phone that manufacturers still are trying to emulate. Okay then.

 

[svish]

Good to see the new devices from Google.

 

[frownface]

Also — would buy the Fold in a heartbeat if Apple would sell iPhone like that.

that can't be possible. I keep reading on here that folding phones have no use case and absolutely no one would want to buy one.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

There's more RAM in these phones than Apple's base Pro laptop. C'mon Tim. It's time.

And the entire Pixel 9 Pro phone is cheaper than what Apple charges for 16 GB of RAM alone

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

So is the tech press going to complain about camera bumps like they always do with iPhones?

The Pixel Camera bumps are more like a camera bar, symmetrically positioned so that the phone doesn't wobble when placed on the table. Waaaay better design.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

iPhone hardware maybe better but software and features on pixels win and you aren't stuck in a walled garden

Have another look. The top Android phones (top Samsungs, and the Google Pixels) have caught up on hardware quite a while ago. Some things are actually better, some things are worse, and some same same, all adding up to more or less on par. If merely going on hardware quality, your choice of iPhone, Pixel, or Samsung, would come down to which particular features you value the most.

And you're right. The software blows iOS out of the water in so many ways. Sure, it has its quirks, but all up, iOS sucks in comparison.

I was on iPhones for 10 years, until a couple of my friends showed me some of the Google Pixel features last year. I was open mouthed in disbelief. So I went and did my research, and bought the Pixel 8 when it came out late last year. I will defo be getting a Pixel 9 Pro this year.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I’d never buy a Pixel because of the software, but let's be honest, in terms of hardware, it’s great and 200€ cheaper than the base iPhone will be.

Why the software??? The software makes iOS look like a dinosaur.

What made me stay with iPhones for 10 years until last year was that I mistakenly thought the Android hardware sucked. The software is the main reason I switched to the Pixel 8. It wipes the floor with iOS.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1823429553102184600

Even Gurman knows Apple is in the gutter.

These phones blow the 16 pro out the water in features and looks, who's going to buy an iPhone that does what last years did and the year before, and before... but but but capture button!!!!!!!

I actually would quite like the capture button on my Pixel phone, it would be pretty handy.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I'm hoping someone make a barebones ROM for these phones with the AI stripped out. That would remove the most unreliable component of the system and give me a lot of extra RAM to multitask.😎

For those who don't know, you can go full android with zero Google presence: Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and MicroG (replacement for GApps/services). It would probably be difficult or impossible on a Pixel, but certainly doable on non-Pixel phones.

Why so difficult on Pixels?

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

why would anybody pay iphone prices for not an iphone level product? lol

Go do your research. The Pixel phones blow iPhones out of the water. And iOS in particular is a dinosaur, it's so bad in comparison that it is laughable.

 

[Marty80]

Google has had a single camera punch hole design for years. Cook needs a single punch, to nudge him in sinking the whole Dynamic Island concept.

 

[Johnny907]

I like the hardware, especially the cameras, but I have zero interest in anything powered by racist AI.
Forget about his already?
Search “Google Gemini Racist Image Generator.”
Mhmm.

 

[Ramchi]

Pixel 9 XL and fold looks refreshing. I shall ask my second son to get this one either Pixel 9 or XL. Though processor speed may lag behind A16 or A17 etc….its NP and RAM could compensate. Infact, Apple itself is planning to use Googles Tensor for AI and ML it seems. So all in all great mobile but Google must stop with their experimentation of providing and dropping service and support for their devices. They are not cheap though lot lesser than iPhone 15 Pro Mx.

 

[SmugMaverick]

The screen shots app is literally one of the best things I've seen for consumer Ai so far.

The amount of tabs I have open is hilarious, the SS app is such a clever way of dealing with this and also shows Microsoft how their recall feature should have been.

Also nice to see Google has no issues with AI in the EU and the new no pulse feature on Watch 3 is coming to the UK/EU first.

 

[anthorumor]

The fold looks good

 

[czoli]

I’d never buy a Pixel because of the software, but let's be honest, in terms of hardware, it’s great and 200€ cheaper than the base iPhone will be.

For me it is the other way round:The Software on Pixels is great, lots of "Pixel Experience" Items that I wish got to other Android phones as well. That clean android is blazing fast and appreciate how fast feature drops, new releases and security updates get to them. It is the HW that always put me off.

 

[czoli]

Basically an uglified Galaxy S24 with stock android. I wonder, who are these poor things that work at Google's hardware design department? I don't care how many megapixels or computational photography they put in it. This. Is. Ugly. Period. I can't even imagine holding it it my hand and getting strange looks from people like "oh, is than a newest Pocophone? I heard it is good for gaming, my kid has it."

They dare to be different and have their unique design, do not see the reason or point for your comment.