Google will aim to use upcoming phone launches to “get a head start” on rivals and “seize the lead” in the smartphone AI market, experts said.
The American company is widely expected to unveil its Pixel 9 smartphone series at its “Made by Google” event on Tuesday evening.
The announcement will come earlier than usual, with Google announcing the next iPhone before Apple, which usually announces it in September.
Ben Wood, smartphone expert and principal analyst at CCS Insight, said Google was trying to get ahead of its rivals with its new AI tools.
“It’s interesting that Google is holding this event in August instead of the usual October, as we believe this is an effort to get ahead of Apple’s iPhone event in September, particularly with regards to AI announcements,” he said.
“Apple will likely focus on why the iPhone is the ‘best phone for AI,’ so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some overlap in potential use cases between the new Pixel phones and the new iPhones.”
“As a result, Google’s earlier announcements could put it in a position to be the first to unveil new AI capabilities and establish leadership in the space.”
AI-powered tools have become a key battleground for innovation in the technology sector.
Google has unveiled its own generative AI chatbot, Gemini, and the Pixel 9 series will be the first smartphones the company has built around the tool.
“Given the central role that cameras now play in the decision to buy a new smartphone, we expect Google to continue to push the camera feature,” Wood said.
“Additionally, Google is expected to talk more about its Tensor chipsets and how this will give it a competitive advantage in delivering AI-powered experiences on its new smartphones.
“Google will likely spend a lot of time talking about its AI capabilities and why its devices are better than competitors.
“Not only will anchor services like Circle to Search be introduced, but also enhancements like how messages are handled and photo editing options.
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“We’ve also heard rumors of new features like ‘Add yourself to this photo’ if someone taking a group photo wants to be included in the picture. Google has often done a good job of announcing these kinds of ideas before others, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen again.”
Google’s announcement comes after Samsung introduced its own suite of AI-powered tools to its foldable phone series.
Galaxy AI was introduced in Samsung’s new phones in January and comes with tools to translate and transcribe conversations on your behalf, as well as assist with tasks like photo editing.
In June, Apple previewed “Apple Intelligence,” a plan to bring more artificial intelligence features to iPhones starting later this year, including a deal with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to integrate AI chatbots into Apple’s software.
