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Google's next big hardware event will be held in the Eastern U.S.Time: August 13, 10 amThat’s about two months ahead of the Made By Google event, which is traditionally held in mid-fall. Notably, Google will also release its latest flagship, the Pixel 9, before the iPhone 16. Apple’s latest product is set to be released in September. It’s almost certain that the new device will debut key generative AI features earlier than other Android devices.

One tradition Google has stuck with this year is showing off or even releasing devices before the event. This move inevitably draws some attention before the big event, but it has proven to be an effective way to spark excitement during the summer consumer electronics slump. Earlier this week, Google showed off two new devices: the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Fold, the highest-end products in the series.

A phone built for the "Gemini era"

Both phones carry the tagline "phones built for the Gemini era," setting the stage for a flurry of AI-themed tech events. Gemini took center stage at Google I/O back in May, but more news at the developer-focused event was focused on laying the foundation for the company's AI ambitions.

In fact, Google consciously tried to distance its consumer hardware products from the developer conference and released the economical Pixel 8a a few days before the conference. It is worth noting that the most attractive consumer-oriented Android artificial intelligence features this year did not appear on Pixel devices at all. Circle to Search first appeared on Samsung's Galaxy S24 as early as January this year.

Apple made a splash in the field of artificial intelligence when it launched Apple Intelligence at WWDC in June. Apple does not have strong artificial intelligence generation capabilities like Google or OpenAI, which is why it is open to collaborating with these two companies.

Apple's approach in this area is to go small and do as much as possible on the device. Google has taken its own steps in this direction with the Gemini Nano. Just last month, this significantly smaller model appeared on the Pixel 8 device through feature decentralization.

Google has been making it clear in recent years that it wants to grow the Pixel line beyond its long-standing second place position in the Android market. The company has been producing its own mobile chips for several generations now. Add in the R&D investment in Gemini, and could this be the moment when the Pixel finally breaks free?

Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Google is expected to release four Pixel devices: Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Premium. All devices will be powered by the company's latest self-developed chip, Tensor G4, and run Android 15. The Pixel 9 Pro was one of two teaser videos released by the company earlier this week. As expected, Gemini gets more screen time than hardware. 20 seconds of the 30-second video are spent having GenAI write a "breakup letter" for an old phone.

Pixel 9 Pro has integrated the camera module into the Pixel's design language, but the new mouth-wiping shape no longer runs through the entire back of the body, and the camera now protrudes at a sharper angle.

Google's decision to call the phone "Pixel 9 Pro Fold" instead of the Pixel Fold 2, with a similar camera bump and a similar design language, except the foldable model's camera is off-center and uses a stacked lens, seems to indicate that Google will get deeper into the basic Pixel product line. The company may eventually choose to position the Pro Fold as a true premium device in the line. Even with the $100 price increase over last year's Pixel 8, the line is priced lower than the likes of Samsung and Apple.

The company launched the first Pixel Fold last summer for a hefty $1,799, but that price has now dropped significantly.

Android 15

The latest Android 14 beta version (beta 4) was just released last week. Although some features were previewed at the I/O conference, the final release will have to wait until the conference on August 13. The latest version of the mobile operating system is codenamed "Vanilla Ice Cream" (these delightful dessert names are still being used internally) and will bring new features and user interface adjustments.

Key features that have been announced include improved multitasking and satellite connectivity. Meanwhile, Private Space, an on-device incognito mode, adds verification requirements for sensitive information. Meanwhile, an improved Doze mode should improve device battery life.

The fate of Google Assistant has been a big question for the past few Gemini updates. It’s clear that Google eventually wants its in-house GenAI to take over Android’s most pressing tasks, but whether that means replacing the Assistant outright or beefing it up like Apple did with Siri remains to be seen.

Users can currently use Gemini as their primary assistant if they wish, but Google finally took the right approach by not directly replacing Assistant.

In previous years' "Made by Google" events, Assistant played a more prominent role due to the launch of Google Home/Nest. However, as enthusiasm for smart home devices has waned, Google has stopped making big announcements. Perhaps the arrival of Gemini can inject some much-needed energy back into the space.

Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2

The smart home space may have cooled, but Google has been very bullish on wearables since its acquisition of Fitbit in 2020. The Pixel Watch 3 seemed destined to make an appearance at its August 13 event. The same could be said for the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The Made by Google event will begin at 10am ET on August 13. Stay tuned for more information.