Google unveils modest upgrades to Pixel smartphones, other gadgets

NEW YORK: Alphabet’s Google introduced on Wednesday (August 20) a new lineup of Pixel smartphones and gadgets, intensifying its efforts to embed artificial intelligence across a wide ecosystem of products.

AI Brief

Google introduced the Pixel 10 series with minor design changes, new AI tools, and unchanged pricing.
The phones feature Tensor G5 chips, a new magnetic charging system called Pixelsnap, and improved camera tech.
Despite innovation, Pixel remains a niche player globally, with limited market share and focus on premium markets.

The products were launched at the annual "Made by Google" event held in New York, which marked a return to more modest upgrades of its smartphones, smartwatch, and wireless earbuds compared to last year's event that industry analysts said was bigger and bolder than usual.

New AI features rolling out with the Pixel 10 lineup include a "coach" in the camera app to help users take better pictures and an assistant that displays relevant information without a user's explicit request, such as showing a flight confirmation email when they call an airline.

The exteriors of the phones remain largely the same, though Google added a telephoto lens on the base model to bring it in line with the cameras on its pricier units.

Prices, starting at $799 for the base unit and $1,799 for the foldable model, remained flat despite concerns earlier this year that some smartphones could experience drastic price hikes due to U.S. tariffs.

The Pixel 10, as well as the souped-up Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, will be available later this month, while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is slated to ship in October.

All the Pixel phones are equipped with Google's latest mobile processor, Tensor G5, and for the first time, feature a magnetic charging technology called Pixelsnap that is reminiscent of the MagSafe functionality on rival Apple's iPhones. Google unveiled a series of Pixelsnap chargers, cases and phone stands to accompany the launch.

Google's annual hardware event has traditionally served as a way for the company to show off to device makers and software developers the potential of Android, a key strategic component to battling competition from Apple, which has its own operating system for its iPhones.

Though Google develops the Android operating system underlying more than 80% of smartphones worldwide, its Pixel line generates a fraction of the sales of other firms selling Android-powered phones, such as Samsung and Xiaomi.

Google has so far limited its focus to the high-end market. Nearly three-quarters of Pixel shipments occurred in the United States, Japan and UK, according to research firm IDC.

Amid the generative AI boom, the company shifted the timing of its hardware event for the first time last year from its traditional autumn schedule to the summer, giving it a chance to preempt Apple in promoting AI integrations on smartphones.

That has not yet translated to a material improvement in market share: for the second quarter, Google held 1.1% of the worldwide smartphone market, up from 0.9% one year ago, according to IDC.

In the United States, Pixel's biggest market in terms of shipments, the share slid to 4.3% from 4.5% in that same time period, according to IDC.

Google announced new versions of its smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 4, and its cheaper Pixel Buds 2a wireless earbuds, though it left the Pixel Buds Pro 2 pat besides announcing a new color and an upcoming software update with device-specific upgrades.