Anika Begay
Made by Google 2024 is over, and after a lot of pre-event buzz, we have the full slate of announcements and reveals from Google’s biggest hardware event of the year. Notably, this year’s event comes ahead of Apple’s typical September iPhone reveal, with an AI focus that anyone who’s followed a tech event in the past couple of years will know all too well.
The event has ended as you read this, but you can catch an archive of the livestream right here, which began at 10 a.m. PT. Let’s dive right into what the Google Pixel 9 lineup looks like, how Google’s Gemini AI will be incorporated into the devices, and more updates for Nest, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds.
Our first impressions of Gemini Live
Our own Maxwell Zeff was on hand at Made by Google and summed up his first impressions of Google’s biggest reveal in his headline conclusion: “Better than talking to Siri, but worse than I’d like.”
Here are his full impressions, but in short: he was quick and responsive, but still prone to hallucinations, even going so far as to invent a nearby playground.
Every AI Revelation You Might Have Missed
As with any major tech event, Made by Google was full of promises, reveals, and teases about AI. With such a high volume of reveals, you might have missed some of the announcements that didn’t get an extended demo and press release. You can scroll through the details on reveals like Pixel Studio, an image generation app, Call Notes conversation summaries, and more here.
The demo on stage at Gemini Live was actually live
Live demos aren’t always a guarantee, but Google kicked off its event with the promise of multiple live demonstrations of Gemini AI’s new capabilities launching Tuesday. And while the first demo got off to a rocky start trying to answer a prompt about Sabrina Carpenter, subsequent demos on writing emails, creating playlists, and brainstorming ideas went more smoothly.
Gemini Live Launches for Android
Google’s answer to OpenAI’s advanced voice mode is going public, if you’re a Google One AI Premium subscriber. Gemini Live enables conversations between users and AI, reacting more realistically to human speech and ideally responding more like a human itself. Google and OpenAI have both demonstrated their services in recent months, though Gemini may have the edge, as our AI expert Kyle Wiggers points out:
“The architecture of the generative AI model behind Live, Gemini 1.5 Pro, has a longer-than-average ‘context window,’ meaning it can take in and reason about a lot of data—theoretically hours of back-and-forth conversations—before crafting a response.”
The Pixel 9 line gets better cameras and an infusion of Gemini AI
There are now three phones in the standard Pixel 9 lineup, along with the addition of the Pixel 9 Fold Pro (more on that later). The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro differ with the latter having a higher resolution, while the 9 Pro XL has a larger size (a 6.8-inch display versus 6.3-inch) and each comes with Gemini built-in as the default assistant.
Google has already announced the end of Assistant as the default virtual assistant for its phones, which will also bring with it a number of other camera and hardware updates, which you can review in detail here.
Google’s foldable sequel: The Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google’s second foldable phone doesn’t reinvent the screen, but it does make it slightly bigger with an 8-inch display when fully opened. It’s thinner, with a larger cover display and camera upgrades in line with the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup. It’ll still have a hefty $1,799 price tag, and yes, in case you thought we forgot, it obviously has Gemini as an assistant. Get the full Fold recap here.
After launching Magic Editor, an AI-powered tool for editing photos, last year, Google has announced a slew of updates to its editing suite coming to the Pixel 9 line of phones. Its screenshot app will let you search for screenshots, Pixel Studio will let you create AI-generated images on your devices, and auto-framing will recompose images to bring your subject into focus. Get a rundown of all the other AI additions coming right here.
Google’s Pixel Watch 3 Doubles Your Options
Previously, the Pixel Watch was only available in a 41mm size, but this year the lineup includes a 45mm model. Both boast larger displays, thanks to smaller bezels, and double the brightness. You can get the full rundown here, with the obligatory inclusion of AI, though pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Pixel Watch 3 adds ‘lost pulse’ detection feature
Google’s biggest health-focused announcement was a “loss of pulse” detection feature for the Pixel Watch, which can detect when your heart is “not beating life-sustainingly” due to events like cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, overdose, and so on. If your Pixel Watch detects such an event, it will place a call to medical services that provide your location. As with any new health feature, there are a lot of nuances to unpack, and you can get a more in-depth breakdown here.
Pixel Buds Pro 2, Infused with Gemini
Headphones are a natural fit for virtual assistants, and Google is hoping to make the Pixel Buds Pro 2 more appealing with the addition of Gemini Live, the aforementioned upgrade that makes them more compatible with natural language. They also feature a Tensor A1 chip, a first for Google headphones, which has enabled a 27% reduction in size. Get a more detailed look at the $229 Pixel Buds Pro 2 here.
Trick Kids Into Really Smiling In Photos With Made You Look
Fussy kids are a big cause of terrible photos, and to help frazzled families, Google’s Made You Look feature uses a foldable screen’s front-facing camera to distract or entertain the subject of a photo. It will initially only show something visually appealing, but Google says licensed characters like Joy from “Inside Out” will be added in future updates.
Pixel Weather Makes Its Debut
This year’s new Pixel lineup will get its own weather app, with — you guessed it — AI capabilities. Google says the app can be customized to show just the weather information users want to see, in addition to AI weather reports and the standard suite of forecasts and features you’d expect from a weather app. Get a first look at the app here.
Nest Thermostats Get Long-Awaited Update
Announced ahead of Made by Google 2024, Nest’s Learning Thermostat is getting its first update in nine years, following a rough couple of years for Nest and the smart home category as a whole. The launch of the new Nest is tied to, you guessed it, Gemini AI. Google Assistant will still be the name of the assistants in the company’s smart home products, but Gemini will be used to power more natural language interactions.
For a full look at the new $280 Nest, including its revamped hardware, click here.
RIP Chromecast, hello Google TV Streamer
The Chromecast line is officially dead, its 11-year run coming to an end with the announcement of the Google TV streamer, also before Made by Google. The TV streamer does a little more than stream, with the ability to act as a smart home hub for Google Home and Matter-based devices. And like the Nest, it will continue to have Assistant, though some Gemini-based updates have been promised. Get the full rundown of the $100 hub here.
Summary by Google with TechCrunch Minute
If you’ve made it this far and want to dive even deeper into today’s revelations, check out the latest episode of TechCrunch Minute below.
