Google’s freshly updated Pixel range has been revealed at Made by Google 2024 – the tech giant’s annual hardware launch.
The phones, artificial intelligence, and earbuds have all had makeovers, but one smartwatch update is groundbreaking.
Loss of Pulse Detection
The Pixel Watch, Google’s smartwatch, has a new Loss of Pulse Detection feature that uses AI to spot when the wearer’s pulse disappears.
If that happens, it activates more sensors to see if it can detect any motion or pulse. If nothing is detected, the watch begins trying to check-in with the user and then triggers an audio alarm and a 20-second countdown.
If those steps complete without the wearer responding, a call to emergency services is automatically placed, sharing the wearer’s location and critical signs.
It is the first time this kind of technology has been put into a smartwatch, according to Google, and the feature was worked on with cardiologists, health leaders, and A&E workers.
It is approved for use in the UK, Austria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Ahead of these releases, Which? tech expert Andrew Laughlin told Sky News that consumers only want AI “where it makes sense and it’s sensibly integrated.”
A life-saving device could fit the bill.
Pixel got a makeover
In lighter news, almost the entire Pixel phone range is getting an upgrade – everything except the recently released Pixel 8a.
“It’s the biggest update to the Pixel family,” said Pixel’s Vice President of Product Management Brian Rakowski at the launch event.
The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Fold are all more powerful than their predecessors thanks to the Google Tensor G4 chip.
This should help the devices cope with new AI features within Gemini – Google’s AI – and provide better security.
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The standard phone, the Pixel 9, will cost between £799 and £899. It has a new feature that may put an end to asking strangers to take your photo on holiday.
Add Me, which will preview in the Pixel 9, allows the user to take a photo of a group and then swap in the photographer. The phone will then merge both photos.
Combine that with the Best Take feature, which allows users to combine photos so everyone looks their best, and this could be the end of the dodgy group selfie.
The Pixel 9 Pro now comes in two sizes and should be able to take better photos and video. It’ll cost between £999 and £1,449 depending on which size you go for and how much storage you want.
It can also use Super Res Zoom for video for the first time and footage can be captured in 8K, just like the Samsung Galaxy S20 range.
The Pixel Fold, Google’s flip phone, has had an upgrade too, getting brighter displays and better cameras.
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Consumers consistently want improved battery life, according to Mr Laughlin, “but we see so little innovation”.
Although these phones all boast improved battery life, none of them are groundbreaking.
“I’d love to see a smartphone and a watch that could last a week before I need to charge them,” said Mr Laughlin.
He’ll have to carry on waiting – although the new Pixel 9 Pro could last 100 hours if it was left on Extreme Battery Saver mode.
Gemini, Google’s AI, and pot plants
Artificial intelligence plays a big part in these upgrades, with Gemini able to recall your documents, summarise your notes, and edit your pictures.
“You can even snap a photo and use Gemini to get answers – like how to save a dying plant in your window,” says Google.
The range will also continue getting updates and support for the next seven years, which means people can keep their phones for longer.
Pixel Buds Pro 2 will know when you’re chatting
The Pixel Buds Pro 2, Google’s high-end earbuds, are smaller and more powerful than before, with an improved ability to cancel out noise.
They also use AI to detect when you start speaking, so that your music is automatically paused and noise cancelling turned off until your conversation is over.
