Pixel 10 debuts: Google bets big on AI while keeping hardware modest

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

The products were launched at the annual "Made by Google" event held in New York that diverged from its typical format to emphasize mainstream consumer appeal over technical details. Talk show host Jimmy Fallon, the Jonas Brothers and other celebrities featured heavily across the presentation, as they helped demonstrate real-world applications of Google's AI integrations into the hardware. As for the hardware itself, the upgrades were comparatively modest.

"There has been a lot of hype about (AI in phones) and frankly a lot of broken promises too, but Gemini is the real deal," said Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president of devices and services, referring to Google's AI chatbot and model.

At its developer conference in June, iPhone maker Apple toned down its AI promises a year after it failed to deliver AI upgrades to key products such as Siri. Apple is expected to unveil its new line of iPhones this autumn.

While Google's hardware upgrades were modest compared with its bold refresh in 2024, the company maintained its forward progress on its stated ambition to develop a universal AI assistant.

"We’ve got the best models, we’ve got the best AI assistant, and it means this can just unlock so much helpfulness on your phone," Osterloh said.

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.

Employees also demoed integrations of AI features earlier unveiled at Google's developer conference in May, such as a real-time language translation function for phone calls.

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 US tariffs.

"A lot of the stuff they showed today would probably run almost exactly the same way on last year's hardware. Their point is it's not about just the hardware anymore," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

Market share woes

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 only a fraction of the sales of other firms selling Android-powered phones, such as Samsung and Xiaomi.

Analysts told Reuters this year's event appeared to be an attempt by Google to broaden the appeal of Pixel beyond its traditional base.

"Last year there was such a jump in the hardware, from a design and feature perspective," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies. "This feels more like a big push from a marketing perspective."

Google's AI push 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 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.

On Wednesday, the company announced it would begin selling the Pixel devices in Mexico for the first time. Google's limited geographical presence with Pixel has inhibited its ability to amass market share, analysts told Reuters.

"I hope this is the start of expanding their channel presence," Milanesi said. "The opportunity of the addressable market they can reach is still what is kind of holding Google back."

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 Apple's iPhones. Google unveiled a series of Pixelsnap chargers, cases and phone stands to accompany the launch.

Google also announced new versions of its smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 4, and its cheaper Pixel Buds 2a wireless earbuds, though it did not update the Pixel Buds Pro 2 besides announcing a new color and upcoming device-specific software upgrades.