On Tuesday, Alphabet’s Google revealed a new series of Pixel smartphones with enhanced AI technology, as the company accelerates its efforts to integrate AI into its hardware. The event took place at Alphabet’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, breaking Google’s tradition of announcing the latest Pixel iteration in the fall—a tradition dating back to the initial Pixel launch in October 2016.

This earlier release reflects Google’s attempt to stay competitive in the race to embed AI features into consumer products, ahead of Apple’s planned launch of a new iPhone in September. In June, Apple disclosed that its latest iPhones and other devices would receive updates featuring “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of generative AI-powered capabilities within native apps, along with integration with ChatGPT, the chatbot developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI.

“We’ve seen a flurry of AI announcements recently. If you’re Google, you can’t afford to wait too long,” said IDC analyst Linn Huang.

On Tuesday, Google introduced new AI features, including a Pixel-exclusive tool that allows users to search information within screenshots. Additionally, Android users can now access Gemini, Google’s chatbot, as an overlay on other apps to answer questions or generate content.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, emphasized the shift to practical AI: “There have been many promises and ‘coming soon’ announcements, but not enough real-world usefulness when it comes to AI. That’s why today we’re delivering on those promises. We’re fully in the Gemini era.” During the event, employees demonstrated several new Gemini features, including voice conversation capabilities, though one attempt to use Gemini to cross-reference a concert poster with a calendar app required three tries and two devices to work correctly.

The Pixel 9, with a 6.3-inch display, will start at $799, which is $100 more than its predecessor. It, along with the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL, will begin shipping later in August, according to a company spokesperson. The Pixel 9 Pro, which features an enhanced camera, and the foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available in September. Preorders for the new devices started on Tuesday.

According to IDC, Google held less than 1% of the global smartphone market as of Q2 2024, significantly trailing behind Samsung’s 18.9% market share and Apple’s 15.8%. Google’s limited market presence and focus on premium segments contribute to this disparity. In the U.S., however, Google ranks as the fourth-largest smartphone maker with a 4.5% market share.

Despite its small market share, the Pixel line allows Google to showcase technological advancements and support the developer ecosystem around its Android operating system, which is widely used by manufacturers like Samsung. Android is one of several battlegrounds where Google competes to integrate AI in consumer-friendly ways. In May, Google introduced numerous upgrades to its core products, including its search engine.

Google also unveiled new versions of its smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3, and the Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds on Tuesday.