During its Made by Google event on Tuesday, Google unveiled four new phones, two smartwatch models, and a new pair of wireless earbuds. Artificial intelligence was the focus of the event, with Google unveiling new Gemini features on the Pixel 9, Pixel Watch 3, and Pixel Buds Pro 2.
I’m a long-time iPhone and Apple Watch user and I have to say I’ve been impressed by some of Google’s announcements. I’m also a bit jealous that I can’t have similar functionality on my Apple products. Below I’ll highlight the new Pixel features I want to see on my Apple hardware.
Twins Live
There is no doubt that the Gemini Live feature that Google announced on Tuesday is one of the highlights of the event. This feature lets you have voice conversations with the Gemini chatbot that sound more natural than ever before. The AI voice sounds like a human is speaking. You can interrupt the AI without it losing its train of thought. You can also change the direction of the conversation and the AI will continue it.
Gemini Live is part of Google’s Project Astra, which was introduced at I/O 2024. It is the multimodal Gemini experience that lets you interact with the AI using voice, images and text. Gemini Live will receive image support in the coming months.
What I’ve described so far isn’t available on the iPhone, and I don’t think Apple will be ready to offer it anytime soon. Siri’s advanced intelligence is coming later via Apple Intelligence, but Apple doesn’t yet have its own chatbot to compete with GPT-4o Voice Mode and Gemini Live.
While I wait for the Apple variant, Gemini Live will be available on various Android devices, not just the new Pixel 9 phones. To use it, you’ll need a Gemini Advanced subscription, which costs $20/month. The alternative is to pre-order a Pixel 9 and get a year of Gemini Advanced for free.
Panoramas in low light
Whenever I stumble upon great panoramic views, I feel like I have to take a panoramic photo, even though most of the time I don’t take it again. Still, I do it routinely on the iPhone. Now that Google has introduced the Pixel 9 phones and I know Night Sight panoramic photos are possible, I want the iPhone to follow suit.
Maybe the iPhone 16 will get it, or maybe we’ll have to wait a bit longer. Either way, support for low-light panoramic photos is an exciting upgrade for the Pixel 9 series.
Loss of pulse detection
This was one of the surprises at Google’s event on Tuesday. The Pixel Watch 3 has a life-saving feature that no other smartwatch has. The feature is called “Loss of Pulse Detection,” and it automatically calls emergency services if the Pixel Watch 3’s algorithms determine that the wearer’s heart may not be beating.
The Pixel Watch 3 takes physiological and movement data into account when detecting a possible loss of heart rate to avoid false readings.
I’m not worried about a sudden loss of pulse, but this is the kind of feature every smartwatch should have. Older adults can experience loss of pulse when they are alone. If there is no one around to call emergency services, these events can be fatal.
The new features of the Fitbit app for runners
I also liked what Google did with the Fitbit app to help users manage their workouts. You can design running sessions that fit your needs on the Pixel 9 and then send them to the Pixel Watch 3.
Fitbit’s AI can also help you analyze past runs and suggest new workouts based on them.
In addition, the Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 assess your daily form based on various health parameters. A readiness score based on last night’s sleep, heart rate variability and resting heart rate lets you know how prepared you are for a new workout. Then there’s Cardio Load, which tracks heart rate during exercise so you can see if you’re doing too much or too little.
Finally, the Morning Brief feature combines health data to help you decide how to tackle the day. Given last night’s lack of sleep, you might need a recovery run instead of high-intensity exercise.
I train for marathons with specific workouts scheduled for certain days, but I believe AI algorithms like those on the Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 could help me improve my training by alerting me when it’s better to rest rather than train hard.
The heart rate sensor of the Pixel Watch 3
I used an Apple Watch SE 2 while training and during my first marathon. I had no problems with it, although I know that some runners advise against using an Apple Watch for running. I cannot objectively judge whether my Apple Watch correctly registered my health parameters, especially heart rate.
What I found interesting, however, is that Google is focusing on the Pixel Watch 3’s heart rate tracking capabilities while running. Google says that running is one of the most difficult environments for heart rate tracking. The extra movement of running can cause artifacts, so the heart rate tracking feature needs to account for these events. Google says it has overcome all of this and that the Pixel Watch 3 offers the most accurate heart rate tracking for running.
That’s certainly an intriguing claim, and I hope Apple wants to disprove it with its own running algorithms to improve heart rate tracking.
I’d also like to point out that the Pixel Watch 3 looks at other running parameters to help improve your running form. It’s important to understand cadence, vertical oscillation, and stride length, and the Fitbit app takes all of this information into account to provide actionable feedback.
