Google debuted its new Pixel 8 series of phones, and Pixel Watch 2, at its Made by Google event in New York (US) on 4 October 2023.

The company also debuted its Assistant with Bard for smartphones, which uses generative AI (GenAI) to provide personalized assistance to customers. Pixel 8 users get first dibs on Assistant with Bard before it’s rolled out to Android and iOS in a few months.

GenAI comes to mainstream phones

Google is bringing its GenAI mainstream, right into the hands of customers with Assistant with Bard, catapulting over rivals Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. Android is used in 3.6 billion personal devices across 190 countries unlike Amazon’s products, which are largely limited to in-home use, and Meta’s headsets and smart glasses, which cater to a niche hardware audience.

Google’s large language models (LLMs), which are algorithms behind the company’s AI tech, give it a decided edge over hardware rivals Samsung and Apple, which have been left behind in the GenAI race. GenAI, however, is notoriously unreliable, and the possibility of substantial privacy violations with AI-generated content and images is just coming to light, with investigations ongoing in European countries.

Google build on Pixel strength

Google is now a classic hardware manufacturer with annual device announcements. Its Pixel 8 Pro can turn into a thermometer, of all things. Rival phones have temperature sensors built in, but they’re largely used to monitor the battery and processor’s heat. The built-in temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro can measure the temperature of objects and surfaces currently – and body temperature once the FDA approval comes in – a first for any smartphone in the world.

Google’s computational photography has always been a Pixel strength, and the AI updates behind the Pixel 8 Pro camera will make the phone stand out from rivals.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

View profiles in store

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData

Submit

UK USA Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte d"Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates US Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam British Virgin Islands US Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Kosovo

Industry * Academia & Education Aerospace, Defense & Security Agriculture Asset Management Automotive Banking & Payments Chemicals Construction Consumer Foodservice Government, trade bodies and NGOs Health & Fitness Hospitals & Healthcare HR, Staffing & Recruitment Insurance Investment Banking Legal Services Management Consulting Marketing & Advertising Media & Publishing Medical Devices Mining Oil & Gas Packaging Pharmaceuticals Power & Utilities Private Equity Real Estate Retail Sport Technology Telecom Transportation & Logistics Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Venture Capital

Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Verdict.

Submit and download

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The camera band on the back of Pixel phones is a design win, instantly setting a Pixel apart from a Galaxy or iPhone, both of which have no external differentiation. The Pixel 8 Pro enhances its power and efficiency with one of the largest battery capacities for a flagship phone at 5,050 mAh.

The Pixel 8 also includes some of the same improvements as the Pixel 8 Pro model. But a $100 price increase on a base model (and the Pixel 8 Pro model) as customers grapple with financial challenges and restarting loan payments will prove a serious gaffe for Google.

Pixel 8 repairability and updates

Google has not only caught up to Android and iOS updates but has surpassed them with the Pixel 8 series. The company will offer seven years of OS, security, and feature drop updates. This is longer than what both Apple and Android rival Samsung offer, allowing for a longer shelf life in times of financial belt tightening.

Google has partnered with iFixit for original parts and tools and claims that the Pixel 8 series is more repairable than its predecessors, but that remains to be seen. Repairability would be a step in the right direction, but there is continued difficulty in finding authentic parts at third-party retailers, not to mention their high prices.