STACK #239 September 2024

TECH FEATURE

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Google has taken its biggest and boldest swing yet with the new generation of Pixel phones.This time around, we’ve got the powerful Pixel 9, the luxurious Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the epic Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Words Michael Irving PIXEL PERFECT PROGRESS

All in the family Google Pixel phones get even more useful when paired with other Google devices. Use your Pixel Watch 3 to snap a selfie on your Pixel 9 from afar. Hear AI translations directly in your ears through your Pixel Buds Pro 2. Or add items to your shopping list verbally with a Nest Hub 2 and find them later on your phone.

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is woven throughout the Pixel 9 range, helping you to be more creative and productive (see page 12). It’s powered by the Tensor G4 chip, Google’s most powerful and efficient processor ever, and backed up by a major memory upgrade of up to 16GB of RAM. Say hi to Gemini

Gemini’s features include better search functions through your photos and files, a call transcription service, and Pixel Studio, an image generator that brings your ideas to life instantly. Gemini Live lets you have a free-flowing conversation with the AI to brainstorm ideas, plan an activity, or learn something new.

And, of course, there’s a whole host of new AI-powered photo modes, to help you touch up images, erase or move objects or people, and combine multiple shots into one. You can even remix photos, telling the AI to add flowers, make the sky pink, and more!

Google Pixel 9 5G The Pixel 9 is a great place to start. A 50MP main camera pairs with a 48MP ultra-wide lens for spectacular photos, giving you a solid foundation for all the AI modes listed above. The eye-popping Actua OLED displays in 2K resolution at a slick 120Hz refresh rate, and the whole device runs for over 24 hours on a full charge – and up to 100 hours using Extreme Battery Saver mode.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 5G The Pixel 9 Pro XL ups the ante with a larger, higher resolution Super Actua display, and rounds out the camera array with a 48MP telephoto lens and a much sharper selfie cam. There’s also a bit of extra RAM, a beefier battery, and twice the storage space. Cameras: Rear

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold 5G The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s most intriguing new phone. It’s got a full 6.3-inch Actua display on the front, but open it up like a book and there’s a double-size, foldable screen inside. Blow up content to fill the whole screen, or multitask like a pro across several windows at once. When taking photos, the outer screen can show a preview so that your subjects can nail their pose, or a fun animation to get the kids looking and smiling. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold claims a few records: it’s the thinnest, and has the

biggest inner display and the best camera system of any folding phone. The possibilities are endless! Cameras: Rear 48MP wide +10.5MP ultra wide + 10.8MP telephoto, front 10MP, inner 10MP Battery: 4,650mAh Display: 6.3” Actua front, 6.8” Super Actua Flex inner, 120Hz Performance: Tensor G4 chip, 16GB RAM, Gemini AI Internal storage: 256GB/512GB

Cameras: Rear 50MP wide + 48MP ultra wide, front 10.5MP Battery: 4,700mAh Display: 6.3” 2K Actua OLED, 120Hz Performance: Tensor G4 chip, 12GB RAM, Gemini AI Internal storage: 128GB/256GB

50MP wide + 48MP ultra-wide + 48MP telephoto, front 42MP Battery: 5,060mAh Display: 6.8” 3K Super Actua, 120Hz Performance: Tensor G4 chip, 16GB RAM, Gemini AI Internal storage: 256GB/512GB

18 SEPTEMBER 2024

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