Why is Google launching the Pixel 9 so early?

Earlier this week, Google announced that the Pixel 9 series would launch in August, roughly two months earlier than usual. Why?

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Historically, Google holds its annual “Made by Google” event to launch its latest flagship Pixel phones in October. It all started on October 4, 2016, and has continued on roughly the same schedule ever since. One of the earliest was in 2020, when Google launched the Pixel 5 and other devices on September 30.

But August 13th? That’s it. violently Early on, to a point no one would have really guessed. The event will also move to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, after a few years in New York City. Clearly, there are big changes on the horizon.

Why early history?

We won’t be able to know for sure for a while, but there are some possibilities that immediately arise.

First, there’s the simple fact that Google’s next tensor chip, the G4, is more of a stopgap solution than anything else. 2025 will see the arrival of a fully custom tensor chip made by TSMC, and the G4 is rumored to be just a slight bump above the current G3 tensor chip. This should be good, as the Tensor G3 holds up better than the first two generations, but we don’t really know how much better it will be. Rumors claim that the device will be better with heat and efficiency, and it will also adopt an updated cellular modem that includes satellite support. So, given the minor upgrades, it may simply be the case that Google’s next Tensor chip will be ready to go a little earlier than last year.

However, I would consider the chip alone to be the least likely cause of the early date. I feel the strongest possibility is the sheer size of this year’s lineup.

If all the rumors come true — and they certainly seem to be the case — there will be four new Pixel 9 models this year. The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The naming scheme seems messy, but if priced right, this could be a killer lineup from Google. But to have Which Having so many devices on the market at once, especially for a company that only holds a small (but growing) portion of the smartphone market, seems crazy. I think Google may end up announcing everything at once, but spreading out the actual release over a month or more. I certainly hope that, at least, in light of the event itself, new Pixel Watch hardware and updated Pixel Buds will likely also be introduced.

Finally, there’s another reason Google might push this launch early, and I think it might be the most likely of all.

artificial intelligence.

What’s next? Google is pushing AI harder as the company feels the pressure of competition, and the Pixel is a key part of that push. Taking advantage of a quiet August gives Google a chance to show off new AI ideas on the Pixel ahead of Apple’s upcoming iPhones, which now appear to be full of With “Apple Intelligence”. As Abner Lee reported on Friday, Google has already announced powerful new AI features coming this year, like Gemini Live.

Which of these three reasons might have inspired Google? I think it’s probably a combination of reasons, and about a billion other factors, but I’m very curious to see how things will play out. In an opinion poll, 9to5Google Readers overwhelmingly seemed to think it was a good idea to release the Pixel early, which is something I’ve always felt the company should consider.

Fasten your seatbelt, people; The next few weeks are likely to be busy in the Pixel rumor mills.

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