Here are the new AI features you can look forward to with the Pixel 10 phones
What newfangled tricks can Gemini do, and what do Pixel 10 series phones offer? Here’s our cheatsheet for the Android purist.
Alongside the announcement of the Pixel 10 series phones, we’ve also gotten a look at some of the new AI features. The Pixel 10 series devices are the first phones to run the newest model of Gemini Nano, thanks to the Tensor G5 chip, which offers up to 60% AI compute gains on the TPU alone, in addition to faster RAM, faster flash storage, and improved thermal solutions.
Google’s vision is to use AI across the Pixel experience to make life easier and more convenient, and that’s evident in the new features introduced this year.
Magic Cue
Magic Cue is essentially a “connective fibre” across Pixel, integrating across apps to cut out time-consuming daily tasks. It was inspired by Pixel Screenshots, which were introduced with the Pixel 9 series.
Magic Cue automatically suggesting the flight ticket details.
For example, if someone texts you to ask what time your flight is and where you’re meeting for dinner the next day, Google promises that you’ll no longer have to open your airline app to get your flight details, then find the dinner reservation details to send over. All that information will be available to share through suggestions that pop up.
Magic Cue pulling up the dinner reservation to the restaurant when calling to change timing.
Another example is when you highlight text in certain apps, Magic Cue can interpret your highlight and suggest a related action. So if you’re trying to split a bill, highlighting it pulls up your payment app, without needing you to look for the app separately.
In essence, Magic Cue “connect the dots” by learning your habits and understanding your context, ultimately serving you what you need at the moment you need it.
Users will be able to control which data sources Magic Cue has access to and can opt out at any time. The data is stored in a secure and isolated environment on the phone, and that information does not leave until you decide to share it by tapping on the suggestion.
This feature works across various first-party and third-party apps, including messaging and payment apps, with additional ones set to roll out over time.
Pixel Daily Hub
Pixel Daily Hub is essentially Google’s version of Samsung’s Now Brief, with a single view of your day where you can see upcoming to-dos across your phone. It covers upcoming appointments, reminders, weather updates, and more.
Magic Cue takes all that information and presents it in a quick-glance summary view, giving users an overview of the day ahead.
NotebookLM integration with Recorder app
If you take a lot of audio recordings to help you keep track of meetings and notes, you might have apps on your phone that help you transcribe audio recordings.
You’ll be pleased to know that Google is integrating NotebookLM, its AI-powered notetaking tool, into Recorder. This means you’ll be able to get speaker identification, multiple-language support, automated labels and more.
Camera improvements
The built-in AI editor allows text prompts, to tell the phone what you want edited.
Thanks to consistent software improvements, we’ll be getting nicer images this year as well with the Pixel 10 series phones.
Google promises improved performance across all photographic conditions, with its best portrait mode shots yet, featuring enhanced segmentation, detail, sharpness, and texture.
New diffusion models, generative AI, algorithms, and LLMs have enabled Google to improve Pro Res Zoom, delivering better details even at 100x zoom. Using the Tensor G5 chip, these phones run the first diffusion model in Pixel Camera, enabling Pro Res Zoom fully on-device, which means users don’t have to worry about processing and fine-tuning.
Additionally, the Google Pixel 10 devices will be the first phone to implement C2PA content credentials for photos taken. This process happens on-device with the Titan M2 security chip, and unmodifiable metadata will be created within the image. This means you won’t have to guess whether an image is AI-modified or not. Super handy in this day and age when we’re all wondering what’s real or not.
Auto Best Take
Auto Best Take is Best Take’s computational analysis applied at the start.
Best Take was introduced with the Pixel 8 devices, but Google has made it even easier this year with Auto Best Take. A single press of the shutter will capture up to 150 images for automatic analysis.
There’s no need to sift through photos for the best shot anymore, Auto Best Take and the AI behind it will find and use the best facial expressions, whether it’s a full HDR photo, or a blend of multiple alternatives.
There’s still the option to make the final choice in Google Photos, but it certainly removes a lot of front-loaded manual hassle that comes with the original version of Best Take.
Camera Coach
Using Camera Coach to frame the subject on the sofa.
Last but not least, Camera Coach is a new feature in the Pixel Camera app (no third-party integration yet), which helps the user take better photos that follow basic rules of camera and photography composition and framing.
There are three key elements to Camera Coach: Scene Analysis, Shot Suggestion and step-by-step guidance on how to take the photo. By using Gemini’s AI models to understand what’s in the image, Camera Coach can analyse elements in the shot and then offer suggestions.
For example, if two people are in frame, the phone will understand that and can offer tips such as asking your subjects to stand closer or adjust their pose. The feature also extends to offering suggestions on how to frame your shot or even adjust the lighting direction.
There’s also a Get Inspired option. When using Camera Coach, it taps into generative AI to suggest creative shots that users might not have considered. Examples that we’ve seen include adjusting the subject’s hairstyle, adjusting their standing or sitting position, shooting at lower angles, and more.
The feature extends beyond simply instructing the user on what to do. Google consulted professional photographers when building out Camera Coach, allowing the tool to explain why certain angles work better. A suggestion to change to macro mode, for example, will be accompanied by an explanation that it helps emphasise details on a flower that you’re taking a photo of.
Camera coach works with different modes like portrait mode and macro mode, and the feature will provide relevant guidance by recognising which mode you’re in and giving appropriate next steps.
When will these AI features be available?
We’re expecting these to be available out of the box with the Pixel 10 devices.
If you’re holding onto an older Pixel device, not every new feature will be available on older devices, as some of them are dependent on the new Tensor G5 chipset.
For more details about the announced Google devices, you can visit our dedicated articles for the Pixel 10 series, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4 and the Pixel Buds 2a.