Jimmy Fallon with Google product executive Adrienne Lofton
At the recent Made by Google event, Google announced its (already heavily leaked) Pixel lineup with the help of Jimmy Fallon and a host of other celebrities, both on-stage and in prerecorded videos. The entire event seemed to demonstrate that Google wants Pixel phones to be more mainstream and popular while also taking credit for its many AI innovations — and using celebrities to demonstrate them. Google’s lineup of famous pitch-people seemed like a long name-drop list, including the likes of Steph Curry, Lando Norris, Alex Cooper, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cody Rigsby, Bryson DeChambeau, Trinity Rodman, A’ja Wilson, Jeremy Lin and the Jonas Brothers.
(Note: Google is an advisory client of my firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, but it had no input into this article.)
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris
The whole show, which was hosted by Fallon, felt like it was more of a Fallon studio production than a regular Google Pixel event. It was clear to me that the target audience was not the usual Pixel user when the event had gone more than 20 minutes without announcing a new product. Once the product announcements were made, there was a clear emphasis on keeping details light and focusing on key features for the average consumer for each new product.
Oddly, the attendees were mostly press and influencers, and I don’t think that much of Google’s normal target audience cared to tune in for the announcements in this new consumer-oriented format. My own view is that these events should be targeted toward the enthusiast audience, while the company’s mainstream marketing and partnerships should be focused on the mainstream. Personally, I preferred the format of the Google I/O event, where the specific nerdy details were talked about up-front in a separate medium and then the bigger announcements for a broader audience were done during a live launch event. In any case, it seemed that a lot of press in attendance didn’t really understand Google’s efforts and were confused about why they were even at the event.
Messaging For The New Pixel Product Lineup
The new lineup of Pixel 10 phones, the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a showed the brand’s breadth of offerings in different colors and sizes. The company also talked about how it had succeeded across 10 years of Pixel phones, including with its Tensor semiconductors. Google’s design language for the Pixel line remains mostly the same as last year’s; I think that’s a good thing because that design language is differentiated and feels premium.
I do think that Google’s messaging around Apple’s lack of delivery on AI didn’t quite land effectively and would be more effective as part of a targeted ad campaign. There is also the issue of RCS — the enhanced communication protocol that improves cross-platform messaging quality with better images and read-receipts. The talk about RCS at the launch event was good, but RCS needs a strong ad campaign to support it since most people still have no idea what it is or why it matters. Google also talked about making it easier than ever to switch to a Pixel, but I think that people only worry about that friction after they’ve gotten excited about a device.
Google executive Rick Osterloh with Jimmy Fallon
Getting Down To Brass Tacks With New Pixel Phone Specs
At the event, Google announced exactly the products that everyone expected. For phones, this meant the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. These range from $799 to $1,799 and became available starting August 28. Google spread improvements across the Pixel line, first with the new Tensor G5, which Google says has a 64% faster TPU and up to a 34% faster CPU than the preceding generation. This enables it to be the first device to run Google’s latest Gemini Nano on-device AI model.
One of the best AI tools Google demonstrated at the event was the Magic Cue feature, which fulfills a key function that users want from AI. It brings in context from your e-mail and calendar and makes it easier to respond to people’s messages with pertinent and timely information, saving you time because you don’t have to look up those details. Google also affirms that Magic Cue is a local feature enabled by the Tensor G5 and that the user has control over which information Magic Cue has access to — and whether the user wants it to run at all. Google also brought over Voice Translate from its Project Starline and Meet products to enable translation into another language using your own tone and accent.
Google’s new Pixel phones, watches and earbuds in many colors
The lineup also benefits from a new image signal processor inside the Tensor G5 to help with camera performance and quality, as well as enabling these to be the first phones with native C2PA content credentials. Google claims 30 hours of battery life on the entire Pixel 10 lineup, versus 24 hours on the Pixel 9. The company has also shifted production of its chips away from Samsung, now using TSMC’s 3nm process node — which should further help improve battery life and thermals. Google has chosen to carry over the Exynos 5400 5G modem from the last generation, sticking with Samsung for the modem while using Google custom silicon on the Tensor G5.
Google also introduced Qi2 wireless “Pixel Snap” charging for the Pixel 10 series, which enables 15-watt charging across the board with mag-safe compatibility, as well as Qi2.2 25-watt charging for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Google is also the first to introduce IP68 waterproofing across its entire line of phones, including the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which is the first foldable to carry this rating.
Compared to the Pixel 9 lineup, the base-model Pixel 10 increases the display size slightly while also adding a third 5x telephoto lens to the camera, giving the entire Pixel line three-camera configurations. I believe that this makes the Pixel 10 one of the best values when it comes to camera capabilities and performance, but do keep in mind that the camera sensors in the base Pixel 10 aren’t as good as the ones in the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL. What remains consistent across the Pixel 9 and 10 lines is the 50 MP main sensor, which I believe makes developing a lot of the numerous AI camera features easier for Google. Battery capacities were also bumped across the board, going from 4,700 to 4,970 mAh for the base-model Pixel and from 4,650 to 5,015 mAh on the Fold. These improvements also kept the prices the same while significantly boosting performance and battery life, and even elevating the base-level experience with the camera upgrade to the Pixel 10.
Google did still save some of the best features for the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL with things like 100x zoom using an on-device generative AI model to improve image quality. The Pixel 10 Pro XL also offers 45-watt wired charging (same as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra), while all the others offer 30-watt wired charging. This is a bit disappointing considering that foldables like the Motorola Razr Ultra that I recently reviewed now offer 68-watt charging — and in a much more space- and cooling-restricted device, no less. That said, if Google’s battery life is really as much better as Google says, then faster charging isn’t as important. Based on my experience with the Razr Ultra, though, that phone simply felt like its battery lasted forever and then recharged in only a few minutes.
What The Pixel Line Is Doing With Foldables
Speaking of foldables, I think Google really missed an opportunity to launch a flip foldable this year to round out its lineup of Pixel devices. It’s unclear whether Google is avoiding doing this because Motorola’s Razr line has been so successful at converting iPhone users to Android, or if Google still hasn’t decided whether it wants to launch a Pixel Flip at all. But if Google is serious about targeting a more mainstream audience, a flip foldable is by far the most mainstream form factor if you want to target a younger, more feminine audience that currently uses iPhones. Moto has proven that in spades.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold also brings major improvements to the hinge design, in addition to the IP68 water- and dustproofing rating. The improved hinge not only increases durability, but it enables a larger 6.4-inch (up from 6.3-inch) cover screen and the same 8-inch inside screen, with narrower bezels and slightly brighter 3000 nits peak brightness. Besides upgrading the wireless charging to Qi2 as mentioned above, Google bumped wired charging on the Pro Fold from 27 watts to 30 watts. RAM remains the same at 16GB, which is the same across all Pixel 10 Pro models and the Pixel 9 Pro series as well.
I was really hoping to see a camera upgrade on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold this year, both to match the rest of the Pro line and to mirror the visor-like design language. Google also says that the new Pro Fold is marginally thicker than its predecessor. I have no problem with this, considering how thin the Pixel 9 Pro Fold was — and that phone had a smaller battery and lacked IP68. Overall, I think the improvements to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold are generally good, but still mostly incremental. Plus the camera configuration is once again inferior to the rest of the Pixel Pro lineup.
Google’s Deeper Health And Fitness Focus With The Pixel Watch 4
Google not only brought out celebrity Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, but also announced its own fitness coach feature launching later this year for Fitbit Premium users on Fitbit and Pixel devices. This will be a personal health coach powered by Gemini that includes readiness scores, which combine sleep and fitness metrics. A lot of the insights offered will be enhanced by the new Pixel Watch 4, which once again will come in two sizes (41mm and 45mm) and with an improved heart rate sensor that Google claims is as accurate as a chest-strap sensor. This new sensor enables features like determining cardio load to enable people to work within their own range of ability. New features like raise-to-talk also enhance the user experience by not requiring a button or a hotword to activate Gemini; you simply raise your wrist to your mouth.
Peloton celebrity trainer Cody Rigsby on stage with Google product manager Noah Presler
Google also announced a partnership with Peloton to include Peloton workouts within the Fitbit app starting this fall. The Watch 4 will even have smarter activity recognition, learning your routine and fitness to automatically detect and track workouts. The new watch is powered by Qualcomm’s new W5 Gen 2, which is the company’s latest 4nm chip that enables the Watch 4’s improved dual-frequency GPS and new satellite messaging capabilities (on the LTE model only).
This is the first smartwatch with NB-NTN satellite connectivity built in for safer communication when off the grid. This new NB-NTN service will be powered by Skylo’s satellite network. Google has also redesigned the display of the Pixel Watch 4 to be domed, to give the device an even more premium feel. Personally, I love the Pixel Watch 3’s display already, so I’m curious about how this one will look and feel in person. The Pixel Watch 4 will be available starting October 9 for $349. The Pixel Buds 2a offer a reduced Pixel Buds experience with limited ANC and spatial audio features for $100 less than last year’s Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Google Pixel Shows Leadership In AI
Google’s new marketing approach is clearly to target an audience that’s more mainstream and not the Pixel enthusiasts of the last nine generations. I would argue that even the Pixel 9 was already targeting a different audience, but many Pixel fans can’t help but buy the latest and greatest Pixel, especially if it comes with significant improvements.
I think that the new Pixel lineup is better in many ways across the board, but there are still some areas like charging speeds where Google lags. The new Pixel 10 series marks a shift for who Google’s target audience is and how the company markets to them — while still including devices with better specs and capabilities across the board compared to the last generation.
Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Of the companies mentioned in this article, Moor Insights & Strategy currently has (or has had) a paid business relationship with Google, Motorola (Lenovo), Qualcomm and Samsung.