Google Pixel phones cut the A.I. hype

After an unprecedented number of leaks, the Google event in New York was a surprise. The new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL correspond exactly to what we were hoping to see. Few phones have been the subject of so much criticism when preparing for an unveiling. The deep cut in the top of the Pixel 3 XL's OLED screen seems to be universally ugly, and our handling of the Pixel 3 XL has not changed our mind – it's ugly.

Although we are happy that the Pixel 3 does not have a corresponding notch, the big boxes really make it look old, but there is more to a phone than its appearance. We are often told that what is inside is important, and Google's breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) remind us of this. The dull design definitely disappoints, but we are really excited by what the AI ​​inside can do for us.

"The big breakthroughs you're going to see are not just hardware-they're at the intersection of AI, software and hardware," said Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of hardware at Google, on the front of the stage of a big screen with the words "AI + software + hardware".

We can not help thinking that the order is not an accident. Google is all-in-one about AI and it has always valued the software experience above its hardware. This is what sets Google apart from competitors like Apple and Samsung. If you want a beautifully designed smartphone, you can choose from a multitude, but if you want a phone capable of doing things that no other phone can do, the Pixel 3 stands out.

A.I. threshing train

It's been so long since everyone is interested in artificial intelligence that it's easy to get tired of hyperbole. The sad truth is that the experience of using A.I. on most phones does not match the promise.

Without naming the names, we have seen A.I.In cameras, subjects and scenes are constantly misidentified, resulting in significantly worse photos than normal automatic mode. We have had innumerable suggestions for reports or places to visit that the most superficial understanding of our tastes or our place would reveal erroneous. We have been misunderstood many times when we tried to issue simple voice commands.

It seems that as soon as Google began to gain success thanks to its investment in A.I., everyone wanted to take the bandwagon, but it has already taken several years and there is no shortcut to catch up.

Preemptive help

We are accustomed to things like predictive text, but the first time we remember to have offered us useful information through our phone without asking that was in 2012, when Google Now was launched. In the morning, when you look at your phone, you will see a map showing your optimal route. Taking your phone out of your pocket at a bus stop or station would create a schedule.

He did not do much else, except to alert you to the latest sports results from the teams you have supported, but it was an exciting first step. Being able to see at a glance if there was a delay in traffic or knowing exactly when the next bus would arrive made life a little easier.

Google Now has become Google Assistant and is undoubtedly our favorite digital butler. If Siri can set a reminder and Alexa will play the music you want, Google Assistant goes a step further. It's the only service that tries to anticipate your needs – and does it well. Anecdotally, it is also much more effective than competitors in understanding Scottish accents.

Google Assistant for Calls

When we saw the Google Duplex demo earlier this year, we were stunned. It's A.I. Hold a natural sounding conversation and make a restaurant reservation or make an appointment for a haircut. It can work with the settings you have defined, so you can indicate that you want a reservation for 20 hours. but between 8pm and 9pm it's fine and it will go ahead and book the table for you, automatically adding the booking to your Google calendar once the booking is made.

If it did not tell you it was not human, you would not guess it. We do not doubt he could beat the Turing test, provided the subject does not get too far from your date.

This feature will be deployed on Google's Pixel phones next month, city by city, starting with New York. Although its reach is quite limited at the moment, we can see it becoming something that we often use in our daily lives.

Another exciting exclusivity for Pixel phones is the call screen feature. If you receive an incoming call that you can not or do not want to take, you can tap a call on the screen and the caller will hear:

"Hello, the person you are calling is using a Google filtering service and will receive a copy of this conversation. Go ahead and say your name and why you are calling.

As the caller explained, the transcribed text is displayed in real time on your screen. You can choose to reply, send a quick reply, or mark it as spam. If you mark as spam, it will automatically say:

"Delete the number from your list of addresses and contacts. Thank you and goodbye."

We believe that the immediacy and convenience of this visual voicemail, which is worth recalling, is also carrier-specific and is not available anywhere today.

Amazing camera performance

The camera has been one of the biggest arms races for smartphones in the last two years, and without a doubt the main area of ​​improvement. We've seen more and more double-lens cameras and even triple-lens cameras, while manufacturers are struggling to outdo themselves.

If you're looking for proof that Google prioritizes A.I. on hardware, look no further than the Pixel camera. Google has opted for a single-lens main camera, reducing the original megapixel pixel count for the Pixel 2, while still outperforming most competitors.

Pixel 2 is our reigning champion of the camera phone because it takes most of the photos we want to keep or share.

"This is not a coincidence," said Osterloh at the Google event. "We have spent years looking for computer vision technologies, analyzing hundreds of millions of photos."

Using artificial intelligence and digital photography, Google gets better results, more consistent than its competitors by packing more lenses. The Pixel 2 produces stunning portraits with this much-coveted bokeh background blur. With HDR +, multiple images are merged to produce the best image each time.

Pixel 3 adds more A.I. smarts with Super Res Zoom, which combines multiple photos to improve resolution when zooming in. Auto-learning in Night Sight mode allows you to re-color photos taken in low-light environments to illuminate them without a flash. Top Shot takes a burst of photos and then selects the selfie of the group where everyone looks at the camera and smiles. Photobooth portraits can be triggered by a funny face or a smile. You will not miss the perfect picture.

All these A.I. functions facilitate the use of your camera and allow you to get better pictures. You may be able to get technically better results with the latest triple lens camera from a competitor, but this will often require a little planning or tune-up. Google Pixel cameras are designed to be simple and fast, allowing you to aim and shoot. This is so that most people actually use the cameras on their phones.

Really useful A.I.

The A.I. Innovation in the new Pixel continues with Smart Compose in Gmail, which allows you to finish your sentences with contextual expressions, reducing the number of repetitive entries like addresses. It's like a very loaded version of predictive text that could actually save you a lot of time.

We know that many people find this disturbing or have legitimate concerns about privacy, but for us, the utility overshadows our concern.

Whether it's warnings about train delays or reminder of where you parked or catching the best possible photo, Google does things with AI that no one can for the moment. The Google Assistant is much closer to the personal assistant than you can actually afford. If you want to explore the full potential of this technology, you will need a Pixel phone. This may not be the best choice, but it is surely the smartest.