What you need to know
- Google is teasing the Pixel 9 Pro with a YouTube Short, which goes over 22 reasons you should "say goodbye" to your current smartphone.
- The cryptic video doesn't tell us a lot about the new Pixel 9 Pro; in fact, it mentions a lot of existing Pixel features.
- We'll have to see more about what the Pixel 9 series will bring before we buy into Google's argument that you should get ready to replace your phone.
Google seems to have considerably rushed its Pixel release schedule this year, first announcing an Aug. 13 launch event before officially revealing a teaser for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a rare move for the company. This release cycle is anything but the norm for Google, and it has culminated in a YouTube Shorts teaser that might reveal more about the Pixel 9 Pro.
The video is titled "22 reasons you should say goodbye to your phone and hello to #Pixel9 Pro with Gemini," and you'd think the video would be as simple as that. It isn't quite that straightforward, however. The video contains an assortment of cryptic Pixel references that don't really tell us that much about the upcoming flagship smartphones. In fact, you could argue that Google's original teasers for the new devices revealed more than this Short.
Here's a full rundown of Google's 22 reasons you should upgrade to the Pixel 9 Pro:
- Wishing your photo had more scenery
- Forgetting the movie your friend recommended
- Forgetting the show your friend recommended
- Phone calls where you can barely hear the other person
- Concert videos that look too far away
- Your toddler is looking everywhere except the camera
- Scrubbing videos for answers
- Gatekeeping
- So many emails. So little time.
- Screening calls yourself
- Half the fam is looking at the camera
- Not capturing the right moment
- Spending hours on hold
- The sky not being right
- The same old memes
- Lost in translation
- Forgetting what restaurant your friend liked
- Awkward photo requests to strangers
- Mom never being in the pic
- Photobombers
- Blurry photo
- Writer's block
The second that you start to think about the items on this list, it becomes immediately clear that many of these features are already available on Pixel devices. For example, the reference to "photobombers" probably relates to Magic Editor and Magic Eraser, which you can use on current Pixel devices — and even non-Pixel phones, for Magic Eraser. The same goes for "screening calls yourself," which is obviously a callback to the Call Screen feature on Pixel phones.
There are also plenty of references to current artificial intelligence features available through Google AI and Gemini. The last of the 22 reasons is "writer's block," and that's almost certainly a reference to Help Me Write. "Your toddler looking everywhere except the camera" definitely refers to Best Take, the Pixel 8 series feature that can blend multiple photos together to form the best shot. "Scrubbing videos for answers" could refer to many AI features on YouTube, including AI-generated summaries.
But some things sound like new features here. For starters, the "wishing your photo had more scenery" bullet point sounds a lot like what Samsung just introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 series. It added a feature called Sketch to Image, which turns your drawing into an AI-generated object that can be added to an existing photo. Perhaps Google plans to copy this feature for the Pixel 9 Pro launch, and that's the first reason for referencing it.
Additionally, there are a few hints that Google may be indeed prepping a feature similar to Microsoft Recall. For those unfamiliar, Recall was a Windows 11 and Copilot+ feature that was supposed to capture screenshots of everything you do on your computer. Then, it would use AI to index all that data and make it easily searchable. It's like a memory for your PC. According to rumors, Google may be introducing a feature similar to Android 15, and it could be a Pixel exclusive.
"Forgetting the movie your friend recommended" and "Forgetting the show your friend recommended" could be teasers about a Recall-esque featue. The point about "Forgetting what restaurant your friend liked" could be related to this feature, too. However, these references could be as simple as an enhanced search feature in Google Messages — we really don't know yet.
That's precisely the problem with Google's 22 reasons for upgrading to the Pixel 9 series: they're just not all that convincing. Many of the features can be had on existing Pixel devices — even ones that are a few years old. The potentially new features are hinted at in such a cryptic way that it's tricky to decipher what they actually are. Plus, these are mostly AI-based software features, which average consumers have been uninterested to date.
But hey, Google's new YouTube Short has people talking about the Pixel 9 series. It really seems like Google is trying to control the narrative around this smartphone launch as much as possible. The early event, paired with multiple teasers and an official announcement, very well may be intended to stave off leaks and rumors.
However, it's way too early to say the Pixel 9 Pro is worth upgrading to. Google's eight-second teaser might drive up a bit of excitement, but it isn't moving the needle yet.
