Fall always brings added excitement as techies get ready for the reveal of the best new features and devices hitting the market. And well, this season has been no different. Social media has been buzzing with the arrival of the new Google Pixel 9 models, and for good reason. During the annual Made by Google event in August, which made its way back to Silicon Valley this year, we were given a firsthand look at what all the devices have to offer.
Keke Palmer popped out to host the live launch after-party, and NBA star Jimmy Butler showed us the perks of one of the new camera features in real-time. It was a day filled with fun demos as we entered this next wave of AI-powered smartphones.
The new phones are programmed with next-level performance software and innovative features that cater to those of us who work in creative capacities—especially Black creatives. Whether you’re a content creator, visual artist, or social media maven, the latest range of offerings has everything you need to take your craft to the next level.
Here’s a first look at some of our favorite features, which will empower creatives to thrive in a digital world that’s all about bold expression, authenticity and originality.
Our Melanin Never Looked Better Thanks to Real Tone Technology
Photography has always been about capturing life in its truest form, but too often, smartphone cameras fail to do justice to darker skin tones. Google changed the game with Real Tone, first introduced in the Pixel 6 and now better than ever on the Pixel 9. This technology ensures that photos of Black and brown skin tones look natural, vibrant, and accurate—no more washed-out, underexposed pictures.
“We’re delivering our most meaningful improvements to Real Tone since launching,” product lead Florian Koenigsberger shared with EBONY. “Color segmentation allows us to make sure your skin tone is on-point, even when there’s a strongly-colored background. And, improvements to our autofocus and auto exposure algorithms mean that you get sharp, accurately exposed photos and videos in a wider range of lighting conditions.”
Organize Your Ideas and Random Thoughts With Ease
The mind of a creative is always spinning. Whether you’re brainstorming fresh content or thinking of how to take your brand to new heights, it can get overwhelming. With the latest upgrades to Google’s Search functionality, not only can you organize things like recipes into their own category, but now you can search and store results you come across as you navigate the world seeking to draw inspo. The Circle to Search option is a way to comb through anything on your phone with a simple gesture like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping.
You can even take a photo of something you see and your device will lean on the AI-powered Lens feature to scour the internet for that exact item while giving you the full rundown or where to get it, how much it costs and more.
Take Your Photos and Videos From Great to Greater
For the first time, you can not only be the group photographer but you can be added to the shot without having to ask a random stranger. The Add Me feature makes sure no one is left out of a photo. Take one picture with the group, then swap in the photographer and watch the device magically merge both photos using the included Best Take feature.
You’ll have people thinking you took a professional class once your content hits your channels. Thanks to Video Boost, you can now enhance videos up to 8K resolution for the best video quality, and when it comes to photo and video editing, you can do so with the enhanced Gemini AI. From editing your backgrounds, moving objects or erasing them all together, suggesting the best crop, and even magically expanding your image to get more of the backdrop—everything that once took hours can be done in only a few simple swipes.
Screenshots Are Now a Good Thing
Over the years, social media has led us to believe that screenshots do harm, not good. But thanks to Google, we can now use them to simply get our ducks in a row. Pixel Screenshots help you quickly save info you want to remember later, like events, locations and more, just by taking a screenshot. This on-device AI feature, exclusively on the Pixel 9, helps you save, organize, and recall things you want to remember with ease. Simply search conversationally to quickly find what you need right when you need it.
