There’s no doubt that 2026 has been a rough year for the smartphone business, with prices and supply being impacted significantly by the shortage of chips — especially memory — caused by the AI boom. Yet Google’s Pixel phone lineup has been able to show growth even amid the industry’s contraction, especially in markets like Japan.
The recent Made by Google event in New York City showcased what the company is doing with its phones and wearables. With the Pixel 11 series and the Pixel Watch 5, Google has clearly decided to lean into on-device AI more than ever before, which I believe arises from a combination of AI cloud computing constraints and a need to deliver lower latency as well as more privacy and security for experiences that use highly sensitive user data. And judging by initial appearances, this AI will be more proactive and ambient than ever before.
Chips Lead the Charge: Tensor G6 and Titan M3
To power these on-device experiences on the Pixel 11 phones, Google has updated its Tensor SoC to the Tensor G6. Though the nomenclature is similar, these chips are not to be confused with Google’s TPUs (Tensor Processing Units), which live in the datacenter. Google says that the new G6 chips not only bring 20% better power efficiency, but also 25% faster browsing and 15% faster app loading — all in comparison to the G5. The G6 also has an upgraded image signal processor for better photography and 50% more compute power for all AI applications, including photography. Google also upgraded the security with the new Titan M3 security chip, which it says features multi-layer quantum-safe encryption.
What Google neglected to do with the Pixel Watch 5 was upgrade to the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip that Samsung adopted for the Galaxy Watch9 and Watch Ultra2. In fact, based on raw performance numbers, there should be a pretty noticeable difference in user experience between the two companies’ smart watches. For instance, it’ll be interesting to compare pulling up Gemini and getting an answer to a question; I’m betting the results will be quite different across the two. Besides the performance issues, switching to the Snapdragon Elite Wear would create more continuity for developers that are creating apps for use on both Pixel and Galaxy watches.
AI Gets More Local on Google Devices
With each generation, Gemini’s prominence has grown within Pixel phones. Still, most of the AI experiences on the phone have so far been driven from the cloud — something that looks to be changing with the Pixel 11. Google is shifting towards a more intuitive experience that uses proactive context to automatically surface task recommendations and enable routine tasks with cross-app data. The company is also adding improved voice-to-text features that filter out filler words to make for smoother communications. I personally use the GBoard virtual keyboard app daily, so I welcome this improvement. This AI-first user experience is why I believe Google is pushing for the new HiLight RGB light feature to replace the flash for better interaction opportunities for Gemini.
New AI-enabled features like Magic Capture and Instant Night Sight are both excellent examples of Google’s effort to push for more AI-driven functionality driven by on-device compute. Magic Capture is a single-swipe action in the camera app that allows you to simultaneously capture video and photos that are automatically cropped and unblurred. Instant Night Sight allows for low-light pictures without needing to wait for them to be captured. Google says that Instant Night Sight is 4.5x faster than the previous generation, which was already pretty good.
Pixel’s Camera and Other Hardware Improvements
The main camera sensor saw an upgrade across the entire Pixel 11 line. This plus the enhanced ISP is what enables the improved low-light performance just mentioned, along with better image quality. Google is claiming an improvement of 56% better low-light performance compared to the previous generation. Google also redesigned the telephoto sensor in the Pro lineup, getting 32% more light sensitivity than last year’s Pixel 10 Pro. Google is also claiming a 120x Pro Zoom (up from 100x in the previous generation), upping the ante on the competition with even more zoom.
Unfortunately, the Pixel Pro 11 Fold got only the same upgrades as the entry-level Pixel 11, which is disappointing given that it’s a pro-level device without a pro-level camera. On the bright side, it’s still IP68 water resistant and should be more durable than the previous generation thanks to a new hinge. The Pro 11 Fold is also thinner this year at 10mm folded and 5mm unfolded, an improvement over last year’s model, which was 10.8mm and 5.2mm respectively. While I do appreciate Google’s thinner new design and improved durability, I also think that Google missed an opportunity to use a better camera on the Pro 11 Fold, especially now that it faces competition on this front from Moto’s Razr Fold.
Pixel 5 Leans into Health Like Never Before
I already liked using Google Health on my Pixel Watch 3. But I believe that what Google is doing with the Pixel Watch 5 paired with that level of intelligence is going to be a recipe for big success. The addition of blood pressure and insulin resistance monitoring and loss-of-pulse detection should make this one of the first watches anywhere to support all those features on a single device. This makes it even more galling that Google didn’t upgrade the SoC, which I believe will hamper both responsiveness and battery life. I suspect Google will come to regret this when choosy consumers start making head-to-head comparisons with Samsung’s offerings.
Blending Hardware and Software Improvements
All in all, Google’s latest hardware launch shows the company trying to avoid making it seem like compromises had to be made. The focus on local, proactive, and ambient AI should pay dividends down the road, especially considering how much cloud-based functionality Google already has. I also believe that Google can broaden the market for AI in markets that are hesitant to adopt AI by focusing on privacy, security, and trust. Google may not have reinvented the wheel at this event, but I do think it has some really compelling features that should help to drive some of the AI conversation in a more constructive direction.
