Google shows off AI features Apple failed to deliver
AI features are front and center for Google’s new phones.
At its annual hardware event, Google debuted a slate of new gadgets including its Pixel 10 smartphones. While they included features like foldable screens, faster chips, and incrementally better cameras, the main selling point was the deeper integration of its AI assistant Gemini.
From early reviews, it seems that Google’s AI is succeeding where Apple and its Siri failed: using contextual information from your phone and apps to actually be useful. That comes in the form of “Magic Cue,” a feature meant to proactively fetch information and display it when you need it.
The Wall Street Journal’s Nicole Nguyen:
“[Pixel 10] dressed me in an AI-generated blazer right in the camera app. A convincing clone of my voice fluently discussed lunch in German, which I don’t speak. When I called United customer service, flight reservation information automatically appeared on screen.”
“If a friend texts to ask for the address of the Airbnb you’re sharing, in theory, Magic Cue will grab the address from your email and suggest it above the keyboard without any input from you. You’ll be able to tap and check the email for yourself, or paste it straight into the conversation. If it recognizes that you’re calling the number of a business listed on an email, like an airline you’ve already booked a flight with, it can surface relevant details in the phone app, like your confirmation number. It looks like a kind of turbo-charged autofill for everything.”
“If you call a hotel where you’ve already made reservations, for example, the Pixel 10’s phone app will helpfully display those details without making you go hunting for them. If a friend texts you asking for a reminder of where you’ve booked dinner, the Messages app will pull info from Gmail, Google Calendar and other apps to suggest automatic replies with the right details. If someone requests photos from a recent trip, Magic Cue will automatically surface the right images in Google Photos.”
In a recent ad for its upcoming Pixel 10, Google razzed Apple, which has a much bigger hold over the US smartphone market, over its Siri failure. “If you buy a new phone because of a feature that’s coming soon, but it’s been coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of soon,” the voice-over says. “Or you could just change your phone.” Apple’s revamped AI Siri isn’t expected to be out until spring of 2026, and behind the scenes, engineers are struggling.
Of course, how these AI tools work in demos and limited trials for reporters will likely vary from the wide-ranging use cases the devices will encounter in the hands of the public come August 28.
Both Google’s and Apple’s stocks are down today as part of a larger tech-led sell-off.
