Rise and shine, folks! It’s the morning after Google’s latest hardware event happened yesterday, and the company introduced us to some interesting goodies. Now, one day on, what’s going on with the tech community in response to this event? Between shiny new phones, better AI, embarrassing moments, and the social media response to Google’s pre-order deals, here’s the aftermath of the Made By Google event.
First, get your order in!
The pre-orders are up for all of the Pixel devices that Google announced. They won’t start shipping until sometime in September, but you can get your orders in now. There are some Verizon deals along with T-Mobile deals if you want to stick with your carrier.
Maybe you want a little guidance through the pre-ordering process. Don’t worry. Here’s how to pre-order the Pixel 9 phones.
If the Pixel Watch 3 is more of your speed, then we have a guide on how to order the Pixel Watch 3. Lastly, Google also unveiled its latest set of earbuds. Here’s our guide on how to pre-order the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
There are deals across the web through carriers and vendors that could earn you massive discounts on devices or even some free devices. So, be sure to check out these links.
The aftermath of the Made By Google Event
Now that the event is over, the buzz has subsided, and all of our tweets have been made, what are some of the aftershocks of the event? What are people talking about?
Firstly, there was the embarrassing Gemini demo
It’s no surprise that people are talking about this. During Google’s event, we saw an example of something pretty awesome. Google introduced some additional extensions for Gemini that let it integrate with Google Calendar, Google Keep, Google Tasks, YouTube, and YouTube Music. While the second act of the presentation was good, the first act had a bit more drama.
Google’s Senior Director of Product, Dave Citron, showed off how Gemini can read a piece of media in the real world, in this case, a concert poster, and read his calendar to see if his schedule was free on that date. This led to a painfully awkward 77 seconds of him getting error messages from Gemini.
Gemini failed to integrate with the calendar twice. However, it worked perfectly for the rest of the presentation. After the presentation, we all heard the sound of the audience collectively exhaling.
In all honesty, it wasn’t all that bad; AI is bound to slip up from time to time. However, the response across social media begged to differ.
Many commenters on X.com and Reddit were calling this embarrassing on Google’s part. Several of the commenters expressed how sorry they were for Citron. It was a pretty tense moment, but he handled it like a champ. When the “Demo Spirits” don’t want to take pity on you, all you can do is your best.
People don’t like Google’s pre-order bonus
The Pixel devices are available through several outlets like Amazon, Best Buy, and carriers. These outlets have their own set of pre-order deals that can save the users some serious cash. Of course, Google.com has these devices, and Google has its own set of pre-order perks.
Ironically, Google seems to be offering the least appetizing pre-order deals for its own devices. For example, some vendors are giving users free devices with their orders. Imagine getting a free Pixel Watch 3 or a free pair of Pixel Buds Pro 2 when you buy your phone!
In Google’s case, if you order your device early, you’ll get something, but it’s not quite as physical. The company is offering you a full year of Gemini Advanced. Right now, there’s no annual plan for Google One AI Premium. That’s the plan that gets you Gemini Advanced.
While this seems like a good deal for those of us who are AI-crazy, most of the community would prefer an actual device. Users across social media have made their disdain known. One Redditor commented, “A year of Gemini Advanced is objectively a worse pre-order bonus than a pixel watch or pixel buds.” Another one commented “Goodluck to google on selling this P9. We don’t need AI gimmick.”
Google’s hardware event was an AI event
Are we really surprised? The trend this year has been “AI, take the wheel!” Samsung’s first Unpacked event this year focused on AI, but that’s excusable because the company introduced us to the Galaxy AI platform. However, the subsequent events are less so acceptable. Google I/O was a major AI showcase (it barely mentioned Android 15) and so was Samsung’s second Unpacked event.
However, we have to give Google props for actually fixating on the design and hardware features of the new Pixel devices. This is something that Samsung failed to do during its latest Unpacked events. Google dedicated a minute and a half to talking about the new look, screen, device sizes, materials, and durability of the new Pixel 9 phones.
The segment about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s hardware was also about a minute and a half, and it showed us some nice, though standard foldable phone, features.
That being said, Google led the Pixel 9 section with talk about AI. Also, whenever it talked about the new Tensor chip, the company spoke about how it processes AI. Also, it talked about how the additional RAM on the phones helps with AI processing. The Pixel 9 devices have a new vapor chamber to help keep it cool… while processing AI.
Also, much of the talk about the camera (ya know, the thing that Pixel phones are famous for) dealt with AI. They talked a lot about how AI helps with taking and processing photos.
Disappointing? Not really
The rest of the event had a strong focus on AI, but it felt different from Samsung’s event. The thing about Samsung’s event was that it felt hollow. The company showed off some Galaxy AI features and skipped over the important hardware announcements. The section about the Galaxy Watch 7 was less than 30 seconds long, and the Galaxy Ring section was less than a minute. Also, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 section was more about AI than the actual phone. It was basically an announcement for more Galaxy AI features.
The Pixel event, on the other hand, felt better. Google did a better job because of two important things. Firstly, it announced more useful AI tools. These are major and pretty smart Gemini features like Gemini Live, Call Notes, etc. They streamline the whole Android and Pixel experience and make them better. The Galaxy AI features were fun, but they just weren’t as memorable.
Second, Google made this an actual Hardware announcement. It talked about the phones running the AI. We walked away with the feeling that we were actually getting better hardware; it feels like Google actually put more effort into bringing a NEW device this year. Samsung brought recycled designs for both of its Unpacked events, and it omitted significant hardware news like the IP dust resistance rating for the new foldable. That’s a landmark achievement in the foldable phone market. It’s something that no other foldable device has.
Those were some of the more notable takeaways from this latest event. It was a memorable event, and it made us excited about the devices Google developed. What did you think about the event? Be sure to let us know in the comments!