Forget the chilly launches of October, nestled in the shadow of the iPhone. For the second consecutive year, Google chooses to shoot the first, seizing the month of August to plant its flag and redefine the calendar of the technological school year.
It is not a simple question of calendar, it is a preventive strike. By placing itself a month before Apple’s high mass, Google ensures that it takes all the media space, to capture the attention of consumers before the iPhone 17 wave swept, and above all, to force conversation on its own ground: artificial intelligence. The resounding commercial success of the Pixel 9, which had inaugurated this strategy, proved that audacity paid. What was a bet has become the new standard, the sign of a material division which is no longer content to react, but which now dictates the tempo.
A range for all, a strategy to win
On August 20, from New York, Google will not reveal one, but four new smartphones, continuing its segmentation strategy to cover all fronts: the pixel 10 for the general public, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL for performance enthusiasts, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to assert its presence on the folding market.
On the design side, do not expect a revolution. The leaks show a smooth evolution, a familiar silhouette with the proven flat edges. Google has found its visual identity and rightly prefers to focus its efforts on what is happening inside.
The real audacity is in the standard model. For the first time, the basic Pixel 10 will be equipped with a three -cameras system, including a telephoto lens. It is a “pro-egging” of the most accessible model, a direct challenge launched in Apple that jealously reserves this functionality to its most expensive models. To achieve this, Google makes a clever bet: to integrate main and ultra-angle sensors a little less efficient, from Pixel 9a, to finance this third eye. For the average consumer, the versatility of a triple sensor prevails over imperceptible technical details.
The heart of the battle: Tensor G5, the divorce from Samsung and the bet of the AI
The real change, the one that could change everything, is called Tensor G5. For the first time, Google abandons Samsung and entrusts the manufacture of its chip at TSMC, the Taiwanese giant who also equips Apple. This change, described as an internal “shock” in Samsung, is Google’s response to criticism that has always sealed its chips: overheating, lack of energy efficiency and raw trained performance.
Engraved in 3 nanometers, like the most advanced fleas of the competition, the Tensor G5 is not intended to break speed records. Some corridors noise also suggests that it would always be behind the Snapdragon, and that is the subtlety of Google’s strategy. The goal has never been raw power, but intelligent power. The architecture of the chip, with its many intermediate hearts, is optimized not for games, but for tasks of artificial intelligence. Google does not play the same game as the others. He does not try to have the biggest figure on the box, but the most fluid and most relevant experience on a daily basis, powered by AI.
The soul of the pixel: Android 16 and the Pixel Sense revolution
This tailor-made chip is the perfect ship to welcome the real star of the show: the new generation AI of Google, which would bear the name of Pixel Sense. Its promise is revolutionary since it would be an assistant capable of drawing information from all your applications (Gmail, Agenda, Maps) to anticipate your needs, while operating entirely on the device.
It is a major advance in terms of speed, relevance, but above all confidentiality. Even Google would not be able to see what Pixel Sense does, promise rumors. It is a frontal attack on Apple Intelligence which, for complex requests, will have to call on an external partner, Chatgpt. Google bets that in an increasingly suspicious world with regard to the cloud, an ultra-personal and totally private AI will be the ultimate argument. While Apple does not promise a conversational Siri before 2026, Google could take a decisive lead in the race for the assistant of tomorrow.
An ecosystem in forced march
The offensive does not stop at the phones. The Pixel Watch 4, expected in two sizes, will also bet on intelligence and efficiency. Rather than changing the main processor, Google incorporates a new M55 co-processor, much more powerful for AI tasks, in order to drastically improve autonomy, the Achille heel of connected watches.
Even the Pixel Buds 2A headphones participate in this upmarket. Their Price, which would go from € 109 to € 149, would be explained by the addition of the active noise reduction (ANC), so far reserved for pro models. The “A” range no longer means “affordable”, but “accessible”, a nuance that changes everything and positions Google as a serious competitor on the mid -range audio market.
Market verdict
With a market share still modest but strongly growing in Europe and North America, Google positions itself as the Challenger that goes up, niling the shares of other Android manufacturers in difficulty. The launch of the Pixel 10 is more than a simple product update. It is the convergence of several years of strategic investments in hardware, software and artificial intelligence.
By finally solving the performance problems of his chip thanks to TSMC and by proposing a vision of the Plus personal and private AI than that of its main rival, Google has never had such a good opportunity to transform the test. On August 20 at 7 p.m. (French time), we will not only discover new phones. We may be witnessing the birth of a competitor capable of sustainably shaking up the established order.
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