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It’s official: The Pixel 9 series arrives in August. That’s a full two months earlier than the Pixel’s typical October launch window, marking a big departure from the usual schedule. Although only Google knows the reasons for speeding up the launch, I’m sure it has a lot to do with finally taking on Apple, which is due to launch its iPhone 16 range in September.

As is the buzzword this year, AI will undoubtedly be the key battleground, and Google no doubt thinks it can steal Apple’s thunder. The iPhone 16 series will debut Apple Intelligence built into iOS 18, which includes notification summaries, AI image generation, and uses a partnership with ChatGPT to extend Siri’s capabilities. These are good things for iPhone owners, but hardly new features for Pixel fans who already enjoy similar AI features and a set of photography tools that Apple won’t match.

Google undoubtedly has even more features to reveal alongside the Pixel 9 lineup, which will put significant daylight between it and Apple. Pushing these features ahead of Cupertino’s new iPhone also secures Google’s place as the AI ​​market leader and avoids any potential criticism of a reactionary move by launching after what wasn’t a good look for the brand’s AI team when OpenAI broke out on stage.

Misleading Apple on its key AI message is a bold, aggressive play, but the software alone won’t be enough to stand out. Apple also excels at creating rugged hardware, but thankfully Google’s Pixel lineup is now a truly competitive force. Problems with the previous generation, such as poor networking and overheating, have been (mostly) ironed out, while the brand’s photographic capabilities and AI hardware give it a unique selling point. The Pixel is the best it’s ever been, and Google’s software ecosystem and long-term support are best in class. If there’s ever a time to try and challenge Apple’s dominance, now is as good as it gets.

On the other hand, an earlier release schedule also puts a lot more light between the Pixel 9 and the next-gen Android phones that arrive towards the end of the year and hit consumers’ hands in early 2025. For example, the Galaxy S25 series of Samsung won It will appear on the market by the end of January, most likely, which will give Google five or more months to enjoy the spotlight before the next big Western alternative appears. Thanks to Galaxy AI, Samsung is Google’s biggest AI competitor in the Android space and likely stole much of the Pixel’s AI thunder in early 2024. With the launch invite highlighting “the best of Google AI, Android software and the Pixel portfolio of devices, you can bet the 9 series aims to stand out on that front. Plus, it will have Android 15 long before other phones launch with it or see an update.

Additionally, the Pixel 9 could probably use some breathing room against the Android spec monsters that are due to arrive in late 2024. The Pixel 9’s Tensor G4 processor looks like a minor upgrade that will keep it competitive with the current generation smartphones. However, the next-gen Android models powered by Qualcomm will see a significant change with custom CPU cores in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, and MediaTek is rumored to be eyeing another huge multi-core behemoth. While we don’t know the details yet, they could take Android phones to a new level of performance that could outshine the already massively processor-heavy parts of the Pixel lineup. Once it arrives in August, the conversation will be about how the Pixel 9 stacks up against the iPhone 16 and existing Android phones, with less emphasis on waiting to see what the next-gen competition has in store.

It looks like Google is gearing up for a big push with an early Pixel 9 launch that will pile the pressure on Apple and its Android rivals. The best news of all, of course, is that we’ll get our hands on the latest and greatest Pixel sooner. It’s only a few months until we can see if the more compact Pixel 9 Pro lives up to its potential. Bring on August already.