Five minutes is what I would like the reader to spend reading this article. Although I could write a lot more, even compare it to other devices that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, I am not going to do it. The Google Pixel 3, for the days that I have had it in my hand, is worth an exclusive focus that explains why, in my opinion, it is the smartphone that as a whole takes advantage of more and better all the artificial intelligence that its software carries so much as your hardware. And that does not have a 7 nanometer processor or 6.9 billion transistors inside.
Its cameras, a single rear lens -and not four like some recent model from another manufacturer- 12 megapixels with autofocus and phase detection with dual pixel technology and HDR quality, optical and electronic image stabilization and spectral and flicker sensor, and another in the front of 8 normal megapixels and wide angle with a field of view of 97 degrees, they help to obtain the best images, adapting to the user and always improving the shots with the AI. The portrait mode and high-resolution zoom are a good example of the maximum expression that the only rear camera of the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL can reach.
Other attractive functionalities that the artificial intelligence of the new Google Pixel incorporates (see examples) is the Best Shot , which recommends the best image captured thanks to machine learning that is hosted on the device itself, and which analyzes the fractions of second of the image just before and after the shutter-release button is pressed, searching for photos where everyone is smiling, eyes open, and looking at the camera; the photo booth mode , which uses Artificial Intelligence to recognize smiles or funny expressions and automatically capture the photo without pressing the shutter button; the group selfie , with which you can take frames with more people thanks to the wide angle with 33 percent more aperture than traditional selfies and 184% more space in the snapshot; or the playground mode , which is sure to delight the youngest of the family since with it you can take photos and record videos with characters from Star Wars or the Strangers Things series, to name a few.
Other options for the cameras of the Pixel 3 and its XL version, which also use artificial intelligence and machine learning, are video stabilization , both for the rear and front cameras, although in this the stabilization is done digitally; moving autofocus , which helps keep the main subject of the photo within the frame and always well in focus even when the user moves; or the high resolution zoom , which guarantees to have the detail and the maximum clarity in the snapshots created with zoom, a computerized photographic technique traditionally used in scientific images and astronomy.
Google Lens integrates into the new Pixels 3 as it has never been done in any other smartphone from any other manufacturer. Exploring and translating text, finding clothes or identifying popular plants and animals are just some examples of what can be done with this application that processes visual information with machine learning in a way that has never been done before to provide the user with extra information about the displayed objects.
Just press and hold the Pixel 3’s camera to easily open the Lens function. When the camera is aimed at information that the user wants to remember or does not feel like typing, such as a URL, a QR code, an advertisement sheet, an email address or a business card, Google Lens suggests what can be done later , such as creating a new contact. For business cards, for example, processing is done locally, without the need to connect to the Google cloud, thanks to the fact that a neural chip dedicated specifically for this functionality has been integrated into the device.
Since I already think I am over five minutes of reading, I am going to end up talking about Pixel Stand and Pixel USB-C headphones . In my opinion Pixel Stand is one of the great successes of the new Google devices. Not only is it a wireless charging base, compatible with the Qi standard, but it is also the door that opens the Pixel 3 to become an intelligent audio and video tool or assistant, being able to answer questions, play music, help the user to control other smart home appliances, and even transform into a photo frame when not in use. Pixel stand is also compatible with Google Home in any of its versions.
The Pixel USB-C headphones, meanwhile, have direct access to the intelligent assistant of the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL, and together with the Google Translate application they allow the user to have access to more than 40 languages and perform translations in real time. . Simply press the black button on the headset for several seconds and say, for example, “Help me speak Japanese.” Without a doubt I will try next week in Honk Kong, where I will be to follow the latest information on AI, 5G, IoT and Cloud, among other technologies, and check if I am able to understand myself with my Pixel 3 and headphones with the local language.
I forgot about the smart battery that machine learning also uses thanks to the development carried out with DeepMind – an English company of AI acquired by Google in 2014 – to determine the applications that the user uses most frequently and limit the use of the battery in the background. And I miss, in the face of such a deployment of artificial intelligence from Google in its Pixel 3, biometric authentication by facial recognition, and not only through the fingerprint. All flagship smartphones of most smartphone manufacturers already have facial recognition unlocking, and surely Google has the technology to integrate it into their devices. The question is why it doesn’t.
