If you watched the Pixel 9 launch event earlier this week, you'll know that Google's new hardware had to share the stage with Google's Gemini AI. Much of the event focused on Gemini's upcoming upgrades and features, as well as all the hardware improvements that will allow Pixel phones to take full advantage of tools, both on-device and offline.
Google also announced that anyone who buys a Pixel 9 Pro, including the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, will be able to get one year of access to Gemini Advanced through Google One, which would normally cost you at least $240. But what if you want to buy the standard Pixel 9 instead?
Well, you get absolutely nothing, which is to say no access to Gemini Advanced unless you pay for it yourself. Not even a discounted 6-month free trial to account for the fact that the Pixel 9 is $200 less than the Pixel 9 Pro. And this Gemini omission seems like a huge oversight to me.
Google should offer Gemini Advanced to as many people as possible
While many previous Pixels have all featured some level of AI, it’s clear that Google is promoting the Pixel 9 series as true “AI phones,” particularly when it comes to on-device AI. Google isn’t the only phone maker attempting this, though it’s very well-positioned to appeal to AI enthusiasts. Google has years of AI experience, custom Tensor chips optimized for AI, and a vast array of features on offer, most if not all of which were developed in-house. There’s no outsourcing features to companies like OpenAI or Meta here.
While many of Gemini's features are available for free, many of the more powerful options are not. If you want access to Gemini Advanced, which is the first place features like Gemini Live appear, you'll have to pay for the privilege.
The problem is how to convince people that these features are actually worth using and paying for. You give them free access, and the more freebies you get, the more likely people are to get used to the perks and stick with their subscription. A year of access is pretty generous, especially considering it also comes with 2TB of Google One cloud storage, but there have to be some extra perks to buying a Pixel.
But why is this perk only available if you buy a Pro model? If Google wants people to start using Gemini Advanced more frequently, it should offer these generous free trials to everyone who can afford it, including those who want a standard Pixel 9.
The Pixel 9 is actually a Pro with one less camera
Our first impressions of the Pixel 9 have been very positive. In our hands-on Google Pixel 9 review, we concluded that the phone was actually a Pixel Pro in disguise. Tom's Guide's phones editor John Velasco even went so far as to call the Pro and Pro XL models “overrated.”
The fact is, the Pixel 9 has many of the same improvements as the Pro models. Sure, it doesn't have a telephoto camera, but it still has the same fast Tensor G4 chipset, the same main and ultra-wide lenses, the same AI features, and 4GB more RAM than the Pixel 8.
While the Pixel 9's 12GB might not be as impressive as the Pro's 16GB, Google said the upgrade is purely to help the Pixel 9 run on-device AI better. And you're saving $200 over the cheapest Pro model.
And yet, despite the impressive hardware and this push towards on-device AI, Google is leaving Pixel 9 buyers high and dry when it comes to more advanced features. I understand that giving that 12-month Gemini Advanced subscription to Pro buyers is an incentive to buy the Pro model, especially with current prices. But completely ignoring the standard Pixel 9 isn’t just insulting, it feels completely counterintuitive.
Giving Pixel 9 buyers 6 months of Gemini Advanced would be even better than giving them nothing at all. Maybe someone did the math and figured out that it’s better for Google to give Pixel 9 Pro buyers all the best stuff. But if the company really wants people to use its AI features and sign up for Gemini Advanced, it needs to actively seek them out as customers.
In conclusion
There’s an old business adage that it’s much easier to retain customers than to actively seek out new ones. It’s been clear for some time that Google is betting big on Gemini and AI on phones, but the success of that initiative depends on people’s ability to use the features available to them, and even more so the premium features that cost $20 a month.
Hooking them in with an extended free trial and letting them get used to premium features is a surefire way to convince people who otherwise wouldn’t subscribe to stick around. The conversion rate won’t be 100%, but Google can at least try to show Pixel users the value of subscribing to Gemini Advanced without asking them to shell out money up front.
It’s just baffling that Google is completely ignoring people who want to buy the Pixel 9. It’s a cheaper option, sure, but these are the people who are the least likely to sign up for an expensive subscription service without some sort of incentive. And you’d think Google would want to do something about it.