GoKawiilIn real life, my Spanish is a little rusty. I can understand most conversations, but speaking is another story, as if the words and verb tenses are sitting on some dusty shelf I haven’t touched since high school. Right now, though, I’m hearing myself speak Spanish so rapidly and smoothly that I sound fluent.
Except I’m not. It’s Google’s Live Translate feature, dubbing one of my YouTube reviews in real time.
With the brand-new Pixel 11 Pro XL in my hand, I can tap on virtually any YouTube video and hear it translated on the fly, opening up a world of foreign-language content that I can have dubbed into English – or Spanish or Arabic, if I really want to put my language skills to the test.
Live Translate for media is just one of a handful of new Gemini Intelligence features launching on Google’s new Pixel 11 series, announced Wednesday. Along with instant translations, this suite of AI capabilities is designed to handle mundane tasks like adding something to your calendar, automatically filling out a form and sharing your flight details with loved ones. That way, you don’t have to hop between apps to track down that information yourself.
Some Gemini Intelligence features launched on Samsung’s latest foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8. But several new features I had the opportunity to try out last week at Google’s Mountain View, California, headquarters are arriving on Pixel 11 phones first, and will later become available on additional premium Android phones.
“We want to make sure that if you’re getting a great Android device, you should get all the great AI experiences that we’re building as well. It’s not a Pixel-only thing,” Seang Chau, vice president and general manager of Android Platform, told me. “Gemini Intelligence then becomes a brand statement that’s essentially: ‘What you have in your hand is the best that we have to offer.'”
Magic Capture snapped this shot without me hitting the shutter button. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
Magic Capture
It wouldn’t be a Pixel launch without some AI camera updates. A new feature called Magic Capture lives within the camera app, next to the photo and video controls. When tapped, Magic Capture will analyze the scene and then automatically find the best shots, so you don’t have to tap the shutter button for each individual snapshot. Just hold your phone up, and your Pixel will record the scene and then pinpoint the best moments for a photo.
I tested this out while kicking a soccer ball back and forth. I pointed the Pixel’s camera at my passing partner and could focus more on playing rather than checking my framing or taking photos at the right moment. Magic Capture ended up choosing some pretty epic shots of him doing tricks, without me looking out for when to hit the shutter button.
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