The Google Pixel 9 Pro could come with a significant software bonus for free

Google will be announcing its next-gen hardware at its Made by Google event on 13 August with the Pixel 9 series of phones expected to dominate the billing. It looks like the Pixel 9 Pro could have a little bonus thrown in.

Over the past few years, Google has been increasing level of AI that’s in its devices, with a plan to bring all the AI features together under the umbrella of Google AI. But it might go a step further with access to 1 year of Gemini Advanced thrown in for those who buy the new Pixel 9 Pro.

The details come from 9to5Google which found evidence of the plan inside the beta of the latest Google app. That doesn't mean that it's definitely going to happen – sometimes there are fragments in beta software that don't make it to launch – but at the same time, it sounds like a great way for Google to push its services.

According to the leak, those who buy a Pixel 9 Pro might have access to 1-year of Gemini Advanced, free. The service currently costs – wait for it – £18.99 a month. That's right, this isn't a small subscription, it's a significant additional cost if you were to opt for Gemini Advanced – so free access potentially has a value of nearly £190 across the year (there's a 1-month free trial already).

What you're paying for in Gemini Advanced is quite sophisticated though, and the pricing is clearly set to match a ChatGPT Plus subscription. Gemini Advanced gets you access to Gemini 1.5 Pro, which includes the ability to code, you get a 1-million-token context window that will let you throw in a lot more information. You also get the benefits of a Google One subscription, including 2TB of cloud storage, Fitbit Premium, Nest Aware and a whole lot more.

What is Gemini and how it is different to Google Assistant?

Gemini is Google's AI service that broadly swept in to replace Bard – but it also has its sights on Google Assistant. It's available as an app for some Android phones and if you choose to install Gemini, it will replace Google Assistant and become your new voice assistant.

Gemini is, however, a slightly different proposition to Google Assistant. While it will answer many of the same questions, it doesn't replace everything that Google Assistant did. Ask Gemini on your phone to turn on the flashlight, for example, and the old Google Assistant logo still appears; ask it to identify a song and it will tell you how to do it rather than actually doing it. So Gemini currently feels a little unfinished as a Google Assistant replacement.

Gemini, however, will do things that Google Assistant never could – like analyse information that you feed it and give you summary information. Google Assistant defaults to Google Search for answers, whereas Gemini repackages that information and serves it up for you - and in doing so, can be positioned to do a lot more around your phone.

Gemini Advanced, however, feels much more like a professional version of that – which might not really have huge appeal to daily users. What Google really needs to do is complete the move, allowing Gemini to do everything that Google Assistant could do, so that it doesn't feel like you're taking a step backwards when you use the new AI service.