While every numbered Pixel phone to date has arrived in September or October, it looks like Google will be breaking with tradition at a Made by Google event next month. And the good news keeps coming, with a new code dive suggesting that buyers of the Pixel 9 will get a very nice freebie as part of the deal.
In a post on The Spandroid, @AssembleDebug explains how decompiling the Google App beta APK (15.28.37.29) exposed a couple of revealing lines of code that seem to promise free access to Gemini Advanced for Pixel 9 Pro buyers.
“Your Pixel Pro gives you access to a 1-year subscription to Gemini Advanced, our most capable AI model with priority access to new features, at no cost to you,” reads one line with the string name “assistant_zero_state_google_one_p9_eft_upsell_body”.
Gemini Advanced is the paid version of Google’s advanced AI chatbot, which offers a bunch of useful upgrades compared to the free software. Not only does it come with the 1.5 Pro AI model, but it allows the upload of documents for summarizing and data cleaning, the ability to run Python code directly, advanced access to new features and 2TB of Google One storage.
All that comes to $20 a month, meaning Pixel 9 Pro buyers could save a not-unsubstantial $240 over their free year. It would then be up to them if they decided to keep paying or not.
The bad news is that the non-Pro offering appears to literally be less generous by half. A second string labeled “assistant_zero_state_google_one_p9_short_eft_upsell_body” merely states that “your Pixel may give you access to a 6-month subscription to Gemini Advanced”.
Given how definite the first phrasing was, the use of the word “may” here is interesting, but either way it offers a clear distinction: “Pixel Pro” gets a year, while “Pixel” gets six months.
It’s important not to read too much into this, however. Both could just be holding texts, and it’s entirely possible that Google hasn’t decided how generous it wanted to be at the time of writing. Notably, for a time, the Pixel 8 family came with four months’ of Gemini Advanced.
We should find out in just 29 days, assuming the Pixel 9 does indeed make an appearance at the August 13 event. We’re expecting the regular model to be joined by two Pro versions: a 6.1-inch model and the brand-new 6.7-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL. All three will reportedly get the new Tensor G4 chipset and new AI tricks aplenty.
