Google fans' wait is over at last as four new AI-powered smartphones are revealed – about a month ahead of Apple's new offerings. Today, Google has unveiled its next generation of Pixel smartphones with the release of the 799 Pixel 9, 999 Pixel 9 Pro, and 1,099 Pixel 9 Pro XL. These will be joined by the 1,749 Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a long-awaited successor to the Google Pixel Fold. All of Google's latest offerings are boosted with the latest AI features thanks to an on-phone AI assistant and even more powerful chips. Google's AI-powered phones are now be capable of everything from creating recipes based on what's in the fridge to adding people into selfies.

The unveiling of Qualcomm's new flagship chip -- the Snapdragon 888 -- this week for Android smartphones underlines just how big a role artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities will play in upcoming smartphones. Like how the recent iPhone 12 launch unpacked the tiny transistors and the AI advantages of Apple's new A14 Bionic chip – promising nearly 30% uptick in CPU, GPU, and AI-powered sensors performances – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 is the chipmaker's first 5-nanometer chip. The smaller transistors on these 5nm chips mean that performance gains are boosted up to 35% higher than previous generations, and the 888 also has its 5G modem built into it rather than a separate component in previous chips – which means that connectivity is also being enhanced alongside the processing and graphical capabilities. The combination of 5G coverage and AI-powered sensor input should be no slouch for the next-generation of topline Android devices, but AI will not just be enhancing the camera and other sensors. "Qualcomm's addition of a large AI accelerator and TinyML to its next-generation 5G mobile platform is a game-changer for 5G mobile devices," said Lian Jye Su, the principal analyst at tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

HONG KONG – Artificial intelligence technologies are penetrating consumer markets faster than ever before. Now, in a world first, Chinese tech giant Honor has brought an AI-powered smartphone to the market – and it's poised to accelerate adoption of this groundbreaking technology. Honor, an independent sub-division of Huawei, first announced the flagship Honor View10 back in December of 2017. Billed as a lightning-fast consumer smartphone, there's much more going on under the skin of the View10 than is immediately obvious. The View10's Kirin 970 processor is integrated with a dedicated neural network processing unit (NPU) to deliver AI features and performance that the company claims'far surpasses' any CPU or GPU-powered architecture.

Analyst Gartner put out a 10-strong listicle this week identifying what it dubbed "high-impact" uses for AI-powered features on smartphones that it suggests will enable device vendors to provide "more value" to customers via the medium of "more advanced" user experiences. It's also predicting that, by 2022, a full 80 per cent of smartphones shipped will have on-device AI capabilities, up from just 10 per cent in 2017. More on-device AI could result in better data protection and improved battery performance, in its view -- as a consequence of data being processed and stored locally. Its full list of apparently enticing AI uses is presented (verbatim) below. But in the interests of presenting a more balanced narrative around automation-powered UXes we've included some alternative thoughts after each listed item which consider the nature of the value exchange being required for smartphone users to tap into these touted'AI smarts' -- and thus some potential drawbacks too.

Artificial intelligence is slowly making its way onto smartphones - and may be a staple feature on devices in 2018. Many smartphones released in the past year have included AI-focused hardware and software, from Google's Pixel phones to Apple's iPhones to Huawei's Mate line. These phones use AI in all sorts of clever ways, from imaging and photography, to power efficiency, to security. Here's a rundown of the current and coming AI-powered smartphones and the features that make them interesting. Get the latest Google stock price here.

More smartphone vendors are injecting Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their products, and research company Gartner believes that by 2022, 80% of smartphones will have on-device AI capabilities. This, Gartner believes, will be a critical selling point for smartphone vendors to retain current customers while acquiring new ones. "With smartphones increasingly becoming a commodity device, vendors are looking for ways to differentiate their products," said Gartner research director C.K. Lu. "Future AI capabilities will allow smartphones to learn, plan and solve problems for users. However, AI capabilities on smartphones are still in very early stages." So what can an AI-powered smartphones do for you?

Analyst Gartner put out a 10-strong listicle this week identifying what it dubbed "high-impact" uses for AI-powered features on smartphones that it suggests will enable device vendors to provide "more value" to customers via the medium of "more advanced" user experiences. It's also predicting that, by 2022, a full 80 per cent of smartphones shipped will have on-device AI capabilities, up from just 10 per cent in 2017. More on-device AI could result in better data protection and improved battery performance, in its view -- as a consequence of data being processed and stored locally. Its full list of apparently enticing AI uses is presented (verbatim) below. But in the interests of presenting a more balanced narrative around automation-powered UXes we've included some alternative thoughts after each listed item which consider the nature of the value exchange being required for smartphone users to tap into these touted'AI smarts' -- and thus some potential drawbacks too.

Huawei and Baidu have formed an alliance with the intention of sharing their expertise to lead the new generation of AI-powered smartphones. Many flagship smartphones are launching with dedicated AI chips -- including, of course, Huawei's very own Mate 10. Over the course of the next year, we expect these chips to be available in most high-end devices. Research firm Counterpoint Technology forecasts that more than half a billion smartphones that will be shipped around the world in 2020 will have AI capabilities at the chipset level. The current abilities of these devices are impressive, but limited.