Hasta La Ideas

In the beginning, Google was content to let its hardware partners shape people’s impressions of the Android mobile platform. With the launch of the first Pixel phone in 2016, however, it started to reveal its own vision for Android, not just in terms of software but for the overall user experience. Of course, visions and priorities change over time, and so do the focus and design for Pixel phones. With everything these days revolving around AI, it’s no surprise that Gemini, Google’s own AI platform, is at the heart of the new Pixel 9 series. But are these phones just vehicles for Gemini or do they have more to offer? With the smaller Pixel 9 Pro and the extra-large Pixel 9 Pro XL in our hands, we give Google’s latest smartphones a spin to see what all the fuss is about.

Designer:

Aesthetics

Remember the “Panda Phone,” a.k.a. the Google Pixel 2 XL? Pixel phones have always had rather distinctive designs bordering on being playful and fun. But as the phone line matured, so did their designs. Compared to the very first Pixels, the Pixel 9 Pro is more mellow, subdued, and grown up. Even the colors are a bit muted compared the last year’s selection. And it’s actually all for the best.

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Pixel 9 Pro now competes in a market where the previously young generation are now young adults and budding professionals. Tastes and needs change, and product design needs to adapt. Gone is the distinctive but divisive “visor” camera bar, now with an equally eye-catching but more modern-looking pill. It still sits across the width of the phone but leaves some space at the sides. While this gives the Pixel 9 Pro a more unified and mature appearance, it also makes the past dual-tone color combinations impossible to implement, at least not without some superficial gimmick.

The change in camera design also frees the Pixel 9 Pro to finally adopt what is now regarded to be a more contemporary convention: flatness all around. The edges are flat and, at long last, so is the back. There will be many that will disagree, definitely, but it’s a change that’s a long time coming either way. The four corners are still very much curved, of course, but this pillow design not only softens the appearance of the Pixel 9 Pro a bit but also literally softens the feel in your hand. One curious detail is that the SIM card tray at the bottom is also curved to follow the contour of the phone’s corner. It shows an attention to detail you might have come to expect from a certain fruity company but not from Google.

Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro gives off an aura of professionalism, maturity, and subtle elegance. It highlights the premium materials that Google has always been using but now feels more noticeable. Yes, it’s still playing up some of the fun things you can accomplish with the phone, especially with generative AI, but that is now a function of the user experience rather than the phone’s aesthetics. It’s almost as if Google wanted to show that, yes, the Pixel 9 Pro is now all grown up so you don’t have to feel shy about taking it out in the boardroom or in galas.

Ergonomics

Disregarding their foldable sibling, the Pixel 9 series this year comes in three models but only two sizes. Both the “plain” Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro come with 6.3-inch screens while the Pixel 9 Pro XL enjoys a much larger 6.8-inch screen. Except for the rather large $200 price difference, there almost isn’t any significant reason to go for the non-Pro model when the Pixel 9 Pro comes in that same handy size but also offers a lot more, well, pixels.

And handy it truly is, making the Pixel 9 Pro easier to hold and operate, even with one hand. The premium materials, particularly the matte glass finish, offer a good grip, and those flat edges sink better into your hand than curved ones. And for good measure, that horizontal camera island gives your index finger a good resting spot, almost like a built-in grip. That camera “pill” design also has one advantage when the phone is laid on a table: it doesn’t wobble.

In that context, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is obviously harder to handle, but that’s the price you’ll have to pay for a much larger screen. In terms of materials and design, it’s equal to the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, but unless you have very large hands, chances are, you will be gripping the phone harder than normal, at least if you’re holding it with one hand only. It could lead to a bit of strain and tiredness in the long run and a bit less confidence in holding the phone overall.

Performance

The Pixel 9 series also debuted Google’s fourth-gen self-made silicon, the Tensor G4. From the very beginning, these processors were made with AI and machine learning in mind, hence the name, and it definitely shows here, for better or worse. If you will be judging solely by benchmarks, you might come off pretty disappointed. It definitely lags behind the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, let alone Apple’s new A18, but don’t let those numbers fool you. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL perform quite well in real-world scenarios, and even better when AI is involved, to no one’s surprise.

If there’s one actually unfortunate aspect of the Tensor G4, it would be its continuing thermal woes. It doesn’t get burning hot, mind you, but the Pixel 9 gets noticeably warm sometimes even under moderate load. This is even more pronounced in the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, perhaps due to its smaller size. More than just some discomfort, this could affect performance, especially in graphics, where the Tensor G4 is forced to throttle sooner to lower the temperature faster.

Pixel phones have always been great in photography, and not always because they have great camera hardware. From the very beginning, Google has relied on computational photography to do more with less, and it has been quite successful at that. This year, it didn’t even skimp on the hardware, giving both Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL the same powerful trio of cameras: a 50MP main camera with OIS, a 48MP periscope telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and OIS, and a 48MP ultra-wide shooter.

As you can probably guess, the combination of decent hardware and even more advanced software results in rather impressive photos and videos. Details are rich, colors are accurate, noise is low, and even a 10x “hybrid” zoom results in decent captures. That’s true even when the lighting isn’t perfect, though there are times when you can catch that the Pixel 9 did a little too much processing to compensate. Of course, there are also plenty of AI features at work here, and that’s also when things can get a bit spotty. Zoom Enhance might sound and look great on CSI, but you might end up catching the wrong person if you rely on the Pixel’s sometimes erroneous guesswork.

AI is, of course, the bread and butter of the Pixel 9 Pro, almost to the point that you could say that it is its raison d’être. Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live, in particular, take center stage in any Pixel 9 discussion, and it is where the phone both shines and, to some extent, fails. No, it’s not that it flops in performance or believability. In fact, it’s scary good that you might even start to worry about the future of humanity. The problem lies in what can be considered really useful and what is just fluff, and, in the final analysis, whether the Pixel 9 Pro has any value without those.

The Pixel 9 Pro is naturally overflowing with AI features. Gemini Live ventures into uncanny valley with its natural sounding voices and conversational capabilities, though you might want to always fact-check before driving to a recommended restaurant that closed years ago. Call Notes is going to be a lifesaver for people who always find themselves in online meetings, and thankfully Gemini openly declares its presence to let other people know there’s an invisible participant. There are also the basics like summarize for long articles and, of course, translate.

And then there are the AI features for more “creative” activities, like Magic Editor’s Reimagine which lets you replace the sky or the ground with other elements, basically a photo-bashing tool on your phone. Pixel Studio is Gemini’s version of text-based image editor everyone’s raving or ranting about, except it can’t or won’t generate images of people. And then there’s Add Me, which lets you compose yourself or any other person into the shot by taking two versions. Useful for when you have nobody around to take a group photo and fun for the first few times.

Some of these features can be quite useful, while others feel more like gimmicks to flex Gemini’s AI muscles. And others still feel like they need a few more iterations to become reliable, presuming you’ll even use them in the future. And for all of those features, Gemini takes up a 3GB chunk of the Pixel 9 Pro’s 16GB RAM, whether you use it or not.

Sustainability

Google has clearly set itself apart from other Android phone manufacturers, not just in design or in how it presents Android, but also in how it ensures the health of the planet for every Pixel made. Every year, it steps up its efforts to use more sustainable materials, like how the Pixel 9 Pro frame is made from 100% recycled aluminum and how its packaging is 100% plastic-free.

And there’s the effort to ensure the longevity of the Pixel 9 Pro, both in hardware and software. Google has committed to serving seven years’ worth of software updates, so the Pixel 9 is guaranteed to remain fresh until 2031 at least. That hopefully also means that kinks in Gemini’s results will also be ironed over time and pushed to the Pixel 9 Pro. Google is also working with iFixit to add the Pixel 9 to the self-repair list, providing instructions and official replacement parts. It won’t be a comprehensive selection, but still better than zero.

Value

Now comes the hard part, determining whether the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are worth their weight in gold. That “gold” is actually $999 and $1,099 for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, respectively, and the price gives you the base model with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Yes, you only get 128GB of internal storage that you can never expand, at least not physically. Of course, Google wants you to use its cloud storage for almost everything, but that paltry capacity is really stingy. And then there’s the hidden cost of Gemini Advanced, which will be a $20 monthly subscription after the first free year runs out. But if people won’t migrate to a paid subscription for those AI features, what will be left of the Pixel 9 Pro?

Without AI, the Pixel 9 Pro is a pretty OK Android phone, but it’s really just a little above average. Yes, the cameras are great and don’t rely on Gemini to produce great results, but they’re not the best in class either. Performance outside of AI is pretty mediocre, and mobile gamers will be left unsatisfied with the results. The Pixel 9 Pro really shines brightest when you take into account AI and Gemini, and there might not be any better vehicle for Google’s AI. But if you’re not part of that crowd, there might be little reason to reach for a Pixel 9 Pro for now or upgrade from a Pixel 8 Pro that will be getting some of those AI features soon anyway.

Verdict

The Google Pixel is finally all grown up. From a frivolous youth, it has now become a rather dashing and elegant smartphone with a design that can stand proud beside the biggest players in the market. It retains its impressive camera performance thanks to a combination of contemporary camera hardware and improved imaging algorithms. There are some hardware choices that make little sense in this day and age, such as the 128GB base storage and 27W charging for the Pixel 9 Pro. Its focus on AI, however, is both its strength as well as its weakness. Gemini’s capabilities are impressive and sometimes downright frightening, but not everyone is completely sold on it, especially with a $999 price tag that will have a $20 recurring monthly cost. There might come a time when these AI features will become standard, but that is still in the near future. That makes the Pixel 9 Pro a bit of a harder sell today, no matter how beautiful it has finally become.

The post Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL Review: AI Future Today first appeared on Yanko Design.

The founders of Australian studio Zuzana & Nicholas have used a “robust palette” of stone, concrete and steel to transform a former workers’ cottage in Brisbane into their own studio and house.

Located in the Red Hill neighbourhood, the cottage was originally designed in the Queenslander style that defines much of Brisbane’s suburbs – a type of timber-framed house elevated above an open undercroft and fronted by a veranda.

Architects Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper, the founders of Zuzana & Nicholas, looked to restore and update the cottage’s original character after alterations over the past century had seen its undercroft filled in and the majority of its original structure replaced.

“The project was conceptualised as a ‘shop-house’ and sought to resolve the combination of private domestic spaces with public studio space within the one building envelope,” the studio told Dezeen.

Maintaining the division between the undercroft and the home, the concrete lower level now houses the studio, while the timber-framed spaces above contain two bedrooms and the living, dining and kitchen areas.

The materiality of each of these areas reflects its use, with hardwood panelling in the living areas referencing the original structure, and a more utilitarian palette of exposed concrete and metal for the studio.

“The bedrooms, living room and kitchen have been remade with expressed timber framing in a native Australian hardwood, referencing the construction of the existing house but with a new material character that provides a texture and intimacy to the private spaces,” said Zuzana & Nicholas.

“The rooms at the back of the house, along with the architecture studio, have been made in a more restrained and robust palette of stone, concrete, rendered block and galvanised steel that feels appropriate for the semi-public and semi-external quality of these spaces,” it added.

In the studio, a concrete step and full-height sliding glass door allow access into the rear garden, alongside a book-lined staircase with steel panels to reflect natural light.

“When the studio sliding doors retract, the remaining enclosure is formed by raw concrete and masonry, giving the sense of a cool grotto on the edge of the garden, providing respite from the hot, humid climate,” said the studio.

On the upper level, a sliding wall at the rear of the home opens up a covered dining area overlooking the garden from a balcony of galvanised steel mesh.

Once closed, this sliding wall blends in with the white-painted wooden cladding on the exterior of the home’s upper storey.

Thanks to its position on a corner plot, the studio and house have separate entrances and addresses. The home is accessed via the front of the building and the studio is entered from the side street.

Other recent projects that have involved updates to traditional Brisbane cottages include an extension by John Ellway incorporating a series of small gardens and a raw timber and concrete extension by Nielsen Jenkins.

The photography is by Clinton Weaver.

Project credits:

Architect: Zuzana & Nicholas
Project team: Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper
Builder: Thirdson Constructions
Landscape design: Zuzana & Nicholas
Structural engineer: NGS Engineers

The post Zuzana & Nicholas transforms Brisbane cottage into own home and studio appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, we were the first to showcase Apple’s new events venue, built into a hillside at the technology company’s Apple Park campus.

The building, which was designed “as a contemplative space” featuring natural stone, terrazzo and wood, is the most significant addition to the campus since the Steve Jobs Theater opened in 2017.

It will be used to host launch events and showcase Apple’s latest technology.

We also unveiled the longlists for the 2024 Dezeen Awards, which champion design excellence and showcase innovation from architects and designers around the globe.

The architecture, interiors and design longlists were the first to be announced, followed by the sustainability longlist, which was revealed on Thursday. All of the projects that made our list can be found on the Dezeen Awards 2024 longlist page.

Construction has begun on a 206-metre-tall skyscraper in Omaha, set to be the “tallest skyscraper in Nebraska” upon completion.

Designed by US architecture studio Pickard Chilton, the tower will be the new corporate headquarters of insurance company Mutual of Omaha.

Another skyscraper to catch readers’ attention this week was a green-tiled tower by Studio Gang in San Francisco. Called Verde, the 23-storey building is the final tower completed in the first phase of the city’s waterfront Mission Rock development.

Paint brand Dulux unveiled its colour of the year this week. True Joy is an “uplifting” bright yellow colour, chosen for its bold and sunny disposition, which adds a sense of cheerfulness to interiors.

In other design news, this year’s UK James Dyson Award winner was named. The team behind Pyri, a pinecone-shaped wildfire detector built out of wax and charcoal, has won £5,000 to further develop the concept.

Chinese architecture studio MAD installed Tornado, its huge steel staircase, on top of the Fenix Museum in Rotterdam. The sculptural form is clad in 297 highly polished stainless-steel panels and its installation marks the topping-out of the museum.

Also in the Netherlands, Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis has created a sculptural fountain made of stacked onyx slabs for the Vondelpark in Amsterdam.

The piece reused coloured onyx stone slabs from the SolidNature installation at last year’s Milan Design Week.

After Burning Man drew to a close in the Nevada desert, we showcased 10 installations from the festival including this year’s effigy, which was designed as a series of elevated pathways made from wood.

In other US news, British studio Foster + Partners has renovated the modernist Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The firm restored elements from the office skyscraper’s original design and linked it to a redesigned adjacent park.

In the UK, artist Alex Chinneck installed a six-metre-high looped canal boat on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal to celebrate the heritage of the waterway.

The 13-metre-long and six-metre-high sculpture was created as a free-to-visit artwork and fabricated from steel and aluminium before being painted in traditional colours.

Popular projects featured on Dezeen this week included the conversion of a brutalist post office, a renovated loft in Brooklyn and a Czech provostry expansion.

This week’s lookbooks featured sumptuous members’ clubs and living rooms with sculptural coffee tables.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

The post This week we exclusively revealed the subterranean Apple Park Observatory appeared first on Dezeen.

French firms always struggle to make do with the limited room found in tiny homes, since the country’s towing laws are pretty strict, and they dictate compact and small homes. To deal with the issue of excessively limited space in a tiny home, Plume created its recent Cosmos model with a clever space-saving interior that incorporates a handy netted upstairs area. Based on a double-axle trainer, the Cosmos features a length of 20 feet and is quite small compared to North American tiny homes.

Designer: Plume

The Cosmos features a finishing of thermally treated poplar cladding, and it is topped with an aluminum roof. A glass front door leads you to the living room, which is quite spacious for a French tiny home. The living room includes a sofa, coffee bed, shelving, and a wood-burning stove for warmth. The home is amped with loads of generous glazing, which creates a pretty light-filled interior. As you walk further into the home, you are welcomed by a kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with an electric oven, a propane-powered two-burner stove, a mini-fridge/freezer, a sink, and plenty of storage space. It also includes a small dining table. The kitchen and bathroom are connected, although the bathroom is pretty small, and features a shower, sink, and toilet.

The Cosmos has an upper storey which can be accessed via a staircase that is incorporated into the kitchen unit. The upper level includes the master bedroom, which is like most loft-style bedrooms found in tiny homes. Although the bedroom does include a door for some privacy. The opposite end of the floor hosts another loft-style bedroom which can be used for guests. Both the bedrooms are connected through the netted area, which is excellent for sitting and catching up on some reading. This section also allows sunlight to enter and spread throughout the home.

The post The Cosmos Tiny Home Features A Cozy Netted Upstairs Area For Reading & Chilling first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 have taken another significant step forward in redefining personal tech by earning FDA approval to function as over-the-counter hearing aids. This announcement comes as no surprise given Apple’s continued focus on integrating health-related features into its devices. At $250, the AirPods Pro 2 are positioned as a cost-effective solution compared to traditional hearing aids, which often cost thousands of dollars.

Apple is also helping users become more aware of their hearing health through an integrated, clinically validated hearing test. Conducted right from the AirPods Pro 2 paired with an iPhone, the test takes just five minutes. Users simply respond to tones at varying volumes and frequencies, making it a quick and accessible method to check for early signs of hearing loss. The results are then stored securely in Apple’s Health app, where users can track their hearing health over time and share the data with healthcare providers if needed​. Given that 80% of adults in the U.S. haven’t had their hearing checked in the last five years, according to Apple’s findings, this feature could play a crucial role in detecting hearing problems earlier.

The technology behind this innovation leverages the AirPods Pro 2’s H2 chip. Users can perform these hearing tests right from the iPhone. Once the user completes the hearing test, the AirPods Pro can automatically adjust audio settings to amplify sounds specifically tailored to their hearing profile. This means that whether you’re in a conversation, listening to music, or on a phone call, the AirPods Pro 2 will enhance the sounds that matter most to you, making interactions clearer and more accessible. Unlike traditional hearing aids, which can be costly and often come with limited sound quality, the AirPods Pro 2 offers a more affordable and seamless solution. Apple’s tight integration of hardware and software ensures that users benefit from pro-level sound quality in every aspect, from listening to music to engaging in real-world conversations.

The FDA’s approval followed a clinical study involving 118 participants who experienced mild to moderate hearing loss. According to the results, the self-fitting feature of the AirPods Pro 2 provided comparable benefits to professionally fitted devices, with no adverse effects reported. This breakthrough is part of a broader regulatory shift in the U.S., which, starting in 2022, allowed for over-the-counter hearing aids. This effort was driven by a desire to provide more affordable options for the approximately 30 million Americans who suffer from hearing impairments. With regulatory approvals from bodies like the FDA, the hearing aid functionality will be available in over 100 countries, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan, Apple says.

Despite its potential, using AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids does come with limitations. Traditional hearing aids are designed to be worn for extended periods, offering maximum comfort and effectiveness. While AirPods Pro 2 are known for their comfort, they are still consumer-grade earbuds with a limited battery life lasting just a few hours rather than entire days. Their primary function remains entertainment, and they may not be suitable for people with severe hearing issues. Moreover, this functionality will only be available in the AirPods Pro 2 model, not the more affordable $130 or $180 versions of AirPods 4, which also launched recently.

Nonetheless, this is a critical development for accessibility in personal technology. Compared to traditional hearing aids, which can range from $2,000 to $10,000, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 offer a solution at a fraction of the cost. Although Apple is not known for affordable budget-friendly products, its disruption of this market underscores the need for more affordable health tech options.

The post AirPods Pro 2 can now function as Hearing Aids after FDA grands Apple approval first appeared on Yanko Design.