Google is preparing a special offer for those who purchase a Pixel 9 Pro phone, giving them a year of free access to Gemini Advanced to fully experience the generative AI capabilities of Pixel technologies.
Purchased separately, Gemini Advanced, the premium version of the Gemini chatbot, costs $19.99 per month (US rate). It comes with multiple Google One membership benefits like 2TB of Google Drive storage, advanced image editing filters in Google Photos, advanced Workspace tools and more. It's unclear whether these additional benefits will be included in the offering for Pixel 9 Pro buyers, but access to Gemini Advanced is certainly a big plus.
Reading between the lines, it becomes apparent that Google plans to monetize many of the Pixel 9's generative AI-based features. This promotion appears to be a subtle strategy to lure users into a new service model that they will have to subscribe to in order to keep the benefits they experienced in the first year of using the Pixel 9.
You may remember the controversy surrounding the Galaxy's paid AI features, which after an initial free period created confusion and discontent among Samsung fans. Unlike Samsung, Google tries to present free as a benefit, deferring the issue of subscription for device functionality.
It's also important to clarify how dependent the Pixel 9 Pro is on access to Gemini Advanced, and whether the lack of access would reduce the phone to the level of a previous-generation Pixel 8. For example, Gemini Live, the new conversational mode that allows natural interaction with Gemini, is only available in the premium version of the service.
Admittedly, Google is also offering Pixel 8 buyers a free trial, but it's limited to just 4 months.
