The Pixel Recorder app has had some limitations in the past, but it appears to have improved in the Pixel 9 series

The Pixel Recorder app is, in theory, a great Pixel-exclusive feature, thanks to which it provides a real-time transcription on the device and a bulleted summary over it on certain models For older models, this transcription is performed by an older version of Gemini Nano, a mobile-only version of Google Gemini's large-scale language model These older versions of Gemini Nano struggle to transcribe recordings longer than 15 minutes, which is a major limitation However, the Google Pixel 9 series has greatly improved on this with an improved version of the Nano

The Pixel 9 series includes an improved version of the Gemini Nano with multimodalities that power new AI features This includes an updated Recorder app, which seems to have surpassed its previous limitations, at least to some extent; in a recent report by Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman was able to transcribe a 41-minute recording on the Pixel 9 However, the Pixel 9 still cannot transcribe recordings longer than an hour

The fact that the Pixel Recorder's transcription is still limited to less than an hour limits who can take full advantage of this feature for the time being However, the fact that transcription is done in real time and the option to summarize with bullet points still stands out compared to other options that can transcribe longer recordings, such as iOS 18's transcription feature on phones not equipped with Apple Intelligence outstanding

The Google Pixel 9 series has several hardware improvements as well as software improvements For example, the new Tensor G4 chip is a clear upgrade in power and power efficiency from the previous Tensor G3; the Pixel 9 also has improved battery life and a brighter, tougher display Google has also increased RAM capacity on all models to make AI tasks easier to handle, and the ultra-wide camera has also been updated

While there are still some limitations, the Pixel 9 series deserves a spot on the best phones of 2024 list For more information on the new devices, see our reviews of the Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL and our hands-on review of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold