Google is taking phone calls to the next level with the Pixel 9 series

Although we learned almost everything about the Pixel 9 series ahead of today’s event, Google still had a few surprises in store. The new calling features introduced with the latest flagship lineup are a case in point, and they could make the Pixel 9 devices the best phones for making or receiving calls.

The Call Assist suite on Pixel devices already packs impressive features, like Hold for Me, Call Screen, Clear Calling, and Direct My Call, that elevate your calling experience. With the Pixel 9 series, Google is taking things up a notch by adding two new features and bringing some Clear Calling improvements.

Firstly, Google has added a new Call Notes feature to the suite that records calls and gives you a summary of the call once you hang up. With this feature, you won’t have to worry about forgetting important information discussed during a call, as it will provide you with a bullet list of all the noteworthy details.

Google says that Call Notes will only rely on on-device processing and won’t share any details from your calls with the company. In addition, it will notify the other party that it’s recording the call, but it’s not clear if explicit consent will be required from them to proceed.

The company also explained that calls need to be at least 30 seconds long for Call Notes to work. It didn’t reveal availability details either, aside from confirming that it’s “not available in all countries or languages.”

Along with Call Notes, the Pixel 9 series will get support for Satellite SOS. This feature will roll out to Pixel 9 devices in the US later this year and let users make emergency calls through satellites even when they don’t have a network connection. Satellite SOS will be free for the first two years and will roll out to additional markets at a later date.

As for the Clear Calling improvements, Google says it has further improved audio quality on the Pixel 9 series using AI enhancements and added support for calls made over narrow-band LTE.

The Call Assist suite improvements will be available on all four Pixel 9 models. Google might extend them to older Pixel models as well, but the company has yet to share any details about the same.

Google’s spec sheet does not explicitly mention any modem improvements, but past leaks have also strongly suggested that the Pixel 9 series comes with the new Samsung Exynos Modem 5400. Leaks suggest that the modem is expected to be faster and more power-efficient than the previous generations. Users of Pixel devices have long complained of poor modem performance affecting network reception, calls, and data connectivity, so there could be some improvements here to look forward to. We’ll report more on this as we spend more time with the new devices.