The devices — smartphones, a virtual reality headset, a smart speaker, Wi-Fi router and an upgraded version of its Chromecast streaming gadget — were rolled out today at an event in San Francisco for (eventual) worldwide distribution.

The "inflection" was described by Google chief executive Sundar Pichai as the moment at which advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence have filtered out of the labs and into real world applications.

"When I look ahead at where computing is headed, it's clear to me that we're moving from a mobile-first to an AI-first world," Pichai said. "Our goal is build a personal Google for each and every user."

Australian users will be among the first in the world to get some of the new gear. The new Pixel phones, Google flagship Android smartphones, will be available for order from Wednesday (Australian time) on Google's online store. The phones will also be sold through Telstra and JB Hi-Fi outlets.

They will comes in two sizes: a 5-inch screen and a phablet-sized 5.5-inch screen with prices starting at $1079 — in the same league as the latest iPhones and top tier Samsung phones. And they come with 3.5mm headphone jacks.

"[Google's own] handsets still trail Apple and Samsung by a long way in terms of sales in Australia," said Foad Fadaghi, managing direct of Telsyte, a technology market research firm. "There are dedicated Nexus fans but given the manufacturers are not consistent, and they each have different retail and carrier arrangements it makes it difficult."

Here is a full list of the product announcements:

Pixel smartphones

Price and availability: starting from $1079 and available for order immediately.

It's goodbye to Nexus and hello to Pixel, the new brand name for Google's flagship smartphone.

The Nexus range have had to play second fiddle to the likes of the iPhone and Samsung's flagship range over the year, so the test is whether these "made by Google" phones (which are manufactured by HTC) will make bigger inroads.

Last year's model ranged from $899 for the larger screen Huawei-made Nexus 6P and $659 for the LG-made 5X. The 5-inch Pixel will range in price from $1079 for the 32GB version to $1229 for the 128G model. The Pixel XL 5.5-inch model will start at $1269 for the 32GB version and $1419 for the 128GB version.

As a sweetener, owners of the new Pixel phones will receive unlimited cloud storage for photos and videos, at full resolution.

The phones will each have 12 megapixel rear cameras, be powered by Snapdragon 821 processors and come with with 4GB of RAM.

Google says the phones' cameras are the best available today and demonstrated what it claims are dramatically improved photos and videos.

Daydream View virtual reality headset

Price and availability: $119 and available in November.

The virtual reality headset comes with a wireless controller that tucks away out of sight when not in use, and couples with the latest Google phones to produce VR images. Compatibility with other phones is coming.

Google has backed virtual reality as one of the next big things in consumer tech. It launched the low-cost Google Cardboard DIY headset in 2014. But with the launch of high end devices such as Facebook's Oculus and HTC's Vive, the Daydream View headset is firmly planting itself in the mid-range field.

Google has teamed up with 50 partners to bring apps and games to the Daydream platform before the end of the year.

Google Home

Price and availability: $US129 available for order today in the US. There was no announcement about Australian availability. This is Google's answer to Amazon's highly successful Echo, the voice-assisted smart speaker that was launched last year.

With one in five Google queries now performed by voice, Google Home is bringing hands-free search into the living room ... and kitchen and bedroom. The device can also control home automation, such as for lighting and smart thermostats.

Google Wi-Fi

Price and availability: $US129 for single router and $US299 three pack with US preorder in November for delivery in December. No Australian availability yet announced.

The Google router has a lot of smarts built into it, including the ability to block access for technology-obsessed children (and adults).

Chromecast Ultra

Price and availability: $99, but no details yet on Australian availability.

Chromecast is Google's successful answer to Apple TV and is now three years old. The company says it has 30 million of these devices since they were first launched in 2013. Google says the latest version of its home video and audio streaming gadget will deliver a crisper picture and less laggy performance.

The author attended the launch in San Francisco as a guest of Google.