The Google Pixel 9 series is warming up its engines for its launch in a few weeks and there’s a lot to be excited about, as this is going to be Google’s first phone built with AI in mind from the bottom-up. Google has been doing a lot with Gemini, so I expect a whole lot of AI integration.
While you’ll need to wait until August 13th to hear all the official news on the upcoming Google Pixel 9 devices (of which there are expected to be four models in total, if you include the Fold), a leak has given us the opportunity to time travel and see what Google is going to present when the day comes.
When It Comes To The Hardware And Specs, Here’s What You Can Expect From The Pixel 9 Phones
It’s far from a mystery what the Google Pixel 9 series is going to look like. We’ve been seeing leaks since about February, if I’m not mistaken, and true to form from the reliable leakers that gave us access to those renders back then, the official images from Google confirmed the new design. Thanks to one of those same reliable leakers, OnLeaks, we now know a lot more regarding the hardware of the Pixel 9 devices.
One general fact is that these phones will have a new palette available to them and you’ll be able to choose from Obsidian, Hazel, Porcelain, and Rose colorways (thanks, Android Headlines and OnLeaks). The back panel of the phone will have a matte glass finish and the side will be flat and polished. Genuinely, they look really good.
Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, And Pixel 9 Pro XL
We know that there’ll be a Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, as we’re used to. However, there’ll also be a Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will both have 6.3-inch displays and the Pixel 9 Pro XL will have a 6.8-inch screen instead. The leaks show that the Pixel 9 will have an “Actua” display and the Pro and Pro XL will have “Super Actua” displays, which seem to be high-resolution, high-brightness, LTPO OLED units. The Pixel 9 will likely not be LTPO.
All phones will run on the Tensor G4 chip, which is supposedly coming with better thermal management. The Pixel 9 Pro models will have 16GB of RAM and the Pixel 9 will make do with 12. You will also get a highly superior front camera for the Pro models, at 42MP compared to 10.5 on the Pixel 9. All three models will have a 50MP primary camera and a 48MP ultrawide, but only the Pros will get the 48MP telephoto.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google’s second attempt at a folding phone now wears the “Pro” moniker despite being somewhat different spec-wise in some categories. It has the same power as the other Pro phones with a Tensor G4 and 16GB of RAM, but there are some differences, especially in the camera field.
You get a 6.3-inch Actua display on the front with a “Super Actua Flex” unit measuring 8 inches on the inside. There’s no further info though. The primary camera is a 48MP module, the ultrawide is 10.5MP, and the telephoto lens is just 10.8MP. The selfie camera also has only 10MP. We talked about the actual breakdown of the sensors previously, and they’re all inferior to the vanilla model.
Let’s Talk About The Software Side Of Things
That’s everything that was unveiled on the software side, so let’s talk about the Pixel 9 software leaks that we have. First off, seven years of security updates is nice to hear (though I wonder how many years of OS updates that means; unlikely to also be seven).
Of course, Gemini and Circle to Search make an unsurprising appearance in the promotional material. A free year of Google One AI Premium gives you access to Gemini Advanced out of the box. We also get “Pixel Screenshots” which I don’t fully understand, but it’ll enable you to “save info that you want to remember later… so you can find what you need, right when you need it.”
You’ll be able to use AI-powered edits on pictures taken by your previous smartphones, and that’s clearly meant to make the porting process attractive. You also get Emergency SOS and crisis alerts.
It’s exciting to see what Google has in store for us. All that’s left now is to wait for August 13th for things to become official.
