Google has rocked the tech world by announcing its next Made By Google Event much earlier than usual, and that means we’re getting a rare Pixel-themed summer treat.
That comes in the form of the Pixel 9 range, and unlike previous two-device releases, this year’s Pixel range is set to be comprised of a whopping four devices, including an entirely new entry to the Pixel range and a new foldable.
It gets even better; the Pixel 9 range has extensively leaked over the past few months, giving us a pretty clear picture of what to expect from the mid-August announcement – and it’s set to be a doozy.
To save you the hassle of scouring the web yourself, we’ve collated everything there is to know about the Pixel 9 range right now, from release date and pricing rumors to the latest design and spec leaks, as well as our Trusted Take on what the Pixel 9 needs to excel.
Google Pixel 9: At a glance
- The Pixel 9 range will be revealed on 13 August 2024
- There will be four models in the Pixel 9 collection, including a foldable
- The Pixel 9 range should feature the new Tensor G4 chipset
- New on-device AI capabilities and photo editing tools
Google Pixel 9 rumored release date & pricing
- The Pixel 9 reveal is set for 13 August 2024
- Pixel 9 could be more expensive in Europe
Like Apple and its September iPhone launch, you could set your watch to the Pixel launch in October. In fact, every single flagship Pixel launch has happened sometime in October (except the Pixel 5’s late September announcement) so it’s a pretty easy one to predict.
Not this year though; Google has announced a ‘Made By Google’ event set to take place on 13 August 2024, a whole two months earlier than expected, and the company is making no secret of the fact that the Pixel 9 range will be in attendance, teasing the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro Fold and new Gemini features.
However, little is known about the pricing of this year’s Pixel range. For reference, the Pixel 8 will set you back £699/$699, while the Pixel 8 Pro comes in at a cool £999/$999 – a £100/$100 price hike compared to the Pixel 7 range.
While we could see something similar this year, especially with rumors that the standard Pixel 9 might see a €100 price hike in Europe, the hope is that Google can stick to its Pixel 8-level pricing. Either way, it’s likely we’ll hear more about pricing as we get closer to the 13 August reveal.
How many models of Google Pixel 9 will there be?
- Four phones in the Pixel 9 collection
- New Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Also includes a second-gen foldable
While in previous generations of Pixel, we’ve seen a combination of a standard Pixel and a Pixel Pro, rumors suggest that the Pixel 9 collection is set to expand by quite a bit, with four devices in this year’s collection.
The rumor initially came way back in December 2022 with a leak allegedly sharing Google’s roadmap for future Pixels, noting that the Pixel 9 collection would be comprised of three models.
Fast forward to this year and we’ve seen plenty of sources pointing towards three models of Pixel 9 – the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL – including rather reputable sources like @OnLeaks, and Android Central has shared photos of what appear to be Thinborne cases of the Pixel 9 range, including both a Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL.
So, what about the fourth phone in the collection? That’s rumored to be the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a follow-up to the Pixel Fold that launched last year.
It’s a smart decision, as it allows the foldable to take advantage of the latest Tensor chipset – one of the big issues with the original Fold. With Google teasing the foldable specifically in one of its event snippets, it’s all but confirmed to be a part of the Pixel 9 collection.
Google Pixel 9 design and screen rumors
- Refreshed design across the range
- Screen sizes could vary from 6.2 to 6.8 inches
- Upgraded ultrasonic fingerprint sensor tech
It looks like the Pixel 9 collection will be quite a departure from the design we’ve seen from Team Google over the past few years.
There have been plenty of leaks of the Pixel 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL at this point, both real-world video and renders, and all seem to depict the same design; one with more rounded corners and flatter edges than before, reflecting broader trends in the smartphone world, along with a redesigned camera housing that does away with the camera bar.
The latter point will likely be a Marmite change to the Pixel collection – some love the unique, instantly recognisable look while others (this writer included) feel that the bar protrudes too much and easily catches on things like jean pockets.
And, from an alleged leak of the Pixel 9 wallpapers, we can glean that the Pixel 9 range could be available in shades including Jade, Obsidian, Peony, Porcelain, Rose and Hazel.
When it comes to screen sizes, the general consensus is… a little conflicted.
While, at this point in time, most seem to have agreed that the Pixel 9 will sport a 6.03-inch display, the Pixel 9 Pro will offer a 6.1-inch screen and the Pixel Pro XL will offer a 6.7-inch screen, recent Pixel 9 screen spec leaks suggest that the two Pro-level smartphones could measure in at 6.34 and 6.73 inches. The Pixel 9 could also come in at 6.24 inches.
Regardless of size, the 120Hz OLED panels used are rumored to be the same as those in the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro, Samsung’s M14 OLED screens to be specific. Leaks suggest that the new screen could seriously boost the already-bright Pixel screens, with the Pixel 9 capping out at 1800nits while the two Pro models could take it all the way up to 2050nits.
It’s also said that the screens could feature upgraded ultrasonic fingerprint sensor technology, much like that of the top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra, that performs way more consistently than the optical fingerprint sensors currently used in Google’s Pixel line-up.
Google Pixel 9 camera rumors
- Same main camera as last year
- Improved ultrawide sensor on Pixel 9
- Improved ultrawide, telephoto and selfie cameras on Pro models
Google is well known for its camera prowess, so all eyes are on the Pixel 9 range’s camera offering – and it looks like it could be a big year if a recent camera leak is to be believed.
While the Pixel 9 range is rumored to stick with the same 50MP Samsung Isocell GN2 sensor that launched with the Pixel 8 range, there are plenty of other changes said to be coming this year.
With the Pixel 9, it’s rumored that the 50MP ultrawide’s Sony IMX386 sensor will be swapped out with the newer IMX858, a larger 1/2.51” sensor that makes it better suited to low-light photography. The front-facing camera, though sporting the same sensor, is said to include autofocus.
The Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL, are also said to use the new IMX858 sensor, though not just on the 50MP ultrawide – it’ll also be used on the 50MP telephoto and even the 50MP selfie camera, which should translate to a big boost in performance from its auxiliary shooters. A separate report also claims that the Pro models could offer variable aperture tech.
When it comes to Google’s AI offering, it’s said to rely on AI Video Boost to upscale 4K video to 8K in place of actually shooting in native 8K, and it’s also rumored that the new Zoom Enhance feature initially revealed with the Pixel 8 series could finally be released publicly.
It’s likely that there are other new tools in Google’s AI arsenal, but those are little-known for now.
Google Pixel 9 performance and software rumors
- Tensor G4 chipset
- Up to 16GB of RAM on Pro models
- New on-device AI features
If there’s one thing that’s certain about the Pixel 9, it’s that it’ll feature the yet-unannounced Tensor G4 chipset. It’s the chipset of choice of recent iterations of Pixel, with the new chipset always making its debut on that year’s flagship Pixel range.
However, despite rumors suggesting that this year’s chipset would be developed by Google, it’s again using Samsung’s Exynos chipsets as the basis for the G4. According to reports, the home-brewed chipset was indeed planned for launch alongside the Pixel 9, but it missed internal deadlines.
It could very much be ready in time for the Pixel 10, depending on whether Google faces more delays between now and then.
Without getting into the weeds on chipset architecture, the Tensor G4 is said to bring slight performance improvements and better power efficiency, which should hopefully lead to an improvement in battery life. However, rumors suggest that this is very much an iterative upgrade on the chipset, with the same Mali-G715 GPU from last year and only a slight boost to the GPU clock speed at 940MHz, up from 890MHz.
It’s also claimed that the regular Pixel 9 will ship with 12GB of RAM, while the two Pro models will benefit from a boosted 16GB of RAM to allow for improved AI processing.
What’s more exciting is the Pixel 9 software. There’s current debate as to whether the Pixel 9 will buck the trend and ship with Android 14 before receiving the Android 15 update a little later, mainly down to the fact that it’s still in beta testing, but we at Trusted Reviews can’t imagine Google launching its flagships with year-old software.
Regardless of the software version, Google is rumored to bring on-device support for Google Gemini – though there’s not much else known about it for now.
Elsewhere, it’s rumored to introduce new photo editing features in the form of Add Me, allowing you to add people into group photos that weren’t there at the time, alongside AI Studio, a tool that lets you generate images from texts.
It’s also said that Pixel Screenshots will let you search for content in any of the screenshots you’ve captured on your phone, ideal for finding order delivery details and other snippets of info buried in your Photos app, as well as Call Me, a feature that’ll record and transcribe phone calls.
Trusted Take: What we think the Google Pixel 9 needs
We were impressed with the Google Pixel 8 range, but it wasn’t without its complaints. We felt that the camera bar was a little too large and bulky, especially on the Pixel 8 Pro, so the rumors about a refreshed design and redesigned camera housing are welcome changes to the rumored Pixel 9 collection.
We also praised the camera performance across the range, but the new primary sensor in particular, so it makes sense for Google to focus more on improving the auxiliary lenses with the Pixel 9 range. Keeping the performance of the secondary cameras in line with the primary sensor will allow the Pixel 9 to keep up with, or even beat, the flagship competition.
However, we did note that the Tensor G3 chipset wasn’t quite as performant as the equivalent flagship chipset from Qualcomm, and with the Tensor G4 allegedly once again based on the Samsung Exynos chipset, it doesn’t look like this is going to change this year. We’re holding out hope for Google’s rumored home-brewed Tensor chipset, which could appear in the Pixel 10.
It also makes sense for Google to double down on its AI efforts, especially this year with much more competition from the likes of Samsung, Apple, Honor and soon, Motorola. While the Pixel 8 range still reigns supreme in the AI space, the gap is smaller than ever.
For the Pixel 9 to continue its reign for another year, it needs to add some genuinely helpful additions to its roster after a slightly odd roster of new additions with the Pixel 8 – in fact, they made us feel uncomfortable at times.
It looks like that’ll be the case with rumored features like on-device Google Gemini support, new AI capabilities to record and transcribe calls, and a handy Pixel screenshot feature we’ve yet to see from any of the competition, but we’ll have to wait to see for sure.
If anything, it’s the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – which we cover separately – that’ll get the glow-up it desperately needs in 2024.
