Exclusive: Google Pixel 9 series set for sweeping camera improvements

Brilliant photography is undoubtedly one of the Google Pixel’s biggest selling points. For a while, however, Google relied on its camera software to carry its phones, while the hardware often lagged behind the competition. For example, the Sony IMX363 sensor, first introduced in the Pixel 3 in 2018 was only replaced in 2023! Fortunately, this has changed lately; Google has focused on hardware more and more in its recent smartphones.

After rather minor changes in the Pixel 7 series, Google made significant upgrades to the Pixel 8, and its upcoming Pixel 9 range is set to bring even more key enhancements. Thanks to a source inside Google, we can preview the new camera hardware changes coming to the upcoming Pixels.

Google is making changes to almost all sensors in the Pixel phones this year. Starting with the regular Pixel 9, Google is replacing the old Sony IMX386 ultrawide with a brand-new Sony IMX858. The old sensor was rather archaic and small (1/2.8”), so the switch to the much newer and larger IMX858 (1/2.51”) should make it much more versatile and useful in low-light conditions.

While the primary sensor (Samsung GNK) and the front-facing camera (Samsung 3J1) remain the same, Google is making another important tweak. The Pixel 9 will finally include an autofocus-enabled front-facing camera, like last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, making it nicer to use and sharper in a broader range of scenarios. The Pixel 8 had a fixed-focus selfie cam that, while usually fine, is definitely more likely to result in blurry photos.

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL will receive exactly the same camera setup. Google has bet big on the Sony IMX858 (the same sensor used as the ultrawide in the Pixel 9) this year. All sensors, except the primary, use this particular model, including the front-facing camera. While the new sensor should be a relatively modest upgrade to the existing ultrawide and telephoto cameras, it should make the Pixel 9 Pro’s front camera an absolute beast compared to most other devices. It is primarily designed for rear-facing cameras and is larger than most dedicated selfie cam sensors.

Both of the Pro Pixels keep the same infrared thermometer as last year — Melexis MLX90632. It’s interesting to see Google retain such a controversial feature; its use is very limited and many consider it a waste of money.

I’ve compiled the camera specs of the (non-folding) Pixels in the table below:

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also set for some changes this year. The ultrawide camera is now a Samsung 3LU (1/3.2”) instead of the old Sony IMX386 (1/2.8”). Both of the old selfie cameras (Sony IMX355, 1/2.8” and Samsung 3J1, 1/3″) have been changed to the Samsung 3K1 (1/3.94”).

This might seem odd, but I have a theory to explain these apparent downgrades: the new Pixel foldable is actually almost 2 mm thinner than the original Pixel Fold and Google might have been forced to make some compromises to achieve the new thin package. Hopefully the new sensors will not affect camera quality too much.

We’ve compiled the camera specs of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold below:

8K is finally coming to Pixels

Last year’s Pixel 8 series introduced the Tensor G3 processor. Among its upgrades was support for 8K video encoding at 30 frames per second. Not only that, but the phone’s Samsung GNK sensor also supports the resolution. Up until now, Google has decided not to utilize the feature.

That might be changing: the upcoming version of the Pixel Camera app will support recording 8K (7680×4320) video at 30 frames per second. Unfortunately, our source could not confirm which of the Pixel 9 devices will support the feature and whether it will be available at launch, but it is at least in development. We managed to obtain the icon that will be used in the app to indicate 8K recording.

What do you think about the camera hardware changes in the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro Fold? Let us know in the comments.