Google has now confirmed that it will fully reveal the Pixel 9 series and a new folding phone at its annual Made by Google event on 13 August – two months earlier than the usual October reveal dates for new Pixel phones.
Thanks to a seemingly unstoppable torrent of leaks, we already have a good idea of what to expect at Made by Google. Everything from spec sheets, design, pricing and release dates for the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold have appeared online.
Google isn’t the only tech giant to have had its next big announcement spoilt. A slew of iPhone 16 rumours have outlined exactly what we can expect to see from Apple’s latest phone range when it’s announced in September. We’re rounding up those iPhone 16 rumours in a separate article.
Keep reading for our round-up of everything we know about the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. And check back for the latest when we find out more at the Made by Google event this August.
Google Pixel 9 design
Confirmed to be announced in August, the Pixel 9 range is getting a new and flatter edge design, similar to the appearance of the sharp lines of the iPhone 15. This is a departure from the rounded aesthetic of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, where gentle curves helped to disguise the phone’s overall thickness.
Other changes include a redesigned camera bar. Rather than spanning the full width of the back of the phone, the triple-lens array appears on a wide, pill-shaped island. This update brings the Pixel 9 in line with the design of the Pixel Fold, which is also getting a newer version this year.
Google Pixel 9 specs
Prolific online tipster OnLeaks has shared what they claim is a full set of promotional materials for the Pixel 9 range, including a short spec sheet detailing the hardware.
Although not official, the leaked spec sheet gives the following info.
|
Pixel 9 Pro |
Pixel 9 |
Pixel 9 Pro Fold |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Screen size |
6.3in / 6.8in super actual display |
6.3in actual display |
6.3in actual display + 8in super actua flex display |
|
Performance |
Tensor G4 chip |
Tensor G4 chip |
Tensor G4 chip |
|
RAM |
16GB |
12GB |
16GB |
|
Front camera |
42MP |
10.5MP |
10MP |
|
Rear camera |
50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto |
50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide |
48MP wide, 10.5MP ultrawide, 10.8MP telephoto |
The mention of two display sizes for the Pixel 9 Pro tallies with an earlier rumour that Google would launch a Pixel 9 Pro XL – a big-screen version of the top-end phone with the same performance and features.
Pixel 9 features
Among the rumoured updates to the Pixel line-up this year is an improved modem, the Samsung Exynos 5400, which could enable satellite SOS calls when mobile network service isn’t available. A similar feature is found in the latest iPhones.
The new Pixel 9 phones might also be getting an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, instead of the less-accurate optical sensor used in the Pixel 8 range. This would mean faster phone unlocking, on top of the usual biometric facial recognition.
Google Pixel 9 launch date
No official release date has been mentioned, but if previous Made by Google events are anything to go by, the Pixel 9 should launch alongside its announcement on 13 August.
Android Headlines reports that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available to pre-order from 13 August and that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will follow later on 4 September.
For the last two years, Google has also launched the newest Pixel Watch alongside its latest phones. While we’ve no confirmation that a Pixel Watch 3 is in the works, it’s a reasonable guess that a new wearable will show up alongside the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.
Google Pixel 9 price
We can only make an educated guess at how much the Pixel 9 might cost, but last year’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro saw a jump in price to £999 and £699. With inflationary pressures easing in the tech market, we’d love to see the newest Pixel phones stick to that three-digit price point.
Still, there’s reason to believe that Google might jack up the price of the Pro model Pixel past that psychological £1,000 barrier. The tech giant matched the price of the Pixel 8 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro last October, and Apple is rumoured to be increasing the price of its phones soon. If that turns out to be the case when the iPhone 16 is announced in September, Google has cover to respond by raising the price of the newest Pixel phones in turn.
That said, we can also see Google sticking to its existing prices. Samsung, not Apple, is Google’s biggest competitor in Android phones, and the Korean tech firm’s Galaxy S24+ starts at £999. If the Pixel 9 is to have the best chance of luring more users away from Samsung’s massively popular phones, sticking to £999 would have to be part of that plan.
Google Pixel 9 display
Accessory maker Thinborne has apparently already got examples of their Pixel 9 cases floating around the internet which indicate the new shape and three models. Other plausible Pixel 9 leaks are coming from trusted source Onleaks via Indian tech site MySmartPrice, which has shown off supposed renders of the newest flagship Pixel phones in great detail.
The leaked images show a freshly redesigned Pixel 9 with a new flat frame. The Pixel 8 Pro already ditched the lightly curved display in favour of a flat one, though this year’s phone takes things one step further with a uniformly flat and neat, iPhone-style edge.
Per the leaks, the power button and volume rocker remain unchanged on the right side of the device, as does the empty left side of the frame. The SIM tray has migrated to the bottom of the phone, sharing space with the speaker grille and USB-C charging port.
MySmartPrice reports that the Pixel 9 Pro will measure 162.7mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm. Including the camera bump, the thickest part of the phone will measure 12mm. That camera bump will get a redesign too. Instead of spanning the full width of the back of the phone and blending into the frame, the three camera lenses will live on a pill-shaped camera island housing a wide angle, periscope telephoto and main lens. The holepunch selfie camera appears mostly unchanged from that of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
The display of the Pixel 9 Pro is said to be slightly smaller than last year’s phone, now measuring 6.5in, down from 6.7in.
Will there be a Pixel 9 Pro XL?
One of the biggest surprises this year is the rumoured Pixel 9 Pro XL, a brand new third flagship device with a larger display, a bigger battery and, presumably, a higher price to match.
The phone, which doesn’t have an official name yet and hasn’t been confirmed by Google, has been spotted in leaked videos.
Google Pixel 9 specs
A new Tensor G4 chip is almost certain to make its debut with the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The newest Tensor chipset will predictably offer a performance boost over the G3, though it’s hard to quantify how big an improvement that might be at this early stage. What’s certain is that Google will be using the new technology to improve its on-device AI performance, which is expected to be a key pillar for the Pixel 9 phones.
According to Android Authority, the Pixel 9 series will also be getting an upgraded modem for the first time since the Pixel 7. A new Samsung-built modem should offer an efficiency boost, better connectivity and the ability to connect to satellite networks in emergencies.
Google Pixel 9 features
Software is where the Google Pixel series really shines. Although, not much is known about how the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will perform in terms of features and functionality. We expect the Pixel 9 series to be the first to launch with Android 15, the latest version of the Google-backed operating system, just as the Pixel 8 launched with Android 14.
Google is pushing AI features hard and has recently relaunched Bard, its large language model, as Google Gemini. The tech giant has slowly started replacing some Google Assistant and Google search functionality with Google Gemini-powered results, though the rollout has been faltering. To date, the Gemini app is officially unavailable in the UK and Europe.
Google is also reportedly working on a Gemini-powered replacement to the Google Assistant on phones, called Pixie. This AI helper will be designed to work on-device rather than waiting around for cloud-based results, meaning faster response times to queries, commands and questions. Pixie will reportedly be able to nose around your Gmail inbox, as well as your reminders, calendar events and Google Maps information to bring you relevant and customised answers.
Android Authority reports that the Pixel 9 could be getting an emergency SOS feature similar to Apple’s, which would let users connect to emergency services using satellites, though this feature is likely to be region-specific. Mobile network coverage is more comprehensive in the UK and Europe than in the wildernesses of North America, so we’d guess that any SOS features would remain exclusive to the United States and Canada for now.
Best Google phone deals
The newest Pixel phone is down to just £25 per month at Metrofone, with nothing to pay up front. Our Pixel 8 review declared it the “best Google phone yet”, powered by the new Tensor G3 processor which enables powerful AI photo and video editing features.
Here’s a great deal on the Google Pixel 8 Pro at Carphone Warehouse. You can get the latest and best Google phone with 100GB of monthly data through id Mobile, which works out at £809 in total over the length of the two-year contract, mid-plan price increase not included.
This Amazon deal cuts the price of the SIM-free Pixel 8 Pro by almost £400. In our Pixel 8 Pro review, our tester was impressed by the phone’s genuinely useful AI features, saying: “This year’s Pixel phones go hard on fancy generative AI features, but underpinning all of Google’s software cleverness are two excellent devices boasting significant hardware upgrades over last year’s models.”
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