Google Pixel 9 unveiled: same size, more AI, more power and a new camera | Infinium-tech

Google is moving to launch in August instead of October this year and its Pixel product lineup has been reshuffled a bit. The vanilla phone remains in its place, but it has moved down in rank since the company introduced a similarly sized Pro model.

Google Pixel 9

The Google Pixel 9 has a 6.3″ OLED display, a 120Hz FHD+ panel. Google has removed the optical fingerprint sensor and switched to a more reliable ultrasonic sensor. The peak brightness is quite high at 2,700 nits (up from 2,000 nits).

A slight bump in the screen diagonal makes the phone slightly larger than last year’s model, although it’s still one of the smaller Android phones. Compared to the new Pixel 9 Pro, it’s exactly the same size (152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5 mm and 198 grams). And if you want to go bigger, take a look at the Pixel 9 Pro XL (well, that or the Pixel 9 Pro Fold). Here’s a size comparison:

On the outside, the notable difference between the two is that the Pro has a periscope. The vanilla 9 sticks to the classic dual camera setup (wide + ultra wide), but it’s no slouch when it comes to hardware – it uses the same hardware for the cameras as the other two rugged models.

The main camera is the same as last year, a 50MP module based on a 1/1.31″ Samsung GNK sensor (1.2µm pixels) and an OIS-enabled lens. The punch-hole selfie camera on the front is almost the same as before, with a 10.5MP Samsung sensor, although now with an autofocus lens.

The ultra wide module gets a notable upgrade with a 48MP sensor (1/2.55”, 123° lens), up from the 12MP (1/2.8”) module on the 8-series.

On the inside, the notable upgrade is in the processing power. The Tensor G4 has a prime Cortex-X4 core, as well as three A720 and four A520 cores (yes, it reaches 8 cores, one less than last year). Importantly, it brings a more efficient Exynos 5400 modem. The Mali-G715 GPU appears to be unchanged, except for a slight increase in clock speed.

Perhaps more importantly, this year’s Pixel 9 also has 12GB of RAM, which was also in the 8 Pro last year (and the vanilla model had 8GB). As you may recall, 8GB was a bit short for running Gemini Nano on the device — Google made it work, but more RAM is important for local AI performance.

Like last year, Google will support these phones with software updates (both OS and security patches) for 7 years. This is good because this Pixel series breaks with tradition and launches with the outgoing Android version, v14. This is likely due to the launch being pushed back, Android 15 will be ready in a few months and the Pixel 9 phones will be among the first to get it.

Google may be against fast charging, but the Pixel 9 is faster than its predecessor – it can reach 55% in 30 minutes, up from 50% previously (these are official numbers, the Pixel 8 actually reached 56% in 30 minutes in our testing). This is if you use a 45W USB-PD charger. The battery capacity is slightly higher at 4,700mAh (up from 4,575mAh).

The phone is available in four colors at launch: Porcelain, Peony, Wintergreen, and Obsidian. Its mid-frame is made of aluminum, while the front and back feature Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The phone is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance.

Google Pixel 9

The Google Pixel 9 is currently on pre-order in the US and Europe, with India launch details to be revealed tomorrow. If you pre-order, Google will upgrade your storage for free – in the case of the Pixel 9, that means you’ll get the 256GB model instead of the 128GB one. Note: The prices below are MSRP, see the left column for pre-order periods. In the US, the Pixel 9 will ship on August 22.

The prices for both are as follows: