This week, Google unveiled four new phones: three hard-shell phones and one foldable phone. Half of the new models will go on sale next week and the other half in early September, but all are available for pre-order with a free storage upgrade as a reason to get them early. What do you think?
You can find pricing details for the US, Canada and Europe. hereThe Indian launch came a day later (more details here). While the original Pixel 9 lost its flagship status, it is more expensive than its predecessor ($800/€900 vs. $700/€800). The Pro is the same price, but the Pro XL is a proper successor to the Pixel 8 Pro and is also priced higher ($1,100/€1,200 vs. $1,000/€1,100).
Let’s start with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XLGoogle increased the screen size slightly to 6.8” and switched to a FP Ultrasonic ReaderThe rear cameras are largely the same, but can now record 8K video (30fps). The front camera has received a major upgrade with a 42MP sensor and an ultra-wide lens with autofocus. Charging speed has been increased and now reaches 70% in 30 minutes (up from 50%). Satellite SOS is also now supported.
The Pro XL is expensive, but you can spread the cost out over the 7 years the phone will be supported. For the most part, there aren’t any specs that feel like they’ll age too quickly, with the possible exception of the Tensor G4 chipset, but that’s something we’ll have to test out. Adding 16GB of RAM was a good move, as rival Samsung still only offers 12GB at most.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL will go on sale on August 22. Are you thinking about pre-ordering it?
He Google Pixel 9 Pro It’s scheduled to launch on September 9, which is a month away. It’s nearly identical to the XL model except for size: with a 6.3″ display, it’s slightly larger than the Pixel 8 and is larger than both the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 Pro. Still, as far as Android phones go, this is one of the smallest (at least from mainstream brands).
While it’s not as small as some might have hoped, there’s at least finally a Pixel phone with a 5x telephoto lens that’s smaller than 6.7″. Plus, the tiny Pro gets the good ultrawide camera (and not a 12MP unit like the Pixel 8), the latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2, as well as UWB and a thermometer (things that were exclusive to the 8 Pro), satellite SOS even.
Google finally built a small(ish) flagship – do you think it’s the right choice for you?
Vanilla Google Pixel 9 It’s the same size as the 9 Pro, but the differences are more profound. Obviously, there’s no telephoto lens, and there’s also no new 42MP selfie camera (although the 10.5MP module with an ultra-wide AF lens isn’t bad at all). There’s also no 8K video recording, though we don’t think many will miss it.
Most importantly, the phone has 12GB of RAM — less than the Pros but more than the Pixel 8 and 8a. Plus, the display is 1080 x 2424 pixels instead of 1280 x 2856 pixels, and it’s not an LTPO panel like on the 9 Pro. There’s no UWB or thermometer, but you do get satellite SOS and Wi-Fi 7 with 6GHz support (neither Apple nor Samsung offers that).
Like the Pro XL, the Google Pixel 9 is coming out on August 22. Are you thinking of picking one up?
He Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold The Galaxy Fold starts at $1,800, the same price as its predecessor. However, it is thinner and lighter (10.5mm, 257g vs. 12.1mm, 283g), while packing a larger 8.0” inner display (vs. 7.6”) and a 6.3” cover display (vs. 5.8”). It’s thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold6 (12.1mm), though not as light (239g), and only features water protection (IPX8). The folded width of 77.1mm is more bearable than the previous model’s 79.5mm, though still too wide for some.
Processing power has seen a huge jump: the original Fold launched with a Tensor G2 (12GB RAM), this one has the G4 (16GB). Also, the original Fold had a short period of software support (3 OS updates, 5 years of patches), the new model will have the full 7 years.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is launching on September 9: would you buy one?
One last poll to make sure there’s no ambiguity: If you’re going to buy a Pixel 9 phone, which model would you choose?