Everything there is to know about Google’s latest flagship phones

Google has finally officially launched the latest members of the Pixel lineup with the Pixel 9 family. This is the biggest Pixel launch yet, including four new smartphones: the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold. In typical Google fashion, most of there is to know was already known prior to launch, but now we have official confirmation of all the details on Google’s latest and greatest Android phones. So let’s get right into it.




Pricing, availability, and specs

A woman holding a Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and showing it to a man next to her, who has a laptop in front of him

Image credit: Google

The entire Pixel 9 lineup is launching next week, including the four models mentioned above. Pricing starts at $799 for the standard Pixel 9, $999 for the Pixel 9 Pro, and $1,099 for the Pixel 9 Pro XL. As for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, pricing comes in at $1,799, matching last year’s Pixel Fold.


The phones will be available in ‘north America at all major retailers and carriers. All devices except the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will also come to most European countries, as well as other regions. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold will have more limited availability in Europe, sticking to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireleand, netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and the UK.

Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL specs


Pixel 9 Pro Fold specs

Camera

New sensors for every phone

Much like the performance, Google has also upgraded the camera across the board for the Pixel 9 series. All three slab-style models now come with the same 50MP primary sensor on the back, with octa phase detection, a f/1.68 aperture, and an 82-degree field of view. On the standard Pixel 9, this lens also supports Super Res Zoom up to 8x, since there’s no telephoto lens.


All three models also have an upgraded 48MP ultrawide camera, which is an especially big upgrade for the base model, since the Pixel 8 only had a 12MP sensor. The pixel 8 pro already featured a 48MP sensor, but this new model does have improved phase detection autofocus and a wider aperture at f/1.7, so image quality should be noticeably better, especially in low light. The telephoto lens on the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL seems mostly unchanged from last year, though.

Over on the front, the Pixel 9 carries the same 12MP front-facing camera, but the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL both have a new 42MP sensor with a wider field of view of, so group photos should be a bit easier and look that much better.


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On the video side, Google is also boasting support for 8K video for the first time on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, thanks to the Video Boost feature. Night Sight Video has also been improved for even better videos in low light, and these enhancements are available on all models.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets left out in the cold

A woman holding an obsidian Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in an unfolded position

Image credit: Google

While all the slab-style siblings are getting notable upgrades with the camera, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold retains a setup that’s mostly similar to last year’s. All three rear cameras have basically identical specs to last year, with the ultrawide snesor oddly having a 10.5MP sensor this time, rather than 10.8MP like last year.


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All the upgrades here are on the front-facing cameras, which are now the same for both the cover screen and the inner display. You get a 10MP sensor with dual phase detection, f/2.2 aperture, and an 87-degree field of view. An upgrade is an upgrade. Last year’s Pixel Fold had an 8MP camera on the cover screen and a 9.5MP sensor on the inner display.

There are some interesting software features here, though, such as Made You Look, a feature that uses the cover screen to keep a child paying attention while taking a picture. For Google Meet, callers can also be seen on both screens, so you cna join a call and have other people with you.


Photo editing features aplenty

Google is always about more than hardware capabilities, and of course, the Pixel 9 series also comes with some brand-new features for editing photos, including the new Add Me capability. This allows you to take a picture of someone while also capturing yourself, making it possible to then add yourself into the picture. For example, if you’re taking a group photo and someone has to hold the camera, that person can also be added to the picture so that memory is preserved equally for everyone.

Other new features are also coming to the Magic Editor, including a new option that automatically reframes your pictures to create the best shot, including the ability to expand the image. What’s more, you can use the new “reimagine” feature to change how photos look, such as making the grass greener in a picture, or adding fall leaves to create a different vibe.


Display and design

Bigger and brighter

A person holding an unfolded Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold showing the screen

Image credit: Google

Google has also upgraded the display on all Pixel 9 models, especially in terms of brightness. The Pixel 9 now comes with a slightly larger 6.3-inch display that’s slightly taller than before. This panel can reach up to 1800 nits of brightness in HDR mode and 2700 nits of peak brightness, which is a big jump from the 1400 nits and 2000 nits, for each mode respectively, of the Pixel 8. The same specs also apply to the cover display of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, where it’s an even bigger upgrade from last year’s 5.8-inch display that was quite a bit wider.


Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL come with a display that can hit 2000 nits of brightness in HDR mode with 3000 nits of peak brightness, up from 1600 nits and 2400 nits, respectively. Of course, there’s also the fact that we have a smaller Pro model for the first time, coming in in the same 6.3-inch size as the standard Pixel 9, but with a higher resolution and a higher range of refresh rate variability (as low as 1Hz). Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a little bit taller than last year’s model.


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As for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the cover screen is the same as the standard Pixel 9, and since that screen is taller, the inner screen is now more square-ish. It’s an 8-inch panel (up from 7.6 inches), and the resolution is now 2076×2152, instead of 1840×2208 like the original Pixel Fold. This brings the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a bit closer to other foldables on the market. And yes, the brightness has also been massively upgraded, now hitting 1600 nits in HDR mode and up to 2700 nits of peak brightness, up from 1000 and 1450 nits, respectively. The HDR experience should be far better on this model as a result.

A new look and feel

A woman holding an Obsidian Pixel 9 Pro in front of a mirror

Image credit: Google


Design-wise, there are quite a few changes in all these models. The camera bumps are the most notable, with Google ditching the side-to-side bar look for an pill-shaped bump on the slab styled phones. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 pro Fold now has a more square-ish camera bump rather than the elongated protrusion on the previous Pixel Fold.

That’s not all, though, as all the phones now have flatter edges, too, something that’s been a bit of a trend this year. Some of the color options are also new. All four models include Obsidian and Porcelain (beige) as a color option, which are the only color options for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The standard Pixel 9 has options for Wintergreen and Peony, while the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL offer Hazel (grey) and Rose Quartz as options.


Performance and software

Upgrades across the board

A man holding a Porcelain Google Pixel 9 up to his face for a call

Image credit: Google

If there’s a known quantity with any new phone, that’s the fact you’re going to get better performance than last year’s models, and the Pixel 9 family delivers on all fronts. All four new models come with the new Google Tensor G4 chipset, delivering better performance for all kinds of tasks. But all models also come with an extra 4GB of RAM, which means the Pixel 9 now has 12GB compared to the 8GB of last year’s Pixel 8, while the Pixel 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold all come with 16GB of RAM instead of 12GB in their 2023 counterparts.


Suffice it say, this is a big improvement in every regard, making all these phones significantly better at multitasking and potentially handling AI-based workloads as well, since they can be very memory-intensive. Storage is the only area that’s still the same, at least in terms of capacity. That means all models start at 128GB aside from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which starts at 256GB. Coincidentally, that’s the maximum storage option for the standard Pixel 9, while the 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL can go up to 1TB. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold goes up to 512GB.

Google is also once again committing to seven years of updates for its phones, including both OS and security updates during that time. The company continues to be one of the best in the Android space when it comes to supporting its phones.


AI is the name of the game

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new device in 2024 with a big focus on AI, and Google is emphasizing Gemini and AI features. Gemini can help across different apps, like Google Maps and Gmail, as well as answer question based on pictures you take. If you buy the Pixel 9 Pro, you even get access to Gemini Advanced for a year thanks to a subscription to the Google One AI Premium plan that’s included. This enables Gemini features in apps like Docs.

Another feature Google is touting is Pixel Screenshots, where your phone will take information from screenshots you take and make it easier to find by searching for it. This is in some ways similar to the Recall feature Microsoft originally announced for Copilot+ PCs, except screenshots have to be taken actively by the user, so not everything you do is recorded in the same way.


  • Google Pixel 9 in Peony

    Google Pixel 9

    Powered by the Google Tensor G4 chipset, the Pixel 9 boats some notable upgrades including a brighter display, a new camera system, and a revamped design.

  • Google Pixel 9 Pro in Porcelain

    Google Pixel 9 Pro

    The Pixel 9 Pro now comes in a smaller size, offering a top-tier experience that’s more pocketable than ever. It has a Google Tensor G4 chip, all-new cameras with 8K video recording, and a new look.

  • Google Pixel 9 Pro XL in Obsidian

    Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

    The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the true successor to the Pixel 8 Pro, now with a taller screen, an all-new Google Tensor G4 chip, and fully upgraded cameras for even better photos and video.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in Porcelain color in tabletop mode

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

With all-new screens, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is automatically a huge upgrade over the original Pixel Fold. It also comes with a more powerful Google Tensor G4 chip and new features that make use of the dual screens.

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