Google Pixel 9 unveiled: Here's all the details of the new Google phones

The Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL are here. At its annual Made by Google event, Google officially unveiled the four devices in its Pixel 9 lineup. Although many details have leaked about these devices in recent weeks, we finally have all the information on them, straight from the source.

Although the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro are the same size and weight, they differ quite significantly in terms of build materials, display panels, and other components. The Pixel 9 Pro XL, meanwhile, is almost identical to the Pixel 9 Pro except for in its display, its battery, and its charging speeds. Here's everything you need to know about the three slab phones in the new Google Pixel 9 series: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

If you want to read about the fourth phone in the series, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, we've covered its launch in a separate article due to how different it is than the other three phones.

• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold fixes the biggest problems with the Google Pixel Fold
• Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro - Should you spend $200 more?
• Pixel 9 Pro vs Pixel 9 Pro XL - How Google's Pro phones compare

Pre-order links (affiliate links that support me!):

• Google Pixel 9 (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 (256GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro (256GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (256GB)

Google's iconic Pixel design, refined

The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL retain the Pixel line's easily recognizable camera bar that was introduced with the Pixel 6 series back in 2021, but with a slight twist to its design. Instead of being housed in a rectangular bar that stretches edge-to-edge, the cameras are now housed in an oval-shaped protrusion that makes it look like the phones have visors.

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL have a polished metal frame with a silky, soft touch matte glass finish that is complemented by a dual-finish on the camera bar, while the Pixel 9 has satin metal finishes on the camera and frame that contrast with the polished glass back.

While the overall design is similar to last year's models, the Pixel 9 series has even more rounded corners and a new, "sculpted" form that Google says enhances durability and in-hand feel. Google says the Pixel 9 is twice as durable as the Pixel 8 in drop tests, which the company attributes to this new design. It's also worth noting that the Pixel 9, as well as its Pro siblings, all have a layer of Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and the back for protection against drops and scratches. In contrast, last year's Pixel 8 only used Gorilla Glass Victus.

In addition, all three phones have a fingerprint-resistant coating, are IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, and are designed with sustainability in mind; Google says the phones' enclosures are made from 100% recycled aluminum, while their packaging is free of any plastics.

The Pixel 9 comes in a dark gray "Obsidian" color, a bright pink "Peony" color, an off-white "Porcelain" color, and a light green "Wintergreen" color. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also come in Obsidian and Porcelain but in addition are available in a light gray "Hazel" color and a light pink "Rose Quartz" color.

The return of Google's Super Actua displays

The Pixel 9 series sees the return of Google's Actua and Super Actua OLED displays. These displays debuted on last year's Pixel 8 series and are marketed as such for their incredibly high brightnesses. The Actua display on the Pixel 9 reaches a peak brightness of 2700 nits (1800 nits when viewing HDR content), a 35% improvement over the display on the Pixel 8. The Super Actua display on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL reach a peak brightness of 3000 nits (2000 nits when viewing HDR content). This means that all phones in the Pixel 9 series should be readable in direct sunlight.

However, brightness isn't the only difference between the Actua and Super Actua displays. The main differences between the two are in resolution and refresh rate. The 6.3-inch Actua display in the Pixel 9 has a resolution of 2424 x 1080 with a 20:9 aspect ratio, making for a density of 422 PPI. It refreshes adaptively between 60 and 120Hz depending on the content.

In contrast, the 6.3-inch Super Actua display in the Pixel 9 Pro has a resolution of 2856 x 1280 with a 20:9 aspect ratio, making for a higher density of 495 PPI. It refreshes more dynamically between 1-120Hz because of its LTPO backplane. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a slightly larger, 6.8-inch Super Actua display with a resolution of 2992 x 1344, making for a density of 486 PPI. Both Super Actua displays feature 15% thinner, more uniform bezels compared to last year.

Upgraded Pixel cameras, now with even more AI

Google's Pixel line has always received a lot of praise when it comes to still image quality even when they don't pack the highest-end image sensors. However, with recent generations, Google has started to adopt newer optics for its phones, and with the Pixel 9 series, they've made major improvements in both the non-Pro and Pro camera.

To begin with, the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL all share the same primary rear-facing camera: a 50MP Octa PD wide-angle camera with OIS and EIS support, a f/1.68 aperture, and 1/1.31" image sensor size. They also all share the same secondary rear-facing camera: a 48MP Quad PD ultra wide-angle camera with a 123° field-of-view, autofocus support for Macro Focus closeups, a f/1.7 aperture, and 1/2.55" image sensor size. Though last year's Pixel 8 Pro also had a 48MP ultra wide-angle secondary camera, the smaller Pixel 8 only had a 12MP one, so the Pixel 9 is getting a big upgrade in this department.

The tertiary rear-facing and front-facing cameras are dramatically different in the Pixel 9 versus the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Pixel 9 doesn't even one a third rear camera, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL both have a 48MP Quad PD telephoto camera with 5X optical zoom, OIS and EIS support, a f/2.8 aperture, and 1/2.55" image sensor size. The inclusion of this telephoto camera is what allows the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL to support Google's Super Res Zoom algorithm up to 30X zoom, as opposed to only 8X on the Pixel 9.

While the Pixel 9 of course has a front-facing camera, it's the same 10.5MP Dual PD selfie camera from the Pixel 8, with a f/2.2 aperture and 95° field-of-view. Google did upgrade the selfie camera in one key way, though: The Pixel 9's selfie camera now supports autofocus for sharper selfies. For the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, however, Google equipped them with a much improved 42MP Dual PD selfie camera with autofocus support, a f/2.2 aperture, and a 103° field-of-view for wider selfies, even in low light conditions.

While these three phones all have spectral and flicker sensors, only the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have a multi-zone laser detect auto focus (LDAF) sensor and an infrared temperature sensor. The Pixel 9 has a single-zone LDAF sensor, at least, and arguably isn't missing out on much by not having the temperature sensor.

What camera features are exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro?

What the Pixel 9 does miss out on, though, are the following video and image editing features that are reserved for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL:

• Night Sight Video with Video Boost: A feature that improves the quality of your videos by combining HDR+ with Night Sight and Google's machine learning algorithms. Your phone records a temporary video that gets uploaded to Google's cloud servers for processing, which brighten, stabilize each frame, and reduce motion blur to improve the sharpness and clarity of your videos. Video rendering is twice as fast as last year and can now be combined with the 5X telephoto camera to shoot in high quality up to 20X zoom. Also, Google's HDR+ is now applied to the entire zoom range, and an AI upscaling algorithm can be used to boost your videos to 8K30.

• Super Res Zoom Video: Google's Super Res Zoom algorithm now applies to video, too, for crisper video recordings at a distance.
• Zoom Enhance: This feature uses generative AI to enhance the details of a picture you've already taken when you zoom in on it. This feature was announced last year with the Pixel 8 Pro but never rolled out for the device.

• Pro controls: A feature that lets you manually adjust the Focus, Shutter Speed, and ISO levels in the Pixel Camera app.

What camera features are available on all phones in the Pixel 9 series?

Fortunately, most of the really exciting new camera features are available on the Pixel 9 as well as the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. These include:

• Add Me: This feature lets you take a group picture and be in it, too. All you need to do is activate Add Me, which will start by guiding you to snap the first group photo without you in it. It'll then tell you to trade places with someone else in your group. Add Me will then use augmented reality to guide the second photographer to position the scene around you and then create a composite photo that includes everyone. This features combines Google's AR platform with 15 on-device AI models running on the Tensor G4 chip. It'll launch in preview with the Pixel 9.

• Auto frame in Magic Editor: This feature can recompose shots for you. It can automatically reframe your photo, suggest the best crop, and even expand your image to get more of the scene. Google trained this feature on known photographic techniques such as the golden ratio and rule of thirds to improve the composition and story telling of your shots. You'll get a few options to pick from before the generative AI model fills in the blanks.

• Reimagine: This Magic Editor feature lets you add whatever you want to your pictures. Just tap on a part of the picture, like the background, then type what you want to see added in. You can, for example, add fireworks or butterflies to the background of a photo.

• Panorama with Night Sight: The Pixel Camera's panorama mode has been fully rebuilt with a new UI that guides you on where to pause along the horizon. Plus, the Pixel 9 now runs the image through a full HDR+ pipeline for better low-light panoramas.

• Improvements to Real Tone: The Pixel 9 snaps even better photos of dark skinned individuals thanks to improvements in Google's Real Tone algorithm.

These five features/improvements join the plethora of existing Pixel camera features, including Magic Editor, Best Take, Cinematic Pan, Audio Zoom, Astrophotography, Face Unblur, Top Shot, and Portrait Light.

The Tensor G4, and everything else under the hood of the Pixel 9

Every phone in the new Pixel 9 series is powered by Google's latest custom chipset, the Tensor G4. The Tensor G4 is Google's "fastest, most efficient silicon" that was "custom designed" for the Pixel 9 in collaboration with the Google DeepMind team. It features a variety of custom IP blocks from Google, such as an Edge TPU for machine learning acceleration, a custom DSP, and the Titan M2 security co-processor.

While Google's fourth-generation Tensor chipset still features an off-the-shelf CPU and GPU, it uses newer core designs for both, promising improved processing performance. It also has an updated modem from Samsung, which should hopefully improve connectivity. Here's what we know about the Tensor G4 so far.

The CPU in the Tensor G4 is comprised of 8 cores in a 1+3+4 configuration. There's a single high-performance Arm Cortex-X4 core clocked at up to 3.1GHz for the most demanding tasks, and it's joined by three Arm Cortex-A720 cores clocked at up to 2.6GHz and four Arm Cortex-A520 cores clocked at up to 1.95GHz. Google says the Tensor G4 offers "20% faster web browsing and 17% faster app launching" compared to the Tensor G3.

As for the GPU, the Tensor G4 has the same Mali-G715 GPU from the Tensor G3. It's likely clocked similarly if not a bit higher than the GPU in last year's chipset, though it's unknown if the number of cores has changed. For sustained gaming performance, Google equipped its pro phones with a brand new vapor chamber.

The biggest change in the Tensor G4 is the modem: Google is now using Samsung's Exynos Modem 5400 in the Pixel 9 series. This modem not only brings satellite connectivity support but also power efficiency improvements. Though Google didn't share exact numbers, the company says that, through various optimizations, the Pixel 9 features 20% longer battery life when the screen is on and 25% longer battery life when the screen is off.

The Tensor G4 is paired with 12GB of RAM in the case of the Pixel 9 and 16GB of RAM in the case of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. That's an increase of 4GB of RAM across the board, as the Pixel 8 only had 8GB of RAM while the Pixel 8 Pro had 12GB of RAM.

This extra RAM is necessary because the Tensor G4 is the first chipset to support Google's new Gemini Nano with multimodality model. Gemini Nano with multimodality is the latest version of Google's large language model for on-device gen AI; it supports not only text-based inputs but also image, audio, and speech. Google says the TPU supports generating an "industry-leading" mobile output rate of 45 tokens/s. To ensure that AI tasks are handled quickly, some memory is reserved specifically for on-device AI use cases, such as ones that rely on the new Gemini Nano with multimodality model.

The Pixel 9 features either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also come in 512GB and 1TB storage options. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also have an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio that enhances their use as a digital car key and eventually as a precision finder for compatible Find My Device network tracker tags like the Moto Tag.

While all three phones feature "all-day battery," they differ in terms of battery capacities and charging speeds. Though the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have the same 4700mAh battery and 27W wired charging speeds, the Pixel 9 Pro charges at up to 21W wirelessly on the Pixel Stand (2nd Gen) compared to 15W on the Pixel 9. The Pixel 9 Pro XL edges out both devices in the battery and charging speed departments, offering a 5060mAh cell, up to 37W wired charging, and up to 23W wireless charging with the Pixel Stand (2nd Gen). The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro charge from 0 to 55% in about 30 minutes, wheras the Pixel 9 Pro XL charges from 0 to 70% in the same time, provided you're using Google's new 45W USB-C Charger that's sold separately.

All three phones otherwise support USB Power Delivery via their USB Type-C 3.2 port and up to 12W wireless charging via Qi-certified EPP chargers.

For security, the Pixel 9 series not only has Google's Titan M2 security co-processor but also an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner from Qualcomm and a face unlock algorithm that meets Android's highest Class 3 rating for biometrics. The inclusion of an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner is particularly interesting, as it means the Pixel 9 is the first non-Samsung phone in the U.S. to feature this kind of fingerprint scanner. Ultrasonic scanners don't require the screen to be lit up, making them easier to use at night, and also don't have issues with wet fingers.

The first phones to be built for Gemini, Google's AI assistant

The Pixel 9 is the first smartphone to launch with Gemini fully integrated. That might sound odd when you consider that there are other phones with Gemini Nano support baked in, but consider that those other phones either received Gemini Nano support via a post-launch OTA update (Pixel 8 series) or still default to Google Assistant (every Android phone except the new Motorola Razr series). The Pixel 9 series not only includes Gemini Nano support by default but also makes the Gemini app the default assistant.

What this means is that when you press and hold the power button on the Pixel 9, the Gemini overlay will now appear instead of Google Assistant (though you can still revert back to the old Assistant experience if you want.) With Gemini, you can ask Google's chatbot questions about anything, whether it's about something on your screen or something that's on your mind. Since its debut in February, Google has upgraded Gemini to support more features from Assistant as well as better integrate with other Google services. To coincide with the Pixel 9 launch, Google is rolling out new updates to the Gemini experience that make it more interactive, contextual, and conversational.

For starters, the Gemini app is now rolling out extensions for Google Calendar, Google Tasks, and Google Keep. This lets you ask questions using your calendar data as context, add items to your to-do list, and add items to your shopping list, among other things. These three extensions join Google Flights, Hotels, Maps, Workspace, YouTube, and YouTube Music, making for a total of nine extensions so far.

Next, Google is updating Gemini to make it more contextual by not having it take up the entire screen when it answers a query. This allows for new use cases, such as dragging-and-dropping an image you generate into an email. In addition, if you pull up the Gemini window over a YouTube video or a PDF in the Files app, you can add them as context to your queries and ask questions about them. These changes were announced at Google I/O 2024 but are only now becoming available with the Pixel 9 launch.

Lastly, Google is also rolling out another Gemini experience they teased at I/O: Gemini Live. Gemini Live is a more conversational version of Gemini that lets you ask questions as if you're chatting with someone else. It's rolling out today in English but will expand to more languages in the coming weeks. Gemini Live is only available to Gemini Advanced subscribers, though Google is offering one year of their Google One AI Premium Plan (which includes Gemini Advanced plus 2TB of Google One storage) if you purchase a Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL.

It's worth noting that these updates to the Gemini app experience are not exclusive to Pixel phones, even though Google is timing the rollout with the launch of the Pixel 9 series. What is exclusive to the Pixel 9 series, at least for now, is the new Gemini Nano with multimodality model, which powers several new Pixel-exclusive software features.

The latest version of Google's Pixel UI, with more generative AI

Google doesn't have a distinctive name for the operating system on its Pixel devices, so I like to refer to it as Pixel UI. Pixel UI is quite close to what many people imagine "stock Android" to be, though it's packed full of apps and features that are exclusive to Pixel devices. With the launch of the Pixel 9, some of those new features include:

• Pixel Screenshots: This feature helps you quickly save information you want to remember for later—like an event or location—just by taking a screenshot. When you take a screenshot, the on-device Gemini Nano with multimodality model processes the image, extracts information from it, and saves that information to an on-device database. You can pull up the Pixel Screenshots app to later recall that information via search. For example, if you take a screenshot of your BNB's door codes or Wi-Fi details a few days before your arrival, you can quickly search for those details when you reach the location.

• Call Notes: After a phone call, you'll be presented with a summary of your conversation. For your privacy, the Gemini Nano with multimodality model processes your call audio offline. For the privacy of others, the Call Notes feature informs participants on the other end of the call that the feature is enabled.

• Pixel Weather: Google finally made a dedicated weather app called Pixel Weather. The app has a simple, gradient background and rearrangeable widgets. While the beloved frog mascot is missing, the app has all the data you need, from the temperature to the UV index and humidity, sunrise and sunset, wind speeds, AQI, visibility, and pressure. More importantly, the app uses Gemini Nano to offer a quick summary of the day's weather, so for example if it's cold and rainy, you'll see a message telling you to "bring your umbrella and hold onto your hat!"

• Pixel Studio: This is an image creation playground powered by an on-device diffusion model and Imagen 3, Google's latest text-to-image generator. You can create and refine visuals by typing what you see, all in real-time. There'll be various suggestion buttons to make an image more cartoony or cinematic, as well as options to reposition or edit an image without leaving the app.

That's it for the new generative AI-related features on the Pixel 9 series. Of course, there are other new features, including:

• Satellite SOS: As mentioned before, the modem in the Pixel 9 series can connect to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Google is taking advantage of this by offering Satellite SOS on the Pixel 9, which lets you message emergency services via satellite when your phone doesn't have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. This is rolling out later this year, starting in the U.S., and will be included at no charge for the first two years after activation. Google plans to expand Satellite SOS on Pixel to additional territories in the future.

• Improved Clear Calling: Clear Calling, a feature that effectively acts as a noise canceller for phone calls, has been upgraded with the Pixel 9 launch. Google says that "narrow-band LTE calls" should "sound better than ever" now.

There will undoubtedly be a lot of minor changes and improvements that Google didn't bother to highlight, but we'll hopefully find out what those are once we get our hands on the Pixel 9. Since the phones launch with Android 14 out of the box, at least according to Google's spec sheet, we know that there are a lot more features to come in early post-launch updates. The phone's Android 15 update should be forthcoming, which will bring features like Private Space among many others.

Google promises to deliver 7 years of OS and security updates from the time of the Pixel 9 launch, so even though they launch with Android 14, you can expect they'll receive updates to Android 22 in 2031 (!) And apart from new features introduced in Android OS updates, the Pixel 9 series will receive features via quarterly Pixel Drops (the new name for Pixel Feature Drops).

How much does the Google Pixel 9 cost?

The Google Pixel 9 starts at $799 for the 128GB storage model. The Google Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999 for the 128GB storage model, $200 more than the non-Pro device. Lastly, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099 for the 128GB storage model, $100 more than the non-XL Pro model.

The starting price of the Pixel 9 is notably $100 more than the Pixel 8, which according to what Google told us, is simply a reflection of all the hardware upgrades they made, though current economic factors may have also played a role.

The Pixel 9 series is available for pre-order starting today, but the general availability dates differ per model. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL are available starting August 22, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro Fold won't be available until September 4. Google says they'll share more details on the availability of the Pixel 9 Pro in the coming weeks.

Pre-order links (affiliate links that support me!):

• Google Pixel 9 (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 (256GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro (256GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (128GB)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (256GB)

If you're wondering whether it's worth paying $200 more for the Pixel 9 Pro instead of the Pixel 9, read this article for a summary of the key differences between the two devices. If you can't decide between the smaller Pixel 9 Pro and the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL, check out this article for a quick rundown of the differences between the two Pro models. Lastly, if you're thinking of going big and opting for the foldable model, check out this article on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

As a reminder, buying the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL will net you one year of the Google One AI Premium Plan, which is valued at $239.88. This is available until October 31, 2025 at midnight, though not if you're paying for Google One already through a 3rd party provider, are part of a family plan, or are enrolled in a 5TB or higher plan. Regardless of which model you buy, you'll be eligible for six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Premium, provided you're new to either service.

Where can you buy the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro?

The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL are available in the following territories:

• North America: US, Canada
• Europe and Asia: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK
• Asia Pacific: Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan

What are the specifications of the Google Pixel 9 series?

Network connectivity