Firstly, the Pixel 9 has a brand new design in comparison with final yr’s Pixel 8. The sides at the moment are flat like an iPhone 15 or Samsung Galaxy S24, the rear digicam visor is now changed with a pill-shaped digicam bar that continues to sit down horizontally throughout the rear panel, and the entrance bezels at the moment are uniform throughout. Despite the brand new digicam bar design, you’ll be able to nonetheless inform it is a Pixel from afar. Also new is the glass safety, which is now Gorilla Glass Victus 2, each back and front. The telephone continues to retain the IP68 ranking from final yr’s mannequin.
The show on the Pixel 9 is brighter and has uniform bezels throughout
Google has packed a barely bigger 6.3-inch show on the Pixel 9, and this makes the telephone taller in comparison with the Pixel 8. The show remains to be an OLED panel with full-HD+ decision and 60 to 120Hz refresh charge, however it’s now brighter. You additionally get an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader as a substitute of the optical discovered within the older mannequin. Our overview unit got here within the Porcelain color choice, however the telephone can be obtainable in Obsidian, Peony, and Wintergreen shades.
The acquainted digicam visor is not there on the again and has been changed with a pill-shaped bar. However, the digicam bar protrudes simply as earlier than. The telephone will get a twin digicam setup on the again with the identical major digicam sensor as final yr however options an upgraded 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor. The glass tablet formed housing contained in the digicam bar is larger than final yr as nicely. The entrance digicam is similar because the Pixel 8, a ten.5-megapixel sensor, however now will get auto-focus.
The new digicam bar jogs my memory of the Google search bar
The Pixel 9 lineup is the primary in current Pixel historical past to not get the most recent Android construct at launch, however that is as a result of the telephones additionally launched sooner than standard. Thanks to the Gemini Nano mannequin working on-device, you get Android 14 out-of-the-box and a protracted checklist of AI options. The telephone is powered by the brand new 4nm Tensor G4 chipset paired with 12GB RAM and 128GB storage. The new SoC allows lots of the most recent AI options, and I’ll be testing them completely. There are additionally new apps comparable to Pixel Screenshot, which helps you to seek for content material by screenshots, and Pixel Studio, which allows you to create photos from scratch. Apart from simply an AI increase, Google additionally claims that the brand new SoC affords enhancements in efficiency and effectivity. I’ll be testing the claims in my full overview.
Finally, you get a barely bigger 4,700mAH battery with the brand new Pixel 9, however it nonetheless helps 27W quick charging as earlier than. The telephone additionally options wi-fi charging.
Google’s Pixel 9 affords some good upgrades over final yr’s Pixel 8, particularly with the brand new ultra-wide digicam, brighter show, and the Tensor G4. There are additionally loads of new AI options obtainable on the telephone, and there is a lot. However, are all of those upgrades and AI add-ons sufficient to justify the worth hike, and may the Pixel 9 tackle upcoming telephones such because the iPhone 16 collection? Stay tuned for the complete overview to search out out.
