Updated July 22
• More leaked Pixel 9 images have emerged.
• The Pro versions of the Pixel 9 will get more RAM.
• Regulatory images show off how all Pixel 9 models look.
• All Pixel 9s could receive updated ultrawide cameras
It sounds like the Pixel 9 is on its way, arriving a few months earlier than most Pixel flagships have in the past. That would be right on the heels of this spring's Pixel 8a launch, but forget about it being too soon for another Google phone. Enough Pixel 9 information has leaked out — including hands-on videos — to suggest a launch is coming sooner rather than later. And the emphasis should be on "sooner."
With a Google hardware event on the horizon, expect the pace of Pixel 9 rumors to pick up. That said, we've already got an idea about the screens, design changes and processor powering the new phones.
Here's what we know so far about Google's Pixel 9 plans ahead of the phone's likely launch next month.
Google Pixel 9 at a glance
- Instead of the usual fall launch, Google is holding a Made by Google event on August 13.
- Rumors point to four models — a standard Pixel 9, a smaller Pixel 9 Pro, a Pixel 9 Pro XL with a 6.7-inch screen, and a Pixel 9 Pro Fold that succeeds the original Pixel Fold.
- Each of these phones should get a choice of four colors — black, white, green and pink.
- The Tensor G4 should power all Pixel 9 models.
- All Pixel 9 models could benefit from a larger ultrawide camera sensor, while the front camera on the standard Pixel 9 may add an auto-focus feature.
- The standard Pixel 9 could feature a smaller screen than the Pixel 8.
- The phone will debut with Android 15.
Google Pixel 9 rumored release date and price
Predicting an October launch for the Pixel flagships used to be the safest bet in tech. Since the release of the first Pixel in 2016, every model but one has been announced in October. The one exception — 2020's Pixel 5 — was announced on September 30 and released at the end of October.
It sounds like the Pixel 9 is going to be another exception. Google has set an August 13 date for the next Made by Google hardware event. And there's no reason to believe that the Pixel 9 won't be part of that launch.
Google is already promoting the upcoming phones with a teaser video at its online store. The video doesn't reveal much, but it does seem to hint at Pixel 9 Pro models in multiple sizes.
Pixel 9 pricing remains uncertain at this point. The Pixel 8 costs $699 and the Pixel 8 Pro has a starting price of $999. Both of those prices represent $100 hikes from what their predecessors cost. Google is hardly the only phone maker to raise prices recently — both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra saw $100 increases of their own. Our hope is that Google at least manages to keep current prices in place for the Pixel 9 launch if it can't find a way to roll back the Pixel 8 increases. However, one Pixel 9 pricing rumor suggests higher prices for some models, at least in Europe.
Expect to hear more concrete Pixel 9 pricing info as we get closer to August 13 Google event.
Google Pixel 9: How many models
Normally, determining the number of Pixels coming out in the fall would be a pretty easy task based on Google's release record. With the exception of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5, Google has always released two models with different screen sizes. Currently, the larger of the two flagships is known as the Pixel Pro and it differs from the standard Pixel with a larger display, bigger battery and telephoto lens.
A December 2022 leak laid out an alleged roadmap for future Pixel phones that forecast three Pixel 9 models. According to this report, Google would offer two versions of the Pro so that there'd be a smaller screen option that also included a telephoto lens. Normally, we'd dismiss a rumor that surfaced more than a year ago — even if that's what Google was discussing at the time, a lot can change in a year — but the Pixel roadmap rumor did get a lot of details right about the Pixels that came out in 2023. So who knows?
Subsequent reports continue to tout the possibility of a third Pixel model joining the mix. Leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (also known by his posting name of OnLeaks) shared Pixel 9 images while claiming that Google's plans for the fall include the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. Those latter two phones would feature a three camera array on their back and come with different-sized screens.
Android Central has chimed in with photos of Pixel 9 cases from Thinborne that also feature a Pixel 9 Pro XL alongside a Pixel 9 Pro. The cases also indicate flat sides and rounded corners, similar to some of the design rumors we've heard. (More on that very shortly.)
There could be a fourth Pixel 9 model. Normally, we'd expect to see a Pixel Fold 2 about now, as Google's original foldable debuted last summer. But at least one rumor claims that the next Fold will join the Pixel 9 lineup, sporting a new name — the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The idea is that Google wants the next Fold to also feature the Tensor G4 chip it's introducing in the fall.
All four rumored models have since appeared in regulatory photos taken by Taiwan's NCC. The design alterations are pretty plain to see in these shots, including the two sizes of Pro Pixel.
Google Pixel 9 design and display rumors
The Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch screen while the Pixel 8 Pro ups the display size to 6.7 inches. At least one source expects the Pixel 9 panels to grow in size, though the presence of a third Pixel 9 model may scramble early forecasts.
Just after the Pixel 8 launch last year, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants forecast increases in screen size or the entire Pixel 9 lineup. Earlier entry-level Pixel models featured larger displays than the Pixel 8 so increasing the size of that particular model wouldn't be out of step with what Google's done in the past.
However, leaked renders of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 paint a different picture. Starting with the Pixel 9 Pro renders put together by @OnLeaks and published at MySmartPrice, we see a phone with a 6.5-inch display. Now this could be the new rumored Pro model with a smaller screen that some have tipped to join the lineup, or it could be that Google really does plan to go with a smaller panel. In either case, this seemingly contradicts reports of a larger screen in this fall's Pro model.
Similarly, Pixel 9 renders also from @OnLeaks show off a phone with a 6.1-inch screen — again that would be smaller than the Pixel 8.
The March 2024 renders posted by OnLeaks at 91Mobiles have another take on the size of the three potential Pixel 9 models. The standard phone is tipped to feature a 6.03-inch display, while the Pixel 9 Pro will be available with 6.1- and 6.7-inch panels, respectively.
There's another potential change in these renders. Rather than stretching across the length of the back panel as it has since its introduction with the Pixel 6, the horizontal camera bar now has rounded ends that stop short of going edge to edge. The renders also indicate a move to flatter sides for Google instead of the rounded edges favored by recent Pixels.
While we're on the subject of displays, another rumor talks about the possibility of an Adaptive Touch feature. Spotted in an Android 14 beta, Adaptive Touch would adjust the sensitivity of the display based on "your environment, activities and screen protector." Presumably, this would make the screen easier to interactive with.
Another possible change to the Pixel 9 display would be the addition of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, much like the one Samsung uses for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Ultrasonic sensors perform much more consistently than optical fingerprint sensors like the ones currently in use on the Pixel 8 lineup.
Leaked Pixel 9 photos seem to confirm another design change with the new phone offering more rounded corners than before. We've seen other Pixel 9 photos that show off some of the colors coming to Google's new phones.
Speaking of colors, leaked wallpapers for the Pixel 9 series have shown us what to expect. Black and white could be returning, along with Jade and Peony green and pink.
Google Pixel 9 camera rumors
When initial Pixel 9 renders appeared showing a third camera lens, there was momentary speculation that Google was adding a telephoto camera to its entry-level flagship. Now that rumors of multiple Pixel 9 Pro models has taken hold, it seems pretty clear that any renders showing a telephoto lens feature either Pixel 9 Pro model — be it the smaller version or the rumored XL offering.
The Pixel 9 Pro models may feature a main camera with a variable aperture, which should help the camera adjust to different lighting conditions. The ultrawide sensor could see an upgrade on all models, though, with a larger sensor likely coming to this year's phones. That will mean improvements to low-light photos.
Currently, the Pixel 8 uses a 50MP sensor for its main camera with a 12MP ultrawide lens completing the setup. That same 50MP sensor leads the Pixel 8 Pro's cameras, but it uses 48MP sensors for its ultrawide and telephoto lenses.
The same rumor that tipped an ultrawide camera improvement for the Pixel 9 phones also claims that the standard Pixel 9 will adopt a Pro feature, with the front camera picking up auto-focus capabilities.
Google Pixel 9 performance and software rumors
Another easy prediction for the Pixel 9 lineup is that it will likely run on a new Tensor chipset — the Tensor G4, should Google stick with current naming conventions. Google bases its chips on Exynos silicon, though there's talk that the Tensor G5 chipset would be one that's completely designed by Google. That wouldn't appear until the Pixel 10 in 2025, though.
Fortunately, it seems that the Tensor G4 chip could benefit from Samsung's latest silicon developments, hopefully meaning it's more powerful and more efficient than the current-gen Tensor chip. The Pro models may also receive 16GB RAM to allow for more effective AI processing.
The Pixel 8 series' Tensor G3 chips lag behind the performance of the silicon powering other top Android devices, a gap that only figures to widen now that Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon is starting to appear in phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. While the point of Tensor isn't necessarily to deliver blazing speeds, we do hope the Tensor G4 brings some speed improvements particularly for graphics rendering.
The true advantage of Tensor lies in the AI-powered features it can offer, such as the call screening and photo editing capabilities built into current Pixels. Samsung's Galaxy AI features introduced as part of the Galaxy S24 launch match some of those capabilities while adding a few unique ones. Then again, a software update brought capabilities like Circle to Share to current Pixels.
At any rate, we'd expect the Tensor G4 to get a neural engine update that fuels new features that we'll find out more about between now and the Pixel 9's launch. Code uncovered from the latest versions of Google's AI Core app and the Google Messages beta reveal more on-device AI capabilities for the Pixel 9, which would minimize the need to offload data for cloud-based services to process. Meaning, it could be possible for text to image conversions to happen locally on the phone.
Accompanying the new chip could be a Threads radio, the necessary component for using Matter-powered smart home products. This has appeared in the iPhone 15 Pro already, but this would be a first on the Android phone side of things.
One report highlights several potential AI-powered features that could debut on the Pixel 9, though there are few details about them. Add Me is tipped to be a group photos editing tool, not unlike the Best Take feature from the Pixel 8 that let you swap out faces of people in the shot. A Studio feature sounds like it's going to bring more on-device generative AI features to Google's phones. And Pixel Screenshots will let you search for content in any of the screenshots you have stored on your phone.
The Pixel 9 is all but certain to debut with Android 15 running the show. In fact, it's likely that the Pixel 9 models will be the first to ship with the Android 15 update pre-installed. Google already has a public beta of Android 15 available to run on current Pixel phones, and Google I/O in May revealed more Android 15 features. We're currently at beta 3 for Android 15, which delivers platform stability; that likely means a launch around the August 13 hardware event.
Google Pixel 9 outlook
We expect a few more Pixel 9 details to emerge ahead of the phone's likely August 13 unveiling. And that's something we're eagerly waiting to hear about, as the release of the Galaxy S24 means that more AI-centric devices have joined the current Pixels. Given the other improvements to Samsung's flagships, you can imagine the pressure Google likely feels to step up its Pixel game this year.
Ultimately, we'd expect Google to once again make unique AI features a focus on the Pixel 9. But based on early rumors about the display, cameras and potential new models, we wouldn't be surprised to see the phone maker pull out all the stops to make the Pixel 9 stand out.
