Everything you need to know about the Google Pixel 9

In its Made by Google event on August 13, Google finally made the long-awaited Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold official. The Pixel 9 is Google’s base model in the lineup, a successor to the Google Pixel 8. It is also the most affordable entry point in the Pixel 9 lineup, at least until the inevitable launch of the Pixel 9a, which we aren’t expecting until 2025.

Here’s everything you need to know about the newly announced Google Pixel 9.

Google Pixel 9: price and availability

The Google Pixel 9 is currently available for preorder on the Google Store at a starting price of $799. You can also expect to see the phone at other retailers and carriers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and so on.

Shipments for Pixel 9 preorders are expected to go out on August 22. This is also when regular sales will begin.

Google Pixel 9: specs

Google Pixel 9: hands-on

There’s a lot to talk about with the Google Pixel 9, and we’ll get into it below. But first, here’s something important to consider: What’s it like to actually use the Pixel 9? Thankfully, we’ve had a chance to find out!

We recently got to go hands-on with the Google Pixel 9, and we came away rather impressed. The new design, while potentially controversial, looks and feels excellent in person. Google’s also got great colors this year, the display looks nice, and many of the software features appear to work just as advertised. We, of course, need more time with the Pixel 9 before we can fully evaluate it, but it’s definitely off to a good start.

Google Pixel 9: design and display

The Pixel 9 comes with some major design changes compared with the Google Pixel 8. Gone is the camera bar with its dual-sensor; instead, you get a more centered camera island that protrudes out from the device. Along the sides, you now have polished metal edges, along with a matte back that comes in Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony color options. It’s still possible to see the Pixel design language though, and with the centered Google logo on the back, you won’t confuse it with any other phone.

In terms of dimensions, you’re looking at a phone measuring 6.0 by 2.8 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 7 ounces. This is impressive because it has the same footprint as the Pixel 9 Pro, so it’s good to see Google catering to people who still want capable specs in a smaller form factor. The phone also supports IP68 water and dust resistance, meaning it can withstand complete immersion and is protected against dust ingress.

On the front, there’s a 6.3-inch Actua OLED display covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for added protection and resistance to scratches and shattering. The screen can reach up to 1800 nits in HDR and up to 2700 nits in peak brightness, which should be more than enough for direct sunlight viewing. However, it’s less than the 2,000 to 3,000 nits the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL can reach.

The screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 1080 by 2424 resolution, which works out to a crisp 422 pixels per inch. It also supports a variable refresh rate between 60Hz and 120Hz, so it should be smooth and responsive, though it won’t be as sharp or responsive as the Quad HD OLED screen on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Google Pixel 9: camera

For cameras, you get a dual rear camera system that consists of a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor with macro focus. With the rear camera, you can record 4K video at 24/30/60 frames per second (fps). It also supports Super Res Zoom and optical zoom at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x. However, there isn’t a dedicated telephoto lens, so if that’s important to you, you’ll want to consider the triple camera array on either the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL.

The selfie camera has a 10.5MP sensor with a 95-degree ultrawide field of view and can record 4K video at 30/60 fps. This should be more than sufficient for standard selfie shots and video calls, though it won’t match the 42MP sensor on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Generally, Pixel phones rarely disappoint in terms of camera performance, even when it comes to the base model. When we reviewed the Pixel 8, we loved the main camera performance and liked the AI photo editing tools that were incorporated. Naturally, Google is continuing to include AI enhancements in its devices, which we’ll touch on in the software section.

Google Pixel 9: performance and battery

Expect snappy performance on the Pixel 9. Just like its two more expensive siblings, it comes with the latest and greatest Google Tensor processor (Tensor G4 this year), 12GB of RAM, and storage options that range from 128GB to 256GB. If you need more memory or space, you’ll want to consider the Pro models that come with 16GB RAM and additional storage options of 512GB and 1TB.

We expect the Pixel 9 to perform smoothly in games, multitasking, and general browsing. Our upcoming review will put the phone through its paces in rigorous testing, but to give you a frame of reference, the chip is partially based on Samsung Exynos 2400, the chip you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S24 outside of the U.S., so you can expect similar performance.

The Pixel 9 has a 4,700mAh battery under the hood, the same size as the Pixel 9 Pro, though smaller than the 5,060mAh cell you get with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. For battery life, Google claims a 24-hour+ battery life and up to 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode enabled (which disables most phone functions like 5G data and puts most apps to sleep).

The phone supports 27W fast charging with a 45W USB-C charger (which isn’t included), and it should be able to charge to 55% in 30 minutes. It also supports fast wireless charging at 15W.

Google Pixel 9: software and features

The Pixel 9 runs Android 14, and like every Pixel device, it will receive seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates. That also means it should be among the first devices to receive the upcoming Android 15 update.

As for features, AI is the order of the day. Google’s Gemini is built into the Pixel, and Pixel 9 owners can get a year of the more capable Gemini Advanced model for free for a full year. You can also get Gemini Live as your default assistant, replacing Google Assistant, though that’s optional. Gemini will be able to hook into various apps and services, including Google Calendar, to give you information about things like upcoming events. The Pixel 9 also comes with a fully redesigned weather app that now shows AI forecasts and summaries, along with panels that show additional information like 10-day forecasts, humidity, and more.

You’ll also spot two new apps on your home screen: Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio. Pixel Screenshots is a feature somewhat similar to Microsoft’s controversial Recall for Copilot+ PCs, but in this case, it’s more restrictive. You can opt into having Pixel Screenshots save and process all the screenshots you take, letting you use Gemini to pull information from them. This can include recipes, directions, text processing, and more.

Pixel Studio is more like Midjourney or Dall-E 3. It’s an AI-powered image generator that can generate new images from scratch or rework existing images. You can relay information to it by voice commands via Gemini or over text.

The last two AI features are related to photos. Add Me allows you to snap two separate images of people or groups and add missing members to the image by morphing them together. It’s a neat feature, and with Magic Editor, you can also make additional enhancements like framing the photo, expanding the scene, or even changing the background.

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