The Pixel 9 introduces a brighter OLED display, more RAM for smoother multitasking, and a higher resolution ultrawide camera, but it comes with a higher price and a design that might divide opinions.
The Pixel 8 offers a solid, compact design with strong battery life and fast charging, though it sacrifices RAM and camera resolution compared to its successor.
Google has officially unveiled the Pixel 9 to the world, introducing the handset alongside other brand-new hardware at its annualMade by Googlehardwareevent.
Whilemuch of the hypenaturally surrounds Google’s new higher-end offerings – the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold – the vanilla Pixel 9 looks to be a worthy flagship offering in its own right. Within the context offlagship Pixel phones, its asking price of $799 is certainly an easier pill to swallow than the Pixel 9 Pro’s much higher $999 MSRP.
With the Pixel 9 now available for pre-order, let’s see how it compares with last year’sPixel 8, and assess whether Google has made enough changes to tempt users to upgrade to the new model.
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Price, specs, and availability
The basic differences
The Google Pixel 9, priced at $799, was announced for pre-order in August 2024. It features a 6.3-inch OLED display, 12GB of RAM, Tensor G4 processor, and improved cameras. The Pixel 8, released in October 2023 at $699, has similar display specs but with 8GB of RAM, the Tensor G3 processor, and a smaller battery. Both models are IP68-rated and run Android 14.
Design and build
The Pixel 9 joins in on the flat design trend
The Pixel 9 falls in line with the rest of Google’s 2024 smartphone portfolio in terms of aesthetics. Following the industry trend set by Apple with the release of itsiPhone 12series, the Pixel 9 adopts a boxier and flatter design than its predecessor.
The entire Pixel 9 chassis leans into this new design language, with tighter corner radii and flat sides, giving the device a rather industrial look and feel.
A possible point of contention is Google’s choice to alter the appearance of the now-iconic Pixel camera bar on the rear of the phone. Last year’s Pixel 8 had a camera bar that blended into the side frame of the device, whereas the newer Pixel 9 has its camera bar separated into its own island.
Whether this design change is positive or negative is, of course, subject to personal preference. The good news is that the Pixel 9 still very much looks like a Pixel phone, with much of the distinctive Pixel DNA present and accounted for.
In terms of colorways offered this year, the Pixel 9 launches in obsidian, porcelain, wintergreen, and peony. In comparison, the Pixel 8 launched in obsidian, hazel, and rose.
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The Pixel 9 display is a good deal brighter than its predecessor
Google has outfitted the Pixel 9 with a new 6.3-inch OLED panel, which the company says is 25% brighter than last year’s model. The display size is slightly larger than the Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch screen, but the overall footprint of both devices remains comparable. The Pixel 9 is just a hair bigger overall to accommodate the new display.
Other display particulars remain unchanged year-over-year, including the 2400 x 1080 FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR support.Protecting the displaythis year is a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a newer-generation tempered glass solution than the Pixel 8’s standardGorilla Glass Victus.
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Say hello to the Tensor G4 processor
When it comes to internal hardware, the Pixel 9 is a classic example of a straightforward spec bump. Google’s new Tensor G4 processor replaces last year’sTensor G3, and RAM has been increased from 8GB to 12GB.
Not a substantial amount has changed beyond this, and we’ll need to put the new Tensor G4 through its paces to get a better idea of how much of an improvement it is over the outgoing processor.
The bump in RAM is particularly welcome, as it will help future-proof the device over time. This is especially true consideringGoogle is maintaining its promiseof 7 years of security and OS updates for the Pixel 9. If things hold true, we can expect the Pixel 9 to receive an additional Android OS update that the Pixel 8 will miss out on.
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The ultrawide lens gets a big resolution bump this year
The Pixel 9 shares the same 50-megapixel main camera sensor as its predecessor, the Pixel 8. Changes in image quality will therefore depend more on advancements in Google’scomputational photographyalgorithms, which we’ll need to test in the real world.
The bigger story here is the Pixel 9’s new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, a significant step up in resolution compared to the Pixel 8’s 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. Again, head-to-head comparisons will reveal more details, so we’ll reserve judgment for now.
For selfie fans, Google is offering one more bonus with the Pixel 9: the front-facing camera now includes autofocus, which was lacking in last year’s model. This should, in theory, help produce sharper images than the previous generation was capable of delivering.
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Verdict: Is the Pixel 9 a worthy successor to last year’s Pixel 8?
Value proposition
Overall, the Pixel 9 appears to be a solid, if unremarkable, upgrade over last year’s Pixel 8. The shift in design language is entirely a matter of individual preference, though I personally have mixed feelings about the change. Otherwise, the new model largely builds on the strong foundation first laid by Google with its watershedPixel 6andPixel 6 Prorelease back in 2021.
Google Pixel 9
Pixel 9 features a 6.3-inch display and a familiar design. It supports the addition of a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens to its rear camera array alongside Google Gemini and AI features.
Google Pixel 8
Google’s Pixel 8 offers most of the high-end Pixel 8 Pro’s key features, including a powerful processor, a great design and a stellar camera, for a lower price.
I predict that Google’s biggest challenge with the Pixel 9 will be the same as last year’s Pixel 8 – the device is situated between the more affordablePixel 8aand the more premium Pixel 9 Pro. Whether there’s adequate room within the search giant’s pricing ladder for this in-between device isn’t yet entirely clear.
