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Google has confirmed that it will fully reveal the Pixel 9 on August 13 – two months earlier than the usual October reveal dates for new Pixel phones – but the leaks keep coming.
The latest images to surface online show the Android flagship in a shocking shade of pink and shed some light on the array of new AI features the phone is expected to be capable of. Some are even suggesting a return of the Pixel Fold, this time launching alongside flagship and branded Pixel 9 Pro Fold phones.
In a surprise announcement, the tech giant says it will host a Made by Google event on August 13 at its Mountain View, California headquarters, weeks earlier than expected. The short teaser video is titled “AI… meet IX” – a fairly straightforward allusion to artificial intelligence and the Roman numeral nine.
Google usually unveils its new Pixel phones in October each year, following Apple’s announcement of its newest iPhones each September. This year the search giant has seemingly changed direction and Google will be the first to arrive at the party to announce its latest technology.
Having knowingly never mentioned artificial intelligence for years, Apple finally revealed its AI plans for the iPhone 16 at WWDC in June, which may have prompted Google to push ahead with its own AI announcements. The Pixel 9 is expected to heavily leverage and integrate Google’s Gemini AI technology into its Pixel devices, similar to how Apple is leveraging OpenAI and other LLMs to improve Siri functionality on the iPhone.
What’s still unclear is exactly what features the Pixel 9 can offer the average user. Earlier this year, Google engineers demonstrated an impressive new multimodal AI assistant codenamed Project Astra, which can respond in a conversational style to continuous audio and visual input. When questioned, Astra identified an audio speaker as an object making sound, explained the purpose of some codes she saw on a monitor, recalled seeing a red apple on a table earlier, and recognized the view out the window as the Kings Cross campus of Google in London, where the company’s AI team is based.
While a sharp and visible demonstration of Google’s AI capabilities for app developers, we’re still waiting to find out what the Pixel 9 can actually do for the average person who buys and uses one every day. Especially in the UK and Europe, where many of Google’s AI features – such as image generation and certain types of call screening and website summaries – are restricted by European law.
In any case, we’ve rounded up everything else we know about the Pixel 9 below. Check back for the latest when we learn more at the Made by Google event this August.
Google Pixel 9 design
Expected to be announced in August, the Pixel 9 range is getting a new, flatter design, similar to the sharp lines of the iPhone 15. This would be a departure from the rounded aesthetic of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro , where the gentle curves helped to mask the overall thickness of the phone.
Other changes include a redesigned camera bar. Instead of spanning the full width of the phone’s back, the triple lens array appears on a wide, pill-shaped island. This update brings the Pixel 9 in line with the design of the Pixel Fold, which is also said to be getting a facelift this year.
Will there be a Pixel 9 XL?
One of the biggest surprises this year is the rumored Pixel 9 Pro XL, a new third flagship device with a bigger screen, a bigger battery and, apparently, a higher price. The phone, which does not yet have an official name, has been seen in leaked videos.
Google Pixel 9 launch date
The Pixel 8 phones were announced on October 12, 2023, while the Pixel 7 phones debuted on October 6, 2022. However, this year, it looks like Google will launch the Pixel 9 in August. Whether or not that means an August launch date remains to be seen.
For the past two years, Google has also launched the newest Pixel Watch alongside its latest phones. While we have no confirmation that a Pixel Watch 3 is in the works, it’s a reasonable guess that a new wearable will appear alongside the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.
Google Pixel 9 Price
We can only make an educated guess as to how much the Pixel 9 might cost, but last year’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro saw a price hike to £999 and £699. With inflationary pressures easing in the tech market, we’d like to see the newest Pixel phones stay at that triple-digit price point.
However, there are reasons to believe that Google could raise the price of the Pixel Pro model past that £1,000 psychological barrier. The tech giant matched the price of the Pixel 8 Pro with the iPhone 15 Pro last October, and Apple is said to be raising the price of its phones soon. If that turns out to be the case when the iPhone 16 is unveiled in September, Google has cover to respond by raising the price of the newest Pixel phones.
That said, we could also see Google stick to existing pricing. Samsung, not Apple, is Google’s biggest competitor in Android phones, and the Korean tech firm’s Galaxy S24+ starts at £999. If the Pixel 9 is going to have the best chance of luring more users away from Samsung’s massively popular phones, staying at £999 would have to be part of that plan.
Google Pixel 9 display
Accessory maker Thinborne has apparently already received samples of their Pixel 9 cases circulating online, which show off the new shape and three models.
Other possible Pixel 9 leaks come from reliable sources Onleaks via the Indian tech site MySmartPricewhich has showcased the alleged renders of the latest Pixel phones in great detail.
Leaked images show a redesigned Pixel 9 with a new flat bezel. The Pixel 8 Pro has already ditched the slightly curved screen in favor of a flat screen, though this year’s phone takes things a step further with a uniformly flat and regular iPhone-like edge.
According to the leaks, the power button and volume rocker remain unchanged on the right side of the device, as does the empty left side of the bezel. The SIM card tray has migrated to the bottom of the phone, sharing space with the speaker grill and USB-C charging port.
MySmartPrice reports that the Pixel 9 Pro will measure 162.7mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm. Including the camera bump, the thickest part of the phone will be 12mm. That camera bump will also get a redesign. Instead of spanning the entire width of the phone’s back and blending into the frame, all three camera lenses will live on a pill-shaped camera island that houses a wide-angle, periscope telephoto, and main lens. The holepunch selfie camera looks largely unchanged from that of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
The Pixel 9 Pro’s display is said to be slightly smaller than last year’s phone, now measuring 6.5 inches, down from 6.7 inches.
Google Pixel 9 Features
A new Tensor G4 chip is almost certain to make its debut with the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The newer Tensor chip will predictably offer a performance boost over the G3, though it’s hard to quantify how big an improvement might be at this early stage. What is certain is that Google will use the new technology to improve the performance of artificial intelligence in the device, which is expected to be a mainstay for the Pixel 9 phones.
According to Android AuthorityThe Pixel 9 series will also get an upgraded modem for the first time since the Pixel 7. A new Samsung-built modem should offer increased efficiency, better connectivity and the ability to connect to satellite networks in emergency cases.
Google Pixel 9 Features
Software is where the Google Pixel series really shines. Although, not much is known about how the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will perform in terms of features and functionality. We expect the Pixel 9 series to be the first to launch with Android 15, the latest version of Google’s supported operating system, just as the Pixel 8 launched with Android 14.
Google is pushing AI features hard and recently relaunched Bard, its big language model, as Google Gemini. The tech giant has slowly begun to replace some functions of Google Assistant and Google search with results powered by Google Gemini, although the rollout has been poor. As of today, the Gemini app is not officially available in the UK and Europe.
Google is also reportedly working on a replacement for Google Assistant on the phone, called Pixie, powered by Gemini. This AI assistant will be designed to work on the device instead of waiting for cloud-based results, which means faster response times to queries, commands and queries. Pixie will reportedly be able to scan your Gmail inbox, as well as reminders, calendar events and Google Maps information to bring you relevant and personalized responses.
Android Authority reports that the Pixel 9 could get an emergency SOS feature similar to Apple’s, which would allow users to connect to emergency services using satellites, though this feature is likely to be region-specific. Cellular network coverage is more comprehensive in the UK and Europe than in the wilds of North America, so we’d assume any SOS features would remain exclusive to the United States and Canada for now.
The best Google phone deals
The newest Pixel phone is just £28 a month on Metrofone, with nothing to pay up front. Our review of the Pixel 8 declared it “Google’s best phone yet”, powered by the new Tensor G3 processor which enables powerful AI photo and video editing features.
Buy now
Here’s a great deal on the Google Pixel 8 Pro at Carphone Warehouse. You can get Google’s latest and greatest phone with 100GB of monthly data through id Mobile, which costs £809 in total over the life of the two-year contract, not including the average plan price increase.
Buy now
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