Pixel 9 Phones: Release Dates, Prices, Variants and More

Google Pixel 9 phones like Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL are available from 22 August 2024, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be on the market from September 4 in the U.S.

Google has a hand in every cookie jar and right now, it is the smartphone one that is in the limelight. Google will soon be releasing the Pixel 9 phones. The phones will hit the markets in the US first and then across the globe. These smartphones are jam-packed with new and exciting features waiting for us to check them out.

Pixel 9 Phones Design and Performance

Starting with the changes in appearance, the Pixel 9 phones have arranged the camera front and center. The lenses are fitted on an elevated camera bar. It feels almost satisfying to touch this. Two new finishes come with this launch: silky matte glass back and polished metal sides. Google says the Pixel 9 phones are twice as durable as their predecessor.

The Pro model is available in two different sizes: Pixel 9 Pro (6.3”) and Pixel 9 Pro XL (6.8”). Both of these models sport the Super Actua display, the brightest Google has designed to date. The front camera is 42 MP, which is great for low-light conditions. By the way, this is a huge jump from Pixel 9. Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are alike except in three areas: display size, charging speed, and power.

The Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch Actua display which is 35% brighter than Pixel 8. The camera is the same on all three variants. The front camera has autofocus for better photos. As for the battery life, it is 20% longer compared to Pixel 8. Each Pixel 9 phone has seven years of OS, Pixel Drops, and security updates.

Google’s latest custom silicon chip, Tensor G4, has been designed with DeepMind to power the Pixel 9 phones. These chips are tweaked for advanced AI programs; Gemini Nano with Multimodality will be sported on these phones. For this same reason, the memory has been upped to 12 GB and 16 GB for Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL respectively.

Pixel 9 Exclusive Apps

Gemini Advanced

All Pixel 9 phones come with a free year subscription to Gemini Advanced, including Gemini Live. Gemini Live can interact more intuitively with Gemini, right from the phone or Pixel Buds. Along with this, Google has launched the Pixel Studio. This is an image generator that runs on an on-device diffusion model. This, in turn, runs Imagen 3, a text-to-image model in the cloud.

Pixel Screenshots

Next up is Pixel Screenshots. This is a one-stop solution for organizing all the screenshots you take. The app analyzes all screenshots you take and then tags the objects it finds in them with relevant information. For example, if it recognizes a cooktop in a photo, it will tag it as such. Later, when you need to find this screenshot, you simply search for the word “cooktop,” and all the related screenshots will pop up.

Pixel Weather

The Pixel Weather app, combined with Gemini Nano, generates custom AI weather reports. The camera has a re-engineered imaging pipeline. The integrated AI will perfect any shot, freeing it of any discrepancies. For example, the Add Me feature takes care of the “photographer problem”: in any group photo, one person is always left out because they have to take the photo. Add Me will merge the photographer and the group from different photos.

According to Google, the Pixel 9 phone’s Panorama option is the highest-quality low-light panorama there is. Then, Magic Editor and Auto Frame let you do what their names suggest: editing the photo for the perfect shot and framing it.

On the Pro phones, the Video Boost option can process Night Sight videos super fast. The higher variants allow for the recording of high-res zoom videos with the 48MP 5x telephoto lens. The zoom can go up to 20x with Super Res Zoom Video.

Clear Calling

The Clear Calling option ensures clear audio during calls. A new Call Notes feature will automatically write up a private summary and transcript of the call and send it to parent phone after the call. For the sake of privacy, everyone on the call will be notified if this feature is activated.

On the safety side, Google has inserted the Satellite SOS feature into the Pixel 9 phones. With this, emergency responders can be contacted via satellite. That means this is independent of cellular service. For the time being, this feature runs only in the US, notwithstanding the carrier plan. Also, this will be available for free for the first two years.

Pixel 9 Phone Prices and Pre-Orders

The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL can be pre-ordered now. The starting prices are $799, $999, and $1,099 respectively. Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL will start retailing at the Google Store from 22 August 2024. The Pixel 9 Pro will be on the market from September 4 in the U.S. Along with this, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will also be made available.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s latest offering in the foldable smartphone category. Powered by the same Tensor G4 chip, it has a fluid-friction hinge and Super Actua Flex display. With an 80% brighter display compared to Pixel Fold, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2. The water resistance rating is IPX8, meaning this phone can handle 30 minutes of submersion up to a depth of 1.5 meters.

AI is a huge feature on this smartphone. Along with the aforementioned Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, Magic Editor, Video Boost, and Add Me, such features include Circle to Search, Summarize, and Gemini. Multitasking on this phone is a breeze with the Split Screen functionality.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold Design and Performance

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold lives up to the reputation of amazing photography capabilities in the Pixel phones. It has an ultra-thin advanced triple rear camera system. The ultrawide camera and both the front cameras have a feature called Macro Focus for greater focus. Face Unlock is available whether the phone is folded or unfolded.

It goes without saying that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best Pixel phone for gamers and entertainment enthusiasts. YouTube TV has a multiview for simultaneous viewing of four different events. As for gaming, Google has partnered with developers like Asphalt Unite and Disney Speedstorm to extend their portfolio. Minecraft and Candy Crush Soda Saga have both optimized their games for a foldphone-centric experience. More titles, like NBA Infinite and League of Legends: Wild Rift are to follow.

The Pixel 9 phones pack boatloads of new features. Google has overdone themselves once again. It seems the smartphones famous for their camera capabilities might just become number one in various other categories as well.