The next iteration of the Google Pixel, the Google Pixel 9 will be launched later this year and like any flagship smartphone, the rumour mill is up and running. Will it have a periscopic telephoto lens? Will the Pixel 8 Pro’s errant temperature sensor stick around its successor? And, more importantly, is Google planning to “yassify” the Pixel 9 Pro?
Expect to hear something more substantial closer to Google I/O in May, when the company will likely reveal the hardware it’s launching towards the end of the year, most likely in October.
Here is the latest news on the Google Pixel 9 including leaks, release dates, versions, features and more.
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Latest Pixel 9 Rumours, Leaks and News
April 24
More renders have emerged of the Pixel 9 Pro photographed side by side with an iPhone. The new renders seen below, from Rozetked show the Pixel 9 Pro model next to an iPhone 14 Pro Max. As you can see the Pro model has three cameras sitting horizontally similar to the Pixel 8 Pro model but the camera housing has been reduced and is a cylindrical shape.
April 16
The upcoming Pixel 9 will reportedly have a new modem that will support satellite connectivity, according to Android Authority. This satellite messaging feature will be used in emergency situations through a new app called ‘Emergency SOS’. When a user is in distress they will be asked a slew of questions about the situation and then if they want to notify their emergency contacts.
March 28
New Pixel 9 renders show a third mobile that will be dubbed the Pixel Pro XL. Twitter user OnLeaks via 91Mobiles noted that there will be the usual Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro and the third device will be a bigger Pro device. If these renders are true, this will be the first time since the Pixel 5 that an XL device has been released. See the image below for the renders.
March 18
The upcoming Pixel 9 could have an adaptive touch feature when it’s released later this year, according to Android Authority. Adaptive Touch is a helpful little tool that adjusts the screen sensitivity to ensure the user can use the device to its full extent. In the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 release, the site found hints that Google might be adding an adaptive touch setting. In the Beta 2 release, Android Authority saw Google labelling Adaptive Touch as a P24 feature. ‘P24’ is the label given to the upcoming Pixel release.
March 11
There’s been plenty of speculation about Google’s 2024 Pixel roadmap among the handful of oft-frequented Android blogs. Two years ago, the rumour mill successfully predicted the arrival of the folding Pixel Fold and the Pixel 7a. The whispers now suggest that Google may skip the mid-range Google Pixel 8a launch, which would have preceded the Pixel 9. However, the Pixel Fold 2 is still slated for release this year, and the gossip has already started percolating on why it’ll be better than Google’s first-gen attempt.
Pixel 9 Release Date
Google typically launches its new Pixel generation in October, and it’s par for the course this year, too. We expect to see the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro post-Apple iPhone and Galaxy foldable release. It’s usually the last major phone release before the holiday shopping season.
Pixel 9 Versions
With the Pixel there is normally a standard version and a pro version. But this year could be different for the Google phone. Leaks from way back in December 2022, show there could be three devices released in 2024. One is the standard Pixel 9 and the other two is the Pixel 9 Pro in two different sizes, one will be a 6.7-inch model and the other a 6.3-inch model, according to Tom’s Guide.
Pixel 9 Features: What to expect
Camera
The Pixel 9 Pro will likely have a more significant camera bump. The same thing has happened to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max—that optical zoom offering needs a lens that can facilitate, and Google can only rely on the algorithms of Super Zoom for so long.
The backside-facing camera module of the Pixel 9 might also get reconfigured, though it will be less of a change than what they say the Pixel Fold 2 will look like. The consensus is that the Pixel design will become rounder, more reliant on the circular aesthetic than the rectangular one it’s leaned into since the Pixel 6.
Memory
The last iteration of the Pixel 8 had memory options in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB (and 1TB but not in Australia) so expect to see the same again for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, let also hope that a 1 TB version also makes its way down under.
Battery Life
In the Pixel 8 Pro, the battery was upgraded from up from 5,000mAh to 5,050mAh. Normally with each Pixel generation comes a bump in battery power and life. No specific leaks on battery life have emerged but we expect an increase in mAh.
Charging
According to Android Police, it is the year of Qi2 where the Pixel 9 could match Apple’s charging standard which adds “MagSafe-style pucks into the equation”.
Pixel 9 Specs and Design: What to expect
Specifications
The exact specifications of Google’s next smartphone have yet to be determined. There is a smattering of chatter about a supposed 6.5-inch display, placing the screen size right between the Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch display and the Pixel 8 Pro’s 6.7-inch offering.
Ross Young, an analyst with the Display Supply Chain Consultants, offered conflicting information in October that it’s more likely the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro will have larger displays than the Pixel 8 series.
The rumour is similar to one about the iPhone 16 Pro Max going up to a 6.8-inch display, and Young has been on the mark with display predictions over the past few smartphone release cycles.
Based on highly alleged renderings surfaced by MySmartPrice, a website known to leak Android handsets before, the next-gen Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will have flatter edges and a deeper curve around the edges. The images currently floating around suggest the Pixel 9 will almost mirror the rounded aesthetic of the Galaxy S24 series or the iPhone 15 Pro.
Colour options
The Pixel 8 last year was launched in three colours: rose, hazel and obsidian, also known as pink, green and black. In January this year, Google released a mint version too. We predict a trio of colours at the first release with a surprise drop a few months later.
Pixel 9 Accessories: What to expect
With every Pixel launch comes some fun accessories, not just cases, stands and cords but complementary technology. In the past two releases of the Pixel phones the Pixel Watch is also unveiled. This year the Pixel Watch 3 will be launched alongside the Pixel 9.
The upcoming Pixel Watch 3 is rumoured to have no buttons on it after Google filed patents in November to have a “gesture only” wearable.
Pixel 9 Price: What to expect
Nothing solid has emerged about the Pixel 9 pricing as it is still early days. However, what we can deduce from last year’s drop of the Pixel 8 is expect a price increase. The Pixel 8 Pro had a whopping $400 price increase from its previous iteration so we can only expect something similar. For the Pixel 8 model, it was a $200 increase so expect something similar for that model too.
We’ll be updating this page with more rumours and anything that gets confirmed leading up to the eventual launch of the Pixel 9.
Want more Google Pixel news? Check out our review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Google Pixel 8.