The annual ‘Made by Google’ event will take place on August 13 this year. This event will see the release of the new Google Pixel 9 Series, Pixel Watch 3, Pixel Buds Pro 2, and perhaps the Pixel Fold 2 as well. Typically, the Made by Google events take place after Apple’s fall event, but this year Google is putting its cards on the table early, ready to take on the iPhone 16 Series. The event is scheduled to start at 10 am Pacific Time (PT) and can be streamed on Google’s Store page and YouTube channel. Let’s take a look at what Google’s flagship smartphones will look like this year.
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In This Article
Google Pixel 9 Series: Expected variants, specs, AI, price, and more
Google is shaking things up this year by launching 3 Pixel smartphones. This will be the first time that the Pixel will get three variants for one series. The entry-level variant will remain the same, offering a 6.2-inch display. The middle variant will become the new ‘Pro’ model, offering all the ‘pro’ features in a smaller form factor. The larger 6.7-inch Pixel will not be called the Pixel Pro XL. The only thing that will separate the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL is the display size. Rumours suggest that the Pixel 9 Pro will have dimensions of 152.8mm x 71.9mm x 8.5mm.
The Google Pixel 9 Series will get a few design tweaks. The rounded corners are here to stay, but the smartphones will rock flat edges and back panels. The iconic rear camera visor will not span the entire width of the back panel anymore. Instead, it will have a pill-shaped design, much like the camera module on the Pixel Fold. The slab-style form factor of the Pixel 9 Series will bring it closer to current-gen iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S Series smartphones.
Under the hood, the Google Pixel 9 Series will be powered by the new Tensor G4 SoC. Expect this chip to pack some serious heat as it will be tasked to carry out on-device AI tasks as well. Google will likely bump the RAM specs on the Pixel as well. The Tensor G4 will remain an Exynos-based chipset. Google’s plans of designing its SoC from scratch will not come to fruition this year.
Pixels have the reputation of being the most intelligent smartphones around. Google’s Magic Editor was the first object-removal tool on Android smartphones. Its powerful voice recorder has a bunch of intelligent transcription features as well. In the last couple of months, Google has introduced more AI features for the Photos app. However, bringing Gemini AI Nano to the newest Pixel 9 Series will be the biggest leap in terms of AI integration. Google’s in-house AI tech will have its fingerprints on all the major functions.
Pixel smartphones are considered by many to be the best camera phones around. Last year’s Pixel 8 Series made a bunch of improvements to its camera setup. The Samsung Isocell GN2 sensor brought with it the potential to capture 8K videos at 30fps. Going by previous trends, Google with stick with the same camera module this year as well. This means the Pixel 9 Pro and its XL sibling will get a triple camera setup featuring a 50MP primary shooter, a 48MP ultrawide lens, and another 48MP telephoto lens.
Last year, Google dramatically increased the prices for the Pixel 9 Series. The relatively affordable Pixel 8a that was launched this year was priced closer to the entry-level Pixel 8. We don’t expect Google to significantly bump the prices for the second year in a row. Expect the entry-level Google Pixel 9 to cost around Rs 65,000. The Pixel 8 Pro will cost upwards of Rs 1 lakh, while the Pixel 8 Pro XL could be priced around Rs 1.20 lakh.
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Conclusion
The Google Pixel 9 Series will go on sale soon after being revealed at the Made By Google event on August 13. The new smartphones are expected to feature a new modem and satellite connectivity as well. The pricing and release date of the Pixel 9 Series suggests that Google will be pitching it against the upcoming iPhone 16 Series. Which smartphone would you prefer out of the two? Let us know in the comments!
