At the Made By Google event on Tuesday, Google revealed its all-new range of Pixel 9 smartphones, which includes one standard model — the Pixel 9 — and three Pro models: the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold
The Pixel 9’s redesigned look includes a camera band which has been replaced with an oblong oval. The screen size has been increased to 6.3 inches, after going down to 6.2 inches on the Pixel 8, and is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
There’s the same number of cameras in the Pixel 9 as its predecessor (two in the back, one in the front) but the previous generation’s 12 MP ultrawide lens has been replaced with a 48 MP ultrawide lens.
New AI photography enhancements including Add Me which helps you add someone to a group photo, and Reimagine (select parts of an image and use text prompts to transform them with generative AI) which join the existing Magic Editor, Night Sight and Best Take features.
New AI enhancements coming to the entire Pixel 9 series include a new feature to catalog and retrieve information from your screenshots. It only works with screenshots you take manually, and happens on-device. There’s also a new app called Pixel Studio that uses generative AI to turn your text prompts into illustrations, though that doesn’t run on-device.
The Pixel 9 has the same Tensor G4 chip as its more expensive siblings and now the base model Pixel comes with 12GB of memory. That extra RAM will help handle the many Gemini features coming standard in Android 15.
Also unveiled this week were the Pixel 9 Pro or the Pixel 9 Pro XL . Don’t mistake the Pro moniker for bigger – the Pixel 9 Pro is the same size as the regular Pixel 9, both featuring 6.3-inch screens.
The larger screen is present in the XL model. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has the same general specs as the Pro model but with a 6.8-inch display and a 5,060 mAh battery (as compared to the 4,700 mAh battery on the smaller version).
The Google Tensor G4 processor is used here too, but the two Pro phones have 16GB of RAM on hand to handle AI tasks. You can get either phone with 128GB of storage or 1TB. The Pro models also has an additional 48 MP telephoto lens in the back and a more powerful 42 MP selfie camera up front.
Both the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL come with a year’s subscription to the Google One AI Premium Plan which lets you access all of Gemini’s features.
The most exciting launch of its smartphone range though is its latest Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google’s second foldable phone has an eight-inch inner screen. The outer screen measures 6.3 inches, up from 5.8 inches last year.
Google claims the interior screen is 80 per cent brighter than its predecessor and now maxes out at 2,700 nits.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold measures 0.4 inches when closed, making it the thinnest foldable on the market (if you don’t count the camera bump) and at 257g it’s about 25 grams lighter than the Pixel Fold.
The new foldable also houses Google’s Tensor G4 chip with 16GB of RAM and offers your choice of 256GB or 512GB of storage.
The three exterior cameras include a wide, ultrawide and telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom. There’s a 10 MP camera on both the interior and on the front of the exterior screen. You can take selfies using the more powerful rear cameras by checking out the preview of the shot on the exterior screen.
Pre-orders for some of these new devices have already begun in Australia at telcos such as Vodafone and retailers including JB Hi-Fi. The Google Pixel 9 128 GB starts at A$1,347 and costs A$1,497 for the 256 GB version. The devices have a release date of August 22.
The Pixel 9 Pro is priced at A$1,697 for the 128 GB, A$1,847 for the 256GB and A$2,047 for the 512GB variant.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL meanwhile can be pre-ordered for A$1,847 for the 128GB version, A$1,997 for the 256GB version, A$2,197 for the 512GB one, and A$2,537 for the 1TB option.
Pre-orders have also opened for Pixel 9 Pro Fold with deliveries commencing on September 4. The 256GB version costs A$2,697 while the 512GB option is priced at A$2,897.
