A taller Pixel Fold, a “small Pro” Pixel 9, and lots more early details.
Can you really call them “leaks” if, every year, Google’s Pixel phones end up being sloshed all over the web for months before their official release? What volume of photos, hardware specifications, and other details constitutes a leak, rather than a quick-draining colander?
Google’s Pixel 9 series of phones are expected to be launched at an event on August 13. Because those phones need to be certified by various regulators, including the Taiwanese National Communications Commission, or NCC, there are now photos—so many photos—of all four phones Google is expected to announce next month. The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google’s second attempt at a folding phone, have been sized, measured, rated for battery life and charging speed, and even disassembled for a look inside.
As has been suggested by Pixel 9 renders, renders of all three non-folding phones, and pictures of prototypes, the NCC pictures confirm that Google’s “Pro” phone in this series is the same size as the standard model 9 but with three rear cameras and upgraded, possibly AI-friendly, specs. The NCC filings don’t confirm all internal specs, such as the eye-popping 16GB of RAM seen in an earlier Pixel 9 Pro prototype. Google has previously noted that keeping certain generative models to be “RAM-resident” requires more RAM.
- The potential Pixel 9 Pro XL, as seen at the Taiwanese NCC, complete with quirky “This is not Google, per se” logo remix. NCC/Android Authority
- The putative Pixel 9 Pro, disassembled to some degree. NCC/Android Authority
- The purported Pixel 9 Pro Fold, taken down to its screens, batteries, and camera holes. NCC/Android Authority
The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro get a 4,558 mAh battery, according to NCC filings, while the 9 Pro XL packs in 4,942 mAh. That represents a very slight bump from the Pixel 8 for the Pixel 9, and about even between the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL (which, reminder, are now the “big” phones, even if some people might consider the 6.1-inch screens on the base models not quite “small”). Charging speeds are roughly the same between the Pixel 8 and 9, as Android Authority notes, though the “big” Pixel phone jumps from roughly 27 W in the 8 series to almost 33 W on the Pixel 9 Pro XL listing.
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A Fold that’s flatter, taller
FURTHER READING
Pixel Fold review: The first foldable that actually feels like a tabletWhat’s much more changed is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It’s not as squat and square as the original Pixel fold from 2023, being somewhat taller and closer to its direct competitors now. Its cameras are now arranged in a square grid rather than the typical thick Pixel horizontal bar. The selfie camera on the big inner screen is now in the corner. The bezels are slimmed down, the crease seems reduced (at least in these prototype photos, and, notably, the new Fold can lie completely flat, something the prior model could not do.
The new Fold’s battery is cited as 4,560 mAh, compared to the prior model’s 4,727mAh. As noted in our review of the Pixel Fold, Google managed to fit the biggest battery in the category into it, but the category has an inherent issue with battery life. Actually using that big OLED screen for the things that make it fun to use, like watching videos or playing games, drains the battery faster than a similar experience with a tablet, which can have twice the battery cells packed in.
All four Pixel phones have Thread radio support listed, and all but the base model Pixel 9 have ultra-wideband (UWB) support noted. There’s also a new Google-white-and-smooth 45 W charger submitted with these phones.
Android Authority has the best layout of photos of the Pixel 9 series made visible by the NCC. The devices seem like a lock to be debuted at the Made by Google event on August 13.
