It’s that time of year again when major smartphone manufacturers announce new smartphones. Google announced the latest version of its Pixel smartphone series, which includes three new smartphones and a big focus on artificial intelligence.
As part of its main event Made by Google 2024, the tech giant finally unveiled the smartphone series Pixel 9. This year’s lineup will include four different models at launch: Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL y Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold all feature a 6.3-inch OLED display, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a slightly larger 6.8-inch display. All devices include up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The Tensor G4 chip powers all four phones, and more interestingly, according to Google, all four phones promise up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Another cool feature that Google is touting about the Pixel 9 series is that the standard Pixel 9 is 35% brighter than the Pixel 8. Plus, with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, you can use up to 20x Super Res Zoom with features like Night Sight video.
As for the cameras, Google has made a host of improvements to photography in the latest version of the Pixel smartphones. The Pixel 9 includes a dual camera setup with a wide-angle lens of 50 MP and a 48 MP ultra-wide angle with macro focus.
All three Pixel 9 Pro smartphones, including the 9 Pro Fold, include a triple rear camera with wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto lenses. The 9 Pro Fold specifically includes a 48MP wide-angle lens, a 10.5MP ultra-wide-angle with macro focus, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens with up to 5x zoom. The 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL include a 50MP wide-angle lens, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle, and a 48MP telephoto lens with up to 5x zoom.
What’s new in Google Gemini
Thanks to the Tensor G4, The Pixel 9 series has made improvements to Google’s AI system, Gemini. Google notes that the Tensor G4 is optimized to run the company’s most advanced AI models, confirming that it is the first smartphone chip that will run Gemini Nano with multimodality, which the tech giant explains will allow the Pixel 9 series to understand text, images, and audio much better. More interestingly, Google explains that Gemini Nano will include custom AI weather reporting features that will give a better idea of the weather to Pixel 9 series owners.
In addition to the improvements to AI on smartphones, Google finally announced today that it will be launching Gemini Live. This new AI feature is a voice chatbot that was originally announced at Google I/O in May. Gemini Live will be available to Gemini Advance subscribers, and those who decide to purchase a Pixel 9 series smartphone will receive a one-year subscription at no additional cost.
The Pixel 9 starts at $799 and will come in four colors: pink, mint green, black, and white. The Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, while the 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099; both come in four colors: light pink, light gray, black, and white. Lastly, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799 and comes in black or white.
Google’s Pixel 9 series will launch on September 9 in the US, or on August 22 if you buy a Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, or Pixel 9 pro XL from the Google Store or one of its retail partners. As of yet, there is no confirmed date for Latin America.
Taylor is a reporter at IGN. You can find her on Twitter as @TayNixster.
