Usually officially unveiled at the start of the school year, Google’s new Pixel smartphones are arriving a little early this year. A design that is still as neat and new AI functions are on the program.
As every year, the procession of leaks preceding Google’s next Pixel smartphones hit the nail on the head. Design and configurations have largely flooded the web pages of specialized sites for several months, so much so that Google took matters into its own hands at the end of July and began to broadcast teaser videos before the official announcement at the Made by Google event on August 13. It must be said that for this 2024 edition, the American giant is not going easy on itself. On the program, not two models as usual but four, including the new version of the Pixel Fold, which is indeed planned this time for France as well. The catalog now consists of the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold.
All of them sport a slightly reworked design but still as identifiable at first glance with this now unshakeable large horizontal photo block which remains the trademark of the firm. It no longer occupies the entire width of the smartphone but turns into a sort of elongated pill that is pleasant to the eye.
The edges of the devices also give in to the current trend initiated by the iPhone. They become very flat. Note that all the smartphones presented benefit from 7 years of major system updates and security patches.
Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL: One chip, two sizes and AI everywhere
The Pixel and Pixel Pro are therefore welcoming a new member to the family: the Pro XL model. But make no mistake. Where the difference was previously played out in the size of the screen as well as the photo equipment between the classic model and the Pro model, it is the Pixel 9 Pro XL that has the privilege of enjoying a larger screen than the others. Thus, the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro are equipped with a 6.3-inch Oled panel compared to 6.8 inches for the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The latter is also intended to be brighter than its little brothers.
On the photo side, the Pixel 9 has two modules. A 50 Mpx wide-angle (f/1.8) with a 2x optical equivalent zoom (by cropping) and a 48 Mpx ultra-wide-angle (f/1.7). On the front, there is a 10.5 Mpx selfie camera. The 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL models are equipped with three sensors. They use the same wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle sensors to which is added a 5x optical telephoto lens (10x optical equivalent by cropping) of 48 Mpx (f/2.8). On the front, it is a 42 Mpx camera offering a viewing angle of up to 103° and 30% brighter according to the firm, which is at the helm for selfies.
To power all this little world, all Pixel 9s rely on the new Google Tensor G4 chip supported by 12 GB of RAM for the Pixel 9 and 16 GB for the Pro models. According to Google, the Tensor G4 is 20% faster than its predecessor for web browsing and 17% faster when it comes to launching applications. It is also more energy efficient. Above all, the Tensor G4 is of course designed for in-house AI (Gemini and Deep Mind) allowing, like the PC Copilot+ SoCs, up to 45 TOPS (billions of operations per second).
Finally, Google promises to have improved the autonomy of its devices. The Pixel 9 would thus display 100 hours of endurance (with the Extreme energy saving mode all the same). And if the firm does not give an indication for the 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL models, it finally authorizes the fast charge that was so lacking in the previous series with the promise of a 70% charge in 30 minutes that we will hasten to verify during our tests.
Price-wise, it’s a bit of a cold shower. The classic model is no longer as cheap as it used to be. Its price had already jumped 23% between 2022 and 2023, going from 649 euros for the Pixel 7 to 799 euros for the Pixel 8, and it’s still increasing by 12.5% this year. In addition, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is more comparable to the Pixel 8 Pro of 2023, is also seeing a price increase of around 10% compared to last year’s model.
- Pixel 9 128 GB: 899 euros
- Pixel 9 256 GB: 999 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro 128 GB: 1099 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro 256 GB: 1199 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro 512 GB: 1329 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro 1 TB GB: 1589 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro XL 128 GB: 1199 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro XL 256 GB: 1299 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro XL 512 GB: 1429 euros
- Pixel 9 Pro XL 1 TB: 1689 euros
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Google’s folding model will be available in France
Last year, Google created some frustration with its Pixel Fold, its foldable smartphone. The device was only available in the United States and a handful of other countries. It seems that despite all its teething problems (very visible crease, excessive weight, thickness, etc.) Google found the experience convincing. So much so that this year, its new foldable model, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, will indeed be marketed in France. To make its place alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6, Honor Magic V3 (coming soon) and other OnePlus Open, Google’s foldable keeps the design specific to the Pixel range. However, there is a small concession on the back of the device since the horizontal bar housing the photo sensors disappears in favor of a large metal rectangle.
On the front, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 6.3-inch external screen (compared to 5.8 inches previously). Once opened, it reveals a large 8-inch screen2,076 x 2,152 pixels for a resolution of 373 ppi, the largest currently available. Closed, the device would be “barely thicker” than the Pixel 9 Pro. 10.5 mm all the same. As for the weight, it remains in line with current foldable book-sized smartphones with 257 g. It is of course also powered by a home-made Tensor G4 chip supported by 16 GB of RAM. On the photo side, it is a little less good than on the Pixel 9 Pro. We thus have a 48 Mpx wide-angle module (f / 1.7), a 10.5 Mpx ultra-wide-angle and a 10.8 Mpx 5x optical telephoto lens. On the front, we can rely on a 10 Mpx camera for selfies. For the battery, the Pixel 9 Pro Fund relies on a 4650 mAh battery and a 45 W fast charge (the charger is not included in the box). As for the price, Google seems to be getting closer to Samsung with a price starting at 1899 euros all the same. Count 2029 euros for the version equipped with 512 GB of storage space.
Google Pixel 9: new artificial intelligence tools are coming
Artificial intelligence remains the nerve of war for all smartphone manufacturers. And the American giant, which provides many tools to the majority of the players in the running, is keeping up the pace. Thus, all its new smartphones, from the Pixel 9 to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, will benefit from new functions that take advantage of AI. In photography first of all, we can count on the Add Me function. When you want to take a group shot but still be in the frame without taking a selfie, Add Me can come into play. All you have to do is take a first shot and then lend the device to a person already photographed. You then sit in a place left empty in the first photo and shoot a second time. Google’s algorithms then start to merge the two images so that everyone appears in the photo.
Another interesting feature this time related to the screenshots that we are led to take on the mobile. A bit like Recall on Windows, it will be possible to find a screenshot by indicating some information on its content without having to scroll through the entire photo library. A search operation that is carried out directly on the device and does not require an Internet connection.
The Re-Imagine function, active locally on the device, allows you to modify the atmosphere of a shot by replacing a gray sky with deep blue or snow, for example.
It will also be possible to use the Video Boost function (on Pro models only) to improve the quality of a video with upscaling up to 8K, or the Res Zoom function to optimize the rendering when the zoom is used in a video.
Other new functions should also arrive. For example, there is the Call Summary. It allows you to record a telephone conversation (the interlocutor is informed of the recording) and to obtain, once the conversation is over, a summary of what was said. Practical for not forgetting anything when you don’t have anything to write down on hand. Still on the subject of telephone calls, the Clear Calling function allows you to eliminate background noise during a call to better hear and understand the person you are talking to. These two functions are executed locally on the device.