Only a few days separate us from the Made by Google event where, at this point, there is no doubt that we will attend the presentation of the Pixel 9 family , the new generation of Google smartphones, which is undoubtedly the one that has raised the most interest and expectation since the jump from Nexus to Pixel, back in 2016. A memorable first generation with lights and shadows, which not many remember that it was produced by what was, in reality, the manufacturer of the first Android smartphone, HTC.
The evolution experienced by the Google smartphone family from then until now is spectacular, with several notable milestones among which, without a doubt, Qualcomm’s farewell with the Pixel 6 stands out, which marked the debut of the Tensor SoC . Presented in October 2021, and as evidenced by the name of its integrated circuit, those from the search engine were already beginning to give some importance to AI, which, as we have seen, soon after began to become widespread.
In recent weeks I have seen, on social networks (mainly on Twitter, although this is probably because it is the one I use most frequently) some messages in which users asked for recommendations for mid-priced smartphones that were reliable, with a good quality-price ratio and that stood out for their camera and photographic functions, and in all of them there were many responses that pointed to the sixth, seventh and eighth generations of Google smartphones .
Only a few days separate us from the Made by Google event where, at this point, there is no doubt that we will attend the presentation of the Pixel 9 family , the new generation of Google smartphones, which is undoubtedly the one that has raised the most interest and expectation since the jump from Nexus to Pixel, back in 2016. A memorable first generation with lights and shadows, which not many remember that it was produced by what was, in reality, the manufacturer of the first Android smartphone, HTC.
The evolution experienced by the Google smartphone family from then until now is spectacular, with several notable milestones among which, without a doubt, Qualcomm’s farewell with the Pixel 6 stands out, which marked the debut of the Tensor SoC . Presented in October 2021, and as evidenced by the name of its integrated circuit, those from the search engine were already beginning to give some importance to AI, which, as we have seen, soon after began to become widespread.
In recent weeks I have seen, on social networks (mainly on Twitter, although this is probably because it is the one I use most frequently) some messages in which users asked for recommendations for mid-priced smartphones that were reliable, with a good quality-price ratio and that stood out for their camera and photographic functions, and in all of them there were many responses that pointed to the sixth, seventh and eighth generations of Google smartphones .
Thus, we can say that the Pixel 9 generation is highly anticipated , and that it aims to surpass the sales figures of the previous ones, including the current one, which has already marked a significant improvement compared to its predecessors. And, in this regard, there is one element that seems key to me to measure the level of interest, and that is the volume of leaks that occur and that end up gaining relevance. And in this regard, unfortunately for Google (although it has that second reading, undoubtedly more positive), the amount of information that has been leaked about the ninth Pixel generation has pulverized all the records of the previous ones.
This has meant that, on the verge of its presentation, we already know a lot about all the Pixel 9 that have not yet been officially presented, and it may even be related to the fact that Google itself has decided to give some advance notice of what awaits us. For example, if you access the Google online store for Spain, you can see that it clearly indicates that the future Pixel 9 Pro will be shown at the event on August 13. And if we jump back in time, we will remember that just a few weeks ago they already showed us both that model , as well as the second generation of its foldable , of which they also confirmed that its name will be Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
To recap, we can say for sure that the Pixel 9 generation will consist of five models, each with its own storage capacity and color variants. The models are as follows:
- Pixel 9 : Codenamed “Tokay.” It replaces the Pixel 8. Announcement/launch? August 2024 .
- Pixel 9 Pro : codenamed “Caiman”. New proposal , with the specs of the 9 Pro but the size of the Pixel 9. Announcement/launch? in August 2024 .
- Pixel 9 Pro XL : Codenamed “Komodo.” Replaces the Pixel 8 Pro . Announcement/launch? August 2024 .
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold : Codenamed “Comet.” It replaces the Pixel Fold . Announcement/launch? August 2024 .
- Pixel 9a : No known codename. Replaces the Pixel 8a . Launching in spring 2025?
It is not 100% confirmed that it will go on sale this month, but if we take into account the average time in the sector between announcement and launch, any period exceeding the three and a half weeks that separate August 13 from Friday, September 6 , would seem a bit excessive to me.
On the other hand, the big question that has been hanging in the air for some time now is whether this second generation of the Pixel Fold will make the jump to more markets, including ours. I have already said a thousand times how much I like foldable devices (and in general any device that challenges the established and predominant form factor). The fact that the leak about the prices of the entire generation has its origin in France, a country that the first generation did not reach, invites me to be optimistic, but on the other hand, I think it is better to be cautious and not take it for granted , since there are also elements to think in the opposite direction.
Yes, I have mentioned the prices, because it is another of the particularly relevant pieces of information that have been leaked recently, just under a month ago , and also with the colours in which each model will be sold. They are the following:
Google Pixel 9: Available in 4 colors for all configurations, Obsidian , Porcelain , Cosmo and Mojito .
- 128 GB: 899 euros
- 256 GB: 999 euros
Google Pixel 9 Pro:
- 128 GB: Obsidian , Porcelain , Hazelnut and Rose . Price: 1,099 euros
- 256 GB: Obsidian , Porcelain , Hazelnut and Rose . Price: 1,199 euros
- 512 GB: Obsidian and Hazelnut . Price: 1,329 euros
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL:
- 128 GB: Obsidian , Porcelain and Hazelnut . Price: 1,199 euros
- 256 GB: Obsidian , Porcelain , Hazelnut and Rose . Price: 1,299 euros
- 512 GB: Obsidian , Porcelain and Hazelnut . Price: 1,429 euros
- 1 TB: Obsidian . Price: 1689 euros
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Available in 2 colors for all configurations, Obsidian and Porcelain .
- 256 GB: 1,899 euros
- 512 GB: 2,029 euros
In terms of prices, however, we find one of the less pleasant faces of this generational leap, and that is that there are price increases in all models that have a reference in generation 8 (the base model and the Pro XL). The Pro 9 adopts the price of the Pro 8, although as we will remember below they are not the same, and the only one that aims to maintain its price, when compared to the current generation, is the foldable, marketed only in Germany in relation to the common European space.
As I mentioned before, we shouldn’t see the Pixel 9 Pro as the successor to the Pixel 8 Pro . Information about this has been leaking for a few months now, and we can practically assume for sure that the relationship between the current and future generations is Pixel 8 -> Pixel 9 Pro XL, and that the 9 Pro will be a new model, which will offer identical technical specifications (except, of course, in terms of size, screen size and battery capacity) as the standard model.
For some time now, there have been quite a few manufacturers that have joined the trend of reserving the best specifications for models in the 6.7-inch range , thus leaving those who prefer models closer to the 6.1-6.2-inch standard one step below. We can see this in the iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy and many others.
So, with this move, Google is adopting a bold strategy, but one that could work well, and that is that it does not force the user to have to choose between their preferred size or the best possible specifications, something that we can mainly refer to in terms of its camera section. The best of the best, in this case in the two most established sizes on the market , I see it as a success.
In an upcoming article, dedicated to reviewing all the products that we expect to be presented at the Made by Google event on Tuesday, August 13, we will review their technical specifications, although there are two aspects that we can highlight. The first is that we will see a new SoC leap, which will reach its fourth generation . We do not expect it to represent a big change with respect to its predecessor, the current Tensor 3. In this regard, it does point to being much more exciting what will come with the Pixel 10 generation and the Google Tensor 5 SoC, which unless there is a surprise will be produced by TSMC in its 3 nanometer node. There it is likely that we will find a significant jump in raw performance.
Another key fact is that we are most likely going to see a significant increase in the amount of RAM , and the reason for this is none other than the intensive use of it by computing on the device for tasks related to artificial intelligence. As you well know, Gemini has become a central element of the entire Google ecosystem, and in this case that is reinforced by something I have already mentioned above, which is the connection between AI and device that Google addressed since the Pixel 6 generation.
In this regard, in addition, it was recently leaked that all Pro models (Pro 9, Pro 9 XL and 9 Pro Fold) could include a year of Gemini Advanced , a subscription that, once contracted, costs 263.88 euros (21.99 euros for 12 months). This, of course, would serve to justify the price increase, although it does leave us wondering what will happen, in this regard, with the models without the Pro surname, that is, the Pixel 9 and 9a.
Whatever the case, and as we have seen over the months, we can certainly expect a very interesting generation , and one that has all the potential necessary to continue sustaining the growth that we have been seeing for years. Obviously, it is not possible to take for granted that this will happen, since we are talking about a very complicated market, but Google is undoubtedly going to bet heavily with its new generation.