Google recently gave its Pixel lineup one of the big refreshes in long time . The Modern Pixel 9 line now consists of the al-Qaeda modelPixel 9 , thePixel 9 Pro , Pixel 9 Pro XL , andPixel 9 Pro Fold .
This is a significant update because the Pixels have been redesigned with flatter frame edges and a revise camera visor feeling . Google even brought back the XL size , which has n’t been used since 2019 with the Pixel 4 XL .
But as enticing as it may be to get a Pixel 9 right now , especially thegorgeous Peony color , there are a few rationality why you might want to expect until theGoogle Pixel 10 .
The Tensor G5 chip could be a big deal
The Google Pixel 9 series uses the new Tensor G4 chip . So far , the Tensor chips have been made by Samsung Foundry , so they ’re not entirely custom - made by Google itself . This could change with the Pixel 10 and the Tensor G5 .
While the Tensor chip have been quite powerful , they still do n’t quite match up to what ’s available from rivals such as Apple and Samsung . Though they ’ve get better over the geezerhood , Tensor flake also be given to overheat and are n’t quite as power - effective as they could be .
But with the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 , it count like Google could be ditch Samsung Foundry after all and act to TSMC alternatively . Previously , the Tensor chips were modeled after Samsung ’s high - end Exynos chipping , but over the years , Google has added more customizations to the Tensor chip . With this move , the Tensor G5 could be Google ’s first sincerely custom - made chip , which should extend performance and power efficiency that is similar to its rivals from Apple , MediaTek , and Qualcomm .
Though the Pixel 9 and its G4 certainly are n’t badbased on our initial hands - on time , you may require to withstand off and see how much in effect the Tensor G5 could be .
Modest changes to battery capacity
If you were expect good battery living with the Pixel 9 series , I ’m lamentable to disappoint you , but it did n’t change much from the previousPixel 8andPixel 8 professional .
For comparison , the Pixel 8 had a 4,575mAh barrage and the Pixel 8 Pro had a 5,050mAh battery . The Modern Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have a 4,700mAh electric battery , and the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery . Just look at the numbers , it ’s really not much of a difference , especially for the XL role model .
If you were n’t too thrilled about the assault and battery life of last year ’s Pixel 8 pedigree , then the Pixel 9 series is n’t shaping up to be too far off from it . We may see more meaning battery life history betterment next year , especially if Google will be switch to TSMC instead of Samsung for the Tensor G5 chip .
Charging speeds are still lagging
Similar to how Google did n’t make much of a alteration with the battery life , the charging speeds also stay the same as before . If you were hoping that at least the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL would have faster lodge pep pill on equation with Samsung’sGalaxy S24 PlusandS24 Ultraor even theOnePlus 12 , you ’re out of luck .
For mention , last year ’s Pixel 8 had 27 James Watt , and the Pixel 8 Pro has 30W fast wired charging . The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro both have a maximum of 27W charging , though the Pixel 9 Pro XL bumped it up to 37W. Still , the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra both have 45W wired charging , and the OnePlus 12 has at least 80W speeds in the U.S. and 100W elsewhere .
It ’s a mo disappointing that Google did not bother making the charging speeds much faster to match the competition . Hopefully , this will deepen next twelvemonth with the Pixel 10 line .
No big camera hardware upgrades
While Google did give the Pixel 9 a nice bump in specs for its dual photographic camera organisation , it did n’t give the Pro models as much love .
Last yr ’s Pixel 8 had a 50MP principal camera and 12MP ultrawide lens . The Pixel 9 has a 50MP main television camera and 48MP ultrawide , so that ’s a nice advance . With the higher megapixel count for the ultrawide , those shots should have much more detail and better gloss .
But the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL did not really get any advance in the camera hardware . It ’s pretty much the same as last class ’s Pixel 8 Pro with the 50MP main camera , 48MP ultrawide lens , and 48 M telephoto television camera with 5x optical zoom . The least that Google could have done was happen up the independent camera lens to something like 108MP or 200MP like Samsung has done with its Ultra phones in years past .
To be clear , we still expect the Pixel 9 devices to take bang-up photos . The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro sure as shooting did , and this year ’s phones should be just as honorable — if not secure . But it would have been nice to see a high megapixel enumeration for the main tv camera , at least . perhaps next year .
Where’s the Qi2 support?
In 2023 , during CES , theWireless Power Consortium ( WPC ) announce a new radio charging standard called Qi2 .
This new touchstone was being make on Apple ’s MagSafe technology , which was put in with the iPhone 12 batting order . It uses a Modern magnetic power visibility that ensures phones and other rechargeable roving mathematical product adjust perfectly with Qi2 tear devices for better push efficiency and charging speeds . In short , it ’s like a variation of MagSafe for Android devices .
There were rumor that Google would follow out Qi2 in the Pixel 9 series , but that unluckily did not occur . The Pixel 9 , Pixel 9 Pro , Pixel 9 Pro XL , and Pixel 9 Pro Fold only support the original Qi - compatible wireless charging up to 12W , or from 15W to 23W with the 2nd - contemporaries Google Pixel Stand .
Though Qi2 was announced in early 2023 , barely anyAndroid phone , including ones from Google , support the criterion . There ’s no warrant that we will see Qi2 in the Pixel 10 next year , but one can only hope .