What is Google planning for its 2024 flagships?
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
Summary
- Renders of the upcoming Pixel 9 reveal a periscope telephoto lens and temperature sensor, features previously exclusive to the Pro line.
- The absence of a triple camera array raises questions about how Google plans to differentiate its Pro-series model from the smaller flagship.
- The smaller Pixel 9 may have a matte glass cover and polished aluminum frame, suggesting differences in build materials compared to the Pro model.
Google isn’t exactly known for keeping its projects tightly under wraps, and we’ve seen time and again that the company’s phones leak in their entirety months before release. Just yesterday, we got a great look at the Pixel 9 Pro three quarters of a year before we expect it to be announced, and today, renders of its smaller sibling have leaked. While the timing makes sense, what we’re seeing in those renders raises several questions about the direction Google is taking with its 2024 flagships.
Industry insider @OnLeaks has provided renders and details to 91mobiles that show the smaller Pixel 9 in all its glory. The first thing that jumped out to us was the presence of a periscope telephoto lens and a temperature sensor in the revamped camera bar — two features that had previously been exclusive to the Pro line of Pixels.
Without the clear-cut advantages of a triple camera array, we’re curious how Google plans to differentiate its Pro-series model from its smaller flagship — or if the company will keep those designations intact at all. You may remember a Pixel roadmap leak from December 2022 which suggested Google was considering a smaller Pro model in 2024, and this seems to line up with that. However, 91mobiles and OnLeaks are both referring to this as simply the “Pixel 9,” and other elements of that leak, like Google hinging this decision on potentially poor Pixel A-series sales, have not played out exactly as outlined in the roadmap.
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Taking a closer look at the renders, you can see some differences from yesterday’s Pixel 9 Pro leaks. The back glass cover appears to be matte rather than glossy like the 9 Pro, and the metal frame is more polished. The metal in the 9 Pro leak from yesterday had a sheen and hue that looked like it might be titanium, whereas the smaller Pixel 9 in this leak looks more like the polished aluminum frame on the current Pixel 8 series. Perhaps more premium build materials is how Google plans to differentiate its 9 Pro from the smaller model.
91mobiles reports the smaller Pixel 9 will have dimensions of 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm, or 12mm when measured at the camera bump. The publication is also reporting a 6.1-inch display, which would be a hair smaller than its predecessor. But this seems to be an artifact of how the leaker is measuring the screen size — OnLeaks measures the actual screen on the diagonal, from curved corner to curved corner, whereas smartphone manufacturers typically calculate screen size as if it were a perfect rectangle
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