A follow-up to last week’s Pixel 9 series leak compares the smallest phone in the lineup to the Pixel 8, as well as an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Pixophone on TikTok has the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9. A new short video shows the latter being compared to the Rose Pixel 8.
In one regard, the Pixel 9 continues the trend of more rounded corners that started with the Pixel 8 (and continued with the 8a) after the 6 and 7 were relatively blocky. The rails on the Pixel 9 look sufficiently curved so there are no real sharp edges.
Top comment by Arthur
Interesting changes for sure. I'm sure if the actual rear camera hardware has been changed on this 9 over the 8 cause the two camera cutouts behind the glass cover look larger in diameter and now the microphone hole is contained in that glass area not the camera bar like on the 8.
Also I believe all pre-9 model Pixels, that left (or right, depending on how you're holding the phone) speaker slot nearest the antenna band, is not a speaker at all but contains the bottom microphone so on the 9 they've just left a single hole next to the SIM tray but you're not losing anything in terms of speaker output there at the bottom.
I'm curious how the in-hand feel will be. I have my sights set on the 9 Pro XL to replace my 8 Pro so I know what to expect size wise but the squared off body will make it feel way more like a iPhone Pro Max model than any Pixel before it.
Seeing the phones side-by-side at different angles really emphasizes to me how the camera bar continues to grow. I’m somewhat concerned about how the left/right edges of the bar no longer slope into the frame. There’s a not insignificant area between the side rails and where the camera island ends. I hope it won’t be awkward to hold that.
Elsewhere, the microphone holes seem much larger on the Pixel 9 compared to the 8. There’s one at the top and at the bottom next to the USB-C port, with Google no longer hiding it in the oblong cutout. There’s another hole for the SIM card slot, with the lack of symmetry unfortunate.
The lineage of the Pixel 8 (and 8a) can clearly be traced back to the blocky Pixel 6 and 7. However, I thought the refinements made last year were pretty significant and deserving of at least a few more years before being replaced.
Meanwhile, here’s the Pixel 9 Pro XL compared to the equally glossy iPhone 14 Pro Max:
More on Pixel 9:
- Pixel 9 series arrives at the FCC, includes Thread
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold leak reveals European prices, colors
- Here’s just what Pixel 9 series device you care about most
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments