The latest leaks for the Pixel 9 Pro show off a few new Google Gemini features and a camera update, but the upcoming Google flagship phone's hardware sounds underwhelming to me so far.
Frequent Google leaker Arsène Lupin (@MysteryLupin) released the newest Pixel 9 Pro video on Tuesday, August 6th. The video shows the Pixel 9 Pro's Gemini features like image recognition and photo stitching, an updated Pro camera array with Super Res Zoom video, and 7 years of Pixel software support.
Previous leaks have shown off the phone's redesigned camera array and other Gemini features like text generation. We've also seen indications about the smartphone's specs, including 16GB of RAM and the Tensor G4 chipset.
4GB of extra memory is nice, but is it enough of a hardware difference to justify buying a Pixel 9 Pro? My immediate reaction is no.
A recent Android Headlines leak suggests you'll also receive some subscription freebies, including a one-year Google One AI Premium plan, a six-month Fitbit Premium plan, and a three-month YouTube Premium plan. That sounds great, but I have subscription fatigue like everyone else, so it also just makes me worried about paying those monthly fees once the free trial is over.
Instead of the Pixel 9 Pro, I'm going for the Pixel 8 Pro sale
While extra system memory and better video zoom are welcome upgrades, there's little new about the Pixel 9 Pro that won't eventually come to older Pixel phones via a software update. Sure, the AI features may hit the 9 Pro before they roll out to the Pixel 8 Pro, but I'm honestly good with that. I don't find most smartphone AI features compelling in the first place, and I'd rather get a more tested version in a later update than be on the cutting edge with generative AI.
Sure, the 30+ browser tabs I have open on my smartphone at any given time are something of a RAM hog, but getting a few extra gigs of memory isn't likely to transform my experience with the phone. And I rarely shoot video on my phone, especially at a distance. Perhaps for the TikTok enthusiast, the Pixel 9 Pro makes sense. But for me? As things stand now, I'd rather pass on the 9 Pro in favor of a discounted Pixel 8 Pro for $699 because the hardware differences aren't enough to justify buying a new Pixel when I can get the older model at a discount.
Of course, Google still has a chance to change my mind at the Made by Google 2024 event next week on August 13th at 10am PT/ 1pm ET.
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