Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Pixel 9 Pro vs Pixel 9: Pick the right one for you – Ultra-Sim

Intro

Well, price (of course) will be one of the main differentiating factors. For the Pro models in particular, it seems the difference will be similar to that between the iPhone and iPhone Plus from Apple, which is to say anything related to the size.

Design and Size

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Last year the Pro model got tougher glass at the front to protect its display, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 vs Gorilla Glass Victus on the Pixel 8. We upgrade this year, placing Gorilla Glass Victus 3 on the Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the Pixel 9. That said, all phones will likely come with IP68 dust and water resistance.

There are several Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro colors that are rumored for this year’s Google phones. Here’s what we have heard so far:

Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL colors:

Pixel 9 colors:

Display Differences

Display size is expected to be one of the main differences between the three Pixel 9 models. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is said to feature a 6.7″ or 6.8″ screen, while the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 will come with a 6.5″ and 6.1″ displays respectively.

Like last year, the Pro models will probably be capable of achieving higher brightness levels. Thankfully, the 120Hz display refresh rate should be the same throughout the whole lineup, at least if we were to take any hints from the Pixel 8 series.

One area where Google could further separate the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL is with slimmer bezels, making its premium phones more eye-pleasing.

Additionally, there has also been a recent report that states the Pixel 9 series will get new ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, which has been a long-awaited upgrade from fans and enthusiasts. We have some suspicions, however, that this upgrade could be reserved only for the Pro models, but fingers crossed that is not the case.

Performance and Software

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Given that all three Pixel 9 models will come with the new Tensor G4 chipset (4nm), we don’t expect to see any meaningful differences in performance throughout the lineup.

Memory is a different story, however, with the regular Pixel 9 reported to have 12GB for RAM vs. the 16GB said to come with the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL. This, in theory, should make the Pro models somewhat more capable at handling multiple tasks at once, but we don’t think it will be noticeable for the most part.

Camera

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If you have ever wanted the more comprehensive and capable camera system of a Pixel Pro but in a smaller body, well, your wish is coming true this August.

The Pixel 9 Pro, which is in fact the true new phone in the Pixel lineup, is supposed to get exactly the same cameras as the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The more affordable Pixel 9, on the other hand, will come with a dual-camera system consisting of its main (wide) and ultra-wide cameras.

For now we expect all three models to come with the same main and front-facing cameras. It is only the ultra-wide that will be different between the regular and the Pro models.

Here’s a summary of all Pixel 9 series expected camera specs:

Battery Life and Charging

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Unlike with the design and some of the other specs, we know very little about the battery capacity and charging speeds of the Pixel 9 series. But if we trust our logic here, we can easily expect a battery capacity of 5,050mAh for the Pixel 9 Pro XL (same as the Pixel 8 Pro), and around 4,575mAh for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro (same as Pixel 8).

Even if the battery sizes are nothing new this year though, there is still a good chance we will see better battery life on this year’s Pixel phones. If there is any improvement it will be thanks to the new Tensor G4 and other hardware and software optimization.

As for charging speeds, we don’t expect to see any surprises. The regular Pixel 9 should come with 27W of wired and 18W of wireless charging, while the Pro models should get 30W wired and 23W wireless.

Specs Comparison

The first difference your eyes will hook onto when comparing the Pixel 9 series specs is the display size. The Pixel 9 has the smallest one, and it increases as you go up to the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The other two differences are the RAM/storage combinations and the cameras, although these are most apparent when comparing the regular to the Pro variants.

Summary

So, the good news is that it doesn’t sound like there will be a massive chasm between the three Pixel 9 models. Much like with previous years buyers will get most of the good stuff even if they opt for the regular Pixel 9.

Essentially, at least from the picture that leaks and reports have help us build, Google is using the new Pixel 9 Pro to fill in the gap that existed between the Pro and non-Pro Pixels from previous years. Now you won’t have to pay $300 to jump to the more premium device, as long as you are okay with a smaller one.