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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