Comparing Google Pixel 9 and Google Pixel 8: what are the upgrades?

Google has officially launched the Pixel 9 series globally, featuring the vanilla Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The lineup comes as a successor to the last year’s Pixel 8 series. In case you’re planning to upgrade to the Pixel 9 from the Pixel 8, we suggest you first check out the difference between the two. In this post, we’ll compare the Pixel 9 with the Pixel 8 to see what are the upgrades. 

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Specs at the glance

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Price in India

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Design 

The Google Pixel 9 has come with a slightly refreshed design over the Pixel 8. It has a flat glass body with a matte finish and metal frame. The rear panel features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and houses a pill-like camera island, featuring a dual camera setup and an LED flash. 

On the other hand, the Google Pixel 8 has a flat back with rounded corners featuring a glossy finish and metal frame. The rear panel comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection and features a rectangular camera visor, housing a dual camera setup and an LED flash.

Both phones are IP68 rated for protection against dust and water and can survive underwater for 30 minutes up to 1.5m. However, the Google Pixel 9 has better durability than the Pixel 8, thanks to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. 

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Display

Both phones have fairly identical display specifications. However, the Google Pixel 9 has a slightly bigger 6.3-inch screen with 1,800 nits normal brightness than the Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch display with 1,400 nits brightness.

You also get better protection with the Google Pixel 9, as it has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 compared to the Pixel 8’s Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Besides this, you can expect a similar viewing experience from both devices, as they both have an OLED panel with Full-HD+ resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. 

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Performance

The Google Pixel 9 comes with the all-new Tensor G4 SoC at the helm, up from the Tensor G3 SoC of the Pixel 8. Moreover, it also ships with more RAM than the Pixel 8, which can come in handy while multitasking or switching between heavy apps. While we are yet to test the performance of the Pixel 9, some early leaked benchmark results of the Tensor G4 gave us a rough idea of the smartphone’s performance. 

The Tensor G4 SoC scored 11,76,410 points on AnTuTu, and on Geekbench, it got 1,950 points in the single-core test and 4,655 points in the multi-core test. On the other hand, the Pixel 8’s Tensor G3 SoC secured 1,045 points in the single-core test with 3,294 points in the multi-core test on Geekbench and 10,17,180 points on AnTuTu.

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Cameras

The Google Pixel 9 has a better camera setup than the Google Pixel 8. While you get a 50MP primary camera and a 10.5MP selfie snapper with both phones, the Pixel 9 has a 48MP ultrawide lens compared to the Pixel 8’s 12MP ultrawide shooter. The higher megapixel count will likely result in more detailed and superior clarity in ultrawide images taken on the Pixel 9.  

During our time with the Pixel 8, we were pretty impressed with its camera performance and photo editing AI features. However, you will have to wait for our detailed Pixel 9 review to learn about its camera performance. 

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Battery and charging

The Google Pixel 9 comes with a slightly larger 4,700mAh battery capacity than the Pixel 8’s 4,575mAh cell. Both phones support reverse charging technology and 27W charging which the company claims can charge the device around 50 percent in 33 minutes. During our testing, the Pixel 8 offered over 5 hours of screen-on time on a single full charge and took around 1 hour and 23 minutes to fully recharge from 0 percent to 100 percent battery life.  

However, Google has downgraded the wireless charging speed with the Pixel 9. The Pixel 8 supports 18W wireless charging speed, while the Pixel 9 only supports 15W with the Pixel stand or 12W with any Qi-compatible wireless charger. 

Google Pixel 9 vs Google Pixel 8: Software

Both phones ship with Android 14 out of the box. Google promises seven years of Android releases, security patches, and Pixel drop updates with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8. This means both phones will receive OS updates until Android 21. You get similar AI features with both Pixel devices. However, the Pixel 9 has a few exclusive AI tools that you don’t get with the Pixel 8. 

• Pixel Screenshots: It lets you make searchable screenshots and interact with an AI chatbot to search for what you’re looking for.
• Add Me: It blends two photographs into one, making it ideal for integrating multiple group photos into one, ensuring that no one is left out. 
• Reimagine AI: this feature can transform any object in a photo into something completely different–for example, a building into a rocket. 

Verdict

The Google Pixel 9 offers plenty of upgrades over the Pixel 8 in both hardware and software departments. If you are planning to buy a new Pixel phone, the Google Pixel 9 makes more sense than the Pixel 8, considering the price difference. However, if you already own a Pixel 8 and want to upgrade to the Pixel 9, you will get a better display, more powerful SoC, superior camera setup, larger battery capacity, and exclusive AI features, making it worth upgrading.