You’ve all seen Google’s next-gen smartphones in all kinds of (authorized and unauthorized) photoshoots and videos over the last few months, slowly revealing their similarities and surprisingly many design differences compared to their forerunners, but what about specifications?
Bigger, bolder, brighter, more eye-popping
Pixel 9 – 6.24-inch OLED display with 2424 x 1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate technology, 425 ppi density, and 1800 nits of HDR brightness;
Pixel 9 Pro – 6.34-inch OLED panel with 2856 x 1280 pixel resolution, 494 ppi density, 120Hz refresh rate, and 2050 nits brightness;
Pixel 9 Pro XL – 6.73-inch OLED screen with 2992 x 1344 pixel resolution, 487 ppi density, 120Hz refresh rate support, and 2050 nits HDR brightness.
Listed like that, the expected screen characteristics of the non-foldable Pixel 9 family may not mean much to a lot of you fine folks. Which is obviously why we need to put them in the right context and compare them, for instance, with what the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro offer in the same department.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are no pushovers, but the Pixel 9 family will certainly be even better.
You don’t have to be an expert analyst to anticipate that the slightly larger Pixel 9 will be considerably brighter than the 6.2-inch “vanilla” Pixel 8, while both the smaller Pixel 9 Pro and slightly bigger Pixel 9 Pro XL are all but guaranteed to crush the 6.71-inch Pixel 8 Pro from the same crucial standpoint.
Yes, the Pixel 8 Pro can barely go up to 1600 nits of brightness when playing HDR (High Dynamic Range) games and movies, with the phone’s peak brightness in other use cases jumping to 2400 nits. As such, we can certainly expect the peak brightness of the Pixel 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and even the “standard” Pixel 9 to go way past that level, thus most likely leaving Samsung’s otherwise stunning Galaxy S24 Ultra in the dust.
The Pixel 9 series is remarkably tipped to beat the Galaxy S24 family in another key display department as well, reportedly adopting the cutting-edge M14 OLED technology supplied by… Samsung. This is of course superior to the M13 currently employed on the S24 Ultra, likely making the aforementioned brightness upgrades possible along with other improvements that are not yet known or credibly rumored.
Two entirely new screens for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold
8-inch primary display with 2152 x 2076 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate capabilities, 374 ppi density, and 1600 nits HDR brightness;
6.24-inch cover screen with 2424 x 1080 pixel resolution, 425 ppi density, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1800 nits HDR brightness.
How do those two expected displays compare to what the first-gen Pixel Fold has going for it? In short, favorably. In long, very favorably. In detail, you’re looking at a lot of extra screen real estate here (both inside and outside the fold), as well as at a major brightness upgrade (for both the main and secondary panels), and perhaps more importantly, a significant form factor revision.
Yes, the absolutely massive 8-inch primary screen of the (annoyingly named) Pixel 9 Pro Fold is likely to adopt an almost square shape, thus looking very different from the smaller and much more rectangular 7.6-inch display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
As far as brightness is concerned, the 1600 nits and especially the 1800 nits listed above for the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold simply sound mind-blowing, threatening to not only crush the Z Fold 6 but the OnePlus Open and most of the other top foldable phones in the world today as well.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
