Google Pixel 9 Vs Pixel 9 Pro: Just How Pro Is The Pro

2024’s Made by Google event was a little underwhelming events thanks to the Pixel 9 and Watch 3 series leaking months prior. However, there’s a lot to talk about the Pixel 9 series, as Google has taken a slightly different approach in terms of phone variants. Google has introduced an XL variant of the Pixel 9 Pro and making the standard Pro a bit shorter. Like the interesting comparisons between vanilla and Pro iPhone models each year, the search engine giant just initiated its own vanilla Pixel vs Pro debate, and here’s all you need to know to decide between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.

Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro: Specifications Overview

Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro: Size and Build

Besides raw features, the other reason you may be looking at the Pixel 9 Pro is due to its size. Many people’s wishes of having a smaller Pro Pixel have come true, but how does the Pixel 9 Pro’s size and build fare compared to the Pixel 9 or even the Pixel 8?

Let’s get the main build-related specifications out of the way, both the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro sport an aluminum chassis and have glass backs. The fronts of both devices are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus (Pro uses Victus 2), and both are IP68-certified for water resistance.

Compared to the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro’s screen is a bit taller. The dimensions of the 9 Pro are similar to the Pixel 9, but the former’s display measures 0.1-inch larger. The vanilla Pixel 8 had a smaller footprint – 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm, than the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. But a 0.2 mm increase in the overall size shouldn’t take away both the device’s pocketability aspect.

The bottom line is, that Google has finally listened to consumer feedback. So, the Pixel 9 Pro should please or at least console all small phone enthusiasts.

Design and Display

If it were not for the size and camera module, you would fail to tell them apart. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro look identical from the front. But the real differentiator lies at the back, in the camera module. The Pixel 9 Pro boasts triple cameras and, as a result, has a third lens at the back. The Pro also has a temperature sensor below the flash, which is absent on the vanilla Pixel as the flash is centered on it.

Another major differentiating factor between the two is the use of different materials. The standard Pixel 9 has a glossy back panel and matte frame, whereas it’s the opposite on the Pro with a Matte glass back and glossy frame. We wish Google kept the Matte consistency throughout the devices, but it is what it is. The volume and power buttons are on the right, a USB-C port at the bottom, and a SIM card tray on the left.

The display on the Pixel 9 is a 6.24-inch OLED 120Hz panel with FHD+ resolution with a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. Whereas, the Pixel 9 Pro has a 6.34-inch OLED 120Hz LTPO panel with 1.5K resolution. They both feature a punch hole in the middle which houses the selfie camera.

The panel on the Pro is capable of reaching a peak brightness of 2,050 nits when playing HDR content and 3000 nits peak brightness. The bezels on the Pixel 9 are a teeny tiny bit thicker than the Pixel 9 Pro, which is in line with what we saw last year with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro: Hardware and Software

Both the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro feature Google’s latest Tensor G4, which is an eight-core SoC that uses a 1+3+4 setup, manufactured on Samsung’s 4nm process. The core specifications of the SoC are as follows:

• 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.1 GHz
• 3 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6 GHz
• 4 x Cortex-A520 @1.95 GHz

The GPU is an ARM Mali-G715 running at 940 MHz. It’s only slightly overclocked compared to Tensor G3’s Mali-G715, which ran at 890 MHz.

On paper, the performance difference won’t exactly be huge, but it’s safe to expect around 5-10% improvements in the overall performance and battery life, which isn’t huge. The performance will also mostly depend on whether Google decides to throttle the SoC to save power, as it did on the Pixel 8 series. We’re hoping there’s a better cooling solution in place this time around.

While the performance of both the models will be on par with each other, the Pixel 9 Pro’s UFS 4.0 storage translates to faster read and write speeds compared to Pixel 9’s base UFS 3.1.

On the software front, both the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro come with Android 14 out of the box. Google promises 7 years of major Android updates and feature drops. It is weird to see a Pixel series launch without a new Android version, and the Pixel 9 Pro will technically be supported till the same time as the Pixel 8 series.

Android 15 brings a bunch of new features like Private Space, App Pairs, and App Archiving. You can read our list of Android 15 features for more information.

Pixel 9 Vs Pixel 9 Pro: Cameras

The standard Pixel 9 features two cameras at the rear, notably a 50 MP wide f/1.7 lens with OIS and a secondary 50 MP Ultrawide camera without OIS. Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, gets an extra 48 MP 5X Telephoto lens with OIS. The Pro gets a 42 MP selfie snapper whereas the vanilla Pixel gets a 10.5 MP snapper.

The primary sensor on both devices is the Samsung GNK 50 MP unit, whereas the Ultrawide is a Sony IMX858 sensor. With Google’s computational photography algorithms and the improved hardware, both devices are expected to capture excellent photos. However, the Telephoto camera on the Pro gives it a slight edge over the Pixel 9.

Connectivity and Color Variants

Both the devices feature Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6, and a USB 3.2 Type-C port. Both have NFC, an Ultrasonic Under-display Fingerprint sensor, and Face Unlock. The Pixel 9 also features satellite connectivity and “much better” cellular reception, thanks to the upgraded Exynos 5400 modem.

Both Pixel 9 models come in four colors, of which the Porcelain and Obsidian versions are common across both versions. The Pixel 9 additionally comes in Peony and Wintergreen, whereas the 9 Pro comes in Rose Quartz and Hazel.

Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro: Is The Pro A Worthy Upgrade?

The base variants of Pixels received a $100 bump this year. The 128GB variant of the Pixel 9 starts at $799 whereas the Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999. The Pro features a Telephoto lens, a sharper display, more RAM (16 GB vs 12 GB on non-pro), and more importantly, a smaller size for a “Pro”.

The Pixel 9 Pro will also get you a year’s worth of Gemini Advanced features for free if that’s something you want, for that added cost. The vanilla Pixel 9 still offers better bang for the buck compared to the Pro.

That said, if you absolutely need the Telephoto camera alongside a slightly bigger (and sharper) screen and if you like the design aspects like the Matte back glass of the Pro better than the standard Pixel, the Pixel 9 Pro is for you.