Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8: How are they different?

With this Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 in-depth comparative analysis, you'll get a better understanding on the differences between the two.

The Made by Google 2024event kicked off today, and the Pixel 9 is finally here (along with a bunch of other next-gen Pixel goodies) And from what we see, the latest Pixel flagship ups the ante over the already successful Pixel 8. 

The Pixel 9 has plenty of upgrades: a bigger display in a slightly thinner form factor, a larger battery capacity with faster charging speeds, greater performance with a next-gen Tensor chip, and more RAM. Oh, and did we mention that there's a healthy dose of AI features, thanks to Google Gemini?

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 price and specs

An unfavorable change between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 is their starting price. Yes, you’ll find that specs have improved, but the the days of Google’s base Pixel being a value purchase are now behind us. 

The Pixel 9 now starts at $799 and is available at the Google Store. That’s a $100 increase over the $699 Pixel 8, which already saw a $100 bump in price over the $599 Pixel 7. As you can tell, Google has raised the price of its base Pixel phones by $200 over the past two years.

Fortunately, the Pixel 9’s specs impress:

• 6.3-inch Actua (1080 x 2424 resolution) display

• Up to 2,700 nits of peak brightness

• 60Hz-120Hz refresh rate

• Tensor G4 processor

• 12GB RAM

• 128GB or 256GB storage

• 4,700mAh battery

• IP68 rating

• Rear camera: 50MP wide lens, 48MP ultrawide lens with Macro Focus

• Super Res Zoom up to 8x

• 10.5MP Dual PD selfie camera

Here’s how it compares to the Pixel 8:

• 6.2-inch Actua (1080 x 2400 resolution) display

• Up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness

• 60Hz-120Hz refresh rate

• Tensor G3 processor

• 8GB RAM

• 128GB or 256GB storage

• 4,575mAh battery

• IP68 rating

• Rear camera: 50MP wide lens, 12MP ultrawide lens with Macro Focus

• Super Res Zoom up to 8x

• 10.5MP Dual PD selfie camera

It’s clear the Pixel 9 brings some interesting upgrades, particularly to the front camera. Google already knocked it out of the park with the Pixel 8’s cameras (as our photo samplescan attest), so bringing over the Pixel 8 Pro’s 48MP ultrawide lens to the Pixel 9 will only give it more praise.

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 display

The Pixel 9 brings the OLED display back to form after the Pixel 8 slightly reduced its screen size, but we’re also getting a substantial boost in brightness. 

The Pixel 9 comes equipped with a 6.3-inch Actua display with 1080 x 2424 resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. You can also expect up to 1,800 nits of HDR brightness and up to 2,700 nits of peak brightness, which is a 35 percent increase over the Pixel 8. Interestingly, the Pixel 9 also offers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, meaning richer image details. 

These are incremental, yet noteworthy, improvements over the Pixel 8, which differs in its 6.2-inch Actua display with a 1080 x 2400 resolution, up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. 

To sum it up: Bigger screen = better results. 

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 design

Google keeps its distinct “Pixel look” with its new Pixel 9 lineup, but scraps the usual camera visor wrapped around the phone for a wide camera island. It’s an interesting change in form. And if you weren’t a fan of the Pixel 8's compact size, you’ll be happy to know the Pixel 9 has gained in size (and weight). 

The Pixel 9 comes in at 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5 mm and weighs 198g, which is slightly bigger than last year’s model, but also thinner. This is closer to the Pixel 7’s bigger size, but acts more as a happy medium between its past two iterations. 

To compare, the Pixel 8 measures 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm and weighs 187g. While the Pixel 9 has added a few grams, the Pixel 8 is slightly thicker. The Pixel 8 is praised for its pocketable design — and it's clear the Pixel 9 tries to keep that while adding more space for its bigger display.

Size isn’t the only change, as the Pixel 9 comes with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back of the phone, giving it extra scratch resistance over the Pixel 8’s Corning Gorilla Glass Victus cover glass on the display. 

Color-wise, the Pixel 9 comes in the usual Obsidian and Porcelain, along with two new color options: Wintergreen and Peony. No Hazel or Rose colors as per the Pixel 8, but a similar green and pink color scheme, respectively. 

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 performance

It’s hardly a surprise the Pixel 9 comes with a next-gen Tensor chip under the hood, but what is a welcome bonus is the upgraded RAM over the Pixel 8. This means more room for demanding apps to shine. 

Expect an upgraded Google Tensor G4 chipset and 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM in the Pixel 9, along with the usual 128GB or 256GB storage options. It’s still early days to tell how much of a performance boost the G4 processor will bring, but it’s sure to aid in the new AI features arriving, such as Pixel Screenshots. 

The Pixel 8’s Tensor G3 chip and 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM offered great performance, especially for its price, but we’ll be expecting a tad more “oomph” now that the Pixel 9’s starting price has gone up.

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 battery life

The Pixel 8 offers good battery life, lasting over 24 hours on a single charge in our tests. However, the Pixel 9 dishes out a larger battery capacity and faster charging speeds, which should (hopefully) change from “good” to “great.”

Now boasting a 4,700mAh battery capacity and charging speeds rated at up to 55 percent in about 30 minutes, the Pixel 9 claims to last over 24 hours and up to 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode turned on. This will be needed with its brighter display capabilities, but we’re always happy to see enhanced battery life. 

The Pixel 8’s 4,575mAh battery can last up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver and charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes, meaning the Pixel 9 may not offer a major boost in battery life. Still, an extra hour or two is always welcome.

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 cameras

We love to see it; Pro camera features trickling down to the base Pixel models. This time, the Pixel 9 will see a 48MP ultrawide lens rather than the Pixel 8’s less impressive 12MP ultrawide camera. 

The Pixel 9 comes with a 50MP wide camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and a 10.5MP selfie camera. Putting the absence of a telephoto lens to one side, it means the Pixel 9 comes with the same quality camera capabilities as the Pixel 8 Pro, and we gave high praise to the snaps it could take. 

The ultrawide lens is the only real change over the Pixel 8, which boasts the same 50MP wide camera and 10.5MP front camera. Otherwise, it’s all about Google’s image processing and AI Magic features that make all your photos sparkle. 

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 software and AI

Google continues to impress with seven years of OS and security upgrades, which can be found on both the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8. Of course, with the Pixel 9 starting with Android 14 onboard, new owners will get an extra year of support. 

The release of the Pixel 9 lineup also brings new AI features, with Gemini helping out with Google apps like Gmail and Maps. Pixel Screenshots, for example, lets you save, organize, and recall things you want to remember, and camera AI features offer improvements to Night Sight, Magic Editor, and more. 

However, it’s not like the Pixel 8 won’t get these updates, but the Pixel 9 is sure to be better equipped to handle them.

Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8: Worth the upgrade?

With the $100 increase, it becomes harder to recommend Google’s base Pixels as value-for-money smartphones. The improvements to the Pixel 9’s hardware are obvious, making it the best a base Pixel has ever been. But that comes with the territory with every annual release, and some may find an inevitably discounted Pixel 8 is more than enough to satisfy their smartphone needs.

Regardless, we’ll still need more hands-on time with the Pixel 9 to find out its true worth. While we get on that, check out all the other big Pixel announcements from the Made by Google 2024event, including the new Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel Watch 3, and Pixel Buds Pro 2.