Google Pixel 9 vs Pixel 8

You might be in search of a compact flagship and also you land on Google’s provides. At round €900, the Google Pixel 9 is sort of pricy and you’ll simply discover that the Google Pixel 8 will get you quite a lot of its options at a far more affordable worth of €500.

The brand new Pixel 9 brings an improved design, efficiency and digital camera high quality, however its focus is totally on AI options. The previous Pixel 8 nonetheless provides top-notch {hardware}, imaging abilities and clear software program, particularly on the all-time low worth, so it isn’t laborious to select it over the brand new mannequin.

How a lot better is the Google Pixel 9 to deserve its worth premium then? Let’s look into it.

Desk of Contents:

For starters, you’ll be able to examine the entire specs sheets or immediately proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.

Dimension comparability

The brand new Google Pixel 9 appears to be like rather a lot totally different from the Pixel 8. It’s also barely bigger, because of the greater show.

The Pixel 9 introduces an all-flat design, digital camera bar included – a departure from the properly curved Pixel 8. There are two Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels and a flat aluminum body. The Pixel 9 is IP68-rated for mud and water resistance.

This implies the brand new mannequin has higher, arguably harder glass panels and a extra comfy design. However the dimension improve and the flat design will not be everybody’s cup of tea, particularly in relation to a compact smartphone.

Design and dimension are all the time a private choice, so it’s as much as you to resolve which Pixel fits you higher. Regardless of which one you select, although, it will likely be one among a premium construct for positive.

Show comparability

The Pixel 9 includes a 6.3-inch OLED show with a FullHD decision and a 120Hz most refresh price, in addition to 2,700nits of peak brightness (marketed). The Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch OLED panel of comparable decision and refresh price however with decrease marketed peak brightness – 2,000 nits. Each screens are HDR10 video licensed.

In our testing, the Pixel 9 provided over 1,200nits of most brightness when adjusting it manually, and over 2,200 nits when utilizing the Adaptive Brightness possibility. The Pixel 8 numbers have been barely decrease – 1,000 nits in handbook and 1,440 nits in Auto mode.

Clearly, the Pixel 9 has a brighter show, however we by no means had any points with the one on the Pixel 8 both, so even when the newer one is best, most individuals, if not all, can be completely happy with the older mannequin, too.

Battery life

The Pixel 9 is provided with a 4,700mAh battery – a modest improve over the Pixel 8 (4,575mAh) and 8a (4,492mAh). The Galaxy S24, in the meantime, stands at 4,000mAh, whereas the iPhone 15’s battery is just rated for 3,349mAh.

In our testing, the Pixel 9 proved a worthy improve over the Pixel 8 within the endurance division, getting meaningfully higher ends in all 4 exams and practically two hours extra within the total Lively Use Rating. In doing that, it is grow to be one of many higher choices in relation to battery life on this compact class.

Charging pace

The Pixel 9 helps charging as much as 27W when utilizing the brand new Google 45W adapter, although it ought to technically have the ability to attain that with different good USB Energy Supply chargers with the correct volts and amperes combos of their specs. We did not have this new adapter at our disposal, so we examined with the 30W unit, in addition to Samsung’s 45W adapter that is specced surprisingly carefully to the Google 45W one.

Google guarantees the Pixel 9 ought to have the ability to get from 1% to 55% in half-hour with the brand new 45W adapter, and that is just about what we bought with the Samsung charger. Nonetheless, the Pixel 8 enjoys the identical charging price with the OG Google’s 30W charger.

There’s even a minor distinction within the time to full cost in favor of the Pixel 8 because it has a smaller battery.

Each Pixels help quick wi-fi charging up and Battery Share can also be on the menu – you’ll be able to cost different Qi-certified units off of each Pixels’ backs. The Pixel 9 covers newer requirements, because it seems, however the most wi-fi charging pace stays comparatively the identical.

Speaker check

Each the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 characteristic a hybrid speaker setup. There is a backside speaker that outputs by way of a gap within the body, and a front-firing high speaker which can also be the earpiece for voice calls.

The Pixel 9 earned a ‘Very Good’ score for loudness in our testing, identical because the Pixel 8. However whereas each provide related loudness, the Pixel 8 has higher audio high quality with higher vocals and total richer output.

Efficiency

The brand new Pixels run on the next-gen Google chipset – the Tensor G4. It accommodates a brand new processor with eight cores, one lower than the G3’s – 1×3.1 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4×1.92 GHz Cortex-A520. All cores have been upgraded to their respective newest technology.

The GPU stays the identical as on the Tensor G3 (contained in the Pixel 8) – Mali-G715 MC7 – however it has a better clock at 940 МHz, up from 890 МHz.

The TPU for AI duties is unchanged since Tensor G3 – nonetheless in its third technology.

Most likely a very powerful replace right here is the RAM improve – 12GB of LPDDR5X – which ought to work higher for multi-tasking and AI duties.

Lastly, there’s a new energy-efficient modem supplied by Samsung – Exynos 5400 – with Satellite tv for pc connectivity help (in supported ).

Oddly, in our testing, the Pixel 9 scored decrease than the Pixel 8 throughout all benchmarks. We suspect our particular Pixel 9 unit is likely to be tuned in a different way as studies on-line fluctuate from supply to supply, so verifying them objectively shouldn’t be potential in the meanwhile. We aren’t posting benchmark comparisons in the meanwhile however Google guarantees improved efficiency with the brand new chipset.

Google guarantees many of the AI options on the Pixel 9 will finally make it to the Pixel 8 as properly. Nonetheless, solely the Pixel 9 is getting one 12 months of free entry to Gemini’s most superior subscription tier, which comes with sharper generative AI smarts.

Digicam comparability

The Pixel 9 inherits the Pixel 8’s digital camera system – it is bought a large main digital camera and an ultrawide on the again, then there’s selfie digital camera on the opposite aspect. That stated, the Pixel 9 mannequin does get a few upgrades – a brand new sensor for the ultrawide digital camera, and autofocus for the entrance digital camera.

Picture high quality

The Pixel 9’s fundamental digital camera saves glorious photos with nice element, rendered in a pure manner with well-judged sharpening. There’s the same old excessive distinction you’d count on from Pixels, with a give attention to spotlight preservation and considerably dark-ish shadows. Colours are very nice too, with out pushing the saturation slider to extremes.

The Pixel 8’s fundamental digital camera produces equally nice photographs and whereas the newer mannequin could also be a tad more adept with the sharpening, we’re actually nit-picking right here.

The 2x high-quality zoom is best on the Pixel 9, even when by a small margin. The element appears to be like a bit extra pure, particularly one among excessive complexity, and the fuzzy areas are considerably much less apparent, although nonetheless there.

The largest improve comes with the ultrawide digital camera, which, because of the brand new sensor and lens, now saves extra detailed and natural-looking photos with much less noise.

Pixel 9: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

Pixel 8: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

The low-light photographs shot on each telephones are equally stable. The principle cameras, each in common and zoom modes, ship nice photographs with just about no distinction. The ultrawide digital camera provides very good high quality, too, although because of the brighter aperture on the Pixel 9 – it saves barely brighter and photographs

Pixel 9: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

Pixel 8: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

And at last, the selfie digital camera. The Pixel 9 has autofocus, which can assist it in sure conditions to ship sharper and total higher photographs. And you may see that distinction when capturing at shut distance – the Pixel 9 takes sharper photographs with extra facial element than the Pixel 8’s entrance digital camera, and the background appears to be like a bit extra defocused. The distinction is small, however it’s there and it will likely be appreciated for individuals who shoot selfies all day and all night time.

Pixel 9 • Pixel 8

Video high quality

Each the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 provide related video capturing capabilities, stabilization, decision and body price included.

Oddly, the Pixel information softer footage than we might count on for the category – from each the primary and the ultrawide cameras. The Pixel 8 provides noticeably extra detailed and sharper movies from its fundamental digital camera, even in 2x zoom mode.

Pixel 9 4K30: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

Pixel 8 4K30: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

Verdict

The Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 are nice little telephones, and nobody can be left wanting by choosing both of them – each have related screens, efficiency, cameras, and audio system.

The Pixel 9 is best in relation to battery life, quicker AI duties and ultrawide photograph high quality, and arguably – appears to be like – however it comes at a worth. The Pixel 9 launches at €899, whereas the Pixel 8 now prices about €500. And that could be a large distinction and the most important motive why you must get the Pixel 8 as an alternative of the Pixel 9.

However wait, there’s extra! The Pixel 8 turned out to seize higher movies and possibly proper now, it’s the higher machine for efficiency and stability.

In fact, if having the most recent and most beefed-up telephone is what you might be after, then the Pixel 9 is now obtainable and no evaluation will cease you from shopping for it.