Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Pixel 8 Pro: Google’s Irish twins

Intro

This August, we will see the arrival of the Google Pixel 9 series and more Pixel 9 Specifically the Pro XL.

Behind this name hides a proper flagship that will succeed Pixel 8 Pro direct. It’s not a bigger and more premium device, it’s simply a top-tier flagship.

But how does the next Pixel stack up? Pixel 8 Pro?

Google Pixel 9 For XL vs Pixel 8 Pro differences:

Pixel 9 Pro XL	Pixel 8 Pro
New design with flat sides and redesigned rear camera island	Curvier design with an edge-to-edge rear camera island
The same 6.7-inch OLED display with 120 Hz and high peak brightness	The same 6.7-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz
Google Tensor G4 with 16GB RAM	Google Tensor G3 with 12GB RAM
Android 15 out of the box	Upgradable to Android 15

Content:

Design and size

Notable differences

The Pixel 9 The Pro XL will see a minor but important redesign. Gone will be the slightly curved side frame that enhanced ergonomics; instead, we get a fully flat design that will be quite similar to what you get with the recent iPhone or the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus.

While it’s unclear whether Google will join the titanium bandwagon, it’s certain Pixel 9 For the XL, the sandwich will be metaglass, so it could be made of stainless steel or aluminum

gig with Gorilla Glass front and back.

The big change, but only from a stylistic perspective, can be found at the back: the Pixel 9 The Pro XL will get a redesigned camera island that will be more compact and won’t spread out from side to side like on Pixel 8 Pro.

we expect Pixel 9 The XL is supposed to be an IP68 rated device, so it’s as resistant to the elements as most flagships today.

Show the differences

At this point, we really don’t expect much difference in device separation between the two devices. Both Pixel 9 For XL and Pixel 8 Pro it will seemingly share the same 6.7-inch OLED panel with a QHD+ resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

More exciting, however, is the prospect of a higher maximum brightness Pixel 9 For XL. with Pixel 8 ProGoogle has entered the brightness wars with a band that uses a 2,400-nit display, so there’s a chance that Pixel 9 For the XL, it could achieve a display with an even higher peak brightness.

Like its predecessor, Pixel 9 The XL will have an in-display fingerprint reader. However, Pixel 8 Pro it had optical, which is usually considered less accurate and fast, so we hope that Google will put ultrasound in the upcoming flagship.

Performance and software

Two variants of Tensors

The Pixel 9 The Pro XL will come with the Tensor G4 chipset, which is still based on the 4nm manufacturing process and will once again focus on on-device AI. The Tensor G4 will be an octa-core chipset, unlike the coreless Tensor G3. The latter wasn’t a benchmark-buster, but it proved to be more than usable in everyday situations, so there’s nothing to worry about.

	Tensor G4	Tensor G3
Basic core	1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.1 GHz	1x Cortex-X3 @ 2.85GHz
Performance cores	3x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6GHz	4x Cortex-A715 @ 2.35GHz
Powerful cores	4x Cortex-A510 @ 1.95 GHz	4x Cortex-A510 @ 1.7GHz

The Pixel 9 The Pro XL is said to use around 16GB of RAM, which should provide plenty of room for AI-related tasks, as these have high hardware requirements. In terms of storage, we’d expect at least 256GB of native storage in the base version Pixel 9 For XL.

Since Google has adopted a seven-year software support window for the Pixel 8 series, it will be supported until the end of the decade. The Pixel 9 On the other hand, the Pro XL will receive software updates and feature drops until 2031, which is great in terms of support.

Camera

Samesies

We don’t really expect any major changes to the camera hardware just yet Google Pixel 9 For compared to Pixel 8 Pro.

That means we’re expecting the same 50MP main camera, along with a 48MP ultra-wide and another 48MP telephoto lens with 5.0x optical zoom.

This is the same setting as on Pixel 9 For the XL, though, don’t worry: while the hardware may be unchanged, leave it to Google to come up with adequate software tweaks and tweaks to squeeze the most out of the existing hardware.

Battery life and charging

No changes are expected

Rumor has it that we will see a 5,050 or 5,100 mAh battery inside Pixel 9 For XL, so basically no changes in that regard. Past years Pixel 8 Pro was a more than decent phone in terms of battery so we have high expectations from it Pixel 9 For XL too.

What about charging? It looks like we might not get the improved charging specs here. That means 33W wired and 23W wireless charging on both phones, which is a bit slower compared to most other Android flagships.

Comparison of specifications

spectacles	Pixel 9 Pro XL	Pixel 8 Pro
Dimensions	–	162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm
Mass	–	213 g
Screen	6.7 inches OLED 120 Hz	6.7 inches OLED 120 Hz
Processor	Google Tensor G4 (4nm)	Tensor G3 (4nm)
RAM, storage and price	16/256 GB 16/512GB 16/1 TB	12/128 GB 12/256 GB 12/512 GB 12/1 TB
Cameras	Main 50MP, f/1.7 48MP ultra-wide, f/1.9 48MP telephoto lens, f/2.8 5x zoom Front 10.5 MP	Main 50MP, f/1.7 48MP ultra-wide, f/1.9 48MP telephoto lens, f/2.8 5x zoom Front 10.5 MP
Battery size	5050 mAh	5050 mAh
Charging speeds	33W wired 23W wireless	33W wired 23W wireless

summary

All in all, Pixel 9 The Pro XL is set to receive slight hardware upgrades compared to the Pro XL Pixel 8 Pro, but currently we don’t have the full picture yet. So we can’t really draw conclusions on whether the next Pixel is a major or a minor upgrade.

We’re also missing the software element: Google usually launches a bunch of new features alongside its Pixels, so hardware plays an even smaller role these days than it did a few years ago.

With that in mind, we can only be excited about what the search giant has in store for us. We will know more on August 13.