All four of Google’s Pixel 9 phones are lined up and shot (regulators)

Can you really call them “leaks” if Google’s Pixel phones are being leaked all over the web every year before their official launch? What amount of photos, hardware specs, and other details constitute a leak rather than a rapidly leaking colander?

Google’s Pixel 9 range of phones is expected to be launched at an event on August 13. As the phones must be certified by various regulatory bodies, including Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC), photos are now available — so many photos — of all the four phones Google is expected to unveil next month. The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google’s second attempt at a foldable phone, have been sized, measured, rated for battery life and charging speed, and even taken apart so you can take a look inside.

As indicated by Pixel 9 renders, renders of all three non-folding phones, and prototype images, the NCC images confirm that Google’s “Pro” phone in the series is the same size as the standard 9, but has three rear cameras. and improved, possibly AI specs. The NCC listings don’t confirm all the internal specs, such as the staggering 16GB of RAM we saw in the earlier Pixel 9 Pro prototype. Google has previously noted that keeping certain generative models “resident” requires more RAM.

The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro have a 4,558mAh battery, according to NCC, while the 9 Pro XL packs a 4,942mAh one. That’s a very slight increase over the Pixel 8 for the Pixel 9, and about even between the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL (which, remember, are now “large” phones, though some people may consider the 6.1-inch screens on the base models not quite “small”). Charging speeds are about the same between the Pixel 8 and 9, Android Authority notes, though the “big” Pixel phone jumped from roughly 27W on the 8 Series to nearly 33W on the Pixel 9 Pro XL listing.

And the Fold, which is flatter, taller

What is much more changed is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Not as stocky and boxy as the original 2023 Pixel fold, it’s now somewhat taller and closer to its direct competitors. Its cameras are now arranged in a square grid rather than the Pixel’s typical thick horizontal strip. The selfie camera on the large internal screen is now in the corner. The bezels have slimmed down, the fold appears to have been reduced (at least in these prototype photos), and the new Fold in particular can lie completely flat, which the previous model couldn’t.

The new Fold’s battery is listed as 4,560 mAh compared to the previous model’s 4,727 mAh. As noted in our Pixel Fold review, Google managed to fit in the biggest battery in the category, but the category has an inherent problem with battery life. Actually by using that big OLED screen for things that are fun to use, like watching videos or playing games, drains the battery faster than a similar experience with a tablet that might pack twice as many battery cells.

All four Pixel phones feature Thread radio support, and all but the base Pixel 9 have ultra-wideband (UWB) support. These phones also come with a new, white, sleek 45W charger from Google.

Android Authority has the best photo layout of the Pixel 9 series that NCC has revealed. The devices appear to be a lock that will be unveiled at the Made by Google event on August 13.