Google Leaks the Pixel 9 Series

Google has always had a problem with Pixel leaks, but the months leading up to the Pixel 9 series launch event have been particularly bad. And so the online giant has engaged in a familiar tactic: Out-leak the leakers by leaking the Pixel 9 series itself.

“Get ready for a whole new era of phones,” the Google Store home page now reads, referencing the August 13 event. “Join our launch event for the big reveal. Be the first to know Google Store news, including Pixel 9 Pro availability.” There, big, bold, and in a gorgeous new Starlight-like color, you can see the new Pixel Fold—which will be marketed, awkwardly, as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold—and, behind it, the Pixel 9 Pro.

How this will help Google sell its current phones—the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8a—is unclear, but it’s like sales of these devices, which are always on the low side anyway, have dried up since Google announced its August event anyway. And that August event isn’t just about phones: Google is expected to announce a new Pixel Watch 3 in two sizes and updated Pixel Buds earbuds too.

Which we know because of all the leaks.

We got the motherlode last week: The Pixel 9 Pro will come in two sizes, with 6.3- (Pro) and 6.8-inch (Pro XL) displays. There’s a gorgeous new camera island that leaked months earlier, across all three Pixel phone lines. G4 processors all around. 12 GB (Pixel 9) and 16 GB (Pixel 9 Pro series) of RAM, in part to accommodate the AI workloads. A claimed 24 hours of battery life.

Other leaks point to new cases for the new phones, the welcome return of ear wing tips to the Pixel Buds 2, and the two new Pixel Watch 3 devices and their many new band designs. And probably more, though I’m trying not to ruin everything for fans.

Surely, we can wait two weeks.