Renders show a revised camera island and slightly smaller screen for Google's next flagship phone
(Image credit: @onleaks / @mysmartprice)
It may only be January, but rumors and leaks are already emerging about Google's next flagship phone, the Pixel 9 Pro. Thanks to MySmartPrice and OnLeaks, there are now high-resolution renders showing what the Pixel 9 Pro could look like. We can't confirm if these definitely portray the final design of the phone, but OnLeaks has previous form with releasing renders of past Google phones many months before the handset's launch, and those renders did indeed turn out to be accurate.
(Image credit: @onleaks / @mysmartprice)
The most notable change compared to the current Pixel 8 Pro is the new phone has a restyled camera bump, which contains three camera modules. The central, larger lens presumably fronts the primary, wide-angle camera module, while the secondary circular lens is likely the ultrawide camera. The third module is a rectangular shape, indicating that it's probably a periscope telephoto camera. We wouldn't be surprised if Google was keen to equip the Pixel 9 Pro with a periscope module, if only to match key rivals like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Unlike the camera bump on the Pixel 8 Pro which wraps into the edges of the phone, the Pixel 9 has a more pronounced, oval-shaped camera island. This appears to protrude significantly from the rear panel of the phone.
The dimensions of the Pixel 9 Pro are claimed to be 162.7 x 76.6 x 8.5mm, though if you also include the thickness of the hefty camera island, the total thickness increases to 12.0mm. These dimensions are very similar to those of the Pixel 8 Pro, however it's speculated that despite this, the Pixel 9 Pro will have a slightly smaller screen size of approximately 6.5 inches (the Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch display). The screen on the new phone sports the same punch-hole design cut-out for the selfie camera.
(Image credit: @onleaks / @mysmartprice)
Also evident from these renders is the flat-edged frame of the phone, contrasting from the current bevelled edge of the Pixel 8 Pro. The overall look of the edge design is very 'Apple'.
Though the source of these renders has proven to be reliable, we still wouldn't assume the images definitely depict the final design of the phone. If Google follows its previous release schedule, then the Pixel 9 Pro would be set to launch in October. There's therefore still a lot of time for designs and specifications to potentially be tweaked.
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Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
