Google promises up to 7 years of software support for Pixel smartphones now, comprising OS updates, security patches and feature drops.
Google Pixel 9 Pro is confirmed to launch as part of the company's flagship smartphone lineup this year
Photo Credit: Google
Google Pixel 9 Series is scheduled to launch globally on August 13. Over the last few weeks, we've seen numerous leaks surface, hinting at various specifications about the upcoming smartphones – from display, and processor to battery. Ahead of its official debut, a new report suggests that Google's flagship handsets may not get Android 15 at launch and will run on an older operating system (OS) instead, breaking the trend of yesteryears. However, the Pixel 9 series are said to get an upgrade in terms of charging speed. Meanwhile, the storage configurations of the phones have also been leaked.
Google Pixel 9 series is expected to comprise four models: Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Pixel 9 Pro XL, with the latter being a new model that is likely to debut this year. According to a report by Android Headlines, all handsets in the lineup will run on Android 14, which is last year's operating system.
Although several Android 15 beta updates have been released to developers in recent months and it reached “'platform stability” in June, the update is said to be delayed due to it not being completely ready. As per the report, it would be the first time that Google will debut its flagship smartphones running on an older operating system.
The Android 14 update was also delayed last year due to reported bugs that needed fixing. However, Google previewed its Pixel 8 series in September 2023, followed by its launch and availability a month later. Thus, the handsets came with the Android 14 update. That is not likely to be the case this year as the Pixel 9 launch is taking place earlier than before. The models which will ship in the first few days are reported to come with Android 14, while those purchased later may run on Android 15 when it is publicly introduced.
With its upcoming smartphones, Google has promised up to 7 years of software support, comprising OS updates security patches and Pixel feature drops. Google first announced this for the Pixel 8 series last year and it will be applied to its 2024 flagships too. This means the Pixel 9 series smartphones could have software support from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) till 2031.
According to another report, the Pixel 9 series will come with 128GB of storage as standard. The standard model will be offered in two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. On the other hand, both the Pro models are said to come in four configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is the successor to last year's Pixel Fold, will also be offered in two storage variants: 128GB and 256GB, however, only the latter will be sold in India, as per the report.
The base Pixel 9 model is tipped to feature 12GB of RAM while the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL models will come with 16GB of RAM. The report also suggests that Google may bump up its upcoming smartphones' charging speeds. The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro are speculated to juice “up to 55% in about 30 minutes” using Google's 45W USB Type-C charger. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is likely to be the largest non-foldable smartphone in the Pixel 9 lineup, is said to be charged “up to 70% in about 30 minutes”.
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