Deals: Here are the pre-order deals for the Google Pixel 9 series

By far the biggest launch of the week was the launch of the Google Pixel 9 series. The search giant unveiled two new flagships, a new near-flagship phone, and a new foldable, all of which are currently up for pre-order.

Starting with the Google Pixel 9, it takes over from the Pixel 8 — the non-LTPO FHD+ display and lack of a telephoto lens keep it from earning the “pro” tag. However, this phone does have a powerful new Tensor G4 chipset and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Both the wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle cameras are the same as those on the 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL.

Google has trade-in offers. Note that from what we’ve seen, memory doesn’t matter (i.e. Pixel 8 128GB and 256GB can be traded in for the same price). Pixel 8 in good condition is valued at $490, Pixel 7 at $360. iPhone 15 is worth $480, iPhone 14 at $440. Samsung phone values ​​aren’t great, Galaxy S23 is $320, even S24 (which isn’t even a year old) is $400.

Something you may have noticed is that there are no free storage upgrades. Instead, Google, Amazon, and Best Buy offer a store credit or gift card, and they all have the same value, e.g. the Pixel 9 comes with a $100 credit/gift card.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is the exact same size as the Pixel 9, but it’s a true Pro phone with a higher-resolution (1280 x 2856 px) LTPO display and a 5x 48MP telephoto lens. The Pros get an additional upgrade – a 42MP selfie camera with an ultra-wide-angle lens.

The Pixel 9 Pro isn’t the tiny flagship some might have hoped for – it’s bigger and heavier than the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 Pro. It’s also a bit bigger than the Pixel 8. You still don’t get the 5x telephoto camera on Samsung or Apple’s phones (just 3x and with a lower-resolution sensor), and there’s no high-resolution ultra-wide camera or selfie camera. And it’s not like Samsung and Apple offer fast charging, so the Google doesn’t fare badly in comparison. There are trade-in deals for the values ​​mentioned above.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the successor to the 8 Pro (Google changed its naming scheme, which is confusing). It’s a bigger version of the 9 Pro, with a 6.8-inch display (up from 6.3″) and a bigger 5,060mAh battery (up from 4,700mAh). As an added bonus, it supports wired charging at 37W (up from 27W), which can charge the battery to 70% in 30 minutes. That’s not VOOC charging, but we’ll take it.

Please note that all Google Pixel 9 phones will be covered by 7 years of technical support.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a big improvement over Google’s first attempt at a foldable device. It folds to just 10.5mm, compared to 12.1mm in the Galaxy Z Fold6 and 11.7mm in the OnePlus Open. It’s heavier than both, though, weighing in at 257g.

The OnePlus phone has an excuse – it’s a 2023 model. The Galaxy Z Fold6, however, is completely new and we believe Google has overtaken Samsung in the race to develop foldable smartphones.

Either way, note that while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold uses all-new internal and external displays, it has more or less the same camera hardware as the original Pixel Fold. However, the original Fold launched with the old Tensor G2, so the new model with the G4 is significantly more powerful and efficient.

Google has launched a new 45W charger, which you’ll need to get maximum charging speeds out of your Pixel 9 Pro – the old 35W charger just won’t cut it. That said, if you have a USB-PD charger you’re happy with, you can skip this step.

The new Google Pixel Watch 3 comes in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm, while the Watch 2 only came in 41mm. The 45mm option gives you a larger 1.4-inch display (up from 1.2″) and a larger 420mAh battery. We’ve included links to the Wi-Fi-only watches below, but you can get the LTE version for $100 more. If you opt for the 4G version, Google will give you 2 years of free data with Google Fi. Keep in mind that while text messaging is supported, calling from the watch is not (at least not with this free plan).

Finally, Google has unveiled the new Pixel Buds Pro 2. This is the first time its custom Tensor chips have ventured into the TWS bud form factor, but they promise huge improvements in noise cancellation (2x in the 400Hz-2kHz range). ANC automatically adjusts to your surroundings. The buds are stemless (ahem, Samsung, ahem), and they promise long battery life (8 hours for the buds with ANC on, up to 30 hours with the case).

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