Back in March, an exciting rumor came roaring out of the rumor mill aimed at Pixel fans. In addition to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, Google was reportedly planning to release the Pixel 9 Pro XL bringing back the “XL” branding that had been used to indicate the larger-sized Pixel model until Pixel 5 was released. The Pixel 9 was expected to feature a 6.03-inch display, the Pixel 9 Pro was rumored to carry a 6.1-inch screen and a 6.8-inch display would reportedly adorn the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The goal was to offer a smaller-sized “Pro” model like Apple does.
But according to
Android Authority, this doesn’t mean that we won’t see four new Pixel models this October. In addition to the three
Pixel 9 handsets, the second Pixel Fold model could be in the works for a release this fall. Back in February, renders of the Pixel Fold 2 made the rounds showing a rear camera island instead of the iconic Pixel camera bar that has been part of the Pixel design since 2021’s Pixel 6 series was released.
Thinborne’s website lists four Pixel cases for models coming this fall
Case manufacturer
Thinborne has listed four new Pixel cases. There are new cases for the
Pixel 9,
Pixel 9 Pro, and
Pixel 9 Pro XL. There is also a case for the Pixel Fold 2 which is interesting since earlier rumors said that Google would call the sequel to its foldable the
Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Considering that it’s only May, it’s likely that Google has yet to make a final decision on the name for the device and so Thinborne is calling it the
Pixel Fold 2 for now, just as we are doing. Also, the
Pixel 9 and
Pixel 9 Pro cases are the same size, but they have different camera setups
The Pixel Fold 2 is expected to have a 6.4-inch cover display (6.6-inch including corners) and an internal screen that weighs in at 7.9 inches (8.1-inch with corners). While Google I/O 2024 will be held next Tuesday, we could get a preview of the quartet although the unexpected introduction of the Pixel 8a today probably puts the kibosh on that idea. The bottom line is that we will end up with four new Pixels arriving in October including the Pixel Fold 2. By the way, note that the case for the Pixel Fold 2 accommodates that rear camera island that we saw in the render!
If you’re planning on picking up one of the three Pixel 9 handsets, keep this in mind. We expect that the first Google-customized Tensor application processor won’t arrive until 2025 powering the Pixel 10 (or Pixel X) series. So if you need to be thrifty, you might be better off waiting for next year’s Pixel models instead of blowing your wad on the Pixel 9 line.