Pixel 9 Pro XL release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades

The image above is just a render of what we expect the Pixel 9 Pro XL to be. (image credit — OnLeaks and MySmartPrice)

What we know so far

The design will be the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s most differentiating factor, allegedly adopting a more blocky look with flat sides and back, following in the footsteps of its competitors.

Reports about the Pixel 9 Pro XL and its performance indicate only small improvements in terms of power, with the Tensor G4 chipset on board. Thankfully, the pesky connectivity issues might come to an end, though, thanks to a new modem inside the Tensor G4.

Google is also said to have increased the RAM to 16GB, supposedly to make the phone powerful enough for some of the new AI features planned to come with this new generation.

On a side note, our wishes for faster charging speeds probably won’t be answered, yet again, but we might be getting the equivalent of MagSafe with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the rest of the Pixel 9 series.

Pixel 9 Pro XL release date

* – probable dates

Pixel 9 Pro XL price

This is the first year when Google is said to launch three separate flagship phones, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL being the most pricey one. The more likely scenario here is that the Pixel 9 Pro XL goes for a starting price of $1099, which would be $100 more expensive than the Pixel X Pro models it is replacing, but would give some room for a $999 Pixel 9 Pro.

Even with the expected $100 price hike, though, Google would still undercut the competition’s asking price for their top of the line flagship phones by about $100-$200. The good news is that Pixel phones tend to get some great discounts throughout the year, so expect even lower prices for the Pixel 9 Pro after its launch. There might even be some good pre-order deals.

* – anticipated prices

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera

Not much is known about the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s cameras at the moment. The only interesting leak we have had so far says that Google might place a variable aperture on the main (wide) camera, which is a feature that’s extremely niche in modern flagship smartphones, especially those manufactured by western companies such as Google.

If this rumour about a variable aperture does end up being true, however, it would not only be a big surprise for us (and the phone industry), but also one that can aid the users control over light. The aperture is one of the three ways to control how much light a camera takes in, alongside the shutter speed and ISO; the camera settings holy trinity, if you will.

But even with no new camera hardware, the new Tensor G4 that will power the Pixel 9 Pro XL might bring image quality improvements. Google is well known for its camera software magic and has proven many times that adding new physical parts is not always necessary to improve the end result, so there’s plenty of room for improvement from a software standpoint.

Not to mention that, since we are talking about a Pixel here, we will probably see upgrads related to some of the camera-related AI features, such as Best Take, Audio Magic Eraser, Zoom Enhance, Video Boost and more. We could even see some new “magical” camera features.

Pixel 9 Pro XL storage

There hasn’t been any word about any storage upgrades coming with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. That means we can expect the same 128GB-1TB storage options. That said, Google can include newer, more capable storage, jumping from UFS 3.1 to UFS 4.0, which would reduce power consumption and increase read/write speeds. In essence, the phone would work faster while consuming less battery life in the meantime.

Pixel 9 Pro XL expected storage capacity:

Pixel 9 Pro XL design

Just like with the rest of the Pixel 9 series, the Pixel 9 Pro XL will adopt a new look for the camera bar at the back. Now it will look closer to that of the Pixel Fold from last year, meaning it will no longer reach the frame of the phone, but rather “hover” like a speech bubble at the top. Take a look for yourself:

Life image of what is allegedly the Pixel 9 series, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL at the far right. (Image credit to Rozetked.)

A render of the Pixel 9 Pro XL also hints at some other small design changes, like a flat frame with curved edges that appears to be made out of stainless steel. The back is also flat and looks like it is made out of reflective glass, unlike the matte finish on the Pixel 8 Pro. Here is the render:

A render of the Pixel 9 Pro XL showcasing its new flat sides and back panel with a glossy finish.

As for the “XL” part, yes, the Pixel 9 Pro XL will be the largest model. But before you start getting confused, keep in mind that the Pixel 9 Pro XL will actually be the same size as last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. That means it should come in at about 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm (6.40 x 3.01 x 0.35 in) and 213 g (7.51 oz).

It is the Pixel 9 Pro model that’s new this year, as it will give buyers the Pro features in a smaller body for the first time ever.

Pixel 9 Pro XL display

We expect the Pixel 9 Pro XL to rock either a 6.7″ or a slightly larger 6.8″ display. There aren’t any rumours to indicate any upgrades in the form of higher brightness levels or resolution, but there has been some talk about Google adding an “Adaptive Touch” feature.

Adaptive Touch adjusts the display sensitivity automatically based on your environment, activities, and screen protector. Simply put, it means the display will react to your input more accurately in situations when there is something that might impede it, such water, dirt, or a screen protector.

Otherwise, we expect the same OLED panel with 120Hz display refresh rate (so equally smooth as the predecessor), with a peak brightness of 2400 nits and nominal brightness (the more realistic one) of around 1600 nits.

Pixel 9 Pro XL battery

There shouldn’t be any major changes to the battery capacity with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Given the lack of rumours about the battery, and the fact that the phone will be the same size as the Pixel 8 Pro, we also expect a similarly sized 5,050 mAh battery inside.

That said, the Tensor G4 might come with better power efficiency, which can extend the battery life with this generation.

Charging-wise, there have been rumours hinting at the Pixel 9 Pro XL (and the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup) getting support for the Qi2 wireless charging standard. This upgraded version of Qi2 does not come with faster charging speeds, but it comes with magnets, which can help align wireless chargers more easily with your phone.

Apart from that, for now we expect the same 30W of wired and 23W of wireless charging speeds.

We don’t expect to see a charger in the Pixel 9 Pro XL box, and neither should you. 

Pixel 9 Pro XL features and software

Here are a few of the new features coming with Android 15:

As for software support, you can expect the same 7 years that Google started to guarantee with last year’s Pixel 8 lineup.

Pixel 9 Pro XL hardware and specs

Pixel 9 Pro XL benchmark tests indicate that the Tensor G4 will feature faster clock speeds with one Cortex-X4 core at 3.1GHz, three Cortex-A720 cores at 2.6GHz, and four Cortex-A520 cores at 1.95GHz. Notably, the Tensor G4 has eight cores, compared to the Tensor G3’s nine cores in the Pixel 8 series.

Alleged live image of the Pixel 9 series’ Antutu benchmark score, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL at the far left

The leak shows the Pixel 9 Pro XL scoring 1176410 in the AnTuTu benchmark, which is an overall marginal improvement over the Pixel 8 Pro‘s score of around 1142984.

Should you wait for the Pixel 9 Pro XL?