At its Pixel 9 launch event, Google is unveiling its latest flagship phones, and alongside the launch of a smaller Pro model, the search giant has made some changes to its lineup. Here’s how it works Pixel 9 specifications compare with its premium siblings Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

On paper, the Pixel 9 series are the most powerful phones Google has released to date. Along with the new Google-designed Tensor G4 chipset, the handsets have more storage and battery capacity, as well as larger displays. But they’re also more expensive, with each model increasing in price by $100. The Pixel 9 starts at $799, the Pixel 9 Pro at $999, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL at $1,099.

That means a continued price increase for Pixel phones: Just two years ago, the Pixel 7 launched for $599. Google’s phones have gotten more powerful and added AI features, and the Pixel 9 series offers the same seven-year warranty on Android software and security updates as its predecessor (the Pixel 7 will no longer be able to offer either in 2025).

As mentioned above, there are three phones in the Pixel 9 family: the base model Pixel 9, the new Pixel 9 Pro, and the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL. The two smaller phones are the same size, practically the same weight, and have the same battery capacity, but differ in cameras, display sharpness, and RAM.

The Gemini AI features are a big difference between the Pixel 9 series and its predecessors, and all three phones will get the same features. As Google detailed at its I/O developer conference, many of these AI tools aim to improve your everyday life, like taking a photo of the contents of your fridge and asking the company’s Gemini chat assistant what dishes to prepare. While Magic Eraser has been a staple of the camera software for years, the new Add Me mode uses AR to combine multiple images so that they all fit into one photo.

So the big differences between the Pixel 9 phones are in the hardware. While all three phones come with the same Google Tensor G4 chipset, the base model Pixel 9 has 12GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have 16GB of RAM and come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.

The base and premium models also differ in terms of display sharpness. The Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2,424 x 1,080 pixels at a pixel density of 422 pixels per inch (and a variable refresh rate of 60-120 Hz); the Pixel 9 Pro’s equally sized 6.3-inch LTPO OLED screen, on the other hand, has a resolution of 2,856 x 1,280 pixels at a pixel density of 495 ppi, while the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display has a resolution of 2,992 x 1,344 pixels at a pixel density of 486 ppi, presumably resulting in sharper images. Both of the latter premium phones have a variable refresh rate of 1-120 Hz, which allows them to slow down the screen refresh to save battery.

The size difference comes into play in the battery size. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have 4,700mAh batteries, while the larger Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery.

However, the cameras are differentiated between the base and premium models. The Pixel 9 has a 50-megapixel main camera on the back and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, as well as a 10.5-megapixel front camera. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have the 50-megapixel main camera and 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, as well as a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and a 42-megapixel front camera. All three phones can record video in 4K.

All three phones will launch with Android 14 and, as mentioned, will receive seven years of OS and security updates. That means that while the phones won’t launch at the same time as the upcoming Android 15 – likely due to Google’s decision to bring their release forward to August, ahead of the usual October launch window for new Pixel phones – the company has assured that the Pixel 9 series will get Android 15. They also feature Satellite SOS, Google’s new emergency satellite service that competes with Apple’s iPhone-only Emergency SOS.

For more detailed information on how the Pixel 9 phones compare to each other, check out CNET’s detailed spec sheet below: