Google Pixel 8 vs Google Pixel 9: Which should you buy? (2024)

It's a well-known fact that Google makes some of the world's best smartphones. Every year, its flagships top the charts as some of the leading Android phones for photography and some of the most innovative devices when it comes to AI too.

In 2023, the Google Pixel 8 was easily one of our favourite smartphones at Digital Spy, and we were pretty excited to see what was coming next. It's safe to say that we haven't been left disappointed.

The Google Pixel 9 was unveiled at a Made By Google event alongside two more pricey Pro models of the phone. With the new series comes upgrades to the hardware, software and design – these handsets are undeniably the best Pixel phones to date.

The most affordable phone in the 2024 lineup is the Google Pixel 9. But how is it different to its predecessor, the Pixel 8? You're in the right place to find out.

The most obvious difference between the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 9 is the design. Google has revamped the shape and placement of its iconic camera bar, it once stretched across the whole width of the phone whereas now it sits in the middle as an island.

The Pixel 9 is also slightly more angular, slightly thinner, slightly taller and slightly wider than the Pixel 8. It measures 15.28 x 7.2 x 8.5cm and weighs 198g as opposed to the eighth generation's dimensions of 15.1 x 7.08 x 8.9cm and weight of 187g.

You can buy the Google Pixel 8 in obsidian black, hazel green and rose pink. The Pixel 9 comes in obsidian black, porcelain white, wintergreen green and peony pink.

The screen has been boosted from 6.2 inches on the Pixel 8 to 6.3 inches on the Pixel 9. A lot of the display specifications are very similar, although the latest model has a higher 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and is around 35% brighter thanks to a new peak brightness of 2,700 nits (up from only 2,000 nits before).

Both phones are IP68 water and dust-resistant, but the Pixel 9 is likely to be a little sturdier thanks to its Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (the Pixel 8 has Gorilla Glass Victus).

The Google Pixel 8 has a fantastic camera, but the Google Pixel 9 seemingly has an even better one, even though it's not all that different.

Firstly the hardware has been upgraded from a 50MP wide camera and a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, to a 50MP main lens and a 48MP ultrawide camera with an f/1.7 aperture, which should mean better results in lower lighting.

The selfie cameras are both 10.5MP, but the Pixel 9 adds autofocus for the first time, whereas the Pixel 8 has a fixed focal length.

A couple of new features have been added to the Pixel 9 camera as well.

• Add Me allows you to include the photographer in the shot, you'll just need to take a photo and then switch photographers and take another. AI will then merge the two so everyone is in the final image.
• Zoom Enhance will improve the look of zoomed photos by filling in the gaps between pixels and predicting the missing details (this feature will be coming to Pixel 8 Pro but not Pixel 8).
• The Magic Editor has a new tool too, where you can now “Reimagine” your photos and transform any object in the shot into anything you like, just type in what you want to see and it'll use AI to bring it to life.
• Google has enhanced its HDR+ imaging pipeline to deliver more accurate photography and better portrayals of skin tone, shadows, textures and so on.

Smartphone performance tends to improve each year, and in 2024 Google has made sure of that by boosting the RAM from 8GB to 12GB. To go alongside that, the Pixel 9 has the latest Google Tensor G4 processor, up from the G3 chipset before.

These changes will help the phone cope better with its demanding AI tools. We haven't had a chance to test it out yet but we are expecting the Pixel 9 to run a little bit faster. Both phones come with the same storage options, those being 128GB or 256GB.

The battery has been increased from 4,575mAh to 4,700mAh – Google claims the Pixel 9 will last 24 hours or more. Those are the same claims made for the Pixel 8, and they rang true, but only time will tell if this is the case with the Pixel 9.

With Extreme Battery Saver turned on, the Pixel 8 claimed to last around 72 hours whereas the Pixel 9 supposedly lasts 100 hours.

Both the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 9 launched with the Android 14 operating system, and both promised seven years of updates and new feature drops. Of course, that means the eighth generation will stop receiving OS updates a year earlier than the Pixel 9.

Google's software is some of the best in the business. It's the cleanest version of Android with a neat home screen, handy widgets and an app drawer that you pull up from the bottom of the screen. It also includes tonnes of useful features, some of which are powered by AI, and that's where Google Pixels come into their own.

Each year, Google adds more and more AI-powered tools to its devices to help make your life easier.

For the Pixel 9, Google has made some changes to Call Assist where you'll now be able to get a written summary of your phone calls so you don't need to scramble for a pen and paper to write down details.

There's also a new screenshot app which will make it much easier to find the information you're looking for. Satellite SOS will be coming further down the line too, a feature allowing you to call for emergency help without the need for a cellular signal.

The Google Pixel 9 is a definite upgrade from the Google Pixel 8. Not only does it look more modern but it is likely to perform better as well, although we will have to report back on that once we've had a chance to get hands-on with the new device.

The Pixel 9 has slightly better camera hardware than its predecessor and an even more extensive selection of editing tools so you should be able to get better photos from it. Plus the new 12GB of RAM and Tensor G4 processor under the hood should help the phone run faster.

To add to that, its screen brightness and contrast ratio have been enhanced, the battery is bigger, and there are more cool AI-powered software features to make using the phone day-to-day more efficient.

In saying that, if you're looking to keep the price low then go for the Pixel 8, it's still a fantastic phone in 2024 and has plenty of years of software updates to come. Recently, we've seen it drop to as little as £550 during sales like Amazon Prime Day and we are expecting to see it drop again for Black Friday.

But if you don't mind spending a bit more on the latest model then there are a lot of benefits to buying the most recent Google Pixel 9 over the Pixel 8. Take a look at all the best Google Pixel 9 deals to find out where you can buy one.