Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 8 comparison emphasizes the stark redesign

A follow-up to last week’s Pixel 9 series leak compares the smallest phone in the lineup to the Pixel 8, as well as an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Pixophone on TikTok has the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9. A new short video shows the latter being compared to the Rose Pixel 8.

In one regard, the Pixel 9 continues the trend of more rounded corners that started with the Pixel 8 (and continued with the 8a) after the 6 and 7 were relatively blocky. The rails on the Pixel 9 look sufficiently curved so there are no real sharp edges. 

Seeing the phones side-by-side at different angles really emphasizes to me how the camera bar continues to grow. I’m somewhat concerned about how the left/right edges of the bar no longer slope into the frame. There’s a not insignificant area between the side rails and where the camera island ends. I hope it won’t be awkward to hold that. 

Elsewhere, the microphone holes seem much larger on the Pixel 9 compared to the 8. There’s one at the top and at the bottom next to the USB-C port, with Google no longer hiding it in the oblong cutout. There’s another hole for the SIM card slot, with the lack of symmetry unfortunate. 

The lineage of the Pixel 8 (and 8a) can clearly be traced back to the blocky Pixel 6 and 7. However, I thought the refinements made last year were pretty significant and deserving of at least a few more years before being replaced.

Meanwhile, here’s the Pixel 9 Pro XL compared to the equally glossy iPhone 14 Pro Max: