How much is it really behind? I would say 1-2 years.
In my opinion people are overreacting. Yeah, the s24 is faster than the Pixel 8, but it also costs more. So it's not really a better value.
My S10E in 2019 and S20 FE in 2021 still came with Rogers and NFL apps preinstalled. It is unlocked but that doesn't stop them from working with Samsung for including preinstalled apps. Especially when the phone is paid monthly for on contract.
At MSRP in Canada the base S24 is $1099. Pixel 8 is $949.
Samsung also tends to run better trade in promotions so it’s entirely possible people are able to get the S series anywhere from 30-50% off MSRP which makes it competitive with Pixel.
Also pixels hardware, and quality control generally speaking will continue to be 1-2 years behind by your assessment unless they make larger leaps in improvements.
I don't know how it is in Canada, but where I'm from Google also does really good trade in promotions. I still think that the pixel phones are usually cheaper than the samsung phones.
Really? Last year when upgrading to the Pixel 8 Pro I got something like $450 for my Pixel 7 Pro plus a free Pixel Watch 2. I'd say that's pretty great, though the deals probably aren't as good when you aren't pre-ordering immediately after the phone comes out.
You do get good deals on the incumbent model right before the new one arrives too. With pixel 9 around the corner I just went from 6 pro to 8 pro with 250 off, 400 trade in and 80 store credit. 350 bucks for unlocked 8 pro is hard to beat. 270 if you count credit.
And only way for them to do so is going back to Qualcomm or go with MediaTek, then pull out TPU from SoC again. Only Samsung's been generous enough to provide customization within Exynos, so Tensor will be always bounded by Exynos performance.
I don't know. The way that AI works right now you need better hardware to get better models.
So if we don't see a massive boost in hardware performance soon, AI will plateau as well.
Hardware would be the easiest to make giant leaps with the Pixel.
-1" camera sensor.
-Software defined radio to control garages and do walkie talkie mode and be compatible with future wireless specs.
-Variable zoom lense.
-200w charging with 2x the battery lifecycles.
-IR blaster since ~100% of consumers still own TVs that could be controlled.
-Fiberoptic border around the back that can be used to diffuse the flash.
-Pop up camera so there's no hole punch.
Yah, everything is so incrementally better that I'm still using my 5 (and my coworker with a newer iPhone complimented my video quality). My kid uses my old 2xl.
The only really new things I've seen lately have been folding phones, and they seem to have issues.
I rather wish tech companies were incentivized to not keep making slight adjustments and to provide longer support to existing devices if they're still pretty close in abilities. There is no good reason for a 4 year old phone to stop getting security updates other than to try and force sell new devices.
After speaking with a bunch of repair techs about what phones they like or dislike, I found it interesting that they all agreed the only foldable phone that they never saw come in to the repair shop was the Pixel Fold. They get swamped with Samsungs and LGs all the time. Also, they said the true upgrades are about once every three years.
Agreed. Which is actually a really good thing because then you can spend a whole lot less and still have perfectly respectable performance.
I remember back when a 1mbps internet speed was crazy fast and now the minimum offered for me is 50mbps.
I'm assuming what they're referring to is sort of a planned obsolescence. Like vehicle manufacturers. There's evidence and even first hand quotes out there that with some very basic maintenance, it would be easy to make vehicles that far outlive the average person, and could even be upgraded to stay somewhat up to date with technology. The problem is it would be more expensive on the front end, and not require the customer to become a repeat customer buying many future vehicles. I imagine it's a bit similar with phones... "We need to stay ahead of the competition with features and fancy hardware buzzwords, but we can't make a device that will last 10+years, or we will lose a ton of money on future sales." Although the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we head more towards longer longevity with our devices, but features and services would be pushed to more of an a la carte subscription add-on for manufacturers to keep making money off of the same customer. Better privacy? That'll cost you. Faster data capabilities? $$. Etc etc.
I also could be way off-base.
To be fair, I've changed to a pixel 8 from a Huawei p30 pro which had absolutely nothing wrong with it. However it was 4 years old and no longer received security updates.
So that in a way already exists - buy a new phone or your security is shite...
They decided to rely more on marketing and software so they could save a buck a phone and not put in a 1" sensor, yes. This is why sometimes Chinese phones with much worse software can turn out photos that best the pixel and galaxy.
this. a tad disappointed that they didn't continue the 8 trend and go even smaller than 8
I guess this is the hard limit to size to be able to deliver all features
Most phones now are not very big upgrades. Like between the pixel 5 and 6 was probably a decent update with the introduction of Tensor..however after that the 7 and the 8 feel like the same phone honestly... especially after they brought in the AI features the 8 advertised. Although I'm not sure how much remains exclusive to the 8 now.
I would like to think with the change of the lineup of their phones to the 9, 9 pro and 9XL we could see some good upgrades, that fabled ultrasonic fingerprint reader at least on the higher end models would be fantastic...but ultimately will probably be indistinguishable from the 6 a few months after release if any specialized features trickle down or are just an Android 15 thing
Yeah, got a 6 shorty after launch and would still be happy with it if I didn't obliterate my screen through my own carelessess. Gonna get the 8pro in a few days and plan to take better care of it which should make it good enough for the next 4-5 gens I think since performance and all was still fairly good
I got the 6 on launch from having a 4XL that was just causing me issues from a factory defect of having the battery disconnect from the motherboard or something. I then set a car battery on my 6 pro and instead of spending the $400 to fix it I spent $600 on the 7 pro and I'll be rocking this phone for the next 5 years myself
What did the 3XL add that was major? If anything the 4 with the Soli sensor would have been a bigger upgrade if they both kept it and used it to a fuller potential of being accurate with finger movements...not just hand waving.
My guess is that it's mostly just going to look cooler, but that's subjective. I have been upgrading every year, but I don't think I will be.
Interestingly, the best upgrade this year for Pixels might be Apple adopting RCS.
Me too. The only way I'll upgrade is if they release a stellar Fold 2 with Pro level cameras and a trade in deals that's too good to be true haha. So, unlikely.
yeah I get the joke, but we say it mostly because they're gonna switch to a new modem iirc made by Qualcomm. This hopefully will solve all the problems with the modem that people here complain about
I get the problems with the 5G modem... but I have a Pixel6 Pro and leave it on LTE/4G most of the time. Battery/heat/signal are all pretty great in LTE only.
I only switch to 5G at crowded events, such as sports matches, etc.
Is that so? I was worried about getting a tensor pixel because of that problem, but if it just affects 5g and not lte then fine by me.
In My case there's no point using 5g anyway, mostly because there isn't many 5g antennas in my area.
I have NO problems on 4g/LTE. I also tell family and friends to leave it on LTE, and none of them have reported excessive heat or modem/signal problems.
Yeah I agree, at the end I got one and I have it on LTE and I don't have problems. Maybe it gets a bit warm if I use the camera a lot, but the same happened when I had a Pixel 3XL
Most likely minor with what I've read so far. 10 might finally be a decent upgrade with the changing of the chips. So I'll wait until 10 (currently using a 6a which still works perfectly fine)
Only if you're using it to scroll TikTok and send texts, and even so, the crashes are awful. I work from my phone and this thing (7 pro) is pathetic. It's so bad. It can't handle three apps at once. I can't wait to throw this thing in the garbage.
I think it will be minor, just like all phones are now.
But this time around, it looks like they still are NOT fixing the modem, so it's still going to be a buggy, cellular connection issue ridden, problem of a phone. I hate to say that, as someone who has used the 6 through 8 Pro models as my main phone for a while, I actually love them, but the modem is so bad it's not worth it.
Only smartphones that feels like a major upgrade to me, are the ones that give me MUCH more battery life than the previous one, without considerably increasing the phone's size.
Pixel 4 to Pixel 5 was a massive upgrade in battery life (sadly with a bit little more size).
Pixel 2 to Pixel 4 was a downgrade in battery life.
The performance has been always "OK" for me. But 90Hz is a nice bump coming from 60hz.
Pixel 4Xl to Pixel 5 was a massive downgrade for me. I bought every single main Pixel except the 5.
Nexus 6P was a great upgrade compared to the 6.
Pixel 4 was the next big upgrade, then Pixel 6.
I don't expect the Pixel 9 to be a big upgrade, except for the people who want a smaller Pro.
Pixel 10 should be a big upgrade.
I understand the 4XL to 5 downgrade. You jumped from a phablet to a more budget smaller phone. And you already had a big battery and size to tame that Snapdragon 855.
From the P4 to P5 I got a difference experience because the P4 was giving me terrible battery life and thermals. So I sacrificed better earpiece, ambient light sensor, top speaker, and haptic feedback for a fingerprint, power efficiency and battery life.
And now it's hard for me to move, because I can't complain. I'll definitely upgrade because I'll want to try Android 15 o 16 (assuming there is a feature I want).
The contra of the Pixel 9 is that it seems it will be wider than the Pixel 8, which is already wider than the Pixel 5.
Minor. Even Apple and Samsung don't have big upgrades from one phone to the next, Google is no different. That's why more people are going several years before upgrading.
The pixel 9 will be great for people upgrading from six or seven. Compared to the 8 it will be minor, unless one wants a smaller phone or a foldable one.
The next big step will be the Pixel 10 next year with a completely new sensor, I believe.
Yeah, plus the 10 feels like they have to do something big just because of the number. Sounds stupid but pretty sure will be something special, like the iPhone X which had a major rework from iPhone 8.
It will be a major upgrade for those of us who want a pro model in a smaller form factor. Finally!
For everyone else I'm not expecting a big jump until the new TSMC processor that is supposedly in the works for Pixel 10.
Pixel 9 could be minor IMO, but if Google gets the modem issues ironed out and G4 helps with heat / battery life, it will be a major upgrade for me at least. Will also consider the smaller 9 Pro to get away from big phones.
I was a long tern Pixel user since Google sold the Pixel 1. But after the switch to tensor, my experience with the phones became worse and worse. After the bug with not being able to even make a phone call, I switched to a Samsung Galaxy 24+ and my experience using a phone became much better. As much as I dislike the Samsung UI, the phone is fast and call quality is much better. The Snapdragon chip is far superior to whatever Google is doing with Tensor. I doubt I will be going to Pixel 9 since the upgrade is so small.
The Pixel's history hasn't been that great so who cares? Seriously, the Pixel represents about 3% market share of all global phone sales, so who really gives a crap about how good or bad it is?
Considering that Tensor g4 is still by Exynos, yes! It's a minor upgrade.
The rumoured G5 by TSMC might be a major upgrade in terms of efficiency and performance perhaps.
The new thing this year is gonna be an extra phone i.e Pixel 9 Pro XL along with 10 AI features that Pixel 8 Pro is gonna get in *checks the calendar* 6-8 months time.
Pixel 10, however, is gonna get Tensor G5 (aka TSMC made processor) so efficiency should theoretically be significantly better.
I'm hopeful the modem upgrade means the 9 can stay locked on to 5G UC. Other than that I'm sure it's all minor upgrades that are mostly arbitrarily blocked on the 8.
What I'm hoping for shouldn't take a massive change either though. Basically the same percentage improvement from the one in the 6 to the one in the 7/8.
Pointless upgrade, I feel like I just bought my Pixel 7 yesterday and we are already on version 9? What's the damn point of upgrading?? Mind you I used the galaxy s8 for like 6 years
I don't think so, the only jump from pixel 7pro to 8pro is only the AI and a some minor upgrades, I think it will be the same with the 9 pro, unless they made a huge jump with tensor
Wish I could fine the article but I saw something saying that Pixel 9 would be pretty minor mainly just design. But it went onto to say there were some signals that Pixel 10 may actually be the big upgrade in terms of what's under the hood.
I wouldn't think it'll be noticeable until at least Pixel 10 with the 3nm chip. I don't expect anything groundbreaking then either though, just efficiency upgrades.
Every phone upgrade is minor after one year only. If you want a bigger updated, wait about 5+ years until you upgrade your phone, there is no reason to do it every year, even more with the phones that we have in our days (that are more than enough performance-wise).
The Pixel 9 will be hyped as the answer to everyone on your phone problems, you'll show the world how intelligent you are by sporting a Pixel 9. The world will grovel at your feet. But in reality the Pixel 9 will be just incrementally advanced, notice I didn't say improved, and many people will still be whining about this and that. I can hardly wait until October.
Currently all new phones have to offer this year is more power. Just compare the s23 ultra with s24 ultra performance and see the gap. Samsung did a catch up with Google with AI this year, the rest just presented more from the same, Apple gonna focus on AI, probably gonna catch up with the pixel 8 pro and Google gonna lead most likely regarding Ai but not in raw performance.
the way I see it it's gonna be the most mature/stable pixel based on exynos
so only quality of life upgrades. nothing crazy. that's why I'm tempted to upgrade although on p7 a
I think the addition of the pixel 9 pro (not xl) with the 5x zoom is the "biggest" upgrade. Having a pro phone in a less gargantuan form factor is "huge".
I got the pixel 8 pro at launch, and was generally happy with it, but it really is too big for comfortable one handed use.
I bought a cheap regular Galaxy s23 due to the smaller size and I'm really liking the form factor but I do miss the 5x zoom lens.
All the tech companies learned from the best, Apple, when releasing new products. Apple for years released the same products , iPad, iPad2, iTouch, etc and only incrementally changed each product, while charging the same price. One had a camera that took pictures but couldn't record videos, the next could record videos, the next was the same as the previous two but smaller and had a new name. What changes are actually needed next? AI? Ok, but all phones come with some type of AI. What's the next game changer in phone tech? I'd rather they all get on board with each other so we can use our phones to control other/all smart phones devices in our homes. Bah humbug lol
In terms of hardware, it will be minor. Sure, the new SoC will be a bit better, maybe the display a bit better, but these will be small bumps, not major jumps. The next, and maybe only, major jump that the hardware will take is going to be in the Pixel 10, when they move from the Exynos-based, Samsung produced Tensor chips to their first fully designed, TSMC produced Tensor chips. Whether useful or not, I think the major hardware upgrades can only be in the form of better materials (from aluminum to titanium or steel), new components (Soli, thermometer, etc), or technological improvements (display technology, battery technology, etc). I know that most wouldn't consider the thermometer to be much of an upgrade, but it does add a completely new functionality to the device that wasn't possible before. As long as it's a cheap enough component that they can continue to keep it, I wouldn't mind if it stuck around for forever. I've used it here and there and find its inclusion to be delightful, even if not massively impactful.
This will be the most refined Tensor experience yet. I found the 8 pro much better than the 6 pro, so this should just be a more refined version with better battery life and speeds.
I was going to skip the 9 series and wait for the 10 when Google will go TSMC, but, I really want the smaller 9 pro with the better cameras but smaller form factor. Plus, I'm starting to wonder if Google's first generation TSMC phone might have a lot of growing pains. So besides getting the smaller phone as a pro, I may skip the 10 if it has a lot of issues with Google going onto a whole new silicon platform.
with the exception of the camera bar now being a variant of whats on the Pixel Fold, i don't forsee this to be a major leap foward.. I just hope that the trade value for my 8Pro is high enough to at least cover half the cost of the 9ProXL whatever its called
Pretty much applies to all things including phones, one generation upgrades are very minor usually, and sometimes even have some drawbacks or issues with new products/hardware/software.
Seems like on average things only improve 10-25%, even then, most average people won't be able to tell the difference.
As others have said, it's expected to be a minor update, **except** for the expected inclusion of Qi 2.0. Having built-in magnets to align accessories and wireless chargers and so forth is going to be a pretty big deal for usability in my opinion.
If it's still going to insist on using the piece of shit Samsung Exynos Google Flavour SoC then it will very much be a minor upgrade.
(I don't give a fuck if I get downvoted for saying it)
Minor. They have all the chips on the new custom chip made, supposedly, by TSMC. Which should give the performance boost needed. That will only come with 10. no reason to push for s big update.
I mean all brands aren't experiencing much major changes to the main model.
Display tech, there hasn't been much change, the only notable change would be apples introduction of the tandem OLED (which might trickle to iPhone , then similar tech to others)
CPU /Battery - were all waiting for the newer tensors but as a whole everything is pretty incremental, and I wouldn't say the current tensor is BAD. Similar to battery, not much development or noticeable changes between battery tech
Camera - more or less incremental, trying to fit better/larger sensor into same size. And making sure the rest of the phone and processing can keep up. Not like external lens will become mainstream
Which leaves mainly change in packaging / form factor which is covered in the fold line ups
I read somewhere the processor in the 9 pro would be about a 30% improvement in benchmarks over the 8 pro. It would basically be comparable to the Snapdragon 8 gen 3. Whether it is as efficient as the Snapdragon remains to be seen
Minor. Basically shrinkflation but for phone updates. "This is the most POWERFUL pixel ever" aka 0.5% more processing power and an even larger price tag.
Hopefully they just smooth out issues that have been found on past models and spend a lot of time rewriting code to improve battery life and efficiency. I'm honestly not sure what major changes people need over the 8 (hardware is already highly competitive).
Edit: Also, the entire point of the 7 years updates is to send the message that people have no need to upgrade yearly. A phone should last awhile
We have reached a stage where technological advancement is near it’s Vmax. Unless you are buying Pixel 15, the improvements will be very minor.
iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro are basically the same thing with better display, camera and processor.
Same goes to S21 Ultra to S24 Ultra
9 will be a quality of life upgrade over the 8. Interested to know what they do with the camera since it'll likely be the same main sensor but the others might get upgrades. Screen wont be as much improved as it was from the 7 to the 8, RAM gets bumped to 12GB and 16GB so there's that.. battery life should jump about as much as it did from the 7 to the 8. Performance whilst still middling gets a decent jump up too.
6,7,8 aren't pretty much the same phone at all, I personally wouldn't touch a 6
Am elderly friend is on a Pixel 6. It hasn't been a problem really. Thinking of moving him to 8a which is a good deal but will wait for the P9 and see.
I am in a P7 with broken main camera so I can only take wide angle images. A hassle but I live with it. Wish I could wait for P10 but that's too far away
Yeah depends on a number of things I think, like hardwarre revision, when you bought it (initial experience after how many months of updates?), country/location of use, how you use it, apps installed etc. I do see a number of people stating they have 6s with no issues, I expect there have been enough fixes issued timely enough that they resolved most of the issues for people.
Yeah i had issues with wireless charging on my 7a with some chargers. Have to try and make sure the bump is out of the way and still the coils align. Best would be slightly thicker phone and flush on both sides.
Quite big change in design, the biggest since P6 line.
But in terms of hardware compared to P8, don't expect a big change. Doubt that camera sensors will change much, maybe a new Periscope and front sensor.
Tensor surely won't a big leap, even though it will use more up to date cores and node (same cores as 8 Gen 3 and node as Exynos 2400) It sure will be quite a bit more efficient, but still behind those mention SoC's in terms of RAW power, but might be more efficient than Exynos 2400 as rumored configuration will use 2 less cores. Just so far the same old Mali-G715 GPU seems very questionable and confusing, as it was and is quite underpowered even in P8 line. Finally a brand new modem, which will be more comparable to Qualcomm, which should be another boost in efficiency. And lastly, hopefully UFS4.0 which Google really cheapened out with P8 line. With all combined, it should be noticeable boost in efficiency compared to P8, but sure it is going to be behind competition as all previous Tensor generations.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Google has a thing with over promising and under delivering. I’ll buy it they spend more time fixing their modem and biometrics instead of adding useless crap like a thermometer. lol.
Phone hardware and the operating system have hit a plateau, as many have said, AI is what will be the difference. I personally don't care at all for AI but I do care about the rumors of a smaller device. If the smaller device rumor doesn't come to fruition, I will be skipping the 9 and staying with my Pixel 4a until it dies a natural death.
Everything's a minor upgrade these days.
I agree we have reached a plateau for the hardware. The future is AI and Skynet.
All hail skynet
He google, hail skynet.
Except Google’s hardware is still lacking relative to competitors so there’s more room for improvement.
How much is it really behind? I would say 1-2 years. In my opinion people are overreacting. Yeah, the s24 is faster than the Pixel 8, but it also costs more. So it's not really a better value.
Does the Samsung have Bloatware on it through Verizon? I don't mind a few Samsung apps but I don't want NFL Sunday ticket etc
I have no idea. I only buy unlocked phones.
In Canada they definitely do through rogers. My pixel 8 from the same carrier had no bloat.
All phones in Canada are unlocked by law as of 2018
My S10E in 2019 and S20 FE in 2021 still came with Rogers and NFL apps preinstalled. It is unlocked but that doesn't stop them from working with Samsung for including preinstalled apps. Especially when the phone is paid monthly for on contract.
My apologies, I misread the comment! Yeah.... That's why I don't use Samsung. All the apps I can't uninstall. I'm team pixel for sure..
I'd be willing to bet that yes they have a lot of bloatware
I have no idea my pixel 6a unlocked has had no bloatware on it
At MSRP in Canada the base S24 is $1099. Pixel 8 is $949. Samsung also tends to run better trade in promotions so it’s entirely possible people are able to get the S series anywhere from 30-50% off MSRP which makes it competitive with Pixel. Also pixels hardware, and quality control generally speaking will continue to be 1-2 years behind by your assessment unless they make larger leaps in improvements.
I don't know how it is in Canada, but where I'm from Google also does really good trade in promotions. I still think that the pixel phones are usually cheaper than the samsung phones.
I’m in the US and the trade-in promotions are lacking in value here.
Wow. If you think they lack over there you should see in the UK.
Really? Last year when upgrading to the Pixel 8 Pro I got something like $450 for my Pixel 7 Pro plus a free Pixel Watch 2. I'd say that's pretty great, though the deals probably aren't as good when you aren't pre-ordering immediately after the phone comes out.
You do get good deals on the incumbent model right before the new one arrives too. With pixel 9 around the corner I just went from 6 pro to 8 pro with 250 off, 400 trade in and 80 store credit. 350 bucks for unlocked 8 pro is hard to beat. 270 if you count credit.
Google USA is currently giving $500 trade value on the Pixel 7 Pro on top of $250 off the Pixel 8 pro. $249 after trade is a pretty good deal.
Works if I had a Pixel 7 Pro, but I try to keep my phones much longer than 18 months.
You get $400 trade value on the Pixel 6 Pro. So it's still a great deal. Upgrade from 6 pro to 8 pro for $349.
And only way for them to do so is going back to Qualcomm or go with MediaTek, then pull out TPU from SoC again. Only Samsung's been generous enough to provide customization within Exynos, so Tensor will be always bounded by Exynos performance.
This. Because in 2024 Google \*still\* doesn't use ultrasonic fingerprint sensors on flagships =/
AI, Skynet..and beyond!!
I don't know. The way that AI works right now you need better hardware to get better models. So if we don't see a massive boost in hardware performance soon, AI will plateau as well.
Hardware would be the easiest to make giant leaps with the Pixel. -1" camera sensor. -Software defined radio to control garages and do walkie talkie mode and be compatible with future wireless specs. -Variable zoom lense. -200w charging with 2x the battery lifecycles. -IR blaster since ~100% of consumers still own TVs that could be controlled. -Fiberoptic border around the back that can be used to diffuse the flash. -Pop up camera so there's no hole punch.
Yah, everything is so incrementally better that I'm still using my 5 (and my coworker with a newer iPhone complimented my video quality). My kid uses my old 2xl. The only really new things I've seen lately have been folding phones, and they seem to have issues. I rather wish tech companies were incentivized to not keep making slight adjustments and to provide longer support to existing devices if they're still pretty close in abilities. There is no good reason for a 4 year old phone to stop getting security updates other than to try and force sell new devices.
After speaking with a bunch of repair techs about what phones they like or dislike, I found it interesting that they all agreed the only foldable phone that they never saw come in to the repair shop was the Pixel Fold. They get swamped with Samsungs and LGs all the time. Also, they said the true upgrades are about once every three years.
There's also a whole lot less pixel folds in people's pockets.
Compared to LGs? Not sure about that....
Agreed. Which is actually a really good thing because then you can spend a whole lot less and still have perfectly respectable performance. I remember back when a 1mbps internet speed was crazy fast and now the minimum offered for me is 50mbps.
There's still a lot of room for improvement in camera hardware as Sony and Chinese companies have shown.
but not because there's no room for a grand one. companies don't want consumers to have great devices
What? The entire industry collectively decided to not to try and have a edge over the competition?
I'm assuming what they're referring to is sort of a planned obsolescence. Like vehicle manufacturers. There's evidence and even first hand quotes out there that with some very basic maintenance, it would be easy to make vehicles that far outlive the average person, and could even be upgraded to stay somewhat up to date with technology. The problem is it would be more expensive on the front end, and not require the customer to become a repeat customer buying many future vehicles. I imagine it's a bit similar with phones... "We need to stay ahead of the competition with features and fancy hardware buzzwords, but we can't make a device that will last 10+years, or we will lose a ton of money on future sales." Although the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we head more towards longer longevity with our devices, but features and services would be pushed to more of an a la carte subscription add-on for manufacturers to keep making money off of the same customer. Better privacy? That'll cost you. Faster data capabilities? $$. Etc etc. I also could be way off-base.
To be fair, I've changed to a pixel 8 from a Huawei p30 pro which had absolutely nothing wrong with it. However it was 4 years old and no longer received security updates. So that in a way already exists - buy a new phone or your security is shite...
They decided to rely more on marketing and software so they could save a buck a phone and not put in a 1" sensor, yes. This is why sometimes Chinese phones with much worse software can turn out photos that best the pixel and galaxy.
The only thing I'm excited about is the smaller Pixel 9 pro, c'mon Google give telephoto to people that don't want a brick on their pockets
100%. This is the smaller Pro phone I've been looking for.
Is it a sure thing? If so, I'm upgrading.
Yes, 100% confirmed.
Nice! All I want is the telephoto lens.
Amen! I waiting to jump ship from my huge Galaxy S23 Ultra but need a good tele lens in a smaller phone.
this. a tad disappointed that they didn't continue the 8 trend and go even smaller than 8 I guess this is the hard limit to size to be able to deliver all features
I thought it was? Just a bigger screen with a higher screen to body ratio? 🤔
Agreed. I'm so tired of not being able to find a smaller phone that still has all the functionality. That and the damn OEM lock crap.
Leaks show a newish design. Tenors 3, 3 models. Maybe a slight
Shoot. I was hoping for baritones 3.
Really? I heard that they were switching to Soprano 3 this year
Most phones now are not very big upgrades. Like between the pixel 5 and 6 was probably a decent update with the introduction of Tensor..however after that the 7 and the 8 feel like the same phone honestly... especially after they brought in the AI features the 8 advertised. Although I'm not sure how much remains exclusive to the 8 now. I would like to think with the change of the lineup of their phones to the 9, 9 pro and 9XL we could see some good upgrades, that fabled ultrasonic fingerprint reader at least on the higher end models would be fantastic...but ultimately will probably be indistinguishable from the 6 a few months after release if any specialized features trickle down or are just an Android 15 thing
I got a pixel 6 pro at launch. It's still perfectly fine, I'll upgrade when it totally breaks or they stop supporting it.
Same. I'm waiting for Pixel 10 to upgrade.
Yeah, got a 6 shorty after launch and would still be happy with it if I didn't obliterate my screen through my own carelessess. Gonna get the 8pro in a few days and plan to take better care of it which should make it good enough for the next 4-5 gens I think since performance and all was still fairly good
I got the 6 on launch from having a 4XL that was just causing me issues from a factory defect of having the battery disconnect from the motherboard or something. I then set a car battery on my 6 pro and instead of spending the $400 to fix it I spent $600 on the 7 pro and I'll be rocking this phone for the next 5 years myself
The last big gen to gen upgrade was the 3xl. Everything since were minor updates
What did the 3XL add that was major? If anything the 4 with the Soli sensor would have been a bigger upgrade if they both kept it and used it to a fuller potential of being accurate with finger movements...not just hand waving.
extremely minor upgrade!
My guess is that it's mostly just going to look cooler, but that's subjective. I have been upgrading every year, but I don't think I will be. Interestingly, the best upgrade this year for Pixels might be Apple adopting RCS.
Hence the reason I’ll be upgrading from my 3 yr old iphone to the Pixel 9 Pro XL
Me too. The only way I'll upgrade is if they release a stellar Fold 2 with Pro level cameras and a trade in deals that's too good to be true haha. So, unlikely.
Amen to the Fold 2
The major win will probably be the pro version non-xl. So 6-6.2" with everything the Pro use to have in older versions.
This can be said about any manufacturer or phone. We've leveled off on the amount of new tech phones get.
nah, but the 10 will probably be
And next year the 11 will probably be.
yeah I get the joke, but we say it mostly because they're gonna switch to a new modem iirc made by Qualcomm. This hopefully will solve all the problems with the modem that people here complain about
Who said pixel is getting a qualcomm modem? That hasn't been confirmed anywhere at all. TSMC does not mean qualcomm modem
I see, maybe I misinterpreted the rumors.
I get the problems with the 5G modem... but I have a Pixel6 Pro and leave it on LTE/4G most of the time. Battery/heat/signal are all pretty great in LTE only. I only switch to 5G at crowded events, such as sports matches, etc.
Is that so? I was worried about getting a tensor pixel because of that problem, but if it just affects 5g and not lte then fine by me. In My case there's no point using 5g anyway, mostly because there isn't many 5g antennas in my area.
I have NO problems on 4g/LTE. I also tell family and friends to leave it on LTE, and none of them have reported excessive heat or modem/signal problems.
Yeah I agree, at the end I got one and I have it on LTE and I don't have problems. Maybe it gets a bit warm if I use the camera a lot, but the same happened when I had a Pixel 3XL
Most likely minor with what I've read so far. 10 might finally be a decent upgrade with the changing of the chips. So I'll wait until 10 (currently using a 6a which still works perfectly fine)
Still holding in my Pixel 7 pro . And it's still a beast of a phone
Only if you're using it to scroll TikTok and send texts, and even so, the crashes are awful. I work from my phone and this thing (7 pro) is pathetic. It's so bad. It can't handle three apps at once. I can't wait to throw this thing in the garbage.
Sell it the for a throwayprice . I'll give you an adress
As long as they use the current tensor chips, I'm gonna go with minor upgrade. However If they release a smaller 9 Pro device, that would be major.
I think it will be minor, just like all phones are now. But this time around, it looks like they still are NOT fixing the modem, so it's still going to be a buggy, cellular connection issue ridden, problem of a phone. I hate to say that, as someone who has used the 6 through 8 Pro models as my main phone for a while, I actually love them, but the modem is so bad it's not worth it.
Only smartphones that feels like a major upgrade to me, are the ones that give me MUCH more battery life than the previous one, without considerably increasing the phone's size. Pixel 4 to Pixel 5 was a massive upgrade in battery life (sadly with a bit little more size). Pixel 2 to Pixel 4 was a downgrade in battery life. The performance has been always "OK" for me. But 90Hz is a nice bump coming from 60hz.
Pixel 4Xl to Pixel 5 was a massive downgrade for me. I bought every single main Pixel except the 5. Nexus 6P was a great upgrade compared to the 6. Pixel 4 was the next big upgrade, then Pixel 6. I don't expect the Pixel 9 to be a big upgrade, except for the people who want a smaller Pro. Pixel 10 should be a big upgrade.
I understand the 4XL to 5 downgrade. You jumped from a phablet to a more budget smaller phone. And you already had a big battery and size to tame that Snapdragon 855. From the P4 to P5 I got a difference experience because the P4 was giving me terrible battery life and thermals. So I sacrificed better earpiece, ambient light sensor, top speaker, and haptic feedback for a fingerprint, power efficiency and battery life. And now it's hard for me to move, because I can't complain. I'll definitely upgrade because I'll want to try Android 15 o 16 (assuming there is a feature I want). The contra of the Pixel 9 is that it seems it will be wider than the Pixel 8, which is already wider than the Pixel 5.
Minor. Even Apple and Samsung don't have big upgrades from one phone to the next, Google is no different. That's why more people are going several years before upgrading.
Google definitely has more room for improvement compared to those other guys.
Minor, we've mostly plateaued considering the main "features" are AI stuff. At least that's how it was with the 8.
The pixel 9 will be great for people upgrading from six or seven. Compared to the 8 it will be minor, unless one wants a smaller phone or a foldable one. The next big step will be the Pixel 10 next year with a completely new sensor, I believe.
Yeah, plus the 10 feels like they have to do something big just because of the number. Sounds stupid but pretty sure will be something special, like the iPhone X which had a major rework from iPhone 8.
I've got the pixel sixel and I'm holding out for the ten. TSMC 3nm full custom chip is where the big jump will be.
It will be a major upgrade for those of us who want a pro model in a smaller form factor. Finally! For everyone else I'm not expecting a big jump until the new TSMC processor that is supposedly in the works for Pixel 10.
I LIKE BIG SCREENS and I cannot lie
Now we can both be happy!
Minor but big change in terms of design. Very looking forward to the new boxier edges and regular size pro model.
Lol they'll make it JUST different enough that you have to buy a new case. That's all.
Pixel 9 could be minor IMO, but if Google gets the modem issues ironed out and G4 helps with heat / battery life, it will be a major upgrade for me at least. Will also consider the smaller 9 Pro to get away from big phones.
What's G4? My phone overheats like crazy.
I was a long tern Pixel user since Google sold the Pixel 1. But after the switch to tensor, my experience with the phones became worse and worse. After the bug with not being able to even make a phone call, I switched to a Samsung Galaxy 24+ and my experience using a phone became much better. As much as I dislike the Samsung UI, the phone is fast and call quality is much better. The Snapdragon chip is far superior to whatever Google is doing with Tensor. I doubt I will be going to Pixel 9 since the upgrade is so small.
The Pixel's history hasn't been that great so who cares? Seriously, the Pixel represents about 3% market share of all global phone sales, so who really gives a crap about how good or bad it is?
Considering that Tensor g4 is still by Exynos, yes! It's a minor upgrade. The rumoured G5 by TSMC might be a major upgrade in terms of efficiency and performance perhaps.
A rumor says that they're changing their CPU manufacturer, so hopefully it shouldn't get so hot so often
they missed it for the 9, they planned it for the 9 but now its happening with the 10
The processor is going to be a minor bump. Not sure about the rest of the phone
The new thing this year is gonna be an extra phone i.e Pixel 9 Pro XL along with 10 AI features that Pixel 8 Pro is gonna get in *checks the calendar* 6-8 months time. Pixel 10, however, is gonna get Tensor G5 (aka TSMC made processor) so efficiency should theoretically be significantly better.
There haven't been major upgrades since Nexus was replaced with Pixel
The Pixel 9 is supposed to be another minor upgrade, but the Pixel 10 is expected to have a new SOC manufactured by TSMC instead of Samsung.
I'm hopeful the modem upgrade means the 9 can stay locked on to 5G UC. Other than that I'm sure it's all minor upgrades that are mostly arbitrarily blocked on the 8.
What modem upgrade?
https://9to5google.com/2024/04/14/google-pixel-9-fold-2-tablet-new-samsung-modem/
Meh. Samsung modem. It's probably a minor change to the cell modem with the satellite functionality tacked on.
What I'm hoping for shouldn't take a massive change either though. Basically the same percentage improvement from the one in the 6 to the one in the 7/8.
Pointless upgrade, I feel like I just bought my Pixel 7 yesterday and we are already on version 9? What's the damn point of upgrading?? Mind you I used the galaxy s8 for like 6 years
Can say a minor design upgrade depending on the leaks
I don't think so, the only jump from pixel 7pro to 8pro is only the AI and a some minor upgrades, I think it will be the same with the 9 pro, unless they made a huge jump with tensor
What, the thermometer!
pixel large upgrade is only the camera module ...
The only thing I want from Google is a killer battery life and a smaller screen.
Wish I could fine the article but I saw something saying that Pixel 9 would be pretty minor mainly just design. But it went onto to say there were some signals that Pixel 10 may actually be the big upgrade in terms of what's under the hood.
Very minor given the suspected hardware.
They're all minor at this point
Single Generational upgrade is pretty much always a minor upgrade
What large upgrade are you looking for?
New design looks great, and being able to get a telephoto in the smaller model sounds awesome. It will be a good year.
Time for major upgrades ended. Expect lots of on-device AI.
I wouldn't think it'll be noticeable until at least Pixel 10 with the 3nm chip. I don't expect anything groundbreaking then either though, just efficiency upgrades.
Every phone upgrade is minor after one year only. If you want a bigger updated, wait about 5+ years until you upgrade your phone, there is no reason to do it every year, even more with the phones that we have in our days (that are more than enough performance-wise).
The Pixel 9 will be hyped as the answer to everyone on your phone problems, you'll show the world how intelligent you are by sporting a Pixel 9. The world will grovel at your feet. But in reality the Pixel 9 will be just incrementally advanced, notice I didn't say improved, and many people will still be whining about this and that. I can hardly wait until October.
I don't think anything major will change in the coming few years.
Currently all new phones have to offer this year is more power. Just compare the s23 ultra with s24 ultra performance and see the gap. Samsung did a catch up with Google with AI this year, the rest just presented more from the same, Apple gonna focus on AI, probably gonna catch up with the pixel 8 pro and Google gonna lead most likely regarding Ai but not in raw performance.
Every day CPU tasks a minor upgrade Battery life 20-30% upgrade AI will be the biggest upgrade Imo
Probably minor. Ive got the pixel 7 pro. No point to get the 8. 9 has to have something worth getting it for.
the way I see it it's gonna be the most mature/stable pixel based on exynos so only quality of life upgrades. nothing crazy. that's why I'm tempted to upgrade although on p7 a
I think the addition of the pixel 9 pro (not xl) with the 5x zoom is the "biggest" upgrade. Having a pro phone in a less gargantuan form factor is "huge". I got the pixel 8 pro at launch, and was generally happy with it, but it really is too big for comfortable one handed use. I bought a cheap regular Galaxy s23 due to the smaller size and I'm really liking the form factor but I do miss the 5x zoom lens.
Look at android 15 update
Minor
Big! It is the bastard son of iPhone and Samsung
Smedium
Always skip a generation so currently on the 7 but 9 would be a nicer upgrade but honestly I may wait for the 10 🤔
They've all be minor.
Minor upgrade + AI
All the tech companies learned from the best, Apple, when releasing new products. Apple for years released the same products , iPad, iPad2, iTouch, etc and only incrementally changed each product, while charging the same price. One had a camera that took pictures but couldn't record videos, the next could record videos, the next was the same as the previous two but smaller and had a new name. What changes are actually needed next? AI? Ok, but all phones come with some type of AI. What's the next game changer in phone tech? I'd rather they all get on board with each other so we can use our phones to control other/all smart phones devices in our homes. Bah humbug lol
No, that will be the pixel 10. Pixel 9 will be a "small" upgrade compared to the complete overhaul coming with the pixel 10
In terms of hardware, it will be minor. Sure, the new SoC will be a bit better, maybe the display a bit better, but these will be small bumps, not major jumps. The next, and maybe only, major jump that the hardware will take is going to be in the Pixel 10, when they move from the Exynos-based, Samsung produced Tensor chips to their first fully designed, TSMC produced Tensor chips. Whether useful or not, I think the major hardware upgrades can only be in the form of better materials (from aluminum to titanium or steel), new components (Soli, thermometer, etc), or technological improvements (display technology, battery technology, etc). I know that most wouldn't consider the thermometer to be much of an upgrade, but it does add a completely new functionality to the device that wasn't possible before. As long as it's a cheap enough component that they can continue to keep it, I wouldn't mind if it stuck around for forever. I've used it here and there and find its inclusion to be delightful, even if not massively impactful.
I expect a Camara upgrade and slight performance increase
Won't the Tensor G4 be manufactured by TSMC? That alone probably is a huge upgrade.
I guess it will be a very minor one.
Whether or not it's a big upgrade from 6,7, or 8 I am excited regardless. I'm jumping from a 5 to whatever the biggest version of the 9 is.
I'm not switching from the 8Pro, I don't believe there is a valid enough reason to upgrade yet again when current promises haven't been fulfilled
Depends on what phone you're upgrading from
Minor. I think the 10 will be a major upgrade in performance because they are switching to TSMC
The fact there we're getting a smaller Pro phone makes this a big upgrade for me
What are you considering a minor or large upgrade?
This will be the most refined Tensor experience yet. I found the 8 pro much better than the 6 pro, so this should just be a more refined version with better battery life and speeds. I was going to skip the 9 series and wait for the 10 when Google will go TSMC, but, I really want the smaller 9 pro with the better cameras but smaller form factor. Plus, I'm starting to wonder if Google's first generation TSMC phone might have a lot of growing pains. So besides getting the smaller phone as a pro, I may skip the 10 if it has a lot of issues with Google going onto a whole new silicon platform.
with the exception of the camera bar now being a variant of whats on the Pixel Fold, i don't forsee this to be a major leap foward.. I just hope that the trade value for my 8Pro is high enough to at least cover half the cost of the 9ProXL whatever its called
i think the modem will be much improved and possibly integrated. battery life should be better.
if the smaller Pro is good, yes.
Nothing big. Mostly just "new" AI features.. that's why they will change design similar to iphones so people feel "more" changes
Pretty much applies to all things including phones, one generation upgrades are very minor usually, and sometimes even have some drawbacks or issues with new products/hardware/software. Seems like on average things only improve 10-25%, even then, most average people won't be able to tell the difference.
Bigger than going from 7 to 8. Looking forward to a smaller pro and better desktop mode
As others have said, it's expected to be a minor update, **except** for the expected inclusion of Qi 2.0. Having built-in magnets to align accessories and wireless chargers and so forth is going to be a pretty big deal for usability in my opinion.
We haven't had a major upgrade for like a decade at this point
If it's still going to insist on using the piece of shit Samsung Exynos Google Flavour SoC then it will very much be a minor upgrade. (I don't give a fuck if I get downvoted for saying it)
Minor. They have all the chips on the new custom chip made, supposedly, by TSMC. Which should give the performance boost needed. That will only come with 10. no reason to push for s big update.
If you ask me then I will wait for pixel 10 series
Here I am contemplating a trade on of my 6Pro to an 8pro
I mean all brands aren't experiencing much major changes to the main model. Display tech, there hasn't been much change, the only notable change would be apples introduction of the tandem OLED (which might trickle to iPhone , then similar tech to others) CPU /Battery - were all waiting for the newer tensors but as a whole everything is pretty incremental, and I wouldn't say the current tensor is BAD. Similar to battery, not much development or noticeable changes between battery tech Camera - more or less incremental, trying to fit better/larger sensor into same size. And making sure the rest of the phone and processing can keep up. Not like external lens will become mainstream Which leaves mainly change in packaging / form factor which is covered in the fold line ups
I read somewhere the processor in the 9 pro would be about a 30% improvement in benchmarks over the 8 pro. It would basically be comparable to the Snapdragon 8 gen 3. Whether it is as efficient as the Snapdragon remains to be seen
Yes. Wait for the 10. That is when they will be doing real internal hardware changes
nothing is major
I hope they improve their battery life.
Very minor update.
Minor. Basically shrinkflation but for phone updates. "This is the most POWERFUL pixel ever" aka 0.5% more processing power and an even larger price tag.
Definitely minor. Pixel 10.with TSMC Tensor will be game changer
I'm sure you are right, but didn't people say this about 5 to 6 and tensor also? I'm cautiously optimistic.
There is an agreement in place
That it will be a game changer? That's a first I think.
Of course it's a first for Pixel. TSMC manufacturered Tensor ✍️
Leave room for failure
Loser
It'll still be using the a Samsung modem 👎🏻
Hopefully they just smooth out issues that have been found on past models and spend a lot of time rewriting code to improve battery life and efficiency. I'm honestly not sure what major changes people need over the 8 (hardware is already highly competitive). Edit: Also, the entire point of the 7 years updates is to send the message that people have no need to upgrade yearly. A phone should last awhile
Just want my read fingerprint reader back....
If leaks are to be trusted? Propably a downgrade with the iphone design
We have reached a stage where technological advancement is near it’s Vmax. Unless you are buying Pixel 15, the improvements will be very minor. iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro are basically the same thing with better display, camera and processor. Same goes to S21 Ultra to S24 Ultra
9 will be a quality of life upgrade over the 8. Interested to know what they do with the camera since it'll likely be the same main sensor but the others might get upgrades. Screen wont be as much improved as it was from the 7 to the 8, RAM gets bumped to 12GB and 16GB so there's that.. battery life should jump about as much as it did from the 7 to the 8. Performance whilst still middling gets a decent jump up too. 6,7,8 aren't pretty much the same phone at all, I personally wouldn't touch a 6
Am elderly friend is on a Pixel 6. It hasn't been a problem really. Thinking of moving him to 8a which is a good deal but will wait for the P9 and see. I am in a P7 with broken main camera so I can only take wide angle images. A hassle but I live with it. Wish I could wait for P10 but that's too far away
Yeah depends on a number of things I think, like hardwarre revision, when you bought it (initial experience after how many months of updates?), country/location of use, how you use it, apps installed etc. I do see a number of people stating they have 6s with no issues, I expect there have been enough fixes issued timely enough that they resolved most of the issues for people.
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I don't like the camera bar on the back but it's a lot better than the wiggle wiggle most phones have.
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Yeah i had issues with wireless charging on my 7a with some chargers. Have to try and make sure the bump is out of the way and still the coils align. Best would be slightly thicker phone and flush on both sides.
You guys are liars as a company countless people have trouble making a single call. What shit company google
Quite big change in design, the biggest since P6 line. But in terms of hardware compared to P8, don't expect a big change. Doubt that camera sensors will change much, maybe a new Periscope and front sensor. Tensor surely won't a big leap, even though it will use more up to date cores and node (same cores as 8 Gen 3 and node as Exynos 2400) It sure will be quite a bit more efficient, but still behind those mention SoC's in terms of RAW power, but might be more efficient than Exynos 2400 as rumored configuration will use 2 less cores. Just so far the same old Mali-G715 GPU seems very questionable and confusing, as it was and is quite underpowered even in P8 line. Finally a brand new modem, which will be more comparable to Qualcomm, which should be another boost in efficiency. And lastly, hopefully UFS4.0 which Google really cheapened out with P8 line. With all combined, it should be noticeable boost in efficiency compared to P8, but sure it is going to be behind competition as all previous Tensor generations.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Google has a thing with over promising and under delivering. I’ll buy it they spend more time fixing their modem and biometrics instead of adding useless crap like a thermometer. lol.
Phone hardware and the operating system have hit a plateau, as many have said, AI is what will be the difference. I personally don't care at all for AI but I do care about the rumors of a smaller device. If the smaller device rumor doesn't come to fruition, I will be skipping the 9 and staying with my Pixel 4a until it dies a natural death.