Last week was the start of Pixel 9 pre-orders. Those have now ended for the vanilla Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL, and they are on sale. The offer of a free storage upgrade is still available via Google’s online store and via Amazon. The smaller Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are still available for pre-order, launching early next month.
These are the two models available from this week: the Google Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
This week we wanted to focus on what you can get instead of a Pixel 9. Starting off, a Samsung Galaxy S24 model. All three of these get 7 years of software support, just like the Pixels, and they come with a host of AI features, often driven by Google itself. Still, One UI does come with some advantages (e.g. DeX, Good Lock), and you can get more storage for less money. That said, the Galaxy S24 phones are light on RAM compared to their Pixel counterparts, but that shouldn’t be a problem for AI.
Right now is a terrible time to buy a new iPhone: The iPhone 16 series is still a few weeks away, and once they arrive, prices on current models will plummet. We’ll revisit the Pixel vs. iPhone conundrum in a month or so.
OnePlus will also be refreshing its lineup soon, but the brand isn’t as allergic to discounts as Apple is. The OnePlus 12 is priced the same as the base Pixel 9, but uses a Snapdragon 8th Gen 3, which easily beats out the Tensor G4. And it comes in a version with 16GB of RAM, unlike the Samsungs (which do have 8th Gen 3 “for Galaxy” chips, which run at higher clock speeds).
Come to think of it, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the OnePlus 12R is still pretty snappy. There’s no telephoto camera, but it does have an LTPO display, unlike the base Pixel 9. It’s a lot bigger than the Pixel 9, though, with a 6.78-inch display. Software support will also be shorter – 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches for the 12R, and 4 OS updates and 5 years of patches for the flagship 12. That said, the OnePlus 12 and 12R launched with Android 14, just like the Pixels, so at least they’re not a step behind.
We also want to highlight two Motorolas. The Moto Edge 50 Pro is based on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, which is a bit slower than the Tensor G4, but still quite efficient. With its 4,500mAh battery, it gets nearly identical longevity to the Pixel 9 Pro XL with its 5,060mAh battery. And it charges much faster – 125W wired, 50W wireless. The 10MP 3x telephoto lens is no match for the XL model’s 48MP 5x periscope, but it’s better than what the vanilla Pixel 9 has (no telephoto at all), and this phone is considerably cheaper. Keep that in mind when we tell you that the software support situation isn’t great – Motorola promises 3 OS updates, but even those won’t arrive as quickly as Google’s.
For a little less than the vanilla Pixel 9, you can get the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra instead. It uses the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – not the best chipset this year, but more than fast enough to beat the Tensor – and has a more competitive 64MP 3x telephoto camera to go with the 50MP main camera (1/1.3”) and 50MP ultra-wide. And don’t forget the 50MP selfie camera, which sees use on both the Moto Edge 50 Pro and the Ultra. The Ultra is also set for 3 major OS updates, as long as you’re patient.
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