Pixel 9 Pro Prototype Leaks and Looks as Awesome as Expected

A purported prototype of the Pixel 9 Pro has found its way on the Internet, giving us an early real-life look at Google’s upcoming flagship phone. It is every bit of wonderful that we hoped it would be, assuming you like an iPhone-esque design, which we get a comparison to in the leak.

The device shown here is said to be of the Pixel 9 Pro, the smaller of the two Pixel 9 Pro models we expect later this year. Google is also rumored to release a Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9. This particular device has a bootloader screen that shows a codename of “caiman,” which matches the name we’ve been following for some time. The bigger Pixel 9 Pro XL is thought to be referred to as “komodo.”

While we can’t verify the legitimacy of this device, it certainly matches previous render leaks.

In the image above, we get the Pixel 9 Pro vs. an iPhone 14 Pro Max, the bigger of the two iPhone 14 Pro devices. Since this is the smaller Pixel 9 Pro model, you have to imagine that the Pixel 9 Pro XL will be quite large then. It looks like Google may find space between and just outside of Apple’s top tier devices in terms of size.

While the device certainly carries a similar shape to the iPhone, that camera bar across the back, coupled with the “G” logo, is very Pixel in design. Sure, you could argue that this looks too much like an iPhone, but I’d also argue back that it is still as Pixel as can be and its own unique style that falls in line with previous Pixel devices. It’s just a continued evolution on the design we’ve seen since the Pixel 6.

The sides of the device show flat metal that has generous rounding to its edges that should make for a more comfortable hold over long periods of use. For those who used an iPhone prior to the iPhone 15 Pro line, you’ll know that iPhones can be obnoxious in the palm because of their dramatic edges. With the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple finally rounded corners and it has greatly improved the in-hand experience when not using a case. It looks here like Google is moving in the proper direction out of the gate with this flat design.

Finally, we have this last shot that shows the bootloader screen with that previously-mentioned “caiman” codename visible. The screen also shows off 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM made by Micron and 128GB of Samsung storage. The RAM bump to 16GB is a big bonus for those who heavily use their smartphones and need more resources throughout a day. However, if the base really is 128GB storage, Google is making a mistake. That’s just not enough storage for a phone that is likely to have 7 years of software support and that people might hang onto for years and years to come.

Again, we have no way to verify if this leak is the real deal, but it sure looks like it. Also, did someone really already drop and break their Pixel 9 Pro prototype? Yikes, man.

// Rozetked