Pixel 9 hands-on video leak points to a bright pink color for Google's next flagship

The Pixel 8, launched in October 2023 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

We were expecting to see the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro in October, but Google has announced that it's launching them in August, and ahead of the big reveal we've spotted a new and unofficial hands-on video leak of what appears to be a Pixel 9 in a bright pink finish.

This comes from @hanibioud on X (via 9to5Google), with the caption "Pixel 9 is already out in Algeria". This isn't a source we've heard from before, so apply the usual pinch of salt, but the phone on show does match up with leaked photos we've already seen.

Pixel 9 is already out in Algeria.Storage: 256GBColor : PinkI'll keep you updated tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/0mE1QlCbEgJuly 1, 2024

What is certain is that we have a very striking color here: a previous rumor has mentioned Peony as one of the Pixel 9 colors, which could conceivably refer to this bright pink. It's definitely going to get noticed every time you use it.

You can also see the switch to flat edges that we were already expecting, compared to the more rounded sides of the Google Pixel 8. The phone isn't switched on in this clip, however, so we might be looking at a very well-made dummy unit of some description.

Chipset and AI upgrades

Google Pixel 8a in aloe green showing — The last phone we saw from Google was the Pixel 8a (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

While the design may be getting some tweaks, it sounds as though not much will change under the hood. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will debut the Tensor G4 chipset, but this may not offer huge performance increases over the Tensor G3 used in last year's flagships.

There will no doubt be a bunch of new AI tricks involved, as the Pixel 9 phones will be launching alongside Android 15. We've heard talk of a generative AI sticker-creation tool to match what Apple is doing with Genmojis in iOS 18.

So far we haven't seen any significant rumors around camera configurations and prices, so there are still plenty of outstanding questions when it comes to what the Pixel 9 range will bring with it – and how the phones might tempt buyers away from the Google Pixel 8a.

Meanwhile, the official teaser for the August 13 event gives us a quick glimpse of the Pixel 9 Pro. We're counting down the days to the big reveal, and we might also see an XL model and another foldable phone from Google on the same day.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.