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Google Pixel 9 could take upgrades away from iPhone 15 Pro

General

With the Pixel 9 less than a month away from launch, the next few weeks should be full of new leaks, and regulatory documents from agencies like the FCC are a good source for those leaks, and it seems they have revealed some interesting facts about the Pixel 9.

9to5Google has discovered what appear to be FCC electronic labels for the entire Pixel 9 series (Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold). These labels do not reveal the full specs of the phones, but mention that all four models will have Thread wireless.

Thread radios will support the Thread network stack, a mesh networking standard built for Matter-compatible smart home products; Thread is said to consume significantly less power than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, should help minimize the impact of smart home controls on cell phone battery life.

Thread is still very new and will not really take off until more devices actually support the standard. the iPhone 15 Pro series is a great start, and adding it to the Pixel 9 series would be a great second step. It is also worth noting that Android 15 has added Thread support.

The e-label also reveals that one Pixel 9 model will support mmWave 5G, and if I had to guess, I would pick the Pixel 9 Pro XL as the most likely candidate for that particular modem. All four models should support Ultra WideBand (UWB), although the other three models seem to skip mmWave.

The dimensions also suggest that one of the latter three is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (aka Pixel Fold 2); given that FCC approval is only given close to the phone's official release, this suggesting that it will be released along with the rest of the Pixel 9 series. However, that has been rumored for months, and honestly makes much more sense than it being launched alongside the Pixel 8a.

Everything else will be revealed at the Made by Google event on August 13, at the official hub for the Google Pixel 9, Google Pixel 9 Pro, the super-sized Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be the place to find out all the latest news and rumors.