The Pixel 9 ships with year-old Android 14, but it surely doesn’t actually matter

OPINION: Previous to its announcement, there was a bevvy of rumours swirling across the web suggesting that the brand new Pixel 9 vary wouldn’t ship with the brand new model of Android, also called Android 15. 

That was a reasonably large deal on the time, contemplating the Pixels are normally the primary smartphones to supply the most recent model of Android and that has been the way in which of issues because the first-gen Pixel.

Properly, we lastly received affirmation on the Made By Google Occasion earlier this week that, sure, the Pixel 9 assortment will ship with the year-old Android 14, whereas the Android 15 therapy will seem someday in September or October. 

A look at sure social media accounts would have you ever believing that that is the worst factor to ever occur in tech – but it surely actually isn’t. Actually, I don’t assume it issues within the slightest. 

I imply, for one, it’s solely the earliest adopters that’ll need to cope with this anyway. In the event you’re shopping for the Pixel 9 somewhat additional down the road as soon as the Android 15 replace is accessible, it’ll nearly actually be pre-loaded on the gadget, prepared so that you can use immediately. 

Plus, contemplating early adopters are typically fairly tech-savvy, it’s not going to be tough to get them to improve to Android 15 as soon as the replace does roll round. 

Then there’s the misperception that, like latest iOS updates, new variations of Android carry sweeping modifications to the expertise on provide. From my perspective it’s hardly ever that transformative, usually introducing smaller new options or enhancing current ones. 

Take the Android 15 replace for instance; a few of the extra notable options embody the power to display screen share or report a single app as an alternative of your whole show, improved satellite tv for pc connectivity with help for RCS, and a tweaked Digital camera UI that makes it simpler to modify between photograph and video. That’s all great things, but it surely’ll hardly blow the doorways off the smartphone trade.

As a substitute, it’s as much as producers to carry thrilling new options to the Android expertise, like Samsung’s Galaxy AI as a part of OneUI 6.0 – however these aren’t normally tied to the core model of Android, and new options can seem at any time. That’s simply as true with Google, with its personal updates framed as Pixel Function Drops that seem all year long. 

Crucially, each key characteristic launched as a part of Android 15 – together with these I discussed earlier, alongside smaller tweaks like improved digital camera high quality when utilizing the telephone as a webcam on Home windows – is already out there on Android 14 by way of the Pixel 9 assortment, alongside a bevvy of latest AI options like Pixel Studio and Pixel Screenshots. 

I’m assured that when the Android 15 replace does seem, it’ll be laborious to inform on the Pixel 9 vary as a result of all the important thing options are already there, current and accounted for. 

On the subject of Pixel telephones, it looks like Android variations are only a quantity. I suppose that’s a profit you could have once you’re utilizing telephones made by the identical firm that creates the Android working system.

In addition to, Google’s long-term software program promise is somewhat totally different to most producers; except for providing a staggering seven years of OS upgrades and software program help, Google doesn’t truly depend particular person Android OS upgrades as a part of its promise. 

As a substitute, the Pixel vary will merely get each huge replace till August 2031, so delivery with Android 14 earlier than getting Android 15 received’t take one of many promised OS upgrades as you would possibly anticipate.

So, sure, the Pixel 9 assortment is a primary for Google by delivery with year-old software program, however with all the brand new options of Android 15 already bundled into the handsets, in addition to Google’s distinctive method to software program updates, it doesn’t actually matter.