The Google Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold are barely on store shelves, and we can already tell you the codenames of Google’s next generation of Pixel devices.
It’s already been leaked a few times that the codename for Pixel 9a is going to be ‘Tegu’, which we can confirm as well. We do expect that the Pixel 9a will be announced around Google I/O in May, the same time as the a-series is typically announced.
As for the Pixel 10 series, the Pixel 10 is codenamed ‘Frankel’. And good news for those that liked the Pixel 9 Pro’s size, there will be a Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL. The Pixel 10 will be codenamed ‘Blazer’, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL will be ‘Mustang’.
Finally, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be codenamed ‘Rango’. Once again, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to launch in the fall with the rest of the Pixel 10 series. The only Pixel device that is slated to launch before Fall 2025 is going to be the Google Pixel 9a, as expected.
The smaller Pixel ‘Pro’ remains for another year
While it’s still early to see how well the Pixel 9 Pro is going to do in terms of sales, Google does remain committed to releasing a Pixel 10 Pro next year, and that is great news. For years, we have wanted a smaller flagship phone, that doesn’t compromise on anything, and Google finally delivered that in 2024 with the Pixel 9 Pro.
Apple has tried to do this before with the iPhone 12 Mini, but the only thing is, the battery life sucked, and it was not a flagship phone; it was their entry-level phone with a smaller screen. This is why Apple had to cancel it after the iPhone 13 Mini was launched in 2021. Sony also used to offer a small flagship phone in its “Compact” lineup of phones. While Sony no longer uses the “Compact” name, it does have a compact phone in the Sony Xperia 5 series. However, it’s not quite an entirely high-end or flagship phone, and it’s also relatively expensive – not to mention not sold in the US.
That really only leaves the vanilla Galaxy S models from Samsung. The Galaxy S24 is a somewhat compact phone with a 6.2-inch display, but it does not share the same specs as the Ultra model. Meanwhile Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are the exact same, with the only differences being screen size and battery size (also charging, due to the larger battery). Hopefully, the smaller Pro models sell well enough that Google will continue to keep them around.