The Google Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 are here, and so far, I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen. Unfortunately, there’s just one looming issue with them.
I’m impressed with Google’s new Pixel 9 phones. Like, really impressed. Last year, Google caught my attention with the excellent Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The Pixel Fold — while not perfect — was a very interesting first foldable from Google. I even really enjoyed my time with the Pixel Watch 2.
The entire Pixel 9 series looks like a well-deserved upgrade. The new designs are lovely, the spec upgrades are promising, and some of the new software features are really cool. The Pixel Watch 3 also has the potential to be the best Pixel Watch yet. There’s a lot to get excited about, but it’s also met with an unexpected and looming issue that I can’t quite get over.Confusing and complicated release dates
Google announced all of its new Pixel hardware during its August 13 Made by Google event, and everything went up for preorder on that same day. That’s the right way to do a launch event. So far, so good. However, things start to get messy once we look at the actual release dates for these preorders.
It starts with the Google Pixel 9 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Regular sales for both of these phones begin on August 22 — a little over a week after they were announced. That’s pretty standard for a major smartphone launch and about what I had expected. However, of all of the new Pixel devices announced, those are the only two releasing/shipping on August 22.
