Sometimes it takes a while for every single spec of a new phone to be identified and confirmed, and that's the case with the Google Pixel 9 phones that Google unveiled on August 13 – as we now know they have an important modem upgrade inside.
As spotted by Android Authority through diagnostics tests, the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold all come with the Exynos Modem 5400 inside, which is a significant step up from previous models.
While very few of us will go shopping for a phone based on what modem it has, the upgraded hardware should mean more reliable cell service on the Pixel 9 handsets, as well as better power efficiency – which is good news in terms of battery life.
It also enables the new emergency satellite connectivity feature announced by Google at its event earlier this week, and brings with it faster data transfer speeds too. All in all, a pretty significant upgrade for Google's flagship smartphones.
No more signal drops?
As the Exynos name gives away, this modem is manufactured by Samsung, and can already be found working away inside the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung describes the modem as "astonishingly fast and impressively stable".
The speeds you'll see will depend on your mobile or Wi-Fi signal as well of course, but the Exynos Modem 5400 can shift data at the rate of 14.79Gbps, which is up from 10Gbps on the earlier Exynos Modem 5300.
At the very least we should hopefully see the end of the connectivity problems that have affected older Pixel models, including the Google Pixel 7 and the Google Pixel 8 – but time will tell how the modem performs in the real world.
We've already posted our hands-on first impressions of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and our full reviews of these phones are in the pipeline. Next up is the iPhone 16 range, which is expected to debut sometime in September.
