Google Pixel 9 Pro Is Cheaper to Make Than Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 9 series was unveiled at the Made by Google event in August comprising four models. A new report now sheds light on the bill of materials (BOM) of the Pixel 9 Pro whose place in the smartphone lineup has been reworked this year and it sits above the Pixel 9 but below the new Pixel 9 Pro XL. It is suggested that the smartphone costs less to manufacture compared to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Bill of Materials

According to a report by the Japanese publication Nikkei (via @Jukanlosreve on X), the total cost of manufacturing the Google Pixel 9 Pro comes out to be approximately $406 (roughly Rs. 34,000). This is said to be 11 percent less compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, taking into account that it has a smaller battery and a smaller display than Google’s Pro model from last year.

This year, the Pixel 9 Pro isn’t a direct successor of the Pixel 8 Pro due to the introduction of the new Pixel 9 Pro XL, which has similar characteristics to the aforementioned device.

Tensor G4, which is the chipset that powers the Pixel 9 Pro, is reportedly its most expensive component at $80 (roughly Rs. 7,000) — an increase of 7 percent over Tensor G3’s cost. Meanwhile, the smartphone’s M14 display manufactured by Samsung Display costs $75 (roughly Rs. 6,000), and the camera module and other components are estimated at $61 (roughly Rs. 5,000).

However, the BOM includes just the components and not other costs associated with manufacturing the Pixel 9 Pro, such as research and development (R&D), logistics, marketing and distribution.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro price starts at $999 (roughly Rs. 84,000) for the base 128GB onboard storage model. Thus, the BOM of the handset turns out to be nearly 40.6 percent of its retail price, indicating that Google has a 59.4 percent gross margin for each Pixel 9 Pro unit sold.

*****