Google’s Pixel phones have never really held up to the competition in regards to using the latest and greatest specs, but the company has been stepping it up in certain areas. After the debut of “Actua” displays on the Pixel 8 series, Google is reportedly looking to use the same Samsung OLED display in the Pixel 9 series as Apple will use in the iPhone 16 Pro.

The Pixel 8 series saw Google jump from lagging well behind in display quality to putting out what was briefly the best smartphone display in the US market. That was thanks to an OLED panel from Samsung, which offered excellent brightness and colors.

According to a new report, Google will again be turning to Samsung for its display.

ETNews reports that Google will utilize an updated “M14” OLED panel from Samsung. The new panel is said to be brighter and have an improved lifespan. According to the report, Google will be utilizing this new generation of OLED panel in the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Something worth noting, though, is that Google won’t be alone here. The iPhone 16 Pro lineup is also expected to use this same new panel. Apple has, for the past couple of years, been using Samsung’s top-of-the-line displays in its “Pro” iPhones, with the “M12” being used in previous releases. That same generation will still be used in the base iPhone 16 models, but iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will both use “M14” like the Pixel.

Google is set to launch the Pixel 9 series on August 13, way ahead of the company’s usual schedule. Apple, meanwhile, is still expected to launch new iPhones in September.

Google announces early August 13 event for Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3

Last June 25, 2024 announced that its annual Pixel hardware event will be taking place on August 13. This is incredibly early for 2024 with Made by Google usually taking place in October.

Instead of New York City, Made by Google 2024 is taking place at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. The first two Made by Google events were held in San Francisco before the East Coast shift.

This year’s keynote starts at 10 a.m. PT, with the invite announcement coming 1.5 months before the actual event. Last year, Google announced the event a month before it took place.

The invite is very telling for highlighting Google AI, Android, and Pixel:

You’re invited to an in-person Made by Google event where we’ll showcase the best of Google AI, Android software and the Pixel portfolio of devices.

Meanwhile, we previously reported on a 41mm and 45mm Pixel Watch 3, with renders confirming how it looks like the first two generations. We also reported on Pixel Buds Pro 2.