Google Pixel 9 Pro in Malaysia uses a different OLED screen?

Yesterday was a huge day for local Pixel fans as Google officially launched the latest Pixel 9 lineup for the Malaysian market. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL are now available for pre-order and the devices will be available in-store on 22nd August 2024.

As pointed out by some members of Google Pixel Phone Malaysia Group, they noticed that the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL for certain markets including Malaysia were listed without the latest Super Actua LTPO displays. This raises the question: what are Malaysian consumers getting? And what do we lose out if we settle for a standard Actua Display?

Pixel 9 Pro for Malaysia advertised with Super Actua Display

As we’ve covered during the global launch and local Google Store Malaysia unveiling, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are officially listed with a Super Actua display. As shown below, the Pixel 9 Pro devices available in 6.3″ and 6.8″ screen sizes use an LTPO OLED panel that offers a smooth variable refresh rate between 1-120Hz. It also boasts a maximum brightness of up to 2000 nits for HDR and up to 3000 nits for peak brightness.

Display specs for Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL on Google Store Malaysia page

As a comparison, the cheaper Pixel 9 gets a 6.3″ Actua Display (without Super) which also uses an OLED panel. But since the display doesn’t have LTPO, it only offers a refresh rate of 60-120Hz. The brightness is also lower with up to 1800 nits for HDR and up to 2700 nits for peak brightness.

Display specs for Google Pixel 9 on Google Store Malaysia page

LTPO which stands for Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide is a backplane technology commonly used in OLED displays. The feature enables smartphones to offer a dynamic refresh rate that can be adjusted automatically depending on what content is shown on the screen.

As a result, several flagship smartphones can reduce the refresh rate down to as low as 1Hz when the screen is static and it can increase it on the fly to as high as 120Hz when fast-paced visual content is shown. Besides having a fluid display, the technology can help to improve battery efficiency and potentially help to reduce eye strain. This is necessary to preserve battery life when the always-on display is used.

Pixel 9 Pro listed with Actua Display without LTPO for India, Singapore and Malaysia Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL specs listed on the Pixel Help section

As spotted on the official Pixel Phone help section on the hardware tech specs, it appears that Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL units for India, Singapore and Malaysia are using different displays compared to the rest of the world. As highlighted above, these 3 markets are only using an Actua display instead of the Super Actua Display (LTPO).

Pixel 9 specs listed on the Pixel Help section

Meanwhile, for the cheaper Pixel 9, all markets will be getting the same display which is listed as a 6.3″ OLED Actua Display.

We have reached out to Google for clarification about this discrepancy and we will provide an update once we obtain an official response. Hopefully, this is merely a typo on Google’s help section as it would be disappointing if a flagship that costs over RM5,000 is using an inferior display with a limited variable refresh rate.