Skip to main content

Does the Google Pixel 9 have an SD card slot?

A person holding the Google Pixel 9, showing the camera.
Google Pixel 9 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Pixel 9 Pro may be the belle of the ball with more than a few jazzy tricks, but that hasn’t stopped the Google Pixel 9 from winning itself some praise — and for good reasons. The in-hand feel is plain fantastic, the looks are fresh, it performs reliably, and it takes photos that put far more expensive phones to shame.

It’s the Pixel camera, after all. It’s easy to be swayed, especially after seeing the results. But if you’ve been eyeing the Pixel 9 for its photography chops, storage space should be your primary consideration before you pick one, and rightfully so. As a result, you might be wondering if the Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold have SD card slots to expand your available storage. Here’s where you’ll find your answers.

Recommended Videos

Does the Pixel 9 have an SD card slot?

The Pixel Weather app on a Pixel 9.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, there’s some predictable bad news. The Pixel 9’s storage situation is non-expandable, which means there’s no slot for popping in a microSD card. Not that Apple, Samsung, or OnePlus do things any differently, but the bad trend of non-expandable storage continues for yet another generation on the Pixel 9.

So, what next if you’re worried about storage space? Well, for starters, plonk extra cash on the phone’s 256GB storage version. Unfortunately, that’s as far as you can go with the non-Pro device, but the Pixel 9 Pro, or Pro XL, can expand further to 512GB or 1TB of storage. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s storage situation is different again, with 256GB and 512GB variants on offer.

But physical internal storage isn’t the only option.

But wait, there’s still a way

The back of the Google Pixel 9.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

If internal storage is starting to fill up, you can pick a cloud storage service of your choice, such as Microsoft OneDrive or Mega.

However, we would strongly suggest that you pick Google’s own, which is deeply integrated within its Photos and Drive ecosystem. The free tier is limited to 15GB of storage, but you should check out the paid Google One plans for a bunch of extra goodies, as well.

The starter plan costs $1.99 per month and raises the bar to 100GB, complete with the option of sharing it with five other people. Next, you have the $9.99 monthly plan, which raises the cloud storage space to 2TB, and also sprinkles facilities, offers unlimited photo saving with Magic Editor, and access to workspace premium features.

Finally, there’s the Google One AI Premium bundle. The storage capacity is once again 2TB, but you get access to Gemini Advanced and integration within core apps like Gmail and Docs, among a bunch of other benefits.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started…
We just got our first look at the official Pixel 9a colors
Someone holding the Hazel Google Pixel 9 Pro.

Despite launching in a bit more than a month, the Pixel 9a holds little mystery after a slew of different leaks. We already knew the potential colors were Porcelain, Obsidian, Peony, and Iris, but we hadn't actually gotten a good look at them until today. Android Authority shared images from a confidential source that show four cases for the Pixel 9a, presumably in the same colors the phone will arrive in.

The case colors line up with the suspected phone colors, although the specific marketing name for each isn't finalized. Still, it's not hard to guess — Peony is pink, Obsidian is black, Iris is purple, and Porcelain is white.

Read more
Google Pixel 9a: everything we know so far
Pixel 9a 5K render.

Though there are many Android phones on the market, Google offers some of the best with its Pixel line of devices. The Google Pixel 9 lineup came last August, and in typical Google fashion, we expect a more budget-friendly A-series Pixel phone midway through the flagship's life cycle this year. Here’s everything we know about the Pixel 9a, including its possible release date, rumored specs, and more.
Google Pixel 9a: possible release date

There isn't a solid release date for the Google Pixel 9a just yet, but that won't stop the rumor mill from churning. Historically speaking, the Pixel A-series launches sometime in the late spring or early summer. For example, the Google Pixel 6a launched in July 2022, while the Google Pixel 7a was a bit earlier with a May 2023 launch. The Google Pixel 8a also came out in May, but a few weeks earlier and before Google I/O. The Google Pixel 9a may launch even earlier in 2025, according to a recent report from Android Headlines, with preorders starting sometime in mid-March. This may also apply to the Pixel 10a in 2026.

Read more
Does the Samsung Galaxy S25 have an SD card slot?
Samsung Galaxy S25 rear

The Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra do not have SD card slots. In fact, the last Galaxy S device that had an SD card slot was the Galaxy S20; every iteration since that time has had no slot included, somewhat limiting options for expanding your phone's storage.

However, that doesn't mean there are no options at all. Though it lacks an SD card slot, the Galaxy S25 series charges through a USB-C port, and that means you can also transfer data that way. Let's take a look at what you can do to circumvent the lack of an SD card, and why the default storage on the devices is enough to make additional storage unnecessary for most people.
Cloud storage options
Like Apple, Samsung has its own cloud storage option in the Samsung Cloud, but this is for keeping your settings homogenous across devices. It doesn't offer proper storage for files and images, although you can sync your Samsung Galaxy device with Microsoft OneDrive for automatic backups.

Read more