The Pixel 9 series supports display output over USB-C out of the box

Google introduced display output support over USB-C to the Pixel 8 series with the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update earlier this year. The feature rolled out widely with the June Feature Drop, allowing users to mirror their phone’s screen to an external display. However, the implementation was a bit buggy. With the Pixel 9 series, Google has refined the functionality, and the new models support display output over USB-C out of the box.

You don’t require any specialized hardware to use the feature. To get things started, you can simply connect your Pixel 9 to an external display using a USB-C hub with an HDMI port. If you have a monitor that supports USB-C input, you can skip the hub and connect your phone directly to the monitor with a USB-C to USB-C cable.

As soon as you connect your Pixel 9 to an external display, you should see a “Mirror to external display?” prompt. Selecting the “Mirror display” button in the prompt will instantly mirror your phone’s screen to the connected display. We can confirm that the feature works flawlessly on the base Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Although display output over USB-C currently only supports screen mirroring, that could change with Android 15. Google is prepping an enhanced desktop mode for the next Android platform upgrade, and display output support over USB-C is a key component for the feature to work as intended.