This overview was initially printed on August 21, 2024, and was up to date on September 12, 2024.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a beginning value of $1,099, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro goes begins at $999.
- For the worth, you are getting a bigger, brighter-than-ever 6.8-inch show, unique Google AI options, and probably the most forgiving digital camera system available on the market.
- I simply want the bottom storage (128GB) was not less than double and the AI options had been extra dependable.
Holding the Google Pixel 9 Pro series for the primary time jogged my memory of once I held the iPhone 12 Professional for the primary time. The shift from the earlier 12 months’s curved design to flatter edges made all of the distinction in its really feel and notion of worth. The Pixel 9 Professional and Professional XL exude premium, and Google is aware of it.
Additionally: This Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. iPhone 15 Pro camera shootout has a clear winner – and one big surprise
That is why the corporate is charging you extra for its new Pixel telephones this 12 months, with the usual mannequin starting at $799, the Pro at $999, and the Pro XL at $1,099. On this economic system, it is a daring transfer. However within the large image, Google has solely matched what opponents like Samsung and Apple have been pricing their flagship handsets.
Thankfully, you’ve lots to realize by paying Google extra. From my month of testing the Professional XL mannequin — with brief stints utilizing the smaller Professional — I’ve tremendously benefitted from upgrades such because the brighter (as much as 3,000 nits) show, AI options like Call Notes and Pixel Screenshots, the sooner 45W charging, and Tensor G4 chip that has saved the telephone working easily. The brand new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor can also be loopy quick.
With the Pixel 9 Professional collection, the design — as sudden as it’s — is the standout function for me. The flat edges relaxation easily in opposition to my hand, giving me a assured grip when swiping and typing, a remedy of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 makes the mannequin twice as sturdy as final 12 months’s, and whether or not you like a smaller or bigger kind issue, you have received choices. By comparability, the Pixel 8 Pro seems like a toy.
Additionally: 5 reasons why Pixel 9 stopped me from ditching Google phones for Nothing
My two gripes with the Pixel 9 Professional design are the digital camera bump and frosted again glass. The previous is a longstanding subject with the Google Pixel’s protruding digital camera bar design, which collects mud and particles across the edges and fingerprint smudges on the visor. With the again glass, I’ve seen a number of micro-scratches already that chipped away the Obsidian-colored coating. My recommendation: Get any colour however Obsidian and you have to be effective.
A brand new Tensor G4 chip paired with 16GB of RAM means the Pixel 9 Professional is quicker and extra highly effective than final 12 months’s mannequin with regards to multi-tab searching, loading movies on a social feed, modifying images, and enjoying video games. It additionally advantages on-device AI duties, which I am going to get to later.
Additionally: These three AI features sold me on the Google Pixel 9 Pro – and they’re very clever
On my Uber experience to the airport not too long ago, I used to be capable of swiftly add clips from a product launch occasion whereas downloading motion pictures to observe on the flight. Oh, and placement monitoring was working within the background, too. The end result was delicate overheating and a couple of 3% dip in battery life all through the 20-minute experience, which is admirable.
That is to say, the 5,060mAh battery on the Pixel 9 Professional XL has been serving me effectively, ending most of my days with round 25-30%. It is a two-day telephone when used flippantly, however you will not be mad if it is advisable to cost it sooner as a result of the Pixel now helps 45W charging. The sooner velocity will not revolutionize your morning routine, nevertheless it’s a notable bump-up from the sluggish 30W ranking on earlier fashions.
The important thing enhancements to the Pixel 9 Professional’s digital camera system primarily revolve round AI and the way its imaging engine interprets and enhances output. For instance, the picture above, whereas sharp intimately and exquisite in distinction, was initially captured with a slight tilt, making the runway seem slanted. So, I used the brand new Auto body software in Magic Editor to straighten it whereas increasing the edges with AI. For enjoyable, I added a rainbow and a aircraft that clearly did not hear the Air Visitors Management tower’s order to stay grounded like the remainder of us.
Such AI instruments are inventive and eccentric, however they’re additionally inconsistent, unreliable (see the left-side airplane), and require a number of persistence — each with ready for the picture generations and presumably extra ready after that if the outcomes do not meet your inventive imaginative and prescient.
Additionally: Qualcomm’s secret project with Samsung and Google is mixed reality smart glasses, and I’m glad
I am an even bigger fan of the brand new Add Me and Video Increase options. The previous items collectively two images, one that you’ve got captured of different individuals within the body and one other that features you in the identical body, so nobody will get not noted. It is a intelligent AI/AR software that solves a real-world drawback, however there may be one slight subject: Do not count on a seamless edit for those who’re posing in between topics. Oftentimes, elements of your physique will not be correctly cropped out. So, for the perfect outcomes, leave space!
With Video Increase, I am comfortable to report that the improved HDR+ and rendering fixes one of many greatest issues with the Pixel digital camera: the jarring cuts when switching to the 5x optical zoom digital camera throughout recording.
Whereas I am nonetheless testing each new Pixel 9 AI feature, of which there are lots, listed here are my scores for the my most frequented ones:
- Pixel Screenshots (4/5): It is the perfect AI function I did not know I wanted. In contrast to Microsoft Recall, the on-device database is curated by photographs you manually seize, so it is simply as simple to parse via however way more safe.
- Gemini Live (4/5): Like ChatGPT’s voice function, you may chat and ask inquiries to Gemini Reside whereas it is working within the background. Since its first launch, Gemini Reside has labored way more naturally, with fewer hiccups and dropped voice inputs. It helps to have haptic suggestions that guides the stream of the dialog. Multimodality and synchronization with the Pixel Buds Pro 2 ought to enhance the expertise much more.
- Call Notes (2/5): The reliability of the summarization function is tremendously affected by name high quality, talking tempo, and whether or not there are any distinctive phrases within the dialog, akin to overseas names and objects. Typically, Gemini transcribed dates, locations, and bits of necessary data inaccurately.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is a contender for best Android phone this 12 months, even for those who do not plan to make use of its on-device AI options. Whereas the brand new mannequin is Google’s most costly telephone (barring foldables) but, the worth bump is justified by enhancements in facets that historically held the Pixel line again, akin to charging velocity, efficiency, and construct high quality.
With the reintroduction of an XL mannequin this 12 months, the smaller Pixel 9 Pro ought to enchantment to customers who need a extra comfy machine with out compromising on specs and digital camera {hardware}. And if each telephones are out of your finances, however you need the core options, think about the cheaper Pixel 9.
ZDNET’s overview staff spends upwards of a 12 months testing the ins and outs of each main telephone launch, evaluating the day-to-day efficiency, digital camera high quality, battery life and endurance, and particular options. This is a breakdown of each issue we think about earlier than we make suggestions:
- Design and ergonomics: How good a telephone seems and feels performs an enormous position in lots of customers’ shopping for journeys, so we think about these facets closely when testing.
- Efficiency: A number of components have an effect on a telephone’s efficiency, together with LTE/5G sign, battery life, and background duties. Subsequently, we usually start our evaluations with a completely charged handset, all background duties closed, and as secure a cell connection as potential.
- Digicam high quality: ZDNET assessments telephone cameras by capturing tons of of images and movies of assorted topics and in varied lighting circumstances. We additionally evaluate the output to that of older fashions.
- Battery life and charging: It is also necessary for us to guage how lengthy telephones final beneath gentle, average, and heavy utilization, how lengthy they take to recharge, and the way they do it (wired, wi-fi, or each).
- Particular options: These options distinguish examined units from a bustling smartphone market and hopefully deliver added worth to customers, not the other.
- Pricing and availability: Past finances concerns, we additionally observe if a telephone is offered within the US or solely internationally.
For a extra in depth breakdown, try our complete phone testing methodology page.