Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL Review: Choice is Great, So Are These Phones

The launch of the Pixel 9 series is without a doubt the biggest for Google in many years. Instead of giving us two phones – one Pro, one non-Pro – they gave us 4 phones to try to decide between, all of which have been massively redesigned. There’s the regular Pixel 9 (our review) to start, with an impressive set of specs for the price. But then we have three different “Pro” level phones, one that’s a foldable and another two that we’re about to talk about here. There’s real choice for the first time from Google and I happen to find that very exciting.

I’ve been able to test out both the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL for the past few weeks. These are the phones that I would guess most will lean towards, because they give you all of the best specs Google offers in two different sizes. You get the best displays and best cameras in regular phone shapes, plenty of color choices, and various price points depending on how much storage you want. You also can finally go small and not lose out on anything, which is huge for Google and for those of us who like smaller phones.

We have a lot to talk about – this is our Pixel 9 Pro review.

What do I like about the Pixel 9 Pro?

Choice. Since the launch of the Pixel 6 series, I’ve found it tough to stick with Google’s “Pro” phones for more than a few months at a time. While I knew they had the best set of specs and could see more features than the non-Pro versions, they were simply too big. I’m a small phone fan and the Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel 8 Pro were simply oversized and not my style.

For the Pixel 9 series, Google is giving us a smaller Pixel 9 Pro next to a Pixel 9 Pro XL. I could not be more excited about this. We have choices and those choices don’t mean we’ll have to give anything up. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have the exact same specs, outside of size-related things like battery capacity and display size. You get the same storage, same display type, same hardware, same durability, and the same camera setup with identical camera sensors.

If you love XL-sized phones, Google has that for you. If you like smaller devices that keep all of the goods, then Google has that for you too. Google gave us something we’ve been begging for since they ditched the two-sized approach after the Pixel 4.

Display. For displays, Google is using LTPO OLED panels in both phones that they have branded as “Super Actua.” The 9 Pro’s measures in at 6.3″ and the 9 Pro XL’s sits at 6.8″. Both refresh from 1-120Hz, have Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protecting them, and can reach peak brightness of 3000 nits. Other than size and a slight difference in resolution, these should be the exact same display.

As I’ve stared at both off and on over the past couple of weeks, I can tell you that these are exceptional panels. They have wide ranges in brightness, giving you that extra dim level at night, with a huge boost to brightness when outdoors. Google wasn’t joking when they said these things go up to 3000 nits. They also look bright and colorful at all angles, so you won’t find odd shifting or distortions when you aren’t looking directly on, which we’ve seen from past Google displays.

These displays are as responsive as it gets when it comes to tracking your touch and finger movements, you have one of the better dark themes in Android, and you can swap between Vibrant or Natural color profiles. I will say that Google is lacking a bit in the customization side of things for its displays. It’s really only those two profiles to choose from, without all of the extra settings that someone like OnePlus would offer. At least give us a cool or warm slider, Google.

But when it comes to offering punchy colors and deep blacks and bright enough whites, these panels deliver. They look smooth at all times, Google hasn’t overdone it with animations, and there are just enough settings to satisfy someone like me who doesn’t geek out too hard on display tech.

If I had a complaint it would probably be in adaptive brightness adjustment. Both 9 Pro phones often start too dim for my liking, forcing me to manually adjust the slider up. This could improve over time as I use each more, but I have noticed how often I’m manually setting brightness level. I can’t say I did this nearly as often on other recent phones, like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6.

So to recap all of this – Google gave us ultra-high end LTPO displays with high refresh rates that look great indoors and outdoors and that move with precision and smoothness during any task. Stellar stuff.

Design. The Pixel 9 Pro will probably receive its fair share of mockery from iPhone fans who think its overall design is too close to their precious Apple-made product. And that’s fine. On some level, the Pixel 9 does indeed look a bit like an iPhone, with its flat edges, rounded corners, and matte glass. However, as I argued earlier, Apple doesn’t get to own those three design ideas. Because if you look at an iPhone 15 Pro next to a Pixel 9 Pro, I can’t imagine anyone would honestly say, “Oh yeah, that’s just an iPhone clone.”

Here, take a look.

That G logo and camera bar scream “Google phone!” instead of “iPhone!” every single time I look at them next to each other. Again, rounded corners and flat edges aren’t an idea that only Apple gets to utilize. Google has taken that shape, made it its own with that massive camera bar, and then improved on the whole package. I get better grip from the sides of the Pixel 9 Pro, the buttons are all on a single side in positions my thumb prefers, and the Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t wobble on a table when you interact with it. Google also gives us more display with that smaller selfie camera cutout and a fingerprint reader in the display.

Overall, Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro phones just feel like the high-end devices they have always aimed to be. This is without a doubt Google’s nicest hardware ever and I’m not sure it’s close. This metal, even with its shine, adds such a rich weight. The bezels are uniform around the display. The blending of glass and frame is seamless. And the balance when in the hand is neither top or bottom heavy – it’s just right.

These are phones you need to get in hand to truly appreciate. This is a whole new level of design and quality from Google.

Battery life. In my first report about Pixel 9 Pro battery life, I called it “really, really good” and select internet users weren’t so sure about my claims. Because I don’t stare at my phone for 12 hours in a day and claim to see mythical battery numbers, folks questioned the numbers I presented. All I can tell you is that I’m sticking by it – the battery life on these two phones is excellent. After reading early opinions from some of our actual readers and others in various internet platforms, it sure looks like the majority of owners are also finding battery life to be a positive.

In my testing of the smaller Pixel 9 Pro with its 4700mAh battery, I was averaging right around 4 hours of screen on time with 30-40% battery remaining when I went to bed. Hitting 4 hours and above is a lot of use for me in a day, but why this is so good is because of the amount of battery remaining. I don’t often use a phone this heavily and still find this much battery left.

For the Pixel 9 Pro XL and its 5060mAh battery, I was looking at 4 hours of screen on time and 50% battery remaining. In one day, I was at 3 hours and had 63% battery still left to use. That’s insane.

For testing, I run Chrome, Instagram, Threads, Google News, Telegram, etc. all day long. But during my testing of these two phones, I also took them on extended Pokemon Go excursions, with no WiFi, lots of sun, and a game that isn’t known for being that battery-friendly. On these days, I saw no additional battery drain and the phones both lasted longer than I was predicting. Typically, when my son and I go on our “Poke Walks” I need to find a charger when we are done for whatever phone I have at the moment. That wasn’t the case for the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL.

If you need a complaint, it’s probably in charging. Google has upped Pixel 9 Pro XL charging to 37W with their new 45W charger, while the Pixel 9 Pro tops out at 27W. Both also wirelessly charge and can share their batteries with devices like a smartwatch or earbuds. This level of wired charging from Google is nothing special and I’d love to seem them push in this area to come closer to those 100W speeds we see from other players. Faster charging is awesome.

Performance. Google is using Tensor G4 inside of the Pixel 9 series, a chip it calls its “most efficient” yet, with 20% faster web browsing, 17% faster app launches, and overall more power-efficiency in things like taking photos and videos, and streaming video. By no means is Google claiming a big performance jump like we often see when Qualcomm announces its newest flagship processors, but there are still improvements. And in the end, Google really wants you to know that Tensor G4 is custom built for AI and is the “first processor to run Gemini Nano with Multimodality.” It likely won’t win benchmarks against some others, but Google isn’t trying to either.

What I can tell you about using these phones with Tensor G4 behind the screens, doing work, is that they run very smoothly. This chip, along with the 16GB RAM and 120Hz displays, make for a premium software experience where performing daily tasks happens without fail or stutter. While I don’t game much, my kid does and the phone is never melting when he plays something and then gives it back to me. It handles my Pokemon Go sessions in the sun without overheating or burning through battery. It also pushes through my daily sessions on Threads and Instagram and Chrome and Telegram, has one of the clickiest and speediest keyboards on any phone I’ve ever used, lets me switch apps with ease, and powers a camera that is quick to launch, focus, and snap.

Google built the Pixel 9 Pro to be smooth and efficient, and it is just that.

Cameras. Again, as I mentioned earlier, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL have the exact same camera specs. You get a main 50MP shooter, 48MP ultra-wide lens, and then a 48MP telephoto sensor. They are identical, so you can choose small or XL phone and get the same experience. That doesn’t happen often, even with Apple’s Pro line – they often take something away from their smaller Pro phone. Google didn’t do that here.

Along with the high-end camera bar setup, Google is giving you full access to all of their camera features. That means their industry leading Night Sight for low-light shots, an expansion of Night Sight into Panorama shots, their awesome Portrait mode, the new Add Me feature (more on that in software), and all of their post-processing stuff, like 8K upscaling and Video Boost in the cloud. Google is giving you this combination of the features you need that have been done so well, along with some bonuses where AI and software come into play (like Magic Editor/Eraser, Unblur, etc.) There’s a ton of software stuff to go through at some point down the road, including a way to “Reimagine” your photos. I’ve made some simple edits to an image below where I tried to keep them light yet with enough for you to see how they can be quite realistic and also obviously AI. I’m sure you can see where this could go, though.

AI stuff aside, the Pixel 9 Pro camera is exactly what you want from a high-end camera. It’s incredibly fast, so that means it loads quickly, focuses instantly, and then lets you snap as many photos as you want. It is tremendous in low light, even better in daylight, gets close with macro shots, and takes the best of my favorite type of shot – food pics. It’s also really great as a portrait shooter. You have flexibility with wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto, the ability zoom to objects out of sight, and you’ll even find modes for special shots, like long exposures and for hard-to-capture action shots.

I think the results speak for themselves, but Google is still ramping up contrast and bringing out shadows on a level others aren’t. Google does not give you the most natural of shots and instead opts for punchy, sometimes unrealistic photos with colors that are boosted, yet remain a joy to look at and share. The photos are heavy in HDR, but I like it. Rarely does this camera mess up exposure, it locks to objects well, and is as good as it gets as an out-of-the-box point-and-shoot. This is probably the most fun you’ll have with a smartphone camera.

We have a bunch of camera samples taken from both phones below. For full resolution shots, here’s a Google Photos album.

 

Software (and let’s talk AI). I’ve said this a lot and so it won’t come as a surprise, but the Pixel software experience remains my favorite of any smartphone. I prefer it over Samsung’s One UI, Apple’s iOS, and OnePlus’ OxygenOS. It’s simple yet robust, fast and smooth, has an excellent keyboard, notifications that work the correct way, quick searching for anything with a single swipe-up, enough settings to make me feel like I’m still customizing something, and software updates that arrive quicker than on any other phone. These devices run Android 14 for now because Android 15 hasn’t yet been released.

In general, the software on the Pixel 9 Pro is excellent. I really have nothing but good things to say about it because it all works the way I like it to work. This is the best of Android and has been for some time. But that’s not what the Pixel 9 series is all about. When Google showed off the Pixel 9 Pro, they talked a lot about AI, because of course they did. Look, I’m not an AI guy. Most of the early AI ideas are silly, gimmicks, and probably won’t help most of us. These companies are trying to sell us the future before it gets here. It is what it is.

So is any of the AI stuff good or useful? First off, you get a year-long subscription to Gemini Advanced when you buy a Pixel 9 Pro. That’s cool if you are into AI and want to test out all of the new Gemini features first. It also gives you Gemini Live, which is Google’s conversational assistant voice that sounds more like a real person. Google suggests using Gemini Live to practice speeches or research jobs you may be qualified for, that sort of thing. These aren’t things I need in life, so I’ve found it hard to use. I keep looking at my phone and wanting to go into a Live conversation, but struggling.

I did ask it some questions about a kitchen refresh my wife and I are entertaining and it gave some decent info about timing. I then asked it about an upcoming trip we’re taking back to Montana to see family and what it thinks we should plan or pack for. While I know the answers, because I’m from there, it just brought up the most generic info, like “bring a light jacket in case the weather changes.” These are pieces of info that any human understands already. I’m not trying to bash on Gemini Live, but the responses I’ve seen seem so surface level that I’m not sure how useful they really are. It could be good if you are a lonely human and need interaction, I guess.

After that, we have Google’s new Screenshots app that is supposed to act a bit like a scrapbook and organizer that can be used to recall information later. Google wants you to start screenshotting everything in order to create a history of stuff you are into. It supposedly uses AI to sift through all of that screenshot info for use later…somehow and in some way. I like the idea, because I do screenshot a lot of stuff, but it’s going to take months or years to see if this is a smart play. And let’s be honest, this also just seems like a feature that should be embedded inside Google Photos, which I’d guess it will be eventually.

The Pixel 9 Pro has Google’s new Weather app, which provides AI reports. Look, these are goofy, as they try to summarize the day and help you prepare. I’m not sure they truly add to the experience, but they do happen. If anything, just know that the new Weather app is actually pretty sweet and I do look at it every day. It’s robust with information and is a great addition to the Pixel line.

Google also created something called Pixel Studio. This is an AI image generator that can take your creative thoughts and turn them into fun pics to share. It works well, but it’s limited for now. The thing only makes images that are 2048×2048, so it can’t even make you new wallpapers. It’s really built as this goofy social sharing AI image generator for sending pics through messaging apps, which I guess people are into? I have no idea. Maybe Google has plans to expand resolution and use cases.

There’s other AI features too, like Google Keep being able to use Gemini to make lists, Call Notes from calls you make (assuming the other person is fine with the Assistant recording such things), and adding yourself into photos (it’s called Add Me) when you also need to be the camera person. For Add Me, I’ve certainly used it with my family and some friends to test out how well it works. It does indeed work. That said, I’m hoping that the photos will be meaningful down the road in future years as a way to go, “Look, we took fun photos together!” Because at the moment, since I know they are fake and I wasn’t in them, I can’t help but focus on the inauthenticity of the shot and that takes from it. I know it isn’t real and that makes the whole thing a gimmick.

This AI stuff is there, that’s for sure. Again, I’m not sure much of this is that useful yet, and some of it is borderline odd. Maybe one day AI will change the world. When that happens, hopefully it brings good and not the bad.

To recap software, I’ll just say that Google’s baseline Android and Pixel experience is awesome. I love using software on this phone. As for the new AI stuff, it’s a mixed bag of silly and might-be-useful one day.

Software support. Like with the Pixel 8 series, Google says it will provide the Pixel 9 Pro with “7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates.” Officially, the word is that they “will receive updates for 7 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US.” Since we are still on Android 14, that should mean updates through at least Android 21. On top of that, these phones will still get monthly security patches and those quarterly Pixel Feature Drops to keep things new and fresh. Google updates their phones better than anyone in the business and are continuing to commit to this longer timeframe with their newest phones. Owning a Pixel 9 Pro means updates for years and years to come, likely far beyond how long you’ll own it.

Cellular connectivity. Since Google switched its phones from Qualcomm chips and modems to the Tensor setups that utilize Samsung chip tech, the Pixel line has been borderline awful at holding cellular connections. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to toggle airplane mode on and off or fully reboot a Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel 8 Pro to get a cellular connection back. Whenever I pushed past a review period and truly settled into Google’s Pixel Pro phones, that task of trying to restore cellular became a part of everyday life outside of my house.

With the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL, there’s a new Samsung modem with the Tensor G4 chip and it sure seems to have fixed a lot of past issues. I’ve taken these phones from home to my neighborhood pub, to trails within Portland, and all up and down the Oregon coast, through the mountains to get there and back. Sure, I lost signal when in dead spots over the Cascades, but otherwise, I haven’t had to toggle airplane mode or reboot a single time to restore connection. Even in Seaside, OR, this past weekend during Hood to Coast, when my wife’s iPhone 15 Pro Max (Verizon) was struggling to send me messages on Telegram, I had a full signal on my Pixel 9 Pro (T-Mobile) and never lost it. I haven’t even run into overheating issues from the modem at all, which is something we all complained about with older Pixel phones.

I fully went into testing these devices with worry that we might be running it back again with the poor modem situation and was prepared to call out Google from the get-go like we did in our Pixel 8 Pro review. Instead, I’ve been surprised and pleased with the first few weeks of testing. Here’s to hoping it stays this way for the life of the phone.

Fingerprint reader. We don’t often touch on fingerprint readers when reviewing phones unless they are of lower quality. However, since we’ve continued to point out Google’s inferior fingerprint sensors in previous phones, we felt it necessary to share that the new ultrasonic fingerprint reader in the Pixel 9 Pro series is quite the improvement. Qualcomm has confirmed that Google is using their 3D Sonic Gen 2 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is the same one that Samsung uses in its high-end phones, and it is sooooo much better than those old optical readers Google was using. This thing actually works the majority of the time, is fast enough that it might scan before the phone can scan your face, and it rarely misses.

What’s bugging me?

128GB base storage. Google starting with 128GB storage at the base level is absurd. These are “Pro” level and expensive phones, which likely means people plan to keep them for long periods of time and utilize their “Pro” things, like cameras, to fill up storage space. 128GB of storage in 2024, if we’re taking 4K videos and high-resolution photos (with edits), is imply not enough. Samsung is starting its best phones at 256GB these days and Google needs to follow their lead.

As example of why this isn’t enough, I’ll simply point you to the 128GB review units Google sent me. After a couple of weeks of testing, I’m currently using 54% of the storage on this Pixel 9 Pro. And that’s without even transferring over all of my old photos or videos from previous devices, because those are already in Google Photos. Should I have moved those too, I might be down to my final 40GB or so within the first month of ownership. If I were to buy a 128GB version of these phones, I might be out of storage in less than 2 years.

Seriously? Nothing else. I wish I had some other stuff to knock Google on, but this phone is borderline perfect in my eyes. While the Pixel 9 Pro (not the XL) is the phone I’d choose, the fact that we have choice makes this even better. I have so few complaints…yet.

This is probably an area in this review that could see an update as we continue our testing. Because Google phones often take time to show their flaws and issues, we could come back here in a couple of months. But for now, I’m quite impressed by the two Pro phones that Google has let us review.

Should you buy the Pixel 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL?

That question is framed that way because in short – yes, I think you should strongly consider buying one of Google’s Pixel 9 Pro phones if you are in the market for something new and at the high-end. Your real decision is over which one, the small or XL variant. Rarely do I frame up a review recap in this way, but I really believe the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are the best phones you can buy today. And I’m talking between Android and iPhone: Google made the best phones of 2024.

Google is leading in software on Android without overdoing it, their cameras remain at the top, and their software support is industry leading. Where the Pixel 9 Pro series further excels is in the areas that Google appears to have fixed from previous models. They took their hardware up another level to bring it on par with Apple’s best. They improved battery life dramatically, finally used a proper fingerprint reader, and so far have shown to have included a real 5G modem that won’t cause you connectivity issues throughout your day. And look, if you want AI, this phone is packed with the idea of AI and the future it could bring.

I’ll leave it at that.

Pixel 9 Pro Deal Links: Amazon | Best Buy | Google Store