Pixel 9 Pro 3 Months Later: Try and Take It From Me

Google handed us the Pixel 9 series shortly after their August reveal and we took to testing and reviewing the entire line-up. We’ve since purchased just about every device in the series (only missing the regular Pixel 9) and have spent the better part of the past 3 months with at least one of them in pocket or on-desk at all times. It has been a long enough testing period that it felt like the right time to come back around and share an update on our Pixel 9 Pro thoughts.

For those who missed all of our Pixel 9 reviews, you’ll find them here (Pixel 9), here (Pixel 9 Pro), and here (Pixel 9 Pro Fold).

To recap them in the briefest of ways, I think all you need to know is that we really liked every single one of the Pixel 9 units that Google released. The almost-budget-friendly Pixel 9 is an incredible value at $799, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are proper “Pro” level phones with a choice of size, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a truly excellent foldable that has even tempted me, the foldable hater. Google took the Pixel 9 series to a whole new level this year that I didn’t know they were capable of, if I’m being honest.

I haven’t been able to put down the Pixel 9 Pro, so let’s talk about why.

What’s still great about the Pixel 9 Pro?

This might sound like a weird place to begin this section, but I feel like I should start by talking about the iPhone 15 Pro. “But Kellen, the last thing we need is another obnoxious comparison to the iPhone” – look, I get it, few pieces of content are worse than those. I’m not really about to do that. Hang with me.

For a really large chunk of 2024, I spent my time with an iPhone 15 Pro and an Apple Watch. After testing the Pixel 8 Pro at the end of 2023 and not loving the size, then switching to the Galaxy S24 and finding it to be a snoozefest, and then not loving whatever it is that OnePlus is doing with software, I leaned into the regularness of Apple’s best phone and watch combo.

The iPhone worked for my life for quite some time, partly because my wife has switched to an iPhone, but also because Facetime is incredibly handy, battery life has always been great for me, and other things like the camera and ecosystem really can keep you around. I actually sort of expected to be back on the iPhone after testing out all that was on Android for 2024.

And then this Pixel 9 Pro came along.

This phone is a little piece of tech perfection, at least for how I use a phone. You see, I never loved using the iPhone. I used it because the overall ecosystem is so great. But Apple’s notification system still might be the worst notification system in the history of any platform’s notification system, all keyboards on iOS are a nightmare to use, and completing tasks with Apple’s insistence on forcing you to swipe from the top of the phone or left edge are baffling. Like, the iPhone user experience when compared to something like the Pixel 9, is so much worse that I’m now wondering what in the hell I was doing for most of the year.

After reviewing the Pixel 9 Pro, I actually tried to give the iPhone another chance and I lasted all of a single day. I immediately switched back and haven’t looked back since. The Pixel 9 Pro is the best phone you can buy today and I’m not sure there’s a phone in 2nd place I’d tell you to consider. Things could change quickly there as we move into 2025, but for now, this is the phone.

The little things keeping me around: Most phones on the market today in this price range are going to be excellent. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a phone many will love and find no complaints with. The same goes for the OnePlus 12 and latest iPhone 16 Pro models. When we criticize phones or try and decide which things turn us off or on from them, we really do look for the small stuff. You have to because everything is great.

For the Pixel 9 Pro, we talked in our review about the camera, size choice, battery life, display, design, and performance all being top notch. But again, you could argue for most phones that they are excellent in those categories too. So it does come down to the little things.

• Design: I’m still trying to avoid using cases in the year 2024 and this is a phone that makes me happy to do so. The Pixel 9 Pro still feels as premium as any I’ve held and is comfortable and easy to hold with its rounded flat edges. This is a stunner of a phone. If you love holding your phones as much as I do, then this is just one of the reasons to keep coming back to the Pixel 9 Pro. Beyond how it feels, these new Pixel phones are refreshing to look at as they are a big change on previous models and really do look like something new. Samsung, OnePlus, and Apple’s current designs have been runback for a year or two too long and are so tired.
• Interactions: Using a Pixel 9 Pro constantly reminds you that you that haptics and animations and software tuning and accessibility, all really matter in daily use. As you move around a Pixel 9 Pro, the subtle-yet-premium vibrations are nice reminders of completed tasks, the keyboard for universal searching is always just a swipe away, and jumping from one app to another or any screen happens in ways that look so deliberate as to ensure smoothness. That’s a hard item to really describe, but it’s just the way animations flow or finish or move to another screen that help make a difference in how fast or smooth or friendly a phone is to use.
• Unlocking a phone should be easy: Google was certainly playing catch-up in terms of the unlocking experience with the Pixel 9 Pro, but they’ve pretty much caught up. I’m talking about their use of a real (ultrasonic) in-display fingerprint reader that combines with an excellent face unlock. Getting into your Pixel phone used to be a frustrating experience and it no longer is with the Pixel 9. And when I bring up past Pixel phones being frustrating to unlock, I’m telling you that it was bad enough that it was a reason I didn’t return to the Pixel 8 Pro.
• New software is still fun: At the end of the day, I’m the type of person who likes to tinker with the newest of the new and Google’s Pixel phones get stuff first. Samsung has been great in recent years when it comes to software updates, but they’ve struggled this year. For example, they haven’t released Android 15 yet (or a single beta build) and do not plan to until next year. OnePlus is also just not reliable enough with regular updates. But as a Pixel 9 Pro owner, I could stick with monthly updates, switch to a QPR2 build that lets me test the next Feature Drop update, or I could test even earlier stuff, like the new Android 16 Developer Preview. No other Android phone gets me this much software to play with.
• The ecosystem is coming: I talked a lot above about how Apple’s ecosystem is so good, but Google’s is really coming along. When wearing a Pixel Watch (specifically the Pixel Watch 3 with UWB), unlocking your Pixel 9 happens so fast and is so cool to use. The Fitbit integration feels first-party too, although Google requiring a subscription for Premium is ridiculous. But you can also sync notifications between other Pixel devices now, timers from Google Nest devices can show, etc. The only thing I need now is a Quick Share app on MacOS.
• Size choice: I don’t know that this is necessarily a reason I’m sticking with the Pixel 9 Pro, but the fact that there is choice in size has made it easier to not run away. Over the past few years with Google giving us a larger “Pro” model that I just didn’t want to adopt, it made it hard to stick with the Pixel line for the long haul. For the Pixel 9 Pro, I get to choose which phone is for me, rather than Google deciding. And this may shock you, but I’m actually loving the Pixel 9 Pro XL at the moment and have no plans to ditch it for the smaller model. I know, the guy who constantly complains about not having smaller phone choices isn’t even using the one that Google released. I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point.
• Transferring SIMs: This is not a feature that most will care about at all, but the SIM transferring process between Pixel 9 devices is stellar. As someone who has jumped between 3 Pixel 9 phones in recent months, this is a process that I used to dread with eSIM, but no longer do when using Pixel phones. This process is now built into the Pixel switching experience and happens without the need for your carrier. You just tell your new Pixel that you are transferring from another Pixel phone and then your new Pixel phone has your eSIM setup and ready to rock within minutes. It’s almost like magic.

Complaints, are there any? In my review, I really had almost no complaints outside of pointing out that 128GB should no longer be a starting storage option. But after using these phones for 3+ months, there are areas that have frustrated me at times.

• Battery life on Android 15: I don’t know what the deal is, but since updating to Android 15, battery life is now something I worry about far more than I did with Android 14. In our reviews, we found battery life to be borderline exceptional and that was with review units on 14. I most definitely find myself plugging in Pixel 9 devices far more regularly now or at least making sure I’m constantly topped off throughout a day in case I leave my troll hole and venture into the real world.
• Lack of Qi2: The future of wireless charging is Qi2, which will bring more stable wireless charging to more devices and also introduce magnetic attachments (like Apple’s MagSafe) to more devices. Unfortunately, companies have been slow to adopt Qi2 and its new magnetic capabilities, and that includes the Pixel 9 series. We were hoping Google would be early to the party, but they are not. This frustrates me some because I have a whole ecosystem of neat MagSafe chargers around my house that I’d love to use with my Pixel 9 Pro. While there are cases that will get me that functionality, I’m a case-free guy on most days.

And that’s it. I’ve had 3 months with Pixel 9 devices and these are the phones for me today (and likely into the extended future). It started with the Pixel 9 Pro, a device I’m considering a switch back to. We then moved onto the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to get a foldable meal in for the first time in a while. And now we’re on the Pixel 9 Pro XL and loving every minute of it.

How’s your Pixel 9 after 3 months of use?