Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 256GB Unlocked (Hazel) by Onestop Digital
Take pro-level photos and videos with the triple camera system and make expert edits. And it's engineered by Google, so it gets the best of Google's AI first. 1 Gemini mobile app is available for selected devices, languages and countries. Internet connection required. Check responses for accuracy.
Take pro-level photos and videos with the triple camera system and make expert edits. And it's engineered by Google, so it gets the best of Google's AI first. 1 Gemini mobile app is available for selected devices, languages and countries. Internet connection required. Check responses for accuracy.
Take pro-level photos and videos with the triple camera system and make expert edits. And it's engineered by Google, so it gets the best of Google's AI first. 1 Gemini mobile app is available for selected devices, languages and countries. Internet connection required. Check responses for accuracy.
Take pro-level photos and videos with the triple camera system and make expert edits. And it's engineered by Google, so it gets the best of Google's AI first. 1 Gemini mobile app is available for selected devices, languages and countries. Internet connection required. Check responses for accuracy.
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The lowest price for Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 256GB Unlocked (Hazel) by Onestop Digital right now is $1,140.00 at Amazon.com.au, compared across 3 retailers.
The all-time low was $849.00 on 7 Feb 2026 — today's price is 34% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 15 May 2026.
Last updated at 15/05/2026 11:03:50
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL - 5G Smartphone - Dual-SIM - RAM 16 GB/Interner Speicher 256 GB - OLED-Display - 6.8" - 2992 x 1344 Pixels (120 Hz) - Triple-
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Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Good - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Acceptable - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Excellent - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Pristine - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Acceptable - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Good - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Pristine - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
originally posted on johnlewis.com
I've used the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for two weeks, as an upgrade from my previous phone the Google Pixel 8, so most of my comparisons are to this.Overall, I've been really impressed - it is an excellent phone with a nice design and it definitely feels premium. The display is noticeably clearer with bright and vibrant colours. This is also translated in the camera which is excellent (Google Pixel has always trumped my husband's iPhone in terms of photo taking ability and quality). Images are much sharper (even when using the front camera). The colours are believable, I get effective night photo features and the magic eraser (the tool I have often used with photos of my kids as you can almost never get perfect photos with them) is noticeably superior to the Pixel 8. ... MoreI've used the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for two weeks, as an upgrade from my previous phone the Google Pixel 8, so most of my comparisons are to this.Overall, I've been really impressed - it is an excellent phone with a nice design and it definitely feels premium. The display is noticeably clearer with bright and vibrant colours. This is also translated in the camera which is excellent (Google Pixel has always trumped my husband's iPhone in terms of photo taking ability and quality). Images are much sharper (even when using the front camera). The colours are believable, I get effective night photo features and the magic eraser (the tool I have often used with photos of my kids as you can almost never get perfect photos with them) is noticeably superior to the Pixel 8. Really impressed with this. I've also tried the feature to add in a person to a photograph - it worked almost flawlessly, though I struggle to think of when I realistically would need this feature. AI possibly gone too far.Processing is smoother and faster. I've noticed it doesn't overheat as much and it has a longer battery life - I can use it for over 1.5 days without needing to recharge (at least at the moment). Charging is also faster.I have set up the crash detection and SOS call function - great ideas. The temperature sensor is cool, but not sure it is essential in life from a phone! The phone has a bedtime setting, when whilst you can continue to use apps, the lights are dimmed and colour is removed. This is preset to your timings and I've found it definitely helps when working late.I'm still exploring the AI features, but so far I am really enjoying the use of AI summaries on Google search - it does feel like a quite time saving review of the content and gets me to my desired answer faster in most cases. I still find the Google assistant quite frustrating to use as any requests are overridden by my other google devices and I never actually get what I intended.Slightly less appealing is the bigger size - I felt the pixel 8 was a perfect size, large enough to allow for working from a device, but not so big that it wouldn't fit easily in pockets / phone pouches. This one is definitely larger and although the bigger screen is useful at times, the size of it is sometimes prohibitive for storage or fitting safely/comfortably in your pocket. Additionally, the weight of the phone given it is bigger is definitely noticeable, especially when you add a protective case to it.The price point is high! I feel it is difficult to justify unless the phone's additional features would really enhance your work/life, that's a personal decision! But the improvements from the previous edition are certainly there. If you can afford it, I would most definitely recommend it.
originally posted on johnlewis.com
I was a tad bit skeptical when the Pixel 9 Pro was initially delivered, especially as the box was really small and compact - I was concerned that the phone was too light to hold and worried I'd drop it and break it. No need to fret though, the Pixel 9 Pro is designed in a way that makes it feel comfortable to hold and easy to carry! Moving from a Galaxy S10+ which was a bit bigger and heavier with really poor battery life, the Google Pixel 9 Pro has been nothing short of a revelation and a game changer!The Pixel 9 Pro has features I never knew I needed and is intuitive and futuristic - you get the feeling that Google really had thought about how the features and the phone itself would work in the next 3-5 years (makes sense why they offered 7 years' worth of ... MoreI was a tad bit skeptical when the Pixel 9 Pro was initially delivered, especially as the box was really small and compact - I was concerned that the phone was too light to hold and worried I'd drop it and break it. No need to fret though, the Pixel 9 Pro is designed in a way that makes it feel comfortable to hold and easy to carry! Moving from a Galaxy S10+ which was a bit bigger and heavier with really poor battery life, the Google Pixel 9 Pro has been nothing short of a revelation and a game changer!The Pixel 9 Pro has features I never knew I needed and is intuitive and futuristic - you get the feeling that Google really had thought about how the features and the phone itself would work in the next 3-5 years (makes sense why they offered 7 years' worth of Google software updates!) Gemini aka "Hey Google" is easy to use and offers super-fast and intuitive responses. It's a breeze setting reminders or getting answers to all types of questions (and the responses are saved and easily available should you need to refer to them again!).But don't let the size of the phone fool you, light it might be, but it packs a punch when it comes to the battery life duration - offering a full day's worth of charge! I have actually managed to go for over 24 hours on a single charge - this whilst still using the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Spotify, Instagram, Email, Chrome and calling features/apps on the phone! The Google Pixel 9 Pro is truly on a next level when it comes to battery life performance. When it does need a charge, rest assured it will go from 0-100% full charge within 30 mins!Next is the camera and memory - the Pixel 9 Pro comes with two camera settings - either 12MP or a whopping 50MP, with fantastic and futurist features including "Add Me" which is absolutely fantastic (maybe even bonkers)! You also get some cool inclusive features like 1 year free upgrade to Google One AI Premium offering you an extra 2 TB of storage, Fitbit Premium, VPN security, Magic Editor, storage sharing features, discounts from Google store and much more.You can screen unknown numbers like a boss thanks to the call screen feature where you get to learn who the person is calling and why they are calling BEFORE deciding to speak to them or not!The screen colours are vivid and rich, and the home display has some super cool features including some AI enabled ones and some really smart shortcuts you can activate. The battery does get very warm when playing games and this is due to all the colours and screen brightness - I am yet to find a fix to this!You also have a really cool feature called "Now Playing" which is essentially a cooler version of Shazam in that it's always listening to music playing around you and tell you the song and artist titles.Finally, the security features are great - face recognition, biometrics, pin numbers and passwords come as standard but it's the swiftness of how the whole thing works that has impressed me. I have also to set up Google Pay and also added all my loyalty cards for ease of usage - no need for multiple apps or physical cards!I really love this phone and personally it's the best phone I have ever owned! Now just need to get a decent case and a solid screen protector for this stunning piece of kit!
originally posted on johnlewis.com
Selfie cam is 42 megapixel increased from 10 megapixel over the Pixel 8. Triple camera setup on the back is 50MP primary, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto. The picture quality for the primary and ultrawide is on par with the Pixel 8, the main improvements are in the telephoto, more detail, better colour, telephoto does 5x optical zoom (or 10x depending on who you ask) and 30x total zoom, have added some zoom piccies to the review. It's particularly good at night photography compared to its rivals, presumably it's in the software, it's consistent across all 3 cameras, reviews talk about its ability to balance long exposures.Screen (I think) is the brightest you can buy right now, 3000 nits, competitors are hitting 2000, if you use it outdoors you're unlikely to ... MoreSelfie cam is 42 megapixel increased from 10 megapixel over the Pixel 8. Triple camera setup on the back is 50MP primary, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto. The picture quality for the primary and ultrawide is on par with the Pixel 8, the main improvements are in the telephoto, more detail, better colour, telephoto does 5x optical zoom (or 10x depending on who you ask) and 30x total zoom, have added some zoom piccies to the review. It's particularly good at night photography compared to its rivals, presumably it's in the software, it's consistent across all 3 cameras, reviews talk about its ability to balance long exposures.Screen (I think) is the brightest you can buy right now, 3000 nits, competitors are hitting 2000, if you use it outdoors you're unlikely to find a better screen for sunny days, for example flying drones where you need screen visibility.Video capture is in 4K but can upscale to 8K. It's a nice feature, but worth bearing in mind it's actually 8K at source.The larger screen might not be for everyone, but I wanted the bigger screen for browsing, watching videos on the train, drone use, etc. The phone is chunky and a bit weighty, but I don't find it too big. I think many current-gen phones are getting a tad larger to accommodate the requirements for better tech.The screen is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which has been lab-tested to withstand a 1m drop onto concrete. Obviously, it's not guaranteed to prevent a crack if dropped on a corner from a height, but it might do.It comes with Gemini, Google's AI assistant, plus a year's free subscription to Google's Gemini Advanced. I haven't used it much yet, but it seems to be Google's version of an AI assistant.IMHO, you'll need a case for this. The sides are flat, polished metal and aren't particularly grippy. I was super worried about dropping it, but a cheap silicone case sorted that out.Overall, really pleased with it.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL - 5G Smartphone - Dual-SIM - RAM 16 GB/Interner Speicher 256 GB - OLED-Display - 6.8" - 2992 x 1344 Pixels (120 Hz) - Triple-
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Good - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Acceptable - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB - Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz - Excellent - Refurbished 256GB / Hazel
Free delivery
I've used the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for two weeks, as an upgrade from my previous phone the Google Pixel 8, so most of my comparisons are to this.Overall, I've been really impressed - it is an excellent phone with a nice design and it definitely feels premium. The display is noticeably clearer with bright and vibrant colours. This is also translated in the camera which is excellent (Google Pixel has always trumped my husband's iPhone in terms of photo taking ability and quality). Images are much sharper (even when using the front camera). The colours are believable, I get effective night photo features and the magic eraser (the tool I have often used with photos of my kids as you can almost never get perfect photos with them) is noticeably superior to the Pixel 8. ... MoreI've used the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for two weeks, as an upgrade from my previous phone the Google Pixel 8, so most of my comparisons are to this.Overall, I've been really impressed - it is an excellent phone with a nice design and it definitely feels premium. The display is noticeably clearer with bright and vibrant colours. This is also translated in the camera which is excellent (Google Pixel has always trumped my husband's iPhone in terms of photo taking ability and quality). Images are much sharper (even when using the front camera). The colours are believable, I get effective night photo features and the magic eraser (the tool I have often used with photos of my kids as you can almost never get perfect photos with them) is noticeably superior to the Pixel 8. Really impressed with this. I've also tried the feature to add in a person to a photograph - it worked almost flawlessly, though I struggle to think of when I realistically would need this feature. AI possibly gone too far.Processing is smoother and faster. I've noticed it doesn't overheat as much and it has a longer battery life - I can use it for over 1.5 days without needing to recharge (at least at the moment). Charging is also faster.I have set up the crash detection and SOS call function - great ideas. The temperature sensor is cool, but not sure it is essential in life from a phone! The phone has a bedtime setting, when whilst you can continue to use apps, the lights are dimmed and colour is removed. This is preset to your timings and I've found it definitely helps when working late.I'm still exploring the AI features, but so far I am really enjoying the use of AI summaries on Google search - it does feel like a quite time saving review of the content and gets me to my desired answer faster in most cases. I still find the Google assistant quite frustrating to use as any requests are overridden by my other google devices and I never actually get what I intended.Slightly less appealing is the bigger size - I felt the pixel 8 was a perfect size, large enough to allow for working from a device, but not so big that it wouldn't fit easily in pockets / phone pouches. This one is definitely larger and although the bigger screen is useful at times, the size of it is sometimes prohibitive for storage or fitting safely/comfortably in your pocket. Additionally, the weight of the phone given it is bigger is definitely noticeable, especially when you add a protective case to it.The price point is high! I feel it is difficult to justify unless the phone's additional features would really enhance your work/life, that's a personal decision! But the improvements from the previous edition are certainly there. If you can afford it, I would most definitely recommend it.
I was a tad bit skeptical when the Pixel 9 Pro was initially delivered, especially as the box was really small and compact - I was concerned that the phone was too light to hold and worried I'd drop it and break it. No need to fret though, the Pixel 9 Pro is designed in a way that makes it feel comfortable to hold and easy to carry! Moving from a Galaxy S10+ which was a bit bigger and heavier with really poor battery life, the Google Pixel 9 Pro has been nothing short of a revelation and a game changer!The Pixel 9 Pro has features I never knew I needed and is intuitive and futuristic - you get the feeling that Google really had thought about how the features and the phone itself would work in the next 3-5 years (makes sense why they offered 7 years' worth of ... MoreI was a tad bit skeptical when the Pixel 9 Pro was initially delivered, especially as the box was really small and compact - I was concerned that the phone was too light to hold and worried I'd drop it and break it. No need to fret though, the Pixel 9 Pro is designed in a way that makes it feel comfortable to hold and easy to carry! Moving from a Galaxy S10+ which was a bit bigger and heavier with really poor battery life, the Google Pixel 9 Pro has been nothing short of a revelation and a game changer!The Pixel 9 Pro has features I never knew I needed and is intuitive and futuristic - you get the feeling that Google really had thought about how the features and the phone itself would work in the next 3-5 years (makes sense why they offered 7 years' worth of Google software updates!) Gemini aka "Hey Google" is easy to use and offers super-fast and intuitive responses. It's a breeze setting reminders or getting answers to all types of questions (and the responses are saved and easily available should you need to refer to them again!).But don't let the size of the phone fool you, light it might be, but it packs a punch when it comes to the battery life duration - offering a full day's worth of charge! I have actually managed to go for over 24 hours on a single charge - this whilst still using the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Spotify, Instagram, Email, Chrome and calling features/apps on the phone! The Google Pixel 9 Pro is truly on a next level when it comes to battery life performance. When it does need a charge, rest assured it will go from 0-100% full charge within 30 mins!Next is the camera and memory - the Pixel 9 Pro comes with two camera settings - either 12MP or a whopping 50MP, with fantastic and futurist features including "Add Me" which is absolutely fantastic (maybe even bonkers)! You also get some cool inclusive features like 1 year free upgrade to Google One AI Premium offering you an extra 2 TB of storage, Fitbit Premium, VPN security, Magic Editor, storage sharing features, discounts from Google store and much more.You can screen unknown numbers like a boss thanks to the call screen feature where you get to learn who the person is calling and why they are calling BEFORE deciding to speak to them or not!The screen colours are vivid and rich, and the home display has some super cool features including some AI enabled ones and some really smart shortcuts you can activate. The battery does get very warm when playing games and this is due to all the colours and screen brightness - I am yet to find a fix to this!You also have a really cool feature called "Now Playing" which is essentially a cooler version of Shazam in that it's always listening to music playing around you and tell you the song and artist titles.Finally, the security features are great - face recognition, biometrics, pin numbers and passwords come as standard but it's the swiftness of how the whole thing works that has impressed me. I have also to set up Google Pay and also added all my loyalty cards for ease of usage - no need for multiple apps or physical cards!I really love this phone and personally it's the best phone I have ever owned! Now just need to get a decent case and a solid screen protector for this stunning piece of kit!
Selfie cam is 42 megapixel increased from 10 megapixel over the Pixel 8. Triple camera setup on the back is 50MP primary, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto. The picture quality for the primary and ultrawide is on par with the Pixel 8, the main improvements are in the telephoto, more detail, better colour, telephoto does 5x optical zoom (or 10x depending on who you ask) and 30x total zoom, have added some zoom piccies to the review. It's particularly good at night photography compared to its rivals, presumably it's in the software, it's consistent across all 3 cameras, reviews talk about its ability to balance long exposures.Screen (I think) is the brightest you can buy right now, 3000 nits, competitors are hitting 2000, if you use it outdoors you're unlikely to ... MoreSelfie cam is 42 megapixel increased from 10 megapixel over the Pixel 8. Triple camera setup on the back is 50MP primary, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto. The picture quality for the primary and ultrawide is on par with the Pixel 8, the main improvements are in the telephoto, more detail, better colour, telephoto does 5x optical zoom (or 10x depending on who you ask) and 30x total zoom, have added some zoom piccies to the review. It's particularly good at night photography compared to its rivals, presumably it's in the software, it's consistent across all 3 cameras, reviews talk about its ability to balance long exposures.Screen (I think) is the brightest you can buy right now, 3000 nits, competitors are hitting 2000, if you use it outdoors you're unlikely to find a better screen for sunny days, for example flying drones where you need screen visibility.Video capture is in 4K but can upscale to 8K. It's a nice feature, but worth bearing in mind it's actually 8K at source.The larger screen might not be for everyone, but I wanted the bigger screen for browsing, watching videos on the train, drone use, etc. The phone is chunky and a bit weighty, but I don't find it too big. I think many current-gen phones are getting a tad larger to accommodate the requirements for better tech.The screen is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which has been lab-tested to withstand a 1m drop onto concrete. Obviously, it's not guaranteed to prevent a crack if dropped on a corner from a height, but it might do.It comes with Gemini, Google's AI assistant, plus a year's free subscription to Google's Gemini Advanced. I haven't used it much yet, but it seems to be Google's version of an AI assistant.IMHO, you'll need a case for this. The sides are flat, polished metal and aren't particularly grippy. I was super worried about dropping it, but a cheap silicone case sorted that out.Overall, really pleased with it.
📦 UNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the Pixel 9 Pro, a USB-C to C cable, a SIM ejector, and some basic documentation. No wall adapter is included, which I’ve come to expect at this point.I do want to point out that the box for the Pixel 9 Pro was surprisingly very small, and they use a lot of recyclable packaging, which I actually appreciate. In fact, a case that I purchased for my Pixel 9 Pro came in a larger box than the phone, so I think it’s worth celebrating Google’s efforts to be more eco-friendly.💪 BUILD:The Pixel 9 Pro feels great in the hand. It has an aluminum housing with gorilla glass, and the weight feels great in the hand. I don’t find it to be unwieldy to hold, especially considering I came from a larger phone and wanted to try a smaller ... More📦 UNBOXING:Inside the box, you’ll find the Pixel 9 Pro, a USB-C to C cable, a SIM ejector, and some basic documentation. No wall adapter is included, which I’ve come to expect at this point.I do want to point out that the box for the Pixel 9 Pro was surprisingly very small, and they use a lot of recyclable packaging, which I actually appreciate. In fact, a case that I purchased for my Pixel 9 Pro came in a larger box than the phone, so I think it’s worth celebrating Google’s efforts to be more eco-friendly.💪 BUILD:The Pixel 9 Pro feels great in the hand. It has an aluminum housing with gorilla glass, and the weight feels great in the hand. I don’t find it to be unwieldy to hold, especially considering I came from a larger phone and wanted to try a smaller phone.The power button and volume buttons are on the right side of the phone, making it harder to take one-handed screenshots by thumb for right-handed users. Left-handed users can take one-handed screenshots with multiple fingers. As a right-handed user, I tried to enable the quick-tap gesture for screenshots by tapping the back of the phone twice, but this was incredibly unreliable. Hopefully this can be fixed in an update.At the bottom, you have a USB-C port that supports USB 3.2 gen 2 capabilities, and a speaker and nano SIM slot. The phone also supports e-SIM, which is how I ended up using it, but it’s nice to have a physical SIM if you need to buy a prepaid SIM during international travel.And on the back, you have 3 cameras housed within an elegant camera bump that lets the phone rest flat without rocking. And of course, Qi wireless charging is supported, but not Qi2 support, so if you have Qi2 or MagSafe accessories, you may want to get a case that will add these magnets.And of course you have the high resolution OLED display on the front with a selfie camera and a fingerprint sensor under the display. Both the selfie camera and fingerprint sensor can be used to unlock the phone, making unlocking a very frictionless experience.However, I do want to point out that adding a tempered glass screen protector genuinely seemed to inhibit the fingerprint sensor’s accuracy to a significant degree, and re-calibrating my fingerprints did not seem to help. While this might not frequently be an issue if you allow face-unlock, it is more likely to cause you problems when you try to unlock your phone in dark environments. I woke up in the middle of the night, and because it couldn’t unlock by face due to the dark environment, I had to unlock it by fingerprint which was very finicky with a tempered glass screen protector installed. But because it uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2, you might find that going without a tempered glass screen protector is something you’re willing to do.📱 DISPLAY:The Pixel 9 Pro has a 1280 x 2856 LTPO OLED at 495 PPI, so it’s very crisp and clear, can reach an insane 2,000 nits of brightness for HDR and 3,000 nits for peak brightness, and supports refresh rates between 1Hz and 120Hz.In my unscientific opinion, this is an excellent display. I took it to the zoo under the bright outdoors and never had an issue with visibility. I’ve been running it under the out-of-box High Resolution mode instead of the Full Resolution mode, especially because it’s already very crisp while also saving on battery.Animations and motion look very fluid, especially because of the high refresh rate support, but the display will also save battery by dropping down to as low as 1Hz when there are only static elements being rendered.📷 CAMERA:The camera system has to be one of the most sought-after aspects of Pixel phones. In my testing, images were sharp and vibrant with excellent contrast thanks to Pixel’s image processing pipeline. The 5x optical zoom produces impressive results, and even the digital zoom can produce impressive results at far distances thanks to computational photography.I also enjoyed the video boost feature that improves lighting, stabilization and reduces noise. But more than that, Google has introduced so many new photo features that there is likely to be something that you may not find on competing products.Whether it’s the photomoji, pixel studio, the “add me” feature that lets you add yourself into a picture so you never have to be excluded, and much much more.Those who want more refined controls over the capture process will also appreciate the Camera app that gives users much more control over things like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure. And there are many more advanced controls that can help you capture excellent photos and video.🔋 BATTERY:Battery life on the Pixel 9 Pro has been fantastic. As someone who has typically been using larger phones for a while partially because they often deliver more battery life, I decided to downsize to the Pixel 9 Pro, and I’m glad to report that I have had an awesome experience with the battery life on the Pixel 9 Pro.While I don’t have scientific tests to share, I can say that the Pixel 9 Pro can get me through a full day of mixed usage, and I also really appreciate that it is quick to top-up. Google claims that they can charge to 55% in about 30 minutes using Google’s own 45W charger.However, Google says the phone can charge at a 27W rate over USB-C PD, which typically means a 9V/3A charger. Unfortunately, because they don’t include a charger in the box, this may leave a number of Pixel 9 Pro owners without fast charging.Moreover, if you want to charge wirelessly, you’ll be able to achieve up to a 21W rate only with Google’s 2nd generation Pixel Stand, or a 12W rate with Qi-Certified EPP chargers.🧠 SOFTWARE / PERFORMANCE:During my time using the Pixel 9 Pro, I never felt it slow down. It was very responsive, and that’s one of the most important elements of using a phone for me. Seldom did I run into crashing apps or weird UX glitches, and I think it’s fair to expect a handful of occurrences. It’s been years since I’ve come back to experience Android for my daily phone, and I’m delighted by what I have experienced on the Pixel 9 Pro.There are so many AI features on the Pixel 9 Pro that it’s frankly hard to list them all, but I think it’s hard to deny the value that Google is bringing to the table with features like Call Notes, Call Screen, Spam Blocking and so much more. Honestly, the hardest part is discovering all of these features, but I highly encourage using the Pixel Tips app to discover the many Gemini-powered AI capabilities that the Pixel 9 Pro brings to the table.🧐 CONCLUSION:Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro is a superb Android phone in my experience. It delivers on all the basics, and then packs a punch with a ton of AI-powered features that bring meaningful improvements to people’s lives. And as someone who has been mostly outside of the Android ecosystem for around 6 years, there’s no doubt that this experience has left a very positive impression on me.
The venerable Pixel line of phones has entered its ninth generation - and this time, Google was keen to offer a model that packs all the features of a typically phablet-sized Pro model into a more modest-sized chassis. The Pixel 9 Pro is a normal-sized, flagship phone that seemingly makes no compromises to meet its reduced dimensions, sharing identical specs to its larger brethren minus the physical screen size.To me that sounds like a perfect device, and indeed, I found almost nothing to fault with this pocket-sized wonder. This is the one to have.- Unboxing & SetupMimicking other smartphones, Google’s unboxing experience is spartan but organized. A charger, USB-C cable, SIM tool, and a USB-C cable are included alongside a very short quickstart guide.Initial ... MoreThe venerable Pixel line of phones has entered its ninth generation - and this time, Google was keen to offer a model that packs all the features of a typically phablet-sized Pro model into a more modest-sized chassis. The Pixel 9 Pro is a normal-sized, flagship phone that seemingly makes no compromises to meet its reduced dimensions, sharing identical specs to its larger brethren minus the physical screen size.To me that sounds like a perfect device, and indeed, I found almost nothing to fault with this pocket-sized wonder. This is the one to have.- Unboxing & SetupMimicking other smartphones, Google’s unboxing experience is spartan but organized. A charger, USB-C cable, SIM tool, and a USB-C cable are included alongside a very short quickstart guide.Initial setup is a breeze, especially, if you’re coming from another Android phone. You’ll be prompted to power-on your old phone and connect to the Pixel 9 Pro to transfer your data over either wirelessly or wired - the latter is definitely better for large transfers as the wireless option slowed down significantly after just a few gigabytes of data. Otherwise this worked flawlessly transferring data from a fairly recent Android phone.The remainder of the initial setup sets your Google device and account preferences, including how you want to configure Gemini (an AI-based Google Assistant replacement; the classic assistant is still available), Google Wallet, face unlock, and more preferences. Once setup is complete, apps identified during the data transfer (and any other apps you had downloaded previously) are downloaded from Google Play to update them to the latest version.- Screen & SoundThe Pixel 9 Pro packs a gorgeous OLED display with bezels so thin that, if you use any kind of phone case, you might be tricked into thinking there’s none at all. With about a 20:9 aspect ratio and just a small punch out for the front-facing camera (I would’ve liked to see a completely hidden one, but I’m nitpicking), the 495-PPI display can get insanely bright, pushing nearly 3000 nits and making it wonderfully viewable in bright daylight. Colors are of course incredibly vivid while remaining very accurate, and adaptive brightness constantly adjusts to the environment, though it does take an extra moment to adjust when moving into darker places.By default, the Pixel 9 Pro runs at a 120Hz refresh rate, which is dynamically changed as needed to preserve battery life. You can enable 60Hz as a developer option for additional battery life if you prefer, but the high refresh rate makes a difference in just how fast and fluid the phone feels in use, making the most of Google’s latest Tensor processor.The front-facing earpiece speaker and a bottom-facing speaker offer stereo sound, and these speakers get pretty loud with little distortion at high volume. Though the EQ seems tuned for speech, bass reproduction is good when listening to music. There’s no headphone jack, as expected, so you’ll need to use a USB-C headphone adapter (not included) or a Bluetooth device if you want to listen privately.- PerformanceGoogle’s Tensor chip, now in its fourth generation, differs from previous iterations by focusing on efficiency and “real-world” performance rather than pure speed. To make up the gap (and to power more on-device AI functions), Google paired the Tensor G4 with a whopping 16GB of RAM, which is only bested by a select handful of gaming-first phones that sacrifice daily usability for game performance. Even so, gaming on this phone is a great experience with high fidelity details, but it does fall short of its competition and can occasionally throttle.Speedy or not, the focus on real-world use has paid off. I’ve been using the phone for about a week and still can’t get over just how immediately responsive everything is. There’s no hesitation or delay switching between apps or any number of browser tabs, and the Pixel 9 Pro seemingly has no limit to how far I can push the device. This is a seamless Android experience - helped immensely by the fact that as a Pixel device there’s no OEM-preinstalled bloatware or OS customizations to contend with.- CameraGoogle’s work with AI has been integrated into the Camera app on the Pixel 9 range, and while the high quality sensors and optics on the Pixel 9 Pro are fantastic in their own regard, the AI-enabled post-processing makes this phone’s pictures stand out better than with any other flagship phone I’ve seen. Semi-professional grade photos are achievable with little effort, as the app continuously stitches shots together from the phone’s rear cameras and depth sensor, and only saves the result once you press the shutter. The rear cameras feature a 5x optical zoom and the Camera app continues harnessing AI for a super-scaled, up to 30x digital zoom that looks quite a bit better than you’d expect.Though I wasn’t too surprised I could capture great portrait photos and panoramas with minimal distortion, what impressed me is how well the phone does in low-light shots. Night Sight works magic to bring details out of the shadows, and no doubt more AI integration here is helping extrapolate what little data the sensors can read to deliver fantastic results.One area that’s been quite improved from previous Pixels is the front-facing camera, which delivers excellent shots on par with, or arguably better than, their prior flagships’ main cameras. For once you’ll want to freshen yourself up before taking a video call on mobile - it captures that much detail.See the attached photos for examples of the camera’s capabilities - the steeple shot is a particularly good example of how much detail is captured in a 16x combined optical and digital zoom, and the low light shot of a puppeteer comedian was at 5x zoom from a far distance in the crowd, quickly snapped from the hip. Extremely impressive results!- GeminiWith AI integration comes Google’s latest upgrade to the classic Google Assistant - Gemini. As an AI skeptic I was hesitant to enable at first, especially as it feeds all of your data into Gemini’s algorithms and integrates across most, if not all Google applications, but after using it for a week I’ve come back very impressed.Gemini integrates seamlessly into the experience and is a much more powerful tool than the classic Google Assistant. With continued conversation enabled (and subscribing to Gemini Advanced), Gemini becomes an all-in-one personal assistant that helps organize your digital life. It has largely the same functionality as Google Assistant but with the ability to use much more natural language when asking it to perform tasks, and generative prompts are useful to push through things like writers’ block - for example, asking Gemini for help coming up with technical interview questions for job candidates was a breeze.Some of Gemini’s most impressive feats come with Google Workspace integration. Gemini is able to search through your email and Google Drive to find conversations, documents, photos, and more by simply describing what the content is, and nearly every time it found the item I was describing without any reference to its name or metadata. Google Workspace is predominantly for business users and such managed accounts, but its capabilities are nonetheless very impressive for both work and personal environments.[Full disclosure: I did not use Gemini or any other AI tools to generate, nor assist in writing or editing, any part of this or any of my reviews posted to Best Buy.]- Battery & ChargingGoogle’s focus on power efficiency for the Pixel 9 generation has absolutely paid off in battery life. Starting from a full charge in the morning, I have never gotten the phone below 50% battery most days - I saw 40% once with heavy use through the day (navigation directions, etc) - and that’s with default screen settings including dynamic brightness and up to 120Hz refresh. I was able to go off-charger from morning to 10pm the next day when I finally got a 5% remaining notification. Impressive stuff.While some may lament the fact that the Pixel 9 Pro uses the older Qi charging standard (maximum 15 W, typically more like 5 W) rather than the updated Qi v2, the USB-C port supports power delivery for 27W rapid charging, which is enough to bring the battery from 0 to 75% in about 30 minutes. The convenience of wireless charging is preferable all the same, and a slower overall charge rate is generally better for a battery long-term, though even as it ages I’m still plenty happy with more than a full day’s usage. Excellent stuff.- Bottom LineA flagship phone with top-line specs in a normal-sized package is all I could ever ask for, and Google’s Pixel 9 Pro delivers exactly that. More than anything, I’m stunned this all fits within the smaller form factor. Sizing down usually means compromising on one or two key specs or features, but the Google phone team has made no sacrifices for people who want a standard-size phone.Better yet, the smaller size comes with a slightly smaller price than the Pixel 9 Pro XL models, lopping $100 off at each storage capacity. I genuinely struggle to find fault with this flagship phone, and though some may balk at the $999 price tag, I don’t think there’s a better pure Android experience out there, and certainly not in a device that fits this well in-hand and in the pocket. Highly recommended!
The Pixel 9 Pro is the “regular sized” pro model in the 9-series lineup this year. In the past, you had to buy the XL version to get all of the Pro features, but now thankfully, for the most part, you get all of the features of the 9 Pro-XL in the 9 Pro, with the exception of the screen on the 9 Pro being a 6.3 OLED (more one-handed friendly). All other features such as the AI, RAM, cameras… all match the larger sibling.Along with the phone you get the standard items including a USB-C charging cable (no charging brick, though), and a sim tool. You can order a 256 gig storage version of this model, but unfortunately, they stuck with 128 gigs as standard for the base price (boo). The 9 Pro feels premium. It’s solidly built and has new more flat/squared edges along ... MoreThe Pixel 9 Pro is the “regular sized” pro model in the 9-series lineup this year. In the past, you had to buy the XL version to get all of the Pro features, but now thankfully, for the most part, you get all of the features of the 9 Pro-XL in the 9 Pro, with the exception of the screen on the 9 Pro being a 6.3 OLED (more one-handed friendly). All other features such as the AI, RAM, cameras… all match the larger sibling.Along with the phone you get the standard items including a USB-C charging cable (no charging brick, though), and a sim tool. You can order a 256 gig storage version of this model, but unfortunately, they stuck with 128 gigs as standard for the base price (boo). The 9 Pro feels premium. It’s solidly built and has new more flat/squared edges along with a flat screen. This causes it to resemble “other” phones from the front, but it does look and feel really nice. The back has a camera bump now shaped like an elongated pill form instead of a visor that goes across the entire screen. I like the new version better, though it does protrude a good bit, so I’d suggest having a good case and even a screen protector for the camera lens area to help protect everything.A neighbor had ordered this exact model for their Son and received it before I got mine, and asked me to set it up for them, so I have the benefit of being able to have set up two Pixel 9 Pros – and both setups went without a glitch. Out of the box, you of course want to run any and all updates to the OS and phone to make sure all important tweaks and updates are installed – manually check for all updates in settings, and make sure to update your apps as well once done, then reboot. Once done, note that the screen resolution is auto set at 960 x 2142 pixels, which saves battery, but if you want, you can crank it up to 1280 x 2856 pixels in settings to get a little more resolution and detail, at the expense of a little more battery power being used. This screen is nice and bright with deep blacks and rich, though realistic, colors. In auto brightness mode it can go up to 3000 nits of brightness so you can see it really well outdoors, but even in normal manual brightness you can adjust it to just about any setting. The 120Hz refresh rate keeps things running smooth on screen but it will adjust depending on what you’re doing, to save battery. An ultrasonic fingerprint reader unlocks the phone faster and more accurately than the older versions. The 16 gigs of RAM also helps keep things running smooth. The Tensor G4 processor is really just a minor update over last year’s G3 processor and it’s not among the most powerful, but for most people, it will do everything they need it to do, even with some gaming, and does not overheat like previous versions. A Titan M2 security co-processor helps keep things more secure.Like the larger sibling, the 9 Pro now has three cameras on the back including one that has a 5X optical zoom (yes!), with a new zoom enhance feature that will clear up heavily zoomed photos after the fact. So now, you have the 50 megapixel main camera, an updated 48 megapixel ultrawide camera, and the 5X zoom 48 megapixel tele camera. All of them take really nice shots which are what Pixels are known for. Realistic colors and good dynamic range detail in shadows and highlight areas make these probably the best cameras in many ways of any phone, currently. The newly updated front facing camera is now 42 megapixels and is sharper and has better colors than previous versions. Video can be cranked up to 4K 60 frames per second with a new AI feature allowing you to upload the video and have it sent back at 8K resolution (though this does take a while). The only hiccup is that when using the zoom during video recording, you might see just a small amount of jerkiness as the phone switches lenses for zooms. Nothing major, but of note.The amount of AI features in this year’s 9-series models is crazy-good. The main show stopper is “Gemini Live” which allows you to literally have a conversation with the computer pretty much as you would with any human (scary, but neat). Gemini live has been able to answer all kinds of questions for me from travel inquiries to trivia, help me write the text for an email or letter, and tons more. It will tap into Google’s assistant when needed to control phone features. The ONE thing, though? You only get Gemini “live” for one year when buying a Pro model, and after that, you have to pay monthly for the full live feature. Ok, I really think Pixel buyers should at least get two years of this! Hopefully their policy will extend this as time progresses.Anyway, aside from Gemini, you get a range of other AI features that allow you to put yourself into photos called “Add me” so you don’t have to get strangers to take a photo – just take one of your friends, have one of them step over, and take one of you superimposed into the photo so it looks like you were there in the original. AI also will be able to enhance zooms to make them clearer, clean up night shots, remove unwanted items (or people) from photos with “Magic Editor”, and add backgrounds to photos, and more. “Pixel Studio” lets you create AI images of pretty much anything you want (except people, so far). Live translation helps you communicate if you are with someone who doesn’t speak your language (works pretty well, too), can you can even have the Pixel take notes of calls you are on. If you don’t like AI all of these can be quite a bit overwhelming, but they are really nice to have if you do want them, and they do for the most part work as advertised once you get the hand of how to use them all. Another not quite AI feature is satellite SOS texting, so if you wind up in the boonies and have no cell service, you can use satellites to send an emergency text should you need help. Handy, though I’m not sure if there’s a firm amount of free use time decided yet, and it may become a pay feature after two years or?Battery life is pretty good – better than previous Pixel models. The new processor and other tweaks along with the screen help extend the battery (4700 mah), so it’s definitely a full day phone so long as you don’t use it full throttle the entire day, but if you do, having a portable charger isn’t a bad idea. The charging speed is only mediocre when plugged in, and slightly slower when using wireless charging. It would be nice to see Google up the wattage on charging so it would be faster.Oh, and yes, it’s also a PHONE! People do actually still make calls. This will be subjective to the service you use, where you use it, and many other factors. I’m in Atlanta where generally, cell service is good across the board. I’ve been trying this out inside of a brick ranch style home in the suburbs, and so far, no dropped calls. So the updated modem/antenna seem to be very good on the Pixel 9. Again, your experience may vary, but I can say that on the Pixel 8 I did drop a handful of calls, and using the same service, I haven’t dropped any on the Pixel 9 in the short time I’ve had it, but I’ve called around a bit to test it even deep inside the house.Overall I really like the new Pixel 9 Pro. The size is manageable. The body and design updates are nice, and the screen is very nice. Cameras are of course “Pixel great” as usual for a Pixel, and the AI features though almost overwhelming in choices, are really nice to have and can take your phone use to a new level. Complaints? A couple: The biggest – having only 128 gigs as base storage in 2024 is NOT what I’d like, as I really do think the Pro models should come with 256 gigs as standard. Gemini Live should be at least a two year free service, as I’m just not sure people will be paying a fair amount monthly beyond the free period. Also, the new text SOS feature should be a lifelong feature as it can save lives, and not just limited to two years (as I understand it now).I do recommend the Pixel 9 Pro. It’s a good size, and aside from the issues above, it’s still a very good phone for most. If you need a larger screen and better battery, go with the XL version, but this should suit many users. Thumbs-up.
This is my first Pixel experience. This is my first Pixel. After years of iOS and other Android devices, I decided it was time to try a Pixel experience. Of course, this includes both a software and a hardware experience. I have never used a Google branded phone before, but have kept an eye on their progress through the Pixel line and this year’s lineup seems to be the best iteration in both quality and features. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has completely reversed my disappointment for how much foldables feel like a brick. Unfolded, this device is thin, feels metallic and strong, the hinge gives you satisfying feedback when you fold it, and the screens are just right size-wise as well as in an aspect ratio sense. One of the things I have historically been disappointed with ... MoreThis is my first Pixel experience. This is my first Pixel. After years of iOS and other Android devices, I decided it was time to try a Pixel experience. Of course, this includes both a software and a hardware experience. I have never used a Google branded phone before, but have kept an eye on their progress through the Pixel line and this year’s lineup seems to be the best iteration in both quality and features. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has completely reversed my disappointment for how much foldables feel like a brick. Unfolded, this device is thin, feels metallic and strong, the hinge gives you satisfying feedback when you fold it, and the screens are just right size-wise as well as in an aspect ratio sense. One of the things I have historically been disappointed with in the foldable concept is how narrow the outer screen can feel. While not unusable, a narrower screen causes things like cramped keyboards, small text, and awkward layouts. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an outer display that is exactly the same dimensions as the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. This means a consistent experience from a candy bar style device, and preventing a cramped feel. This was the first thing about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold that struck me as “just right”. Unfolded, the inner display is also a real sweet spot. Opening apps like a book reader, a web browser, even a music player, gives you a table experience (which I personally expect with a foldable), but in a size that is one-handable. The speakers are oriented on top and bottom in portrait (crease vertical), but they are positioned one on each half, so you have separation in portrait as well as landscape. This does give you a stereo effect which I appreciate. And the sound is solid for such a thin device. The fingerprint reader is in the lock key on the side, and have found it incredibly fast to register, and accurate everytime in the few days I have owned it. But I will say that it’s almost always face unlock that I use because it’s faster than me moving my finger to the reader. Having a history with iOS devices, this is greatly appreciated as well. The crease is impressive to me in how subtle it is considering it has to be there. The generational improvements on the foldable hinges for all of the brands is really an engineering marvel. Running my fingers across the inner display, I barely feel the crease, and when I do encounter it, it’s not jarring enough for me to pause or get disrupted. Both screens are bright, but also get incredibly dim in a dark room if needed. From an OS perspective, I have been pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and functional, and versatile, the Pixel OS is. For being the “vanilla” or near stock Android option, it is customizable and polished to the point that it rivals the more credited OS options out in the world that are refined and stable. Pixel OS gives you a personalization that I am seeing in other brand’s OS skins and that is a credit to Google. From broad Bluetooth audio codec support (aptX and LDAC) to back tap functionality, and pro camera options, Pixel OS is probably the most impressive part of this device for me. I haven’t found myself missing anything from my other devices yet, and I don’t expect to. This year the big banner feature is Gemini and the AI integration from Google. As a very amateur photographer, I usually select a device that will give me a top tier camera experience along with a very pretty and functional phone. Google’s AI tools for photography are impressive. I think there is room for growth, improvement, but to be able to stitch myself into a picture with friends is as cool as it is freaky. I am in the process of trying dark sky photography now, but initial results for a camera system that is not quite the caliber of the Pixel 9 Pro is still impressive. I think the AI and the image processing software of the Pixel OS is another level with computational photography. I think the camera system will get even better with software updates, and past performance with Google device photography has a great history to draw from. The only ding I would give the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the price. I understand that there is a lot of technology here, and this is only Google’s second iteration of a foldable (kudos to the effort, Google), but overall I think all foldables on the market are overpriced in general. So would I recommend the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold? If you are in the market for a foldable device, like the idea of a streamlined, speedy Android experience, and don’t need the pinnacle of photographic and gaming performance, I would definitely recommend this device as your daily driver.
Typically I find that most high-profile / highly recognized phones are more hype than they are worth but after a week of use with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I found this phone to be far from overhyped. The amount of features, most notably the AI features, packed into this phone is incredibly impressive and nearly impossible to cover all of within a reasonable length review. In my opinion, the features of this phone make it perfectly suited for almost anybody, from a student to working professional, especially with the noteworthy accessibility features. Google has thought of nearly everything and then managed to (somehow) pack it all into one phone. That said, if you are willing to splurge on a new Google Pixel 9 phone, I say go all in and spend a little extra for the Pro ... MoreTypically I find that most high-profile / highly recognized phones are more hype than they are worth but after a week of use with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I found this phone to be far from overhyped. The amount of features, most notably the AI features, packed into this phone is incredibly impressive and nearly impossible to cover all of within a reasonable length review. In my opinion, the features of this phone make it perfectly suited for almost anybody, from a student to working professional, especially with the noteworthy accessibility features. Google has thought of nearly everything and then managed to (somehow) pack it all into one phone. That said, if you are willing to splurge on a new Google Pixel 9 phone, I say go all in and spend a little extra for the Pro XL because it is certainly worth it.Getting started:Setting up the phone is fairly simple. The built-in guidance helps walk one, even the more technically challenged, through the setup process. Transferring the contents and settings from my old phone went smoothly, especially because of my existing Google account. Once the initial set up is completed, the built in Pixel Tips program walks you through a summary of the abundant features with the phone. My favorite part is the fact that the Pixel Tips is a built-in phone app, meaning it can be accessed anytime, even after the set up is completed. The Pixel Tips not only describes the features of the phone, but there are included video demonstrations to illustrate how to go about using said features.Physical aspects:To me, the physical build of this phone is awkward due to the rear camera body extending past the main body of the phone, but surprisingly after a short time of use, this became a very minimal nuisance. I did not have a case ready for use with this phone and have used the phone without a case so far. The construction of the phone feels durable and well made, with the body retaining a sleek and slim build. I even unintentionally conducted a drop test of the phone (without a case) and was pleasantly surprised by the superficial, minimal damage that resulted from the fall. (While at a store, the phone slipped out of my cross body belt purse and fell directly onto the concrete floor, easily a 4 foot drop. The result was a small scuff on the edge of the rear camera body but nothing else. I was extremely relieved, but also impressed by the durability of the phone.)Display/ screen:Of all the features of this phone, I did find the screen resolution to be slightly disappointing. The quality is there, and it is good, but I would not go as far to say it is exceptional. The larger size of the XL screen is appreciated, and it didn’t seem like battery life was noticeably sacrificed as a result of the larger screen size. The screen is additionally vibrant in color, providing sufficient visibility in bright sunlight conditions, and I found its touch accuracy to be exceptionally good. A highlight of the display is the technology behind its LTPO (low-temperature Polycrystalline oxide) screen, which provides a balance between screen quality and resultant power usage.Camera:The rear cameras of the Pixel 9 Pro XL are enough of a reason to get the Pro model over the baseline Pixel 9 model. The zoom capabilities are edging closer to its main Android competition, with the imbedded AI functions and included editing features helping to close that gap. While both the rear and front facing cameras were a superb upgrade from my previous phone, I did find that the rear camera still had room for improvement with lower light environments. Some of the indoor pictures I captured, with daytime lighting that I felt was adequate, still resulted in slight blur. Overall, the cameras’ capabilities and abundant setting and editing features makes the Pro model a worthy upgrade to spend a little bit more on.AI features:As mentioned, the abundance of AI features with this phone is extremely impressive. A majority of the included features help make everyday tasks more efficient and additionally provide as excellent accessibility tools. A few of the features I found noteworthy were the: Pixel screenshots – which allows for searching and organization of screenshots taken, Pixel Studio – which allows for the creation of AI generated images, Thermometer - which allows for temperature measurement of objects including people, Device as Webcam - which allows your Pixel to act as a webcam when connected to a laptop, desktop, or smart TV, and the numerous organizing features.Safety & Security features:The Pixel 9 models come with a Satellite SOS feature, which allows for emergency calls via satellite when cell or WI-FI services are not available. The phone also includes many personal safety setting options. In addition to the safety features, the phones security features are top-notch with include VPN, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor – which I have found to work extremely well, and possibly most impressive, and definitely a selling point of this phone, 7 years of software support.Performance:16GB of RAM in a phone is impressive and I have zero complaints with the speed of the phone. It is very evident that this phone possesses top of the line processing technology.Battery:I found the battery life of this phone to be very good considering all the apps I have installed in addition to all of the features encompassed within this phone. Under fairly heavy usage I consistently got through a full day before the battery drained to low levels. With moderate use this battery life was unquestionably excellent.Storage:The only negative that I found with this phone is Google’s persistence to not allow for additional phone storage via a microSD card. 128GB of storage will go fast and if you are not a fan of paying for cloud storage, nor have personal cloud storage setup at home, then I highly recommend getting a phone with at least 256GB of storage.
The new Pixel 9 Pro XL becomes even smarter with full Gemini integration replacing the standard google assistant by default. The new Gemini assistant offers much more depth in what it can do and how you can communicate with it. In my opinion a lot of the AI functions they advertise are more of a gimmick currently than anything, like Add me that allows you to superimpose yourself into a group photo if you don't have anyone else around to take your photo or Video Boost that requires you to have massive amounts of google cloud storage to be useful. Where it starts to shine though is Gemini's ability to integrate and scrape from your other applications via extensions where you can ask it to find an email, summarize a document, check traffic for upcoming appointments, ... MoreThe new Pixel 9 Pro XL becomes even smarter with full Gemini integration replacing the standard google assistant by default. The new Gemini assistant offers much more depth in what it can do and how you can communicate with it. In my opinion a lot of the AI functions they advertise are more of a gimmick currently than anything, like Add me that allows you to superimpose yourself into a group photo if you don't have anyone else around to take your photo or Video Boost that requires you to have massive amounts of google cloud storage to be useful. Where it starts to shine though is Gemini's ability to integrate and scrape from your other applications via extensions where you can ask it to find an email, summarize a document, check traffic for upcoming appointments, and have a full-blown conversation with your phone using Gemini live. A few caveats with this however, you can gain a lot of this functionality on other brand phones by using the Gemini app and a google one subscription so it’s not necessarily "proprietary" to the Pixel lineup, and it requires an internet connection.Performance-wise the new Tensor G4 is a minimal leap over the G3 meaning it is still massively behind every other premium phone on the market in synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark. They did give extra ram, now up to 16gb, which helps with the AI tasks that are performed locally in particular the magic photo editor. Where they have greatly improved is the cooling solution for the phone, they have finally incorporated a vapor chamber so during heavy use you don't experience the overheating that has plagued the previous generations of this processor. No more video stuttering and much smoother performance in games. Also, somewhat subjective, but the new modem utilized with the pixel 9 pro does seem like a proper improvement over the previous gen.The build quality is fantastic for this generation as well as being aesthetically pleasing with the new squared off edges and the now iconic camera bar on the back. The screen is one of the absolute best on the market, reaching an incredible 3000 nits at peak brightness and incredible efficiency thanks to its ability to scale from 1hz-120hz refresh rate. Improvements to the display, cooling system, and the software have improved battery life. I get an extra 2-3hrs of screen time over the Pixel 8 Pro I was utilizing previously which is huge. Google still advertises that you will receive 7 years of updates with this phone which is a nice commitment from them if they hold up their end of the bargain.Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a great phone with some unique features and awesome build quality for this generation. If the AI features impact you and the way you use it is ultimately up to you, but I think most will find some use in it and enjoy the simplicity it offers to complete certain tasks. If you are an android user, this is one of the best experiences you can get currently on any smartphone
Practically we have been drowning in a market that has a bunch of candy bar phones that have hit such a high point that Innovation is clearly getting impossible. But then when you get into the foldable space you got companies like Samsung who have gotten stagnant with their design and it's just getting boring with little changes every year as I am a Galaxy z fold 6 user But when I walked into my local Best Buy to pick up an item, I got my mother I got to play with the pixel 9 Pro fold and I put it next to my fold six and I really noticed the amazing Innovation and design and the approach Google took from eliminating their passport design and starting from scratch by listening to customer feedback putting it together and innovating a fun design that in turn made me ... MorePractically we have been drowning in a market that has a bunch of candy bar phones that have hit such a high point that Innovation is clearly getting impossible. But then when you get into the foldable space you got companies like Samsung who have gotten stagnant with their design and it's just getting boring with little changes every year as I am a Galaxy z fold 6 user But when I walked into my local Best Buy to pick up an item, I got my mother I got to play with the pixel 9 Pro fold and I put it next to my fold six and I really noticed the amazing Innovation and design and the approach Google took from eliminating their passport design and starting from scratch by listening to customer feedback putting it together and innovating a fun design that in turn made me purchase the porcelain color from their website and at that moment, I realize how fun immersive and amazing foldable phones can be as this is the thinnest foldable you can get in the United States Market which gets even thinner when unfolded Google may not have the bills and whistles offered in one UI skin over Android but the decisions that Google took were probably for the best as they went with Apple's approach and decided to design their own in-house chip the tensor paired with their simple yet beautiful easy to use Android UI and then throw in Gemini and assistant that's in the process of learning but already knows a lot of great stuff to make your life simply easy on a day-to-day basis. It's just an amazing thing and the biggest Pro and plus is the cover display most of the time as human beings. We spend our life out of the house either working and 8-hour job or doing our personal businesses on our days off, but you have a covered display that's big. It's normal. It's the size of their pixel 9 And are getting the benefits of being able to type without your fingers feeling cramped, especially when you're using a case with a big fat lip that protects the front screen. It's still easy compared to Samsung to hit the keys on the very edge. The other biggest plus is at you're getting a camera that it may not be the one on their pixel 9 Pro XL but it's a camera that most of the times I who have sharp photos side by side with both phones find that the pixel 9 Pro fold takes the edge in the videos and photos come out more beautiful than less saturated and color Samsung just needs to go back to the drawing board and design affordable that has some normal cover display cameras that are Flagship style or at least something that takes videos and photos as good as the pixel 9 Pro fold if they want to regain momentum in the market with their hardware for now the pixel 9 Pro fold was obvious choice for me and if you're on the fence go to Best Buy It's on display open it close it play with it. I know it's probably on display mode and it's not the same thing but try it out for yourself. Maybe it will convince you to buy one and to end this review. Google has a long way to go not only with their Hardware but specially with their software it is your second generation foldable and in the hardware they did a spectacularly awesome. I just hope the Implement software that allows you to have the screens separate for example, whatever you do on the cover display when it comes to customizations wallpapers widgets Etc. Let it be implemented only in the cover display and not mimic itself in the 8-inch display. They should work on their own. And again, they also need to implement great relationships with developers. So their apps can work with the screen to body ratio of Google's almost perfect square 8-in display so far. The phone has been really amazing. I love mine and I really can't point out major cons. What do I recommend the device? I totally do but like I said earlier walk to Best Buy play with it. That'll help you make your choice whether it's the device for you or not.
