Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 256GB - Obsidian

📦 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!

This Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 6.8 inch screen and feels huge compared to some other phones on the market. It sits comfortably in the hand though, and with it's metal polished edges feels like an I-Phone, and the phone has the Pixel trademark raised camera bar standing proud on the rear. It comes with charging cable, but surprisingly for a high end mobile phone, no plug is suppliedIt transferred the data and apps effortlessly from my previous phone and once fully charged, its bright crystal clear screen looks much better and sharper than other phones I have used previously. Its as if looking at a 4k screen . Although early days in navigating around the Pixels features, I have discovered the joys of some of its technology- the camera has an 'add me' feature which ... MoreThis Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 6.8 inch screen and feels huge compared to some other phones on the market. It sits comfortably in the hand though, and with it's metal polished edges feels like an I-Phone, and the phone has the Pixel trademark raised camera bar standing proud on the rear. It comes with charging cable, but surprisingly for a high end mobile phone, no plug is suppliedIt transferred the data and apps effortlessly from my previous phone and once fully charged, its bright crystal clear screen looks much better and sharper than other phones I have used previously. Its as if looking at a 4k screen . Although early days in navigating around the Pixels features, I have discovered the joys of some of its technology- the camera has an 'add me' feature which lets you take a picture and then add you into the photo as though you were in front of the lens. A magic eraser lets you remove objects or distractions from your pictures, and a zoom and panorama photo feature lets AI seamlessly adjust your pictures to near perfection. I have yet to delve into the artificial intelligence of Gemini that this phone has, but no doubt it is the shape of things to come. The camera offerings on mobiles seem to be the deal breaker for most purchasers and this Pixel 9 Pro XL has four of the very best ranging from 50mp main, 48mp ultra wide and telephoto and a 42mp front camera.Battery life seems good, although I have only used the phone for a couple of weeks. I seem to be getting two days between charge which is better than I have been used to previously.In summary, I would recommend the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL but it does come with a very hefty price tag. It's worth this if you use all the features but at the moment I'm yet to discover half of them. A seriously nice feeling chunky phone that is comfortable to hold, the screen size is ideal for me and it's a pleasure to use.