The Pixel 9 sequence represents among the greatest design adjustments in Pixel historical past, and that begins with the Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL. Each telephones ship a singular imaginative and prescient of what Google sees in the way forward for Pixel telephones, providing an equivalent expertise at two distinct sizes.
Since there is no actual distinction between these two telephones aside from their measurement, we’re combining the critiques to offer you a greater take a look at one of the best Pixel 9 expertise accessible. We have been utilizing each fashions interchangeably over the previous month and have come away upset about issues which have plagued Pixels for years. Fortunately, lots of Google’s newest characteristic additions assist offset these disappointing emotions.
For those who’re trying to decide up a Google Pixel 9 Professional or Google Pixel 9 Professional XL this yr, learn on to seek out out why that is an awesome alternative for some people, whereas others may wish to look elsewhere for his or her subsequent smartphone improve.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Worth and availability
The Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL are actually formally accessible as of August 22, 2024. Each fashions provide a alternative of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, in addition to 16GB of RAM. You possibly can select from both measurement in a variety of colours, together with Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Hazel (gray), and Rose Quartz (pink).
The Google Pixel 9 Professional begins at $999 with 128GB of storage, whereas the bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL begins at $1099 with 128GB of storage. You should buy the Pixel 9 sequence in any of the next nations:
- NAMER: US, Canada
- EMEA: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Eire, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK
- APAC: Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan
All Pixel 9 fashions embrace Pixel VPN at no extra value, which helps defend you whereas on the go and connecting to probably unscrupulous public Wi-Fi hotspots. Google can be together with one yr of Gemini Superior with each Google Pixel 9 Professional or 9 Professional XL, which might usually value $20 per 30 days with the AI-tier Google One subscription.
Every Google Pixel 9 Professional field accommodates no plastic and is impressively environmentally pleasant.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Design
Except for a number of tweaks right here and there, Google has largely stored the identical design that was initially launched with the Pixel 6. Nonetheless, we have slowly seen increasingly telephone makers undertake an iPhone-like design with flat edges and flat screens. Google jumped aboard this development with the Pixel 9, 9 Professional, and 9 Professional XL. Gone is the mix of curved glass and aluminum, and as an alternative, we’ve flat edges so far as the attention can see.
As quickly as I noticed the Pixel 9 sequence in individual, I instantly thought that this was simply an iPhone. Certain, the buttons, colours, and digital camera housing are totally different, however I have not been in a position to shake the concept that Google made a Pixel iPhone. This is not a nasty factor by any means, nevertheless it’s simply one thing I believe is somewhat attention-grabbing.
Not like the Pixel 9 and the 9 Professional Fold, Google opted to make use of a refined aluminum end with the 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL. I perceive the necessity to try to differentiate the Professional from the non-Professional fashions, however I nonetheless want the sensation of brushed aluminum over polished.
Whereas a refined body may be extra eye-catching to some, it will not take lengthy for fingerprints and smudges to wreck every part. I additionally discovered each the 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL to be a bit slippier to make use of, leading to me slapping a case on the telephones as quickly as they arrived.
In earlier years, I might normally head over to the dbrand web site and discover a pores and skin that might match no matter telephone I used to be switching to. Then, I might seize a MagSafe ring adapter, sticking it to the dbrand pores and skin, so I may benefit from the plethora of MagSafe equipment at my disposal.
I hoped that Google would kill two birds with one stone for me, however alas, there’s no Qi2 help on any of the Pixel 9 fashions. Fortunately, my our favourite case maker, Thinborne, is right here to avoid wasting the day with its wonderful Aramid Fiber Skinny Case that is additionally MagSafe-compatible.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Show
I used to be somewhat shocked that Google launched its Professional telephone in two totally different sizes. It is not that I do not suppose that is the precise transfer, however I simply did not see Google including one other telephone to its ever-growing lineup. However, I am of the mindset that having a small “professional” telephone is an effective way to probably entice extra folks to make the change to the world of Pixel.
In addition to the bodily display screen measurement, these shows are virtually equivalent. They’ll attain 3000 nits and provide Google’s “Easy Show” variable refresh charge. Except for following the development of shows that may get brighter, it is all just about what you’d anticipate from a flagship telephone.
The colours pop, the screens look nice, and yeah, that is just about all I can say.
One factor that ended up inflicting fairly a little bit of frustration was the in-screen fingerprint sensor. When utilizing these telephones and not using a display screen protector, every part works as marketed. That each one modified as quickly as we put in a display screen protector on the Pixel 9 Professional XL.
At present, I’ve solely used the display screen protector that comes with the Thinborne case, so I am undecided if that is guilty, however unlocking the telephone has turn out to be a trouble. It appears to be much less of an issue through the day, however as quickly as I am in an space with little gentle, it simply would not work.
After a few days, I remembered there’s truly a toggle within the Settings app to assist fight this situation. Nonetheless, after enabling the “Display screen Protector Mode,” there actually hasn’t been a distinction.
Since I spend nearly all of my time at dwelling, this is not actually all that a lot of a problem. A current journey to New York for Google’s Chromebook Showcase rapidly reaffirmed my stance on embedded fingerprint sensors. I actually, and I imply REALLY, want Google would simply combine the sensor into the Energy button. It already does this with the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and Pixel Pill, however I believe it is time for it to return to the telephones.
I can not let you know how irritating and annoying it’s to be attempting to catch a subway, solely to get tied up on the gate as a result of your fingerprint did not authenticate tap-to-pay. It solely labored for me a couple of times, and most of the time, I ended up simply utilizing face recognition as an alternative.
Seeing as I do not expertise the identical PWM tribulations as my compadre and Android Central senior content material producer, Nick Sutrich, I can not converse to that. Nonetheless, he is included his ideas and emotions concerning the PWM and refresh charge of Google’s Tremendous Actua Show under:
The ultra-low 240Hz PWM charge used to “dim” the telephone’s show provides me horrible complications, particularly when I attempt to use the telephone within the night. This downside began about 2 years in the past for me and has solely gotten worse as shows have gotten ultra-bright.
The 3000-nit show on these telephones is insanely vivid, and flickering on and off at a low charge of 240Hz is nothing wanting abysmal. Google is the one smartphone firm that hasn’t upgraded its charge — Samsung and Apple now use 480Hz on most gadgets — and firms like Honor and OnePlus push that charge to 2160Hz, 4320Hz, and past.
At this brightness, Google will not be even near complying with the beneficial IEEE PAR 1789 normal for shows and lighting.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: {Hardware} & efficiency
Because of the onslaught of Pixel 9 leaks that we noticed main as much as the official unveiling, my expectations about efficiency had been rapidly tempered. I hoped that the Tensor G4 would find yourself placing Google’s flagship telephones alongside the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone, nevertheless it simply wasn’t meant to be.
That is to not say the G4 is not performant, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not fairly on the identical degree as a few of its competitors. I am conserving my fingers crossed that it will change with the Tensor G5, however I digress.
In day-to-day utilization, I got here away fairly impressed with how effectively the Pixel stored up with no matter I wanted to do. There have been instances that I wished to achieve for both the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 6, however that sort of defeats the aim.
| Class | Google Pixel 9 Professional | Google Pixel 9 Professional XL |
|---|---|---|
| Show | 6.3-inch Tremendous Actua show, 120Hz LTPO OLED (1-120Hz), 2856 x 1280, HDR, 3000 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 240Hz PWM dimming | 6.8-inch Tremendous Actua show, 120Hz LTPO OLED (1-120Hz), 2992 x 1344, HDR, 3000 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 240Hz PWM dimming |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4, Titan M2 safety module | — |
| Reminiscence | 16GB RAM | — |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | — |
| Battery | 4,700mAh, 27W wired charging, 21W wi-fi charging, 5W reverse wi-fi charging | 5,060mAh, 37W wired charging, 23W wi-fi charging, 5W reverse wi-fi charging |
| Entrance Digicam | 42MP f/2.2, 103-degree FoV, Twin PD, autofocus | — |
| Rear digital camera 1 | 50MP f/1.68, 1/1.31″ sensor, Octa PDAF, 82-degree FoV, OIS | — |
| Rear digital camera 2 | 48MP f/1.7, 1/2.55″ sensor, 123-degree wide-angle, macro, autofocus, Quad-PD | — |
| Rear digital camera 3 | 48MP f/2.8, 1/2.55″ sensor, 22-degree FoV, macro, autofocus, Quad-PD, Multi-zone LDAF, 5x optical zoom | — |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, 5G (mmWave and Sub-6), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, AptX HD, USB-C 3.2, Bodily and eSIM, Satellite tv for pc SOS | — |
| Audio | Stereo audio system, USB-C | — |
| Safety | Beneath show ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock | — |
| Safety | IP68 mud and water resistance | — |
| Dimensions | 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm; 199g | 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm; 221g |
| Colours | Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian | — |
| Software program and help | Android 14; 7 years of Pixel and OS updates | — |
With virtually each new system that I get, whether or not it is for overview or for myself, I wish to try to see how effectively it performs with emulation. That is one space the place Google’s Tensor chips simply cannot maintain a candle to Qualcomm.
Utilizing one thing just like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for emulation is a dream, however that is largely due to the help for Snapdragon chips with Adreno GPUs. For those who come throughout graphical glitches and errors, there is a good likelihood that you could find and use a special GPU driver, supplied that your emulator is suitable.
That is not a lot the case with MediaTek and Google’s Tensor chips, which make use of Mali GPUs. Nonetheless, I’ve seen that neighborhood help for customized Mali drivers is starting to extend. However, it nonetheless hasn’t resulted in stability and efficiency positive aspects that may rival telephones utilizing a Snapdragon SoC.
The purpose that I am attempting to make is that whereas I used to be in a position to load up a number of Swap video games, it is not an pleasant expertise. Framerates are unstable, continually dropping as quickly as you get to a graphically intensive space. And there are some video games that simply will not load in any respect, even in case you handle to discover a customized GPU driver.
In an effort to put this into higher perspective, I defaulted to Geekbench 6, simply to offer one thing a bit extra substantive.
| Geekbench 6 | Google Pixel 9 Professional XL | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | iPhone 15 Professional Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU: Single-Core | 1941 | 1927 | 2770 |
| CPU: Multi-Core | 2770 | 6345 | 6739 |
| GPU | 6411 (OpenCL) | 11671 (OpenCL) | 27983 (Metallic) |
| GPU | 6906 (Vulkan) | 14073 (Vulkan) | N/A |
As you possibly can see, the Pixel 9 Professional XL merely cannot come near competing with both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or Apple’s A17 Professional. Thoughts you that is not even Apple’s newest chip, because the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max are powered by the A18 Professional. Nonetheless, on the time of this overview, I’ve but to get my fingers on the brand new iPhone, which is why it is not included within the desk above.
Whereas these numbers may appear a bit disappointing, it is not truly something that you’ll discover each day. Potential points and limitations will not crop up till you try to push the telephone to the extremes. Which is not one thing I think many individuals are doing regularly.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Battery life
That is what blew me away greater than actually the rest about Google’s newest telephones. Because it seems, Google’s lack of ability to make the efficiency leap within the Tensor paid dividends in different methods, the most important of which appears to be battery life.
As I’ve talked about a number of instances, I took the Pixel 9 Professional XL with me on a visit to New York and figured it will be one of the best time to see how effectively it may maintain up. Oh boy, it did so a lot better than I ever may have thought.
The primary day kicked off at 6:30 a.m. and consisted of getting from my home to the airport, flying to town, attending to the lodge, after which to an occasion, earlier than coming again to the room shortly earlier than midnight. Even with all of that, I nonetheless had but to dip under 20% and I simply could not consider it.
I am continually blown means with how lengthy the Pixel 9 Professional XL lasts without having to be recharged.
Throughout the complete three-day journey, I by no means as soon as felt nervous or fearful about working out of juice. That features spending someday strolling round New York Metropolis for the aim of taking digital camera samples for this overview. A day that ended with me taking a spur-of-the-moment journey to Yankee Stadium for the primary time to see my beloved Orioles tackle the Yankees.
Very similar to the Geekbench check leads to the earlier part, I am attempting to offer one thing a bit extra strong than simply “battery is gud.” With that being mentioned, I opted for a very good previous video playback battery check. Right here is how I had every part arrange:
| Spec | Standing |
|---|---|
| Brightness | 100% |
| Adaptive | Off |
| Wi-Fi | On |
| Bluetooth | On |
| Gentle Mode | On |
| Display screen Timeout | half-hour (Most) |
| Decision | 2992 x 1344 |
| Easy Show (120Hz) | Enabled |
| Quantity | 50% |
Then, I simply fired up a 4K HDR video on YouTube and let it hold enjoying in the course of the check. Beneath, you possibly can see the battery percentages, which had been recorded each hour on the identical time:
| Time | Battery proportion |
|---|---|
| 11:17 | 94% |
| 12:17 | 82% |
| 1:17 | 69% |
| 2:17 | 59% |
| 3:17 | 49% |
| 4:17 | 39% |
| 5:17 | 30% |
After the primary couple of hours, the development grew to become apparent, draining at a clip of 10% for 4 hours, and 9% within the final hour. That is after the 12% and 13% drop within the first two hours. It is nearly just like the telephone sort of settled right into a groove, so to talk, and was simply coasting for so long as potential.
At that charge, the telephone would have lasted for an additional three to 4 hours, working out of steam between 8:15 and eight:45. After all, I may have gotten the 9 Professional XL to final for much longer as soon as Excessive Battery Saver mode kicked in.
It was bizarre seeing the speed of battery drain settle right into a sample.
Our father or mother firm, Future PLC, runs lab checks through the Future Labs division and located that it took a mean of 13 hours to run down the battery on the Pixel 9 Professional and the Pixel 9 Professional XL. Comparatively, the Pixel 8 Professional died after simply 9 hours of working the identical check. Clearly, Google wasn’t kidding after they mentioned Tensor G4’s effectivity was higher.
I have been utilizing these telephones for a number of weeks now, and it is the primary time in a very long time that I have not felt the necessity to allow the flexibility to see the battery proportion within the standing bar.
In my Pixel 9 hands-on, we talked concerning the new charging speeds for the telephones and even was ready to make use of Google’s new 45W charger. Whereas that charger is nice for topping up the battery rapidly from 0% to about 50% in underneath half-hour, a full cost is not any quicker than the Pixel 8 sequence — and charging the telephone when it is above 50% battery degree leads to a a lot slower cost than you may anticipate.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Cameras
There are some things that I search for in terms of testing out totally different telephone cameras — velocity, a telephoto lens, and the way a photograph appears with out edits. Pace is certainly subjective, but when I try to take an image of my canine earlier than she will get distracted by one thing, that performs a job. So does having the ability to change between the totally different modes without having to do an excessive amount of tinkering.
I really feel like I am within the minority as somebody who would a lot want having a telescope digital camera versus an ultrawide one. However fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL have each, so it is not a priority.
Lastly is velocity. There are occasions once I’ll snap a bunch of RAW pictures to manually edit them later. As a rule, I do not wish to suppose twice about it, and simply need my telephone to take a very good image.
Fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional and XL examine all of those containers. Actually, Google in all probability produces my favourite photos out of any system that I personal or have owned. This consists of the iPhone and Galaxy S24 Extremely.
Picture 1 of 10
Whereas my iPhone continues to be quicker at taking common JPG photos, there’s simply one thing off concerning the shade steadiness of my eyes. I am positive I may treatment this, however once more, it is one thing that I do not wish to have to consider. Pull the telephone out and take an image. With an almost-eight-month-old little boy attempting to run round, velocity and high quality are the secret.
Picture 1 of 3
I’ve come to understand the “circulate” of taking an image to tug it up in Google Images or having it mechanically added to an album. There isn’t any fiddling available until I select to take action. Even then, until I am utilizing Reimagine, enhancing an image takes only a few faucets.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Software program & AI
In the case of the Android software program expertise, I want Samsung’s “kitchen sink” strategy to options. Nonetheless, nothing beats Google’s aesthetics, and it continues to shine with the Pixel 9 sequence.
For essentially the most half, it is the identical expertise you’ll have in case you had been coming from the Pixel 8 Professional. The most important distinction now comes within the type of the varied AI options Google has launched.
However this is the factor — I barely use them and have discovered little cause to. There have been a number of exceptions, corresponding to enjoying round with Reimagine after a visit to the Nintendo Retailer or utilizing Magic Editor to take away issues which can be within the body that I do not wish to be.
I did have slightly little bit of a “gentle bulb” second when utilizing Reimagine. After highlighting every part that I wished to alter, I used to be stopped useless in my tracks. See, I lack the creativity wanted to provide you with a immediate to make use of with Reimagine.
What I do have is Gemini, so I simply requested it to provide you with prompts for me. More often than not, I might simply copy and paste the immediate, ensuing within the photos you see right here.
Picture 1 of 6
However there have been instances when Gemini would attempt to use Imagen to generate an image itself, defeating the aim of utilizing Reimagine. I did discover that both opening a brand new Gemini chat or reusing the preliminary immediate would give me what I used to be in search of.
It is nice having this number of choices to benefit from the fruits of Gemini’s labors. I think it is going to proceed to enhance, particularly contemplating that Google is releasing updates on what seems to be a month-to-month cadence.
What I’ve talked about would not even keep in mind the multimodality performance of Gemini Nano. With the Pixel 9 sequence, Gemini Nano can now acknowledge textual content, voice, and picture enter. That is a part of the explanation why Google elevated the RAM from 12GB to 16GB on the Professional fashions, as about 3GB of that’s reserved for Gemini.
One factor that did come as a little bit of a shock was seeing that Google’s newest gadgets did not truly ship with the newest model of Android. In years previous, a brand new model of Android can be launched, after which new telephones can be launched. This time, Google opted for one thing fully totally different, and I am not precisely positive the way it will play out in the long term.
There’s nothing to fret about when the final replace will arrive, nevertheless it’s nonetheless left me scratching my head. Maybe that is only a “blip” on the radar, as rumors counsel Google may launch Android 16 in Q2 2025, versus Q3 or This autumn. Doing so would be certain that the brand new model of Android is prepared in time for the following crop of Pixel telephones.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: The competitors
Google’s greatest competitors within the U.S. is each Samsung and Apple, and each corporations provide telephones with quicker processors and shows with higher PWM charges. The Galaxy S24 sequence is promised to ship the identical seven years of software program updates because the Pixel 9 sequence, and given the gulf in efficiency between Google and Samsung’s telephones, any Galaxy S24 mannequin will doubtless last more with out feeling sluggish just like the Pixel 9 finally will.
For those who’re in search of a good higher show and loopy quick charging speeds, the OnePlus 12 does all of it whereas costing even lower than a Pixel 9 Professional. OnePlus solely presents 4 years of software program and OS updates, however chances are you’ll not plan to carry on to your telephone for greater than that, so it is in all probability an OK trade-off. There’s additionally the truth that the OnePlus 13 and Galaxy S25 are in all probability only a few months away.
After all, none of those telephones include these nifty Pixel-exclusive options like name screening, VPN, Pixel Studio, and others. Plus, as I’ve coated many instances, Pixels take one of the best pictures of youngsters and pets and now even have nice options like Add Me that provide much more attention-grabbing pictures choices. And, not like Samsung or OnePlus, The Pixel 9 Professional household provides you a alternative of telephone measurement with out shedding options or digital camera prowess.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase it if…
- You might have pets or youngsters that you just take a lot of photos of.
- You’re keen on Google’s intelligent AI options and Pixel exclusives like name screening.
- You wish to hold your telephones for years earlier than updating.
You shouldn’t purchase it if…
- You play a lot of cellular video games.
- You need quicker charging or extra storage at a cheaper price.
- You are delicate to gentle flicker or shows that use low-Hz PWM dimming.
Through the years, Google has found out intelligent methods to distinguish its Pixel line from different telephones in significant methods. Pixel-exclusive options like Name Screening, superior spam detection, and Pixel VPN have been mainstays of the road for years, whereas new Pixel-exclusive options like Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, and digital camera modes like Add Me are positive to make your family and friends jealous.
Nonetheless, there’s an underlying upfront worth downside that continues to develop. Pixel is as soon as once more $100 greater than the earlier yr. Tensor continues to be slower than different competing processors and heats up extra rapidly than these, too. Google hasn’t improved its show dimming charge as different corporations have, and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is problematic for some folks, too.
Fortunately, Pixel 9 offers will typically get you the telephone for subsequent to nothing as Google tries to increase its attain globally and get extra Pixels into extra folks’s fingers. It would not make up for among the different issues the telephone has, nevertheless it’s straightforward to offer Pixel a shot and see if all these superb unique options and apps are extra essential to you than uncooked efficiency or charging velocity. Plus, having the ability to select a measurement with out shedding essential options is lastly a actuality.
Lastly! Get a smaller telephone with out shedding all the good options of the largest fashions. The Pixel 9 Professional features a triple digital camera system on the again with a 5x optical zoom digital camera, Professional-grade software program options, and a daring new design you simply may love.
When solely the largest show will do, the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL is the precise telephone for you. Packing Google smarts and the newest bag of AI tips powered by Gemini, the Pixel 9 Professional XL will get it executed.
