Pixel 9 Professional overview: Smartphone gone smarter

The perfect functions of AI on the Pixel 9 Professional let individuals profit from what massive language fashions (LLMs) are good at — summarization, pure language/multimodal understanding, classification, and so forth. — with out having to enter a immediate. The truth that Google recognized this greatest observe is promising because the underlying {hardware} admirably gives premium {hardware} in a compact kind issue. 

Why an preliminary overview? 9to5Google was granted seven days of early entry to the Pixel 9 Professional forward of immediately’s overview embargo, not practically sufficient time to succeed in a closing verdict, particularly with reference to Tensor G4, battery, and so forth. However with gross sales set to start on August 22, we’re sharing our expertise thus far and can have a full overview within the coming weeks with additional ideas.

Design + {Hardware}

With the Pixel 9 sequence, Google has reset the progress it made on refining the design language that began with Pixel 6.

This comes with ups and downs.

Beginning with dimension, let’s paraphrase a related sentiment: “massive display wins.” That’s what the market has determined, with individuals understandably tempted by wanting massive shows on the system they spend probably the most time on.

However I’m not a fan.

The final time I used an enormous cellphone for a yr was with the Pixel 6 Professional. I regretted that call because it was not probably the most comfy to carry or straightforward to pocket. In the meantime, I personally didn’t really feel like I benefited from the additional actual property. In going again to the Pixel 7 a yr later, I longed for a return to the Pixel 1-4 the place the {hardware} hole between the sizes was extra minimal. 

The 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Professional is larger than the 6.2-inch Pixel 8 I adored for being small. It’s taller (by 2.3 mm), wider (1.2 mm), and heavier (12 g). As such, I can’t name the Pixel 9 Professional a small cellphone. Compact and cozy is probably the most becoming description  (I typed 1 / 4 of this overview on the Pixel 9 Professional whereas strolling outdoor.). 

I’m a guide display brightness person who lives at three increments. It’s 50% when indoors and 1% simply earlier than mattress, whereas it goes to 100% outdoors. When in brilliant daylight, I see no considerable distinction between final yr’s Actua and the Pixel 9 Professional’s Tremendous Actua (on paper, it’s 1,400 vs. 2,000 nits for HDR and a pair of,000 vs. 3,000 nits for peak brightness). 

Pixel 9 Professional vs. Pixel 8

Associated to the show is the cutout for the 42MP front-facing digital camera. It’s clearly not noticeable when the standing bar is black, however in each different colour state of affairs that selfie lens is noticeably greater. The opposite concern is that this cutout is decrease on the display and nearly escapes the standing bar. It’s distracting when YouTube’s Ambient Mode is enabled as a result of there’s barely any clearance. If it’s a lighter background colour, you could be questioning why the video window has this random black circle linked to it. 

However with this long-awaited dimension possibility, Google has additionally taken a step backwards on its distinctive, comfy and rounded design.  It’s a disgrace because the Pixel 8 was one of the vital comfy telephones Google has made, with the Pixel 3 and 4a rounding out my high three.

The flat rails are sufficiently curved as they merge into the flat show and beautiful “silky matte glass” rear panel in order to not minimize into your palm. I nonetheless drastically desire final yr’s really feel, however sharp edges have been my largest concern entering into and it’s not a difficulty. One upside is the way it’s a lot extra steady to carry the cellphone if you’re laying in your aspect due to the flatness. Equally, you may relaxation the Pixel 9 Professional on its lengthy left edge, although I’d be paranoid about it tipping over.

One other constructive with this new form is how the cellphone feels extra like a strong brick with heft. I didn’t have points with the structural integrity of Tensor Pixel telephones that got here earlier than, however they’re akin to slivers of glass, although you may personally get pleasure from that. The rails on the Pixel 9 Professional are the precise reverse of that and supply new rigidity.

I don’t admire the polished body from a fingerprint, visible, or tactile perspective. It doesn’t really feel significantly premium to me. A matte end feels nicer and is extra sensible, with the common Pixel 9 simpler to firmly grip in consequence. That mentioned, the Pixel 9 Professional just isn’t slippery, although I’d principally credit score the smaller dimension for that.

With this rail design, you get an equally flat energy button and quantity rocker. I like this small change for the bigger floor space and stability it gives your fingers, although I might see others not liking the way it’s not elevated sufficient and thus barely tougher to search out. My criticism is that the facility button just isn’t massive sufficient, particularly if Google desires you to press and maintain for Gemini. 

One minor commentary is how the Pixel 9 Professional’s backside floor just isn’t symmetrical. As an alternative of two cutouts, there’s just one for the speaker on the left. The microphone is now a circle to the precise of the USB-C port, with the SIM card tray – which is ever so barely curved on the precise aspect to match the nook radius – taking on the remaining house. Individuals will completely insert an ejection device/paperclip into the mic and I hope that received’t injury something. That being mentioned, I feel we’re nonetheless one or two generations away from going eSIM solely.

This yr’s digital camera bar is tall. Like final yr, that thickness interprets into having the ability to use the sidewalls – that are additionally polished – as a grip in your forefinger in portrait orientation. A much bigger deal, actually, is holding the cellphone in panorama and with the brief aspect in your palm and resting your pinkie, ring, center, and forefinger on the nook of the bar. It’s considerably good for watching movies. 

Lastly, I actually want Google would share the identical enjoyable colours throughout the common and Professional sequence. This yr’s Hazel is one way or the other much more grey than final yr, the place the bottom Pixel 9 will get the entire enjoyable and vibrant colours.

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is far more correct than the optical model, and I’ve had considerably much less unlock failures that require one other faucet. I’d say it’s gone down from a handful of occasions per day on the Pixel 8 to a couple of times on the 9 Professional. Nevertheless, the set-up course of would profit from extra visible or haptic suggestions since there’s not a (blinding) gentle.

Google launched a vapor chamber for the Pixel 9 sequence, however I haven’t seen this cellphone (Tensor G4) carry out any cooler than what got here earlier than. Checking in with the remainder of the crew, they concur Tensor G4 nonetheless runs heat on common, principally unchanged from final yr, but it surely not unexpectedly or additional ramps up the warmth, like when taking part in video games in comparison with final yr’s Pixel 8 and eight Professional.

With 12 GB of RAM (on the Pixel Fold), I undoubtedly benefited from extra apps staying in reminiscence for longer intervals in comparison with 8 GB. The 16 GB on the Pixel 9 Professional continues that, however that addition is for AI and a devoted carve out fairly than something finish customers can actually understand. The legislation of diminishing returns would stop the additional 4GB from being significantly noticeable anyway.

From notifications to attend messages, you’ll discover when one thing is being processed by the on-device fashions. That is simply an commentary and never a criticism, but it surely’s removed from instantaneous, although cloud AI isn’t both. Within the case of Pixel Screenshots, it’s an “Including to Screenshots” progress bar, particularly if you happen to take a number of captures in fast succession. For first-party apps, I feel Android ought to cover it from the person — even when it’s nonetheless happening within the background — for a extra seamless expertise. 

As for battery life, my weekdays often span 16-17 hours with round 5 hours of Pixel 9 Professional display time. The AOD was at all times enabled (no Battery Saver) with a Pixel Watch paired and 2-3 hours of taking part in audio via the Pixel Buds Professional and Beats Tablet.

On a single cost, I’ve ended the day close to 20% ± 5% with the caveat being that this previous week hasn’t seen regular utilization given review-related stress testing. In the direction of the top of my time with the Pixel 8, it’d hover under 20% by the point I am going to mattress. Extra testing is required there.

The Thermometer, which picks up a dwell digital camera view when measuring objects, doesn’t negatively impression the general expertise, so its inclusion stays advantageous. Google deserves some props for being opinionated and sticking with this sensor for an additional era. (The app would profit from a Fast Settings Tile for speedier entry.)

Lastly, on the {hardware}, it might be good if the double-tap gesture on the rear panel would work persistently. I used to be hopeful that the brand new design would contribute to improved accuracy, however nope. The popularity price is south of fifty% for me. 

AI 

I’d roughly classify half the AI options accessible immediately as being pure regurgitators of textual content, pictures, or movies the place the first enter methodology is a immediate. To drastically simplify the panorama, every little thing else is nearer to utilized AI the place you don’t need to click on “summarize,” “generate,” or do the rest earlier than getting the advantages of this new generative expertise.  

My favourite instance of that’s the AI Climate Report in Pixel Climate. Gemini Nano is leveraged to summarize varied knowledge factors right into a easy and actionable sentence that you may broaden for extra particulars (within the type of bullet factors). It saves me from having to scroll via the app with one card conveying every little thing I must know and transfer on. I discover myself unexpectedly ascribing a character to that abstract that I get pleasure from for causes I can’t totally encapsulate.

A much bigger software of what I think about utilized AI is Pixel Screenshots. After Recorder, I feel this is without doubt one of the greatest apps outdoors of Google in recent times. To start with, the underlying premise of a devoted place in your screenshots is a good one even earlier than any of the AI points. It’s so significantly better and sooner to entry than my regular Google Pictures workflow of starring a seize and later discovering it by going to the Favorites album in a special tab, or making a picture be aware in Google Preserve.  

Pixel Screenshots enables you to simply add notes, group into collections, and even assign reminders. Google attaches the web page hyperlink if you screenshot one thing in Chrome for a fast return. This alone is cause sufficient for me to make use of it. 

Then you may have the AI side that summarizes screenshots and makes them searchable. The pure language queries are incredible and speedy. That processing takes a couple of seconds with a notification briefing showing within the shade that I once more assume must be extra hidden. All that is made attainable by Gemini Nano with Multimodality. 

In the meantime, Google positions Gemini Reside as letting you naturally discuss to one thing that’s an professional in each area. 

I do discover the two-way conversational functionality to be extra pure than voice experiences that got here earlier than. You don’t need to contort your self into a selected command model, with naturally queries working greatest. Gemini Reside permits you to interject and ask follow-ups or add info in a really human manner.

The mechanics of Gemini Reside are good and will be clearly utilized to different duties, however I simply don’t see myself utilizing the present performance of a speaking encyclopedia in my life. It appears extra like an academic device than one thing you’d invoke in day-to-day life. The responses are delivered too slowly and nonetheless really feel on the lengthy aspect, regardless that Google labored to make Reside extra concise. I want there was a real-time transcript for sooner digestion, particularly a number of sentences in. As lovely because the Gemini Reside waveform animation is, it doesn’t maintain my consideration and I discover myself exiting the app instantly to make use of it within the background or with the display off.

Reside shall be helpful when it provides assist for Gemini Extensions that allow you to speak about your Gmail, Drive information, and so forth. The flexibility to regulate cellphone performance together with your voice shall be very helpful, and I want Google began there. 

In the meantime, within the Gemini app or floating overlay, the Reside icon seems within the bottom-right nook. There’s additionally nonetheless a microphone on the heart for normal textual content enter. There’s a transparent distinction between speech-to-text and full-featured conversational expertise, but it surely’s getting a tiny bit complicated. 

I’ve set the facility button to activate Gemini after years of utilizing the swipe. I nonetheless desire the underside nook swipe and can in all probability return to that, whereas I mistakenly discover myself urgent the microphone within the search bar on the backside of the Pixel Launcher so usually as of late.

A voice assistant in your cellphone ought to make it easier to use that cell system. The Gemini crew was rightly panned in February for considering model 1.0 of the Gemini app was capable of substitute  Google Assistant on Android in any method. Gemini Reside on the Pixel 9 Professional remains to be not there but. It doesn’t but fulfill the core hands-free management of your cellphone use case, however there’s a path there with Extensions. I see Gemini Reside’s largest development being two-way conversational interactions because the utility of getting a talkative professional just isn’t that useful. Once more, Google has laid the muse for an excellent assistant. It simply wants so as to add the performance.

Exterior of Reside, I feel an excessive amount of AI performance is offloaded to the Gemini app. For instance, summarizing your unread emails must be completed within the Gmail app — although that’s altering — fairly than Gemini. Ditto on webpages and Chrome needing so as to add a abstract functionality. In the meantime, the brand new floating Gemini overlay that doesn’t take you to a fullscreen UI for responses is good and paying homage to 2019’s new Google Assistant. This makes Gemini really feel lighter and higher fitted to fast instructions.

So long as name recording is disclosed and agreed upon, I don’t assume there’s something fallacious with the observe. That mentioned, in the true world, I’m completely asking the particular person I’m speaking with in the event that they’re okay with the decision being recorded earlier than initiating Name Notes. Personally, I don’t assume the automated — “Google Name Notes is on. Your name is being recorded. “ — message that performs is sufficient.

The actual worth of Name Notes — which is formally in “Preview” — is that recording and transcription, which Google says may take a couple of minutes to seem relying on the size of the decision and even system battery degree. The accuracy of the AI summaries are a bit hit and miss for wide-ranging conversations that aren’t topic-based. However once more, what some individuals have lengthy  needed is name recording and transcription that leverages Google’s wonderful speech-to-text accuracy. AI for summaries right here is an ignorable bonus.

As for Pixel Studio, basically, I feel picture era is a slippery slope the place the downsides outweigh the positives. You may completely make it output questionable content material and I don’t assume any quantity of guardrails can cease that. 

That mentioned, my colleague Kyle aptly described Pixel Studio (which has a pleasant icon) as a meme generator for fast enhancing and sharing of current footage. Faucet the button subsequent to “Create” to browse your gallery and skip the principle picture era a part of the app.

Moreover overlaying captions, you may create stickers and choose objects in a scene to maneuver, enlarge, or delete. It’s much like Magic Editor however with much less of a concentrate on constancy. It can save you stickers and add them to different Pixel Studio edits.

As such, this side of PS – I’m positive having the identical initials as Photoshop is unintentional – is one other instance of generative AI with out the prompting. What you find yourself with is a fairly helpful AI-powered editor the place the standard of the edits — shared amongst pals — doesn’t actually matter.

I’ve been glad to make use of Magic Editor (and Eraser) in Google Pictures for deleting objects to make a scene excellent, however this addition of generative AI the place you may drastically alter components of a picture is a step too far. In truth, I not assume it’s a photograph. To me, it borders a rendering.

Moreover, whereas I can admire {that a} prompt-based strategy permits individuals to explain what I need in a pure method, I feel a clean area is a lot extra daunting than a guided UI that has strategies. 

Software program

Android 14 on the Pixel 9 Professional is okay. Operating an August construct, it’s extra polished than what’s working on the bottom Pixel 9 (July, initially). Google has a cross this cycle on not launching with the brand new model of Android because the telephones launched earlier and the division merger occurred in April, but it surely can’t occur once more. 

We miss out on Personal house, however Google did backport some issues from 15 to 14, like the brand new pill-shaped tray for screenshot previews. In separating the oblong preview, Google has added a pleasant glow to suggest Pixel Screenshots. 

General, Android 15 just isn’t an enormous replace – the brand new Materials You quantity panel is nice although – and also you aren’t lacking out a lot, but it surely’s the precept of the matter. It additionally comes down as to whether the Pixel 9 Professional will get seven or eight main Android updates relying on whether or not Android 21 in 2031 is launched earlier than August. 

I’m glad that VPN by Google stays a perk on Pixel telephones as an additional layer of safety that causes no slowdowns.

AI apart, Pixel Climate is a superbly designed expertise that I get pleasure from opening all through the day. The Pixel groups engaged on software program are one of many higher arbiters of Materials You.

Sadly, reviewers received’t have an opportunity to entry Satellite tv for pc SOS till tomorrow’s retail launch. Becoming a member of Automobile Crash Detection, Security Examine, and Emergency SOS, it makes Pixel a Swiss Military Knife for security, and speaks to how there are nonetheless one or two devices that may nonetheless be consolidated right into a cellphone.

Digicam

I’ll by no means hand my cellphone to a stranger for a solo image or a gaggle picture. I’ve suffered via awkwardly stretching out my hand so far as attainable whereas utilizing the rear digital camera (to get the very best high quality) on the expense of not having the ability to body. A lot so, that I had any person ask if I needed them to take the picture. Certain, you may first lock it then relaunch the digital camera by way of a double-tap of the facility button, however what if you happen to neglect? The perfect observe is to only by no means do this.

In that sense, Add Me is an ideal function for me. I do have qualms about that mixed scene not really current, however I’ll take the simulacrum of that group second over handing over my cellphone, a possession so important to day by day life, to an entire stranger.  

Moreover the small cowl display, my favourite a part of utilizing the Pixel Fold this previous yr has been the telephoto lens. In my life, having the ability to zoom in from afar is a lot extra highly effective than an ultra-wide angle lens, with the common extensive one adequate.

Having a zoom lens on a compact system has been incredible: 

Pixel 9 Professional: .5, 1x, 2x, 5x, 30x

Pixel 8: .5, 1x, 2x, 8x

Pixel 8 vs. Pixel 9 Professional

Pixel 9 Professional 5x vs. 30x

Additionally of be aware is having a brand new devoted Night time Sight video mode in Pixel Digicam.

My colleague Jordan Floyd has extra on the Pixel 9 Professional digital camera in his video. However in abstract, we’ve seen the Pixel 9 Professional being just a little bit much less vibrant, so there look like modifications in colour copy. Shadows are additionally a bit extra detailed for dynamic vary enhancements, whereas the brand new 48 MP ultra-wide is cooler. In Night time Sight, spotlight management is marginally higher as seen with much less pronounced lens flare on the street lights. In all, the Pixel 9 Professional doesn’t supply any earth-shattering digital camera enhancements, merely extra tuning, minor enhancements, and just a little further Google tweaking.”

Keep tuned for our Pixel 9 Professional XL that goes extra in-depth on the modifications.

Conclusion

If you would like a “premium” cellphone in a compact bundle, Google answered that decision with the Pixel 9 Professional. This contemporary day “small” cellphone is 90% of what I need, and it’s comfy sufficient size-wise that it doesn’t really feel like settling. If you would like the corporate to make extra, I don’t assume you’ll have any regrets shopping for this one to sign market demand.

As a lot as I like final yr’s feel and look, this new design language contributes to the Pixel 9 Professional feeling like a considerably totally different cellphone than what Google has made previously. If you would like a change, I feel it’s a simple improve given the telephoto lens and AI options, particularly in case you have any non-Professional Pixel.

Pixel Screenshots is so promising as a productiveness, if not life group, device that I feel it must be “Google Screenshots” for each single Android system to function a aggressive benefit towards the iPhone. As for Gemini Reside, Extensions assist can’t come quickly sufficient. General, if that is what software program seems to be like now that Gemini and its underlying fashions are totally accessible to the {hardware} crew, I feel Google will do an excellent job at thoughtfully integrating AI into the Pixel with the aim of creating the smartphone smarter.

The Pixel 9 Professional shall be accessible on September 4: