Google Pixel 9 Pro review – the smaller Pro phone you’ve been hoping for
Google Pixel 9 Pro: One-minute review
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is the phone I’ve been asking for… I just forgot to ask Google. With the new Pixel 9 Pro, Google is the only company offering all of its best features on a smaller phone. You can buy an iPhone 15 Pro or Galaxy S24, but if you want the best you need to pay more and accept the biggest phones Apple and Samsung make. Not so with Google’s latest Pro Pixel.
I’m a big fan of great camera phones, but all the great camera phones are really big. If you want the best iPhone or Galaxy camera, you have to buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max or a Galaxy S24 Ultra. Anything less would be a compromise. You get a less powerful zoom lens if you choose the iPhone 15 Pro. You get less powerful everything if you choose a cheaper Galaxy.
The Pixel 9 Pro has the exact same camera specs as the Pixel 9 Pro XL. There are no changes and no compromises. It’s silly that this is a big deal, but as phones grew larger over the years, phone makers gave up on making the smaller phones just as capable as the larger phones. With the Pixel 9 Pro you get the exact same sensors with the same megapixels, and the same lenses with the same aperture, including the 5x telephoto camera.
What do you forego if you pick the smaller Pixel 9 Pro over the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL? There’s the screen size, obviously. The Pixel 9 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, versus the 6.8-inch display on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google didn’t just expand the same resolution on the larger phone, either – the Pro XL phone has a higher resolution, although it’s a tiny bit less sharp in terms of pixel density. Like the Pro XL, the Pixel 9 Pro is incredibly bright, with average brightness around 2,000 nits and peak possibility of up to 3,000 nits. That’s enough to take photos in bright sunlight, and maybe even hurt your eyes if you stare closely for too long.
I’ll need to spend time with the cameras to see if they truly offer an improvement over last year's Pro, but the Pixel 9 Pro will likely attract attention more for its AI capabilities than for its photo prowess. Even the cameras and photo-editing tools have been boosted by the latest Google Gemini AI, and the most exciting new Gemini AI feature is a Pixel 9 Pro exclusive – it won’t be available on the Pixel 9.
That feature is Gemini Live, the new conversational tool that Google is offering with Google Gemini. You’ll be able to talk to Google Gemini in a more natural way, and Google is staring down ChatGPT by making a chat-friendly AI tool that runs natively on a mobile phone.
Google Gemini is going to understand and interact with us in many new ways once the Pixel 9 Pro arrives. It will be a multimodal AI, which means it'll be able to look at photos or listen to audio and answer questions about what it sees and hears. Google says you’ll be able to take a photo of the plant that’s dying on your window sill and ask for advice on how to save it.
Gemini will also be able to listen to your phone calls. It won’t just listen, it will take notes and send you a summary of the call after you hang up. Google says this feature will alert both parties that the call is being summarized by AI. I’ve seen that similar features are coming soon from Apple and Motorola, so it seems that an AI will soon be monitoring phone calls no matter what phone brand you choose. That’s kind of alarming.
The Pixel 9 Pro will get seven years of Android OS updates, including Pixel feature drops and security patches. If you plan on holding onto your phone for that long, I’d suggest looking at the Pixel 9 Pro over the Pixel 9, which gets the same seven-year promise – the slight hardware upgrade may be important over the long term.
The Pixel 9 Pro comes with 16GB of RAM inside, compared to 12GB in the Pixel 9. Those are massive amounts of memory for a mobile device, no matter which Pixel you choose. Samsung’s most powerful phone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, only has 12GB of RAM, and you’d need to buy a gaming phone like an Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro to get 16GB or more (up to 24GB in the Asus phone) before the Pixel 9 Pro comes along.
My guess is that all that RAM isn’t for today – it’s for what’s to come. I’ve been very skeptical that today’s Pixel phones, like the Pixel 8, will really last through the seven years of updates that Google is promising. Google can’t make a processor that is future-proof, but adding more RAM that is needed at launch is a way to make sure that the phone will have spare headroom for whatever AI vehicles get parked in the Pixel garage.
With all that in mind, the Pixel 9 Pro is the most exciting Pixel phone I’ve seen in years, and I haven’t even mentioned the new design (and check out my Pixel 9 Pro XL hands-on for more on the new look). It’s a pleasantly smaller phone that doesn’t skimp on features like every other smaller phone. It’s got exciting camera features and AI tools today, with more on the way, and the right hardware to stay up to date when the future arrives.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Price and availability
- Costs $999 / £999 with 128GB of storage
- Preorders are open now
- Available on September 4, after the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL
You can pre-order the Pixel 9 Pro today, but the phone won’t be available until after the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL have hit store shelves. The latter two phones will be available on August 22, but the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can’t be yours until September 4.
The Pixel 9 Pro costs $999 / £999, and comes with only 128GB of storage for that price, which is shameful. You can upgrade the storage up to 1TB, and surely Google and others will have periodic deals that give you more storage for the same price. Every model comes with 16GB of RAM.
You can buy the Pixel 9 Pro in black Obsidian, off-white Porcelain, gray Hazel and pink Rose Quartz. The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes in the exact same color options.
If you’re considering a pre-order, you should know that Google Pixel phones tend to go on sale early and often. For instance, the Pixel 8 Pro was launched in mid-October, 2024, for $999 and by the middle of November it was already on sale with a $200 discount on Amazon in the US. It’s probably been discounted more than half of the year it has been on sale, and the lowest price has been almost 30% off the launch price.
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Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Specs
How does the Pixel 9 stack up against competitors? The best comparison is the Samsung Galaxy S24, launched at the beginning of this year. Samsung is using the fastest processor on any Android phone, so there’s no contest with raw processing power. On other specs, however, the Pixel 9 is very impressive.
The Pixel 9 has a better display than Samsung’s Galaxy S24, according to DXO Labs and Google. It’s brighter, with a higher resolution. The Pixel 9 may also have better cameras. The Ultrawide camera specs are the same on both phones, but the Pixel 9 has a larger sensor for its main camera, with a wider aperture lens that should bring more light to the sensor. We’ll have to test the phone thoroughly to be sure.
The Pixel 9 has faster charging than the Galaxy S24, according to Google, but we’ll have to test those claims in Future Labs. The battery size is the same, but the Pixel 9 charges at 45W, while the Galaxy S24 charges at 25W. To Samsung’s credit, the Galaxy S24 is a thinner and lighter phone than the Pixel 9. Both phones use Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the front glass, and both phones are rated to IP68 water and dust resistance.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Design and display
- Super-bright display is also razor sharp
- Cool new design evolves the camera bar
Google is not messing around when it comes to the Pixel 9 Pro display. If you’re wondering how the Pixel is better than other Pro phones from Apple and Samsung, this is it. Google is winning on smartphone screens. The so-called Super Actua display on the Pixel 9 Pro is brighter than competing phones from Apple and Samsung, and it has a higher resolution as well. It looks fantastic, and it’s easy to read under any lighting conditions.
If you’re deciding between the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, the 9 Pro doesn’t have as many pixels overall, but it packs those pixels tighter for a higher pixel density, making it slightly more sharp. Both Pro Pixel models have a display that's more pixel dense than any iPhone available now.
I wasn’t sure about the Pixel 9 Pro design after seeing the leaks, then the early preview images from Google. I’ve been a fan of the Pixel camera bar since the Pixel 6 launched. I especially liked the multicolor design of the Pixel 6a, but Google has been mostly monochromatic recently. That’s fine, because the Pixel 9 Pro looks fantastic, and it comes in some very snazzy colors that are unique but not too loud.
The Hazel grey has been growing on me ever since I laid eyes on it. It’s a very pleasant shade, more like wet granite than dark clouds. The porcelain is a nice alternative to a stark white model, and the Rose Quartz is a pleasant shade of blossom pink, more mature than the Peony pink available on the Pixel 9. If you’re boring you can also get the Pixel 9 Pro in black Obsidian.
Google chooses excellent materials and finish options to complement the colors. The matte glass back has depth to it, especially on the porcelain and hazel devices. The polished metal frame is more refined than the satin finish on the Pixel 9; it catches the light and sparkles.
I even like the camera bar, possibly because of how dated it’s going to look in a few years. It’s unique and very à la mode, with bold, almost cartoonish lines and curves. I like the look, and I’m curious to see how it evolves over the next few generations.
I hope it doesn’t become a boring old bump like every other phone. Like the camera bar of old, the new camera pill shape remains symmetrical and clean, and the phone didn’t rock when I placed it face up, like some Samsung phones do with their corner-situated camera bumps.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Software
- Lot of AI features will get to know you
- Screenshots sounds useful, but will take some adjustment
Do you like AI? I hope you do, because the Pixel 9 Pro is going to push AI to a level we haven’t seen before in a smartphone. You’re going to talk to the Gemini AI on the Pixel 9 Pro like it’s a person. You’ll be able to show it things with the camera and ask questions about what you see. It’s going to organize and keep track of the things on your phone, and it will be able to answer questions in a normal, conversational style.
At least, that’s what Google promises. Some of it is very cool and immediately useful, like the Add Me feature in the camera. I’ll get to that next, but it works well and I can imagine using it; I just wish it had been around 10 years ago when I was chasing my toddler with a camera.
Some of the new AI features are a bit worrisome, though. You can ask the AI to listen to your phone calls and take notes. It will summarize calls and answer questions about what was said. Google says that your callers will get a warning when you use this feature, but it still feels strange to have the phone listening to calls and keeping track. I’ll need to test this feature thoroughly.
There's also a new Screenshots app that's exclusive to the Pixel 9 range, at least for now. If you take a lot of screenshots to help you remember, well, everything, the Pixel 9 Pro will be able to use its AI powers to read and understand your screenshots. It will be able to answer questions about the things you've saved, in a natural, conversational way, according to Google.
It’s hard for me to imagine how useful this might be, but I have to admit that after I spent time with the Pixel 9 Pro, I took a look at my other phones and realized I have far more screenshots than I ever imagined – and not all of them were taken just because I accidentally pressed the power and volume buttons at the same time.
If you buy the Pixel 9 Pro, Google will give you a year of its Google One AI Premium plan, which comes with 2TB of cloud storage. With the Premium plan, you can use Google Gemini Advanced, which is the, um, advanced model of Gemini. I’ve been a subscriber since it launched, so I can’t compare Gemini Advanced to the regular old Gemini, but I’m happy with the results I’ve been getting so far.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Cameras
- Same 5x zoom lens as the Pixel 9 Pro XL
- AI offers Improvements to video zoom and night video
Apple take note: you don’t need to make the 5x zoom lens exclusive to the big phone. Some people want a smaller phone, and those people shouldn’t have to sacrifice camera quality or capabilities. It’s strange that both Samsung and Apple, to varying degrees, make you settle for second-best cameras if you want their smaller phone, but the Pixel 9 Pro does not have the same constraint. Whether you buy the Pro of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, you get the exact same cameras, including the 5x zoom lens.
When I say the exact same cameras, I mean it. The sensors and lenses are the same. There isn’t some special image stabilization that you only get on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, as there is with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s all the same. In fact, the main camera and ultra-wide cameras are the same kit found on the Pixel 9, but that cheaper phone doesn’t have a zoom lens. If you’re serious about taking photos, you need the zoom.
The new Add Me feature on the camera seems genuinely useful, though I am a bit hesitant. The TechRadar team gave it a try in our hands-on time with the Pixel phones, and it did a great job adding our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff to a photo after I’d left him out. It was easy to line up the shot and tell Lance where to stand, and the end results were flawless.
Is that a good thing, that the Pixel 9 Pro can create a flawless image of a group photo that never happened? I haven’t decided, but I can easily imagine this feature catching on, especially with new parents.
The Pixel 9 Pro also gets new video capabilities, thanks to Google’s AI enhancements. The camera can already use AI for what Google calls a 'Super Res Zoom' photo that can zoom in up to 30x. Now the video camera can also use 'Super Res Zoom' for up to 20x zoom on video recordings.
If you’re recording at night, Google’s Video Boost feature has been improved to process dark videos twice as fast, once the video has been uploaded. Also, Google has improved low-light handling for panorama shots, and it says the Pixel 9 Pro can create the best panoramas in low light of any camera.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: Performance and battery
- Tons of RAM should help with AI features today and to come
- Fastest battery charging on a Pixel, but no charger in the box
Pixel fans don’t fret about performance and benchmarks, because Pixel phones aren’t built for power, they're built for Google. You won’t win benchmark weightlifting competitions with the Pixel 9 Pro, but Google has given the phone some interesting hardware to keep it current with the latest Android software and Pixel feature drops for the next seven years.
The Pixel 9 Pro has 16GB of RAM, which is truly mind-blowing in a mobile device. My first laptop had only… never mind, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just say that 16GB is more than any other phone most people have heard of. You’d need to buy an Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro gaming phone and spend extra on RAM to top the Pixel 9 Pro.
Why so much RAM? Probably AI. Across the board, on laptops and mobile phones, our testing has shown that RAM makes a big difference with AI features. Is it more important than having the fastest Snapdragon processor? Time will tell, but if I buy a Pixel hoping to make it to the end of the seven-year promise, I want that Pixel to be stuffed with RAM.
The Pixel 9 Pro should charge faster than any previous Pixel, according to Google, but that claim isn’t very impressive. You’ll need to buy a 45W charger to get the full charging speed, and it’s worth the investment. Google should have included one with this Pro phone, since presumably most buyers won’t already have a charger this fast.
Oddly, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a larger battery, but it also charges faster, according to Google’s charging-time estimates. It has the same 45W charging capability, but Google says it charges faster. When you ask Google about the spec differences between the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, it tells you the only differences are the screen and the ‘power,’ which seems to mean more than just battery size. We’ll have to test these claims to see what’s really happening.
Google Pixel 9 Pro hands-on: The bottom line
The Pixel 9 Pro is an exciting phone, and I hope Apple and Samsung pay attention. It’s a smaller phone that doesn’t skimp on performance or memory, and especially not on cameras. If you’ve been pining for a smaller phone that doesn’t make you feel left out, the Pixel 9 Pro is worth a look.
Is it better than other phones at this price? I’ll need to test the phone thoroughly, but it seems promising. The display alone is a winning feature, and it’s a wonder that Google hasn’t earned a stronger reputation for its spectacular Super Actua screens.
With cameras, however, everybody knows Google Pixel phones are among the best, and the Pixel 9 Pro is the most promising camera system yet on a Pixel phone. I like the new AI features, even if I’m nervous about relying on AI to change images. I’m very interested to see how the AI improves photography as I’m shooting, especially the low-light improvements to video shooting and panoramas.
The Pixel 9 Pro is going to require a lot of trust. I’m going to turn over my screenshots, all of those dozens of random, unsorted images, and let the AI read everything. I’m going to let it listen to my phone calls, and I’m going to rely on its interpretation of what was said. I’m going to have conversations with this phone like a normal person. I just hope it acts normal. I’m not sure I’m ready for my phone to be this much of a person.
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First hands-on August 2024
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