Beyond a considerable push intoAI with the Pixel 9 Pro series, Google is introducing a larger 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL for the first time. If you’re a fan of largerphones, this is the year you’ve been waiting for.
However, other than the bigger screen size and a floating oval island camera bump, Google’s high-end Pixel 9 Pro series offers little else new. Following a brief hands-on with the Pixel 9 Pro line at a recent preview event, I walked away with an overall positive impression of the phone, despite it not offering many notable upgrades over its predecessor.
It’s a year of refinement for Google, and that’s okay.
Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro brings a new squared-off design, the Tensor G4 chip, and new AI features like Pixel Screenshots to Google’s flagship smartphone line. It’s available starting September 4th.
Pixel 9 Pro XL
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is Google’s first pass at an iPhone 15 Pro Max-style giant smartphone, with a Tensor G4 and new AI features like Pixel Screenshots. It’s available on August 22nd.
How we test and review products at Pocket-lint
We don’t do arm-chair research. We buy and test our own products, and we only publish buyer’s guides with products we’ve actually reviewed.
An iPhone 15 Pro-like design
A curved, yet boxy aesthetic
The first thing I noticed about the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the inclusion of a redesigned rear camera bump. Instead of the visor-like platform we’ve seen for the last few years, the Pixel 9 Pro’s camera bump is an oval floating island. At first, I wasn’t a big fan of the camera array because it looks like someone sort of just dropped it on the back of the phone, but it started to quickly grow on me. It helps the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL stand out in an industry full of identical-looking slab-like phones. I also found myself enjoying running my fingers across its stark edges.
The first thing I noticed about the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the inclusion of a redesigned rear camera bump.
Other notable design cues include the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s matte rear, which feels high-end and repels grease and smudges, and squared-off, iPhone 15-like sides that make the phone easy to hold. Unfortunately, the sides are glossy and a throwback to 2018-era smartphone design. This means that they look like a bit of a mess, even after holding the device briefly. Why Google made the rear of the phone matte but not its sides is a confusing decision.
While the larger 6.8-inch Pixel 9 XL isn’t for me, it makes sense for Google to offer a bigger version of its flagship device given most people prefer larger smartphones. For me, the 6.2-inch Pixel 9 Pro feels perfect in my hand, while the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL feels a little unwieldy. It’s worth noting that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 XL are identical beyond the size difference.
Minor spec upgrades
It’s a year of iteration for Google
Diving into specs, the Pixel 9 Pro and the 9 Pro XL feature Google’s Tensor G4 chip, coupled with 16GB of RAM, and between 128GB and 1TB of storage. While the Tensor G4 is a jump above the G3, the power increase isn’t that substantial (I’m looking forward to running benchmarks and testing it for myself). Battery size comes in at 5,060mAh and 4,700mAh, respectively.
On the screen front, the 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Pro features a great-looking Super Actua display with a 1,280 x 2,856 pixel resolution LTPO OLED. The panel features a 1Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate and offers up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s solid 6.8-inch Super Actua display features a 1,344 x 2,992 pixel resolution LTPO OLED screen. Beyond the size difference, the 9 Pro XL offers the same specs as its smaller counterpart.
While I didn’t spend much time with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, my initial impression is that they look great and are on par with last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. Smartphone displays have come a long way over the last few years, and if you’re buying a high-end device, there’s a good chance it will feature a stunning display.
On the photography front, the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL both sport 42-megapixel front-facing cameras, up from 10.5-megapixels on the Pixel 8 Pro. In practice, the new phones should produce more detailed selfies. The rear cameras remain mostly identical. As before, you get 50-megapixel wide, 48-megapixel ultrawide, and 48-megapixel telephoto cameras. However, the ultrawide features a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture lens and should, as a result, offer slightly improved low-light performance over the Pixel 8 Pro for ultrawide shots. I played around with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL’s cameras, but I didn’t really get the chance to properly test them out. At the outset, though, they seem solid.
…if you already own a Pixel 8 Pro, there might not be enough new here to warrant an upgrade.
Like with the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google is touting the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s AI power. I didn’t get to test these features myself during the preview event, but I’m particularly interested in trying the Gemini-powered “Reimagine,” which lets you add and remove objects from an image just by circling them (I watched a brief demonstration, and it looked like it worked surprisingly well). It seems like a simplified version ofPhotoshop’s generative AI features, and I’m curious how well they’ll actually work. This year’s marquee AI-powered feature is ‘Add Me,’ which allows you to shoot an image of your friends and snap another one with you in it. AI then blends the two images. Do I think this feature will work well? No, not really, but it’s cool to see Google experimenting with AI photography in a unique way.
While I need to spend more time with both devices, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL seem like solid updates to last year’s generally solid Pixel 8 Pro, and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on review devices. That said, if you already own a Pixel 8 Pro, there might not be enough new here to warrant an upgrade.
Both the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are available to pre-order now in obsidian, porcelain, hazel, and rose quartz,starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively. At its Made By Google keynote, Google also revealed thePixel 9,Pixel 9 Pro Fold,Pixel Buds Pro 2, and more.
