Pixel 9 Pro & 9 Pro XL: Pixel line reaches adulthood

Google has been showing teasers of its new Pixel 9 series for a few months, and I’ve been excited ever since. At a briefing ahead of the Made by Google event in Toronto, I got to go hands-on with the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, I won’t be writing about the lesser of the Pixel series and will leave all of that for the base Pixel expert, Jon Lamont.

I spent most of my time playing around with the new pro models, which Google has made three of this year instead of only one. The Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL offer the best and can even go head to head with Samsung’s Ultra handsets and the iPhone Pro devices — at least based on first impressions.

If you want to learn more about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, check it out here. I have a lot of positive things to say about Google’s new foldable, but keep reading for all the P9 Pro fanboying. While the most prominent Android manufacturer in the world, Samsung, has made minor design changes with all of its flagships over the last few years, Google continues to refine the Pixel line, making this one its best yet. Looking and holding the Pixel 9 Pro duo, you can see refinements, and with upcoming features to the Pixel line, the 9 Pro might be the most AI-ready device coming to the market.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

The Pixel 9 Pro duo look nearly identical except for the size difference between the two devices. The base 9 Pro sports a 6.3-inch display, while the larger model sports a 6.8-inch screen. Both offer Google’s Smooth Display technology that can dip as low as 1Hz up to 120Hz, with an FHD+ pixel resolution.

The Pixel 9 Pro also measures 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5mm, and the 9 Pro XL measures 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm. The XL is heavier as well, weighing 221g versus the base 9 Pro, which weighs only 1g more than the Pixel 9, which weighs 199g. Lastly, the 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery that I can’t wait to put through its paces, and the 9 Pro offers a 4,700mAh power cell.

Google has also shifted the handset’s design to include rounded corners, flat sides, and a new oval-shaped camera bump that’s flatter than the Pixel 7/8 visor. With its flat sides, the phone feels great, well-built, and solid. I’ll probably focus on the 9 Pro XL because that’s the device I’m most interested in, considering I typically use larger display handsets. It’s easier to compare with the Pixel 8 Pro since they’re about the same size.

The 9 Pro XL feels better than its predecessor; with its flat sides, it’s easier to hold, and though it’s slightly heavier, the added weight isn’t too noticeable, but it feels incredibly solid. The device weighs the same as the iPhone 15 Pro, but I liked how it felt more. Despite not being a big fan of glossy sides, they felt nice, but I’m sure I’ll be frustrated with the gloss over time because of fingerprints. Luckily, only the sides are glossy, as the 9 Pro XL sports a matte back. It’s probably a little weird to go on about this, but I really liked holding the phone; I kept picking it up just to have it because of how premium it felt.

The handset comes in Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain. I thought the Rose Quartz was nice, but the Hazel was definitely my favourite colour option. I love that the phone looks green from some angles and gray from others.

I also thought I’d be annoyed with the new camera bump, but it’s pretty nice. Like the Pixel 8 series, the visor won’t make typing annoying because it goes across the width of the device, helping keep it stable when lying on a desk.

Speaking of typing, the haptics on the device feel so satisfying. Google knows what it’s doing in this department because the Pixel 8 Pro’s haptics were also great, but the 9 Pro is perfect.

I can’t wait to try

Unfortunately, there’s so much more I need to test with the Pixel 9 Pro. I’ll have the Pixel 9 Pro XL to review, and I’ll have to test that 5,060mAh battery. The Pixel 9 Pro was also upgraded to 16GB of RAM instead of 12GB, and the handset also has the new Tensor G4 processor. The Tensor chips usually feel inferior to the latest Snapdragon, so I’m hoping for more competition from Google this year.

Google also worked on the Pixel 9 Pro’s camera experience. While the primary and telephoto are the same as last year, the ultrawide now offers a larger image sensor that can capture more light. The Pixel 9 Pro series also comes with a brand-new 42-megapixel selfie camera, which should really push the Pixel’s already great selfie game. Google also worked on its ‘Real Tone,’ a feature that provides a real colour tone match for those with darker skin.

A couple of new camera features are coming to the Pixel 9 Pro, including ‘Add Me,’ which lets users swap photographers so no one is missing from a picture. I can see the use case around this, but I also feel like I’ll probably take a selfie if I’m in this situation. But let’s see if I end up using it. Google’s telephoto camera may still only offer 5x optical zoom, but the company is now using AI to push the limits of its capabilities.

AI phone?

Google is really pushing AI this year with Gemini and all its capabilities. One that seems particularly interesting is the new Screenshots app. Whenever you take a screenshot, your phone will store it in the Screenshots app. Head over there to recall the screenshot using natural language. For instance, if you screenshot a cornbread recipe, in the Screenshot app search bar, you can just type in cornbread recipe if you’re trying to remember the recipe. I take many screenshots when remembering a phone number or a funny meme, so I plan on trying this out.

Notably, the Screenshots app sounds a lot like Microsoft’s much-maligned Recall feature, though because it works based on user-generated screenshots, it seems like less of a privacy concern than Recall was. A key difference between the two is that Recall constantly captures screenshots on users’ PCs, which means it can potentially capture sensitive information.

Gemini Live is also coming to the Pixel 9 series. It will offer a mobile conversation experience, letting users chat with Gemini, ask it questions, brainstorm ideas, and more. I’m excited to try this out by brainstorming book ideas.

I look forward to trying out the Pixel 9 Pro’s inclusion of Gemini Live, Screenshots, and many other AI features.

POTY Candidate

The Pixel 9 Pro duo is poised to offer high-level specs, a great camera system, AI functionalities, a solid build, and so much more. This phone may top the iPhone 16 Pro and the S24 Ultra that came out earlier this year. I’ll need to look out for some things, such as how the Tensor G4 can handle all these AI tasks, the connectivity issues that consistently plague Pixel phones, and how the Adaptive Battery will learn my schedule over time.

Despite these possible issues, the Pixel 9 Pro series is definitely a contender for being some of the best smartphones this year, and I’m looking forward to really putting the Tensor G4 and the phone itself through its paces. It seems like Google’s Pixel line has finally reached adulthood and I’m ready for it.

You can read all the news about today’s Google event by following this link.