On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL would possibly solely differ by way of show dimension and battery, however the true distinction lies in on a regular basis use. One is compact to slot in the smallest pockets and handy to make use of with one hand, whereas the opposite is large at 6.8 inches. This yr, Google added one cellphone to its Pixel lineup, which is the Pixel 9 Pro, which we’ll evaluate right here. Much like how Apple introduced all of the bells and whistles from its Pro Max mannequin to Pro this yr, Google additionally tries to suit all of the firepower within the compact physique of the Pixel 9 Pro. So, who ought to precisely purchase this one or contemplate an alternate flagship? I attempt to reply this in my evaluate.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Design: Compact kind wins
- Dimensions – 152.8mm x 72mm x 8.5mm
- Weight – 199 grams
- Durability – IP68 mud and water resistance
The Pixel 9 sequence lastly ditches the bar-style rear again that housed the digicam in a means that was beloved and hated by some. The excellent news is that there is a new island placement on the rear for cameras, and it appears to be like mature. It is straightforward on the eyes and makes the brand new Pixels shine in a crowded market with no distinct design besides the iPhones.
The Pixel 9 Pro is available in 4 color selections
I just like the matte again panel and shiny body end on the Pixel 9 Pro. Thanks to the matte therapy, the again is not a fingerprint magnet; nevertheless, it’s a slippery cellphone. I by accident dropped it twice throughout this evaluate, however fortunately, the 9 Pro survived each drops with out scratches. Unlike the iPhone 16 Plus (Review), the Google Pixel 9 Pro would not wobble on a flat floor primarily as a result of the centre-aligned island on the again retains it even.
The Pixel 9 Pro packs a 4700mAh battery
Over the years, the Pixels have developed their design language, and the brand new 9 sequence in some way maintains that in a great way. The polished end steel body feels strong within the hand, and Google has added further safety by utilizing Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on each back and front panels.
At underneath 200 grams, the Pixel 9 Pro is a useful cellphone with an excellent weight distribution. The 8.5mm thickness can also be respectable. There’s IP68 mud and water resistance on board for peace of thoughts.
It weighs 199 grams
The Pixel 9 Pro beats the 9 Pro XL in comfort. The compact kind issue is straightforward to make use of and one thing that is simpler to stay with each day. I might decide this over most massive telephones due to the one-hand utilization as effectively, and it nails the fundamentals fairly comfortably—the benefit of checking notifications, typing, dialling numbers, and doing all the pieces with only one hand. Everything else in design is minimalistic, which is able to develop on you.
In phrases of colors, Google has all the time provided totally different shades, and this yr, the lineup is attention-grabbing. The Pixel 9 Pro is on the market in Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain – the one I acquired for the evaluate. Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro seems like a strong gadget and a premium one, too.
The Pixel 9 is a compact gadget that is handy to make use of with only one hand
Google Pixel 9 Pro Display: Flagship-grade
- Display – 6.3-inch, 1280×2856 pixels, 1Hz – 120Hz
- Display Type – Flat, LTPO, OLED
- Display safety – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (entrance and rear panels)
The smartphone has a wonderful show providing crisp, correct and pure colors. The Pixel 9 Pro, in comparison with the Pixel 8, packs an even bigger show – 6.3 vs 6.2 inches. The bezels across the show additionally appear slim, and the claimed screen-to-body ratio stands at 87 %. I appreciated the general color rendering, and you’ll love watching HDR movies on the show. With a peak brightness of 3000nits, the Pixel 9 Pro is brilliant outside, and daylight legibility isn’t an issue.
The cellphone provides a peak brightness of 3000nits
Thanks to the compact dimension, the Pixel 9 Pro is one among my most popular units for multimedia utilization and provides an honest 495PPI pixel density. With Widevine L1 certification, Pixel 9 Pro streamed Full-HD decision Netflix exhibits on demand. This yr, Google has shifted to an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is fast and nearly flawless for on a regular basis use. The punch gap for selfies is nearly non-distracting whereas watching movies or enjoying video games.
The bezels across the show are narrower in comparison with the Pixel 8 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro Performance: Hits and misses
- Google Tensor G4
- Titan M2 safety coprocessor
- 16GB RAM and 256GB storage
In phrases of uncooked efficiency, the Pixel 9 Pro would not provide the best possible, and also you guessed it proper, it will not beat telephones in the identical worth bracket. Google Tensor G4 is sweet for searching, multitasking, and working Google’s suite of AI apps. However, in the case of gaming and even graphic-intensive picture or video modifying, the Pixel 9 Pro disappoints. But I’m not stunned, because the Pixels have by no means been marketed as gaming or performance-driven units. During my evaluate, the Tensor G4 dealt with mild picture modifying and will run AI options with out stutters. The Pixel 9 Pro would not get sizzling throughout intensive duties because of wonderful warmth optimisations. Like throughout our artificial benchmark assessments, the Pixel 9 Pro dealt with assessments effectively and under are the outcomes to your reference.
| Benchmarks | Google Pixel 9 Pro | Google Pixel 8 Pro | Google Pixel 9 Pro XL |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 12,25,583 | 10,38,343 | 10,67,971 |
| PCMark Work 2.0 | 13,800 | 11,805 | 12,922 |
| Geekbench V6 Single-Core | 1,872 | 1,629 | 1,944 |
| Geekbench V6 Multi-Core | 4,227 | 3,274 | 4,667 |
| GFXB T-rex | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 107 | 85 | 105 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 62 | 48 | 54 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Failed to Run |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Failed to Run |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | 8,186 | 8,902 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 2,615 | 8,574 | 9,294 |
The pure Android expertise is one more reason many favor Pixels over different Android units. The Pixel 9 Pro runs Android 14 out-of-the-box and comes with Gemini (which I’ll speak about in a bit). Lately, Google has been pushing its AI prowess underneath the title Gemini, and it looks as if an even bigger push than what we have now seen in all these years. It is larger than how Google pushed Search, however I’m not stunned. AI is the subsequent massive factor for smartphones and empowers customers to do rather more in much less time. As anticipated, the software program expertise is fluid, and the Pixel UI is clear of bloatware, Pixel’s greatest benefit over rivals.
Google Tensor G4 powers the Pixel 9 Pro
While reviewing, I downloaded the Android 15 replace, which was principally just like Android 14, with some added options, like Theft Detection Lock and Private Space. Among all new options, the App Archiving must be my Android 15 decide, a characteristic introduced final yr by Google that’s solely making its means as a system-wide choice with the newest replace. The characteristic lets customers save storage on an app that is used not often.
Thanks to the shape issue, the Pixel 9 Pro is my go-to gadget for shortly typing emails and has one of many respectable haptic motors for typing suggestions. The loudspeaker is a loud one and is great for a mid-size room. As talked about above, the Pixel 9 Pro was my gadget decide for many of my multimedia wants, because of the show high quality and speaker output. The 9 Pro can connect with cellular networks in areas like a basement the place different telephones battle to be linked to a community. The name high quality is respectable on the gadget, and we had no issues with 5G on each Airtel and Jio networks.
It includes a 42-megapixel selfie digicam
Google Pixel 9 Pro AI
2024 has been the yr of AI push for smartphone producers, so why ought to Google maintain again? The Pixel 9 sequence comes with a bunch of AI options. The first is the Gemini assistant, which makes use of multimodal fashions with which customers can work together by way of voice, textual content, or photos. The firm added an all-new Add Me characteristic to the digicam, which is able to by no means allow you to miss out on group photographs with the assistance of AI. The Super Res Zoom, a characteristic that has been a part of Pixels ever since Pixel 3, has been improved and provides high-quality zoom as much as 20x. Pixel 9 sequence will get the all-new Pixel Studio, a picture generator app powered by what Google calls an on-device diffusion mannequin working on Tensor G4 and Imagen 3 text-to-image mannequin. There are extra additions, like the brand new Weather app that will get AI enhancements, Keep Notes that integrates Gemini, and Pixel Screenshots to organise screenshots on the gadget. We have mentioned AI capabilities on the brand new Pixels in our Pixel 9 Pro XL evaluate, so you may learn it right here.
Pixel Studio makes use of generative AI to deliver creativeness to life
Google Pixel 9 Pro Camera: “Pixel-able”
- 50-megapixel main digicam
- 48-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel telephoto
- 42-megapixel selfie digicam
Pixel 9 packs the identical digicam setup as its larger sibling, the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Jumping straight to digicam outcomes, the daylight pictures on the 9 Pro come out crisp with pure colors (true-to-life colors) and loads of particulars. The dynamic vary is great in a few of the samples I captured, and pores and skin tones are bang-on. Portraits are wonderful, and blur is dealt with splendidly. The telephoto digicam is nice and would not disappoint in a few of the difficult conditions. I managed to seize some wonderful 5x photographs.
Pixel 9 Pro comes with a triple digicam setup
The ultrawide digicam on the 9 Pro additionally shines. It captured some actually good pictures throughout digicam assessments, which you’ll see under. Macro lovers can benefit from 9 Pro’s ultrawide digicam, although Samsung has performed higher in macro pictures this yr. The Pixels are a league aside in the case of digicam comparisons, be it with Samsung or an iPhone.
Daylight samples from the first digicam (faucet photographs to increase)
Close-up shot utilizing ultrawide digicam (faucet picture to increase)
Low-light pictures is one other spotlight of the 9 Pro. I clicked some wonderful low-light pictures with loads of particulars, managed noise, and preserving colors in examine. Pixel’s computerized night time mode labored effectively for me. Of course, you may take issues into your management and tweak settings to get higher outcomes. The portraits come out good, although, there’s scope of enchancment.
Low-light digicam samples (faucet picture to increase)
Portrait shot in low mild (faucet picture to increase)
The selfie digicam on the 9 Pro is wonderful; lastly, the entrance digicam improve has paid off—wonderful pores and skin tones captured in numerous mild circumstances. On the video entrance, the Pixel 9 Pro has improved drastically in comparison with the Pixel 8 Pro. However, it’s not pretty much as good for movies because the iPhone in the mean time.
Shots taken utilizing 1x, 0.5x, 2x and 5x (faucet picture to increase)
Low mild pictures taken in 1x, 0.5, 2x and 5x (faucet picture to increase)
Google Pixel 9 Pro Battery: Decent
- 4700mAh battery
- Up to 55% charging in about half-hour
- Wireless charging help
Do not underestimate the Pixel 9 Pro simply due to its sheer dimension. In my assessments, I discovered the Pixel 9 Pro to be a succesful gadget by way of battery efficiency. With heavy utilization, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted a complete day with 15-20 % left until the top of the day. While with medium utilization, the cellphone can simply last as long as 36 hours.
Pixel 9 Pro comes with fast-charging help
The Pixel 9 Pro would not ship with a charger like modern-day flagships. It helps 27W wired charging and as much as 15W wi-fi charging. I examined the cellphone with a 45W charger, and it matched the model’s claimed quick charging figures. The cellphone, nevertheless, takes roughly 100 minutes to cost absolutely.
The Pixel 9 Pro is a tool that may outshine many compact flagships on the market
Google Pixel 9 Pro Verdict
The Pixel 9 Pro is a superb alternative for many who need Pixel-like digicam prowess. Its compact kind issue is the largest spotlight, and the nice factor is that Google this yr hasn’t stored marquee options restricted to 9 Pro XL. You get all of the bells and whistles of the larger sibling at a lesser worth with the 9 Pro. The battery stunned me with its backup, and it shines in most eventualities. The prolonged software program help ought to give potential patrons confidence.
The Pixel 9 Pro comes with a single 16GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration
The solely downgrade is the dearth of professional quality efficiency credentials, which you’ll expertise solely when gaming or modifying movies or photographs on the gadget. Long factor brief, the place the chipset is required to deal with graphic-intensive duties is the place 9 Pro feels it stays behind the competitors. It’s excessive time that Google opts for Snapdragon or MediaTek for its chipset necessities, as Tensor can not outrun its closest rivals.
If you need one of the best digicam expertise, you may’t go fallacious with the Pixel 9 Pro, however once you add gaming and different graphics-intensive duties, I’ve to ask you to look one other means.
At Rs. 109,999, the Pixel 9 Pro feels barely costly for what it provides, however you may contemplate it as a premium for all of the top-tier Google options arriving this yr, together with AI.
When speaking about options, the Pixel 9 (Review) is certainly the closest sibling you may contemplate, minus some options. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Review) can also be nearer to the Pixel 9 Pro by way of packaging, whereas it’s also possible to take a look at the iPhone 16 Pro, which is barely dearer.
