The Pixel 9 collection represents a few of the greatest design adjustments in Pixel historical past, and that begins with the Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL. Each telephones ship a singular imaginative and prescient of what Google sees in the way forward for Pixel telephones, providing an similar expertise at two distinct sizes.
Since there is no actual distinction between these two telephones apart from their dimension, we’re combining the opinions to offer you a greater take a look at one of the best Pixel 9 expertise obtainable. We have been utilizing each fashions interchangeably over the previous month and have come away dissatisfied about issues which have plagued Pixels for years. Fortunately, a lot of Google’s newest function additions assist offset these disappointing emotions.
In case you’re trying to choose up a Google Pixel 9 Professional or Google Pixel 9 Professional XL this yr, learn on to search out out why that is an incredible alternative for some people, whereas others would possibly wish to look elsewhere for his or her subsequent smartphone improve.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Worth and availability
The Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL at the moment are formally obtainable as of August 22, 2024. Each fashions supply a alternative of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, in addition to 16GB of RAM. You’ll be able to select from both dimension in a variety of colours, together with Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Hazel (gray), and Rose Quartz (pink).
The Google Pixel 9 Professional begins at $999 with 128GB of storage, whereas the bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL begins at $1099 with 128GB of storage. You should purchase the Pixel 9 collection in any of the next international locations:
- NAMER: US, Canada
- EMEA: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Eire, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK
- APAC: Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan
All Pixel 9 fashions embody Pixel VPN at no further price, which helps defend you whereas on the go and connecting to doubtlessly unscrupulous public Wi-Fi hotspots. Google can be together with one yr of Gemini Superior with each Google Pixel 9 Professional or 9 Professional XL, which might usually price $20 per thirty days with the AI-tier Google One subscription.
Every Google Pixel 9 Professional field incorporates no plastic and is impressively environmentally pleasant.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Design
Aside from a couple of tweaks right here and there, Google has largely stored the identical design that was initially launched with the Pixel 6. Nevertheless, we have slowly seen an increasing number of telephone makers undertake an iPhone-like design with flat edges and flat screens. Google jumped aboard this development with the Pixel 9, 9 Professional, and 9 Professional XL. Gone is the mixture of curved glass and aluminum, and as a replacement, we’ve got flat edges so far as the attention can see.
As quickly as I noticed the Pixel 9 collection in individual, I instantly thought that this was simply an iPhone. Certain, the buttons, colours, and digicam housing are totally different, however I have not been capable of shake the concept Google made a Pixel iPhone. This is not a foul factor by any means, nevertheless it’s simply one thing I feel is relatively fascinating.
In contrast to the Pixel 9 and the 9 Professional Fold, Google opted to make use of a elegant aluminum end with the 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL. I perceive the necessity to try to differentiate the Professional from the non-Professional fashions, however I nonetheless favor the sensation of brushed aluminum over polished.
Whereas a elegant body is likely to be extra eye-catching to some, it will not take lengthy for fingerprints and smudges to smash every part. I additionally discovered each the 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL to be a bit slippier to make use of, leading to me slapping a case on the telephones as quickly as they arrived.
In earlier years, I’d often head over to the dbrand web site and discover a pores and skin that may match no matter telephone I used to be switching to. Then, I’d seize a MagSafe ring adapter, sticking it to the dbrand pores and skin, so I might benefit from the plethora of MagSafe equipment at my disposal.
I hoped that Google would kill two birds with one stone for me, however alas, there’s no Qi2 assist on any of the Pixel 9 fashions. Fortunately, my our favourite case maker, Thinborne, is right here to avoid wasting the day with its glorious Aramid Fiber Skinny Case that is additionally MagSafe-compatible.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Show
I used to be relatively stunned that Google launched its Professional telephone in two totally different sizes. It is not that I do not assume that is the correct transfer, however I simply did not see Google including one other telephone to its ever-growing lineup. Nonetheless, I am of the mindset that having a small “professional” telephone is an effective way to doubtlessly entice extra individuals to make the swap to the world of Pixel.
In addition to the bodily display dimension, these shows are virtually similar. They’ll attain 3000 nits and supply Google’s “Easy Show” variable refresh fee. Aside from following the development of shows that may get brighter, it is all just about what you’d anticipate from a flagship telephone.
The colours pop, the screens look nice, and yeah, that is just about all I can say.
One factor that ended up inflicting fairly a little bit of frustration was the in-screen fingerprint sensor. When utilizing these telephones with no display protector, every part works as marketed. That each one modified as quickly as we put in a display protector on the Pixel 9 Professional XL.
At the moment, I’ve solely used the display protector that comes with the Thinborne case, so I am undecided if that is guilty, however unlocking the telephone has grow to be a trouble. It appears to be much less of an issue throughout the day, however as quickly as I am in an space with little mild, it simply would not work.
After a few days, I remembered there’s really a toggle within the Settings app to assist fight this difficulty. Nevertheless, after enabling the “Display screen Protector Mode,” there actually hasn’t been a distinction.
Since I spend the vast majority of my time at residence, this is not actually all that a lot of a problem. A current journey to New York for Google’s Chromebook Showcase shortly reaffirmed my stance on embedded fingerprint sensors. I actually, and I imply REALLY, want Google would simply combine the sensor into the Energy button. It already does this with the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and Pixel Pill, however I feel it is time for it to come back to the telephones.
I can not inform you how irritating and annoying it’s to be making an attempt to catch a subway, solely to get tied up on the gate as a result of your fingerprint did not authenticate tap-to-pay. It solely labored for me a few times, and as a rule, I ended up simply utilizing face recognition as an alternative.
Seeing as I do not expertise the identical PWM tribulations as my compadre and Android Central senior content material producer, Nick Sutrich, I can not communicate to that. Nevertheless, he is included his ideas and emotions concerning the PWM and refresh fee of Google’s Tremendous Actua Show under:
The ultra-low 240Hz PWM fee used to “dim” the telephone’s show offers me horrible complications, particularly when I attempt to use the telephone within the night. This downside began about 2 years in the past for me and has solely gotten worse as shows have gotten ultra-bright.
The 3000-nit show on these telephones is insanely vivid, and flickering on and off at a low fee of 240Hz is nothing wanting abysmal. Google is the one smartphone firm that hasn’t upgraded its fee — Samsung and Apple now use 480Hz on most units — and corporations like Honor and OnePlus push that fee to 2160Hz, 4320Hz, and past.
At this brightness, Google will not be even near complying with the advisable IEEE PAR 1789 commonplace for shows and lighting.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: {Hardware} & efficiency
Because of the onslaught of Pixel 9 leaks that we noticed main as much as the official unveiling, my expectations about efficiency have been shortly tempered. I hoped that the Tensor G4 would find yourself placing Google’s flagship telephones alongside the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone, nevertheless it simply wasn’t meant to be.
That is to not say the G4 is not performant, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not fairly on the identical degree as a few of its competitors. I am retaining my fingers crossed that it will change with the Tensor G5, however I digress.
In day-to-day utilization, I got here away fairly impressed with how properly the Pixel stored up with no matter I wanted to do. There have been instances that I needed to succeed in for both the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 6, however that form of defeats the aim.
| Class | Google Pixel 9 Professional | Google Pixel 9 Professional XL |
|---|---|---|
| Show | 6.3-inch Tremendous Actua show, 120Hz LTPO OLED (1-120Hz), 2856 x 1280, HDR, 3000 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 240Hz PWM dimming | 6.8-inch Tremendous Actua show, 120Hz LTPO OLED (1-120Hz), 2992 x 1344, HDR, 3000 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 240Hz PWM dimming |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4, Titan M2 safety module | — |
| Reminiscence | 16GB RAM | — |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | — |
| Battery | 4,700mAh, 27W wired charging, 21W wi-fi charging, 5W reverse wi-fi charging | 5,060mAh, 37W wired charging, 23W wi-fi charging, 5W reverse wi-fi charging |
| Entrance Digicam | 42MP f/2.2, 103-degree FoV, Twin PD, autofocus | — |
| Rear digicam 1 | 50MP f/1.68, 1/1.31″ sensor, Octa PDAF, 82-degree FoV, OIS | — |
| Rear digicam 2 | 48MP f/1.7, 1/2.55″ sensor, 123-degree wide-angle, macro, autofocus, Quad-PD | — |
| Rear digicam 3 | 48MP f/2.8, 1/2.55″ sensor, 22-degree FoV, macro, autofocus, Quad-PD, Multi-zone LDAF, 5x optical zoom | — |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, 5G (mmWave and Sub-6), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, AptX HD, USB-C 3.2, Bodily and eSIM, Satellite tv for pc SOS | — |
| Audio | Stereo audio system, USB-C | — |
| Safety | Beneath show ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock | — |
| Safety | IP68 mud and water resistance | — |
| Dimensions | 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm; 199g | 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm; 221g |
| Colours | Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian | — |
| Software program and assist | Android 14; 7 years of Pixel and OS updates | — |
With virtually each new system that I get, whether or not it is for evaluate or for myself, I wish to try to see how properly it performs with emulation. That is one space the place Google’s Tensor chips simply cannot maintain a candle to Qualcomm.
Utilizing one thing just like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for emulation is a dream, however that is largely due to the assist for Snapdragon chips with Adreno GPUs. In case you come throughout graphical glitches and errors, there is a good likelihood that you will discover and use a unique GPU driver, offered that your emulator is suitable.
That is not a lot the case with MediaTek and Google’s Tensor chips, which make use of Mali GPUs. Nevertheless, I’ve observed that neighborhood assist for customized Mali drivers is starting to extend. Nonetheless, it nonetheless hasn’t resulted in stability and efficiency good points that may rival telephones utilizing a Snapdragon SoC.
The purpose that I am making an attempt to make is that whereas I used to be capable of load up a couple of Change video games, it isn’t an pleasant expertise. Framerates are unstable, always dropping as quickly as you get to a graphically intensive space. And there are some video games that simply will not load in any respect, even if you happen to handle to discover a customized GPU driver.
To be able to put this into higher perspective, I defaulted to Geekbench 6, simply to offer one thing a bit extra substantive.
| Geekbench 6 | Google Pixel 9 Professional XL | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | iPhone 15 Professional Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU: Single-Core | 1941 | 1927 | 2770 |
| CPU: Multi-Core | 2770 | 6345 | 6739 |
| GPU | 6411 (OpenCL) | 11671 (OpenCL) | 27983 (Metallic) |
| GPU | 6906 (Vulkan) | 14073 (Vulkan) | N/A |
As you possibly can see, the Pixel 9 Professional XL merely cannot come near competing with both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or Apple’s A17 Professional. Thoughts you that is not even Apple’s newest chip, because the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max are powered by the A18 Professional. Nevertheless, on the time of this evaluate, I’ve but to get my arms on the brand new iPhone, which is why it isn’t included within the desk above.
Whereas these numbers might sound a bit disappointing, it isn’t really something that you will discover every day. Potential points and limitations will not crop up till you try to push the telephone to the extremes. Which is not one thing I think many individuals are doing regularly.Â
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Battery life
That is what blew me away greater than actually anything about Google’s newest telephones. Because it seems, Google’s incapacity to make the efficiency leap within the Tensor paid dividends in different methods, the most important of which appears to be battery life.
As I’ve talked about a couple of instances, I took the Pixel 9 Professional XL with me on a visit to New York and figured it could be one of the best time to see how properly it might maintain up. Oh boy, it did so significantly better than I ever might have thought.
The primary day kicked off at 6:30 a.m. and consisted of getting from my home to the airport, flying to town, attending to the lodge, after which to an occasion, earlier than coming again to the room shortly earlier than midnight. Even with all of that, I nonetheless had but to dip under 20% and I simply could not consider it.
I am always blown approach with how lengthy the Pixel 9 Professional XL lasts without having to be recharged.
Throughout your entire three-day journey, I by no means as soon as felt nervous or anxious about operating out of juice. That features spending someday strolling round New York Metropolis for the aim of taking digicam samples for this evaluate. A day that ended with me taking a spur-of-the-moment journey to Yankee Stadium for the primary time to see my beloved Orioles tackle the Yankees.
Very similar to the Geekbench take a look at leads to the earlier part, I am making an attempt to offer one thing a bit extra strong than simply “battery is gud.” With that being mentioned, I opted for outdated video playback battery take a look at. Right here is how I had every part arrange:
| Spec | Standing |
|---|---|
| Brightness | 100% |
| Adaptive | Off |
| Wi-Fi | On |
| Bluetooth | On |
| Gentle Mode | On |
| Display screen Timeout | half-hour (Most) |
| Decision | 2992 x 1344 |
| Easy Show (120Hz) | Enabled |
| Quantity | 50% |
Then, I simply fired up a 4K HDR video on YouTube and let it preserve enjoying during the take a look at. Beneath, you possibly can see the battery percentages, which have been recorded each hour on the identical time:
| Time | Battery share |
|---|---|
| 11:17 | 94% |
| 12:17 | 82% |
| 1:17 | 69% |
| 2:17 | 59% |
| 3:17 | 49% |
| 4:17 | 39% |
| 5:17 | 30% |
After the primary couple of hours, the development turned apparent, draining at a clip of 10% for 4 hours, and 9% within the final hour. That is after the 12% and 13% drop within the first two hours. It is nearly just like the telephone form of settled right into a groove, so to talk, and was simply coasting for so long as doable.
At that fee, the telephone would have lasted for one more three to 4 hours, operating out of steam between 8:15 and eight:45. In fact, I might have gotten the 9 Professional XL to final for much longer as soon as Excessive Battery Saver mode kicked in.
It was bizarre seeing the speed of battery drain settle right into a sample.
Our guardian firm, Future PLC, runs lab checks through the Future Labs division and located that it took a mean of 13 hours to run down the battery on the Pixel 9 Professional and the Pixel 9 Professional XL. Comparatively, the Pixel 8 Professional died after simply 9 hours of operating the identical take a look at. Clearly, Google wasn’t kidding once they mentioned Tensor G4’s effectivity was higher.
I have been utilizing these telephones for a couple of weeks now, and it is the primary time in a very long time that I have not felt the necessity to allow the flexibility to see the battery share within the standing bar.
In my Pixel 9 hands-on, we talked concerning the new charging speeds for the telephones and even was in a position to make use of Google’s new 45W charger. Whereas that charger is nice for topping up the battery shortly from 0% to about 50% in below half-hour, a full cost is not any sooner than the Pixel 8 collection — and charging the telephone when it is above 50% battery degree leads to a a lot slower cost than you would possibly anticipate.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Cameras
There are some things that I search for in terms of testing out totally different telephone cameras — velocity, a telephoto lens, and the way a photograph appears with out edits. Velocity is certainly subjective, but when I try to take an image of my canine earlier than she will get distracted by one thing, that performs a task. So does having the ability to swap between the totally different modes without having to do an excessive amount of tinkering.
I really feel like I am within the minority as somebody who would a lot favor having a telescope digicam versus an ultrawide one. However fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL have each, so it isn’t a priority.
Lastly is velocity. There are occasions after I’ll snap a bunch of RAW pictures to manually edit them later. As a rule, I do not wish to assume twice about it, and simply need my telephone to take image.
Fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional and XL examine all of those containers. In actual fact, Google most likely produces my favourite footage out of any system that I personal or have owned. This contains the iPhone and Galaxy S24 Extremely.
Picture 1 of 10
Whereas my iPhone remains to be sooner at taking common JPG footage, there’s simply one thing off concerning the shade stability of my eyes. I am positive I might treatment this, however once more, it is one thing that I do not wish to have to consider. Pull the telephone out and take an image. With an almost-eight-month-old little boy making an attempt to run round, velocity and high quality are the secret.
Picture 1 of 3
I’ve come to understand the “stream” of taking an image to drag it up in Google Images or having it routinely added to an album. There is not any fiddling available except I select to take action. Even then, except I am utilizing Reimagine, modifying an image takes only a few faucets.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Software program & AI
In terms of the Android software program expertise, I favor Samsung’s “kitchen sink” method to options. Nevertheless, nothing beats Google’s aesthetics, and it continues to shine with the Pixel 9 collection.
For probably the most half, it is the identical expertise you’ll have if you happen to have been coming from the Pixel 8 Professional. The most important distinction now comes within the type of the varied AI options Google has launched.
However this is the factor — I barely use them and have discovered little cause to. There have been a couple of exceptions, resembling enjoying round with Reimagine after a visit to the Nintendo Retailer or utilizing Magic Editor to take away issues which might be within the body that I do not wish to be.
I did have just a little little bit of a “mild bulb” second when utilizing Reimagine. After highlighting every part that I needed to vary, I used to be stopped useless in my tracks. See, I lack the creativity wanted to give you a immediate to make use of with Reimagine.
What I do have is Gemini, so I simply requested it to give you prompts for me. More often than not, I’d simply copy and paste the immediate, ensuing within the footage you see right here.Â
Picture 1 of 6
However there have been instances when Gemini would attempt to use Imagen to generate an image itself, defeating the aim of utilizing Reimagine. I did discover that both opening a brand new Gemini chat or reusing the preliminary immediate would give me what I used to be on the lookout for.
It is nice having this number of choices to benefit from the fruits of Gemini’s labors. I think it can proceed to enhance, particularly contemplating that Google is releasing updates on what seems to be a month-to-month cadence.
What I’ve talked about would not even take into consideration the multimodality performance of Gemini Nano. With the Pixel 9 collection, Gemini Nano can now acknowledge textual content, voice, and picture enter. That is a part of the explanation why Google elevated the RAM from 12GB to 16GB on the Professional fashions, as about 3GB of that’s reserved for Gemini.
One factor that did come as a little bit of a shock was seeing that Google’s newest units did not really ship with the newest model of Android. In years previous, a brand new model of Android can be launched, after which new telephones can be launched. This time, Google opted for one thing utterly totally different, and I am not precisely positive the way it will play out in the long term.
There’s nothing to fret about when the final replace will arrive, nevertheless it’s nonetheless left me scratching my head. Maybe that is only a “blip” on the radar, as rumors recommend Google might launch Android 16 in Q2 2025, versus Q3 or This autumn. Doing so would make sure that the brand new model of Android is prepared in time for the subsequent crop of Pixel telephones.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: The competitors
Google’s greatest competitors within the U.S. is each Samsung and Apple, and each corporations supply telephones with sooner processors and shows with higher PWM charges. The Galaxy S24 collection is promised to ship the identical seven years of software program updates because the Pixel 9 collection, and given the gulf in efficiency between Google and Samsung’s telephones, any Galaxy S24 mannequin will probably last more with out feeling sluggish just like the Pixel 9 finally will.
In case you’re on the lookout for a good higher show and loopy quick charging speeds, the OnePlus 12 does all of it whereas costing even lower than a Pixel 9 Professional. OnePlus solely gives 4 years of software program and OS updates, however chances are you’ll not plan to carry on to your telephone for greater than that, so it is most likely an OK trade-off. There’s additionally the truth that the OnePlus 13 and Galaxy S25 are most likely only a few months away.
In fact, none of those telephones include these nifty Pixel-exclusive options like name screening, VPN, Pixel Studio, and others. Plus, as I’ve lined many instances, Pixels take one of the best pictures of youngsters and pets and now even have nice options like Add Me that provide much more fascinating pictures choices. And, not like Samsung or OnePlus, The Pixel 9 Professional household offers you a alternative of telephone dimension with out dropping options or digicam prowess.
Google Pixel 9 Professional: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase it if…
- You could have pets or children that you simply take numerous footage of.
- You’re keen on Google’s intelligent AI options and Pixel exclusives like name screening.
- You prefer to preserve your telephones for years earlier than updating.
You shouldn’t purchase it if…
- You play numerous cellular video games.
- You need sooner charging or extra storage at a cheaper price.
- You are delicate to mild flicker or shows that use low-Hz PWM dimming.
Over time, Google has found out intelligent methods to distinguish its Pixel line from different telephones in significant methods. Pixel-exclusive options like Name Screening, superior spam detection, and Pixel VPN have been mainstays of the road for years, whereas new Pixel-exclusive options like Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, and digicam modes like Add Me are positive to make your family and friends jealous.
Nevertheless, there’s an underlying upfront worth downside that continues to develop. Pixel is as soon as once more $100 greater than the earlier yr. Tensor remains to be slower than different competing processors and heats up extra shortly than these, too. Google hasn’t improved its show dimming fee as different corporations have, and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is problematic for some individuals, too.
Fortunately, Pixel 9 offers will usually get you the telephone for subsequent to nothing as Google tries to develop its attain globally and get extra Pixels into extra individuals’s arms. It would not make up for a few of the different issues the telephone has, nevertheless it’s straightforward to offer Pixel a shot and see if all these superb unique options and apps are extra vital to you than uncooked efficiency or charging velocity. Plus, having the ability to select a dimension with out dropping vital options is lastly a actuality.
Lastly! Get a smaller telephone with out dropping all the good options of the most important fashions. The Pixel 9 Professional features a triple digicam system on the again with a 5x optical zoom digicam, Professional-grade software program options, and a daring new design you simply would possibly love.
When solely the most important show will do, the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL is the correct telephone for you. Packing Google smarts and the newest bag of AI methods powered by Gemini, the Pixel 9 Professional XL will get it performed.
