I get to make use of numerous telephones, and whereas I routinely swap between units, there are a couple of occasions within the yr when I will use a cellphone for an prolonged length. That is precisely what I did with the Pixel 9 Professional XL; I began out with the gadget shortly after its launch, and I racked up shut to 2 months of use.
That is a giant deal in itself, as a result of I wasn’t eager on the Pixel 9 Professional XL initially. Google modified the aesthetic this era, going with flatter sides and eschewing a few of its design ethos. The cellphone seems a lot like an iPhone 16 Professional Max that it is easy to confuse the 2. The design adjustments means the Pixel 9 Professional XL is now not as snug to carry and use as its predecessors, and it necessitates a case — I went with Thinborne’s ultra-thin case, and I would not use the gadget with out it.
Whereas the design is not as evocative, I’ll admit that the Pixel 9 Professional XL has a lot better construct high quality than any Pixel cellphone to this point. After two months of prolonged use, the cellphone does not have any {hardware} points or issues with construct high quality, and that is a refreshing change of tempo.
In the same vein, the Pixel 9 Professional XL has the brightest OLED panel of any cellphone I utilized in 2024. Whereas Chinese language producers speak about their units having the ability to hit 5000 nits in HDR content material, the fact is that these figures are meaningless in each day use. What you really need is a panel that will get constantly brilliant beneath harsh daylight, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL outmatches each different cellphone on this regard, together with the Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Extremely, Galaxy S24 Extremely, and the iPhone 16 Professional Max.
Clearly, Google knew what it was doing when establishing the OLED show, and though you do not get a lot in the best way of customizability — there are simply two colour modes and no skill to regulate general steadiness — it’s calibrated effectively out of the field, and has good colour accuracy and vibrancy.
However similar to earlier Pixels, the ambient gentle sensor takes a second or two longer to regulate the brightness if you go right into a dimly-lit room (or vice versa), and it is annoying sufficient that I simply manually tweak the brightness with the slider. Aside from that, I did not have any issues with the display screen.
{Hardware} continues to be a stumbling block for Google, and though the Pixel 9 Professional XL is powered by the newer Tensor G4, there’s not a lot in the best way of distinction over the G3 in each day use. It does not overheat because of energetic thermal administration (lastly!), nevertheless it simply is not as highly effective because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or MediaTek Dimensity 9300 — a lot much less the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400.
Google wants to deal with this subject, as a result of nearly as good because the Pixel 9 Professional XL is in numerous areas, it simply does not measure as much as different telephones in the case of efficiency. That will change over the following two years if the leaks pointing to Google switching to TSMC have any weight, however that does not change the truth that the 9 Professional XL is hobbled on this regard.
On that observe, Google continues to hawk 128GB storage with the bottom mannequin; even mid-range telephones now provide 256GB of storage as customary, and this transfer feels stingy. Fortunately, Google solely sells 256GB fashions in India, and that is the one I am utilizing now. Even then, I went by way of 57% of obtainable storage (146GB), and have 110GB left. That is after simply two months of use, and as a lot as I am detest to take action, I predict I am going to must delete locally-stored photographs and movies shortly.
Battery life is noticeably higher than the Pixel 8 Professional, and I routinely obtained a day’s price of use constantly. I averaged a day and a half between fees on most different flagships this yr, so whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL does not measure up in that regard, when you’re coming from an older Pixel, you will note a sizeable distinction.
What nonetheless sucks is the charging tech; whereas the gadget goes as much as 33W briefly bursts, it is on the decrease finish of the size in the case of charging. It takes practically 80 minutes to totally cost the gadget, and that is twice so long as the OnePlus 12. I do not see Google doing something in regards to the charging scenario, and the one upside is that the iPhone 16 Professional Max takes even longer to cost.
One of many fundamental causes to make use of Pixels is the cameras, and Google rolled out numerous upgrades on the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The cellphone takes unbelievable photographs in any scenario, and also you get usable pictures at as much as 10x zoom. What I like in regards to the Pixel digicam is that it does a greater job with movement monitoring than most different telephones, so when you’ve got youngsters, you may get clear photographs even once they’re continuously in movement — not like Samsung.
That mentioned, Google now not has the particular edge in picture high quality. Chinese language manufacturers made sizeable beneficial properties during the last 18 months, and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Professional, and X100 Extremely all take higher photographs and movies than the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The place I see the most important distinction is with portrait imagery; by doubling zoom lenses as portrait shooters, Vivo particularly delivers excellent portrait pictures which might be on par with devoted cameras.
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Google’s reliance on software program to eke out higher photographs clearly is a differentiator, however these manufacturers use greater sensors and do an amazing job with tuning, and the result’s that the Pixel is now not the gadget I am going to if I need to take photographs or movies — that honor now goes to Vivo’s X100 Extremely or X100 Professional. I am not saying that the cameras on the Pixel 9 Professional XL are unhealthy — it is nonetheless higher than the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 16 Professional Max — nevertheless it now not measures as much as the 1-inch sensors being fielded by Chinese language manufacturers.
The place Google has an insurmountable benefit is with on-device AI; the Pixel 9 Professional XL comes with AI options which might be truly good, and I routinely use most of those options. Add Me is astonishingly good at taking group pictures, Magic Editor and Unblur proceed to be fabulous at fixing particulars in photos after the actual fact, and Pixel Studio is respectable at producing imagery on the fly.
Whereas I do not see the purpose of Gemini but, the one-year Gemini Superior trial was engaging sufficient that I attempted out the assistant sporadically. It is good with summarizing articles and pulling up contextual particulars, nevertheless it’s restricted in what it will probably do in the mean time.
I ended up utilizing Pixel Screenshots much more than I believed I’d, and it is small issues like this that make utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional XL fulfilling. Being able to floor related info inside screenshots and make it searchable is a giant deal, and it positively turns out to be useful.
One other factor that Google completely nails is the software program. Actually, I favor utilizing Pixels over extra highly effective units solely due to the software program — that is why I went again to the Pixel 8 Professional initially of the yr. Though the Android 15 replace does not have noteworthy additions, it delivered much-needed fluidity to the interface, and that made a giant distinction in how I exploit the 9 Professional XL.
I perceive that not everybody likes the Materials You interface, and that is okay; between One UI, MIUI, ColorOS, MagicOS, and Funtouch OS, there is no scarcity of selection if you need a custom-made UI, and when you’ve been utilizing Android for some time, there is a good likelihood that you just dialed in in your desire by now.
I like Google’s software program imaginative and prescient, and that is the rationale I predominantly use Pixels; I exploit units with ColorOS and Funtouch OS extensively over the course of the yr, however I all the time come again to Pixels due to the software program. One additional benefit with Pixels is getting the newest Android launch on day one; I put in Android 15 on my Pixel 9, 9 Professional XL, and 9 Professional Fold instantly after the steady construct rolled out, and that is simply not possible with every other Android model.
As somebody who makes use of Pixels loads, I just like the adjustments with the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The gadget does not fairly have the identical design magnificence as final yr, nevertheless it nonetheless manages to look good in its personal proper. I would like Google to deal with the {hardware} shortcomings, however we might not get to see any progress on this entrance till the Tensor G6 rolls out.
The 9 Professional XL has terrific cameras, and whereas it does not have outright mastery on this space, you may solely discover a distinction when you’ve used Vivo’s X100 Professional or X100 Extremely this yr. If we’re simply counting telephones offered in North America, Google nonetheless has the particular edge. In the end, it is the software program that makes utilizing Pixels fulfilling, and that hasn’t modified this yr.
Actually, the Pixel 9 Professional XL is best than I believed it will be. The {hardware} nonetheless is not on par with rivals, however in all different areas, it’s a terrific showcase for what Google can ship.
