Google Pixel 9 Pro review: the iPhone of Android

The Google Pixel 9 series is here, and for the first time, those who want a smaller Pro phone can finally have it without needing to compromise on features. Google has given me the Pro phone that I’ve been hoping for.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is the middle child of the Pixel 9 line. It’s physically the same size as the base model Pixel 9, but it has the same features as the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL. It’s the Goldilocks of the Pixel 9 slabs.

If you want a flagship Android phone that is not monstrously large, packs in plenty of power, has a gorgeous design, and even comes in pink, then the Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best choices you can make.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: specs

Google Pixel 9 Pro: design

The Pixel 9 Pro’s design is one of my favorite things about the phone. While the Pixel line has always had a unique look that sets it apart from the competition, the new aesthetic for the Pixel 9 lineup as a whole really stands out. In a way, it feels so much more modern and sleek than before.

This year, Google flattened the frame across the entire Pixel 9 family, similar to what Apple has done for several years with the iPhone. When you combine this with the rounded corners, the Pixel 9 Pro is very comfortable to hold, even for extended periods of time.

Another big change is the new camera bar. Rather than extending out to the phone’s edges, it is now an elongated capsule shape that’s more like a camera island. Honestly, I like this new design better than the old one. It’s still distinctive, like the camera bar, but it looks much cleaner.

The back of the Pixel 9 Pro is a matte finish glass, and the aluminum frame has a glossy polish, making it look very premium. The buttons are tactile and have a nice click when pressed, the speakers sound great, and the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is very reliable. The Pixel 9 Pro also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, so it’s extremely durable. Also, props to Google for keeping a physical SIM card tray at the bottom.

I’ve seen people say that the Pixel 9 redesign feels very iPhone-like, and that’s fair criticism. But maybe that’s also why I like it so much. The Pixel 9 Pro is just well-made hardware with a premium look and feel. It’s really beautiful this year.

And hey, Google gave us a pink (Rose Quartz) color, which I absolutely love. If pink isn’t your color, there is also Obsidian, Porcelain, and Hazel.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: screen and performance

The Pixel 9 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, just like the base model Pixel 9, but it is a Super Actua LTPO OLED panel with 1280 by 2856 resolution at 495 pixels per inch (ppi) and a variable refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz. It also gets 2,000 nits of brightness for HDR content and peaks at 3,000 nits, making this display very usable outdoors. Further, the screen features a uniformly thin bezel all around.

By default, the Pixel 9 Pro is set to the “high resolution” option, which is a slightly lower 960 by 2142 resolution to save battery power. Changing it to “full resolution” was one of the first things I did when I set up my Pixel 9 Pro — it’s worth the slight battery drain, in my eyes.

The Pixel 9 Pro’s Super Actua display is just beautiful, and everything looks great. The colors are bright and vibrant without being overpowering. Whites are truly white, and blacks are deep and inky. Text is sharp and crisp, and scrolling is incredibly fluid with the “Smooth display” setting on.

Regarding performance, the Pixel 9 Pro packs quite a punch with the Tensor G4 chip and 16GB RAM, a first for the Pixel line.

Though Google’s Tensor chips had a rough start, it began to shape up with G3, and the G4 has been doing quite well so far in my testing. I have not experienced any overheating issues with the Pixel 9 Pro, which was a problem with previous models, and all of my apps and games run smoothly without any issues. Opening apps, switching between them, taking many photos, playing games, and everything else is done seamlessly without fault.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: cameras

Pixels are known for having reliable cameras, and thankfully, that doesn’t change with the Pixel 9 Pro. Even though this is the smaller version of the Pro this year, Google did not skimp out on the camera hardware, unlike Apple with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Pixel 9 Pro is equipped with a triple-lens camera system on the rear that features a 50-megapixel main camera, 48MP ultrawide camera, and 48MP telephoto camera. On the front, we have a 42MP selfie camera. The rear cameras are the same as the Pixel 8 Pro, but the selfie camera significantly improved from its 10.5MP predecessor.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying using the cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro because no matter what I’m taking a photo of, the Pixel 9 Pro makes getting a great picture effortless. I primarily use the primary camera for my shots, and it produces punchy yet balanced colors and packs plenty of detail into each shot without overdoing it. Even lowlight images come out fantastic.

Of course, let’s not dismiss the secondary cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro. The 48MP ultrawide camera is a big jump from its predecessor (a 12MP lens), and the 123-degree field of view (FOV) lets you get more of a scene into the frame. The jump in resolution also means better colors and detail than before. The ultrawide lens is also used for macro shots, with good results.

The 48MP telephoto lens is also great. It’s capable of 5x optical zoom, though you can go as far as 30x with Super Res Zoom. I have had pretty good results with the telephoto camera, though I did notice that some images seem to have a bit of noise and grain if there is a black or dark surface. I’m not sure if that’s because I went further than 5x, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

And for the front-facing camera, selfie lovers rejoice! You’ll get accurate skin tones, plenty of detail, and good color in your selfies. Having autofocus is a nice improvement this year, and the Pro models have a wider 103-degree FOV than the 95 degrees of the base model Pixel 9.

I’ve really been enjoying taking photos with my Pixel 9 Pro. I have yet to take a bad picture and have been reaching for my Pixel 9 Pro over my iPhone 15 Pro for the cameras (and more). Google knocked it out of the park this year.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: software and AI features

The most peculiar thing about the Pixel 9 line this year is that it ships with Android 14, not Android 15, as we had originally anticipated. This is the first time a Pixel has launched without the newest version of Android. Despite that, the Pixel 9 Pro still has a handful of new software and AI tricks.

First, the Pixel 9 series has its own dedicated weather app, Pixel Weather. It has a beautiful design with dynamic backgrounds, and it places the most important data front and center. Pixel Weather also uses AI to generate a simple one-sentence weather report, though you can expand it to include additional data points.

Underneath the weather report is the hourly and 10-day forecast, followed by small tiles of various weather metrics. These tiles can be rearranged with a drag-and-drop gesture to prioritize what you want to see first when scrolling.

Another new app is Pixel Screenshots. Many of us take screenshots of something we see on our phones to remember later. But when you take a lot of them, it can be hard to find a specific one, and they add clutter to your camera roll. The Screenshots app changes all of that.

With Pixel Screenshots, any new screenshots you capture are saved here instead of Google Photos. You can organize screenshots into groups and collections and even search through them using Gemini, all done on-device.

Google is also putting Gemini front and center, as it replaces the legacy Google Assistant, though you can switch it back if you want to. With the Pixel 9 Pro devices (including the XL and Fold), you can also get a year of Gemini Advanced for free, while regular Pixel 9 users can get a one-month trial of Gemini Advanced.

Once you sign up for Gemini Advanced, you can access Gemini Live. This is Google’s conversational experience with Gemini that allows you to have a free-flowing conversation with Gemini as if it’s an actual person. It can understand natural language, and you can even interrupt it to provide more context or change the subject. If you want to refer back to it later, your conversations are saved as a transcript.

I’ve tried Gemini Live, and while it’s pretty cool how well it can understand a flowing conversation, I don’t think I’ll be using it that frequently. It is helpful for small things like setting reminders and alarms, but restrictions like no access to contacts, shopping lists, or smart home devices make it a bit limiting.

Then, there’s the Pixel Studio app. This is the image generation app where you can enter a prompt, and it will create an image for you. It’s a fine idea, though it’s also had a troubling start by generating a lot of inappropriate and questionable photos. I’m not a big fan of image generation in general, though I will say that the Pixel Studio app itself is simple and easy to use. I could live without it, but if this is your sort of thing, it’s here.

Google has added more AI photo tools to the Pixel 9 lineup, including Add Me and Reimagine with Magic Editor. The Add Me tool lets you take two group photos, one of which has the original photographer, and merge them together so that everyone is in the shot.

The Reimagine tool in Magic Editor is a little more concerning. This tool lets you tweak sections of a photo with nonhuman objects and change it to something else by typing in a text prompt. While you can use it to change backgrounds to something fun and cute, it can also be used in nefarious ways since these images don’t have an AI watermark. In a world already full of misinformation, is this really a tool that Google should have given everyone with a Pixel 9? I’m not sure.

Aside from that, the software on the Pixel 9 Pro is pretty much the same stock Android that we’ve come to know and love on Pixel devices. The Pixel 9 lineup is slated to get seven years of Android upgrades, security patches, and feature drops.

Unfortunately, Android 15 will count as one of those major Android upgrades, which is unfortunate. But will you still be using the Pixel 9 Pro in 2030?

Google Pixel 9 Pro: battery life and charging

Inside the Pixel 9 Pro is a 4,700mAh capacity battery cell. While previous Pixel phones weren’t too impressive in terms of battery life, I’m happy to report that the Pixel 9 Pro breaks that streak.

Of course, the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL has superior battery life due to the larger 5,060mAh battery, but the Pixel 9 Pro (and even the Pixel 9) is not shabby at all. I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro for the past week, and I typically end the day with around 40% left — less if I push it during the day. I’ve been averaging around three to four hours of screen time.

I think Google’s claim of around 24 hours of battery life this year is accurate. You can even bump that up to about 100 hours if you enable Extreme Battery Saver. If I’m pretty light on the usage, I can easily go around another half-day before plugging it in.

Like most companies, Google does not include a power adapter in the box, but you do get a USB-C cable. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL gets the fastest charging speed of 37W, the Pixel 9 Pro only gets 27W. This equates to about 55% charge in 30 minutes and a little over an hour for a full charge.

For wireless charging, you can get up to 21W speeds with the second-generation Google Pixel Stand or 12W with standard Qi-certified wireless chargers. There is also reverse wireless charging. Unfortunately, Google chose not to add Qi2 support this year.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: price and availability

Google announced the entire Pixel 9 lineup on August 13. As of September 4, the Pixel 9 Pro is available for purchase.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes in four colors: Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain. It costs $999 for 128GB, $1,099 for 256GB, $1,219 for 512GB, and $1,449 for 1TB. You can purchase the Pixel 9 Pro from the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and most carriers in the U.S.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: verdict

Since I started using Android, I’ve been partial to Pixel phones, but Google hit a home run with the Pixel 9 Pro. This is the best way to experience Android, and the hardware is simply fantastic.

The best part of the Pixel 9 Pro is its size. I’m a fan of smaller phones, and I love that Google is finally giving us a choice if we want the Pro model without compromises. I’ve been reaching for the Pixel 9 Pro over my iPhone 15 Pro and even prefer it to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra simply due to how compact it is. Combine that with the excellent construction, fun new camera design, and the pink color, and I’m a happy camper.

While I’m not a massive fan of all the AI additions, I must admit that some are useful — like the Pixel Weather and Pixel Screenshots apps. Add Me is a fun little gimmick, but I’m not sure if I’ll use it all the time for group photos. I wish that Google put more thought into the ramifications of specific tools like Reimagine. I also hope Pixel Studio gets better about the wild images it can generate.

Whether you like those features or not, the good news is that you can use the ones you like and ignore the ones you don’t. Either way, you still get top-notch hardware, excellent cameras, great battery life, and reliable performance. What’s not to like?

If you’ve been waiting for a powerful flagship phone that isn’t a pain to hold and use, the Pixel 9 Pro is absolutely the phone for you. It’s the best compact flagship available today and one of the best phones available in 2024. Don’t miss out on this one.