The Google Pixel was at all times destined to be the iPhone for Android customers. This 12 months, that perception feels stronger than ever, with the brand new Pixel 9 sequence coming in commonplace, Professional, and Professional XL flavors and costs beginning at $799, $999, and $1,099, respectively.
Additionally: I went hands-on with Google’s $1,799 Pixel 9 Professional Fold, and I am prepared to modify from Samsung
If the pricing mannequin and configurations do not trace at an Apple-esque playbook, wait till you see and really feel the telephones in particular person. I spent an intimate morning with the most recent gadgets forward of this week’s Made by Google occasion, and the brand new design language — which favors flattened edges, pastel colours, and ultra-thin bezels — usually jogged my memory of the iPhone 15 Professional that was tucked in my pocket.
To be clear, that is a superb factor, and I am not alone in pondering that Google ought to construct a cellphone that is extra snug to carry, exudes premium, and appears much less like Cyclops from X-Males. After testing the three Pixel 9 fashions, here is my fast tackle every as you contemplate whether or not they’re definitely worth the improve.
Google Pixel 9 shall be a sleeper hit
The vanilla Pixel 9 will not be as flashy as its Professional siblings, however at $799 ($100 greater than final 12 months’s Pixel 8), Google did give it important upgrades throughout the board. Happening the listing, the adjustments embody a bigger, brighter show that ramps as much as 2,700 nits, a bigger 4,700mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, an improved 48MP ultrawide sensor, and Google’s new Tensor G4 chip.
Additionally: The $799 Pixel 9 could also be Google’s sleeper hit this 12 months. Here is why
These are all flagship-grade options, ones you’d usually discover on a cellphone that prices lots of of {dollars} extra, however I might wager that many purchasers will contemplate the Pixel 9 for one different cause: shade choices. I commend Google for being a bit of extra formidable with its industrial design this 12 months, coating the flattened type issue with pastel hues that may be greatest described as refreshing. This can be the primary time I ever thought of choosing up a pink-colored cellphone to make use of each day — that is how good “Peony” appears in particular person.
The Pixel 9 can be the identical measurement because the Pixel 9 Professional, with a 6.3-inch show that makes it snug to carry and navigate one-handedly. It would not have the identical LTPO panel because the Professional, that means the refresh charge will not drop under 60Hz to scale back animation load and, subsequently, cut back battery consumption, however the 4,700mAh capability ought to hold the Pixel 9 working for a full day.
Additionally: I am a diehard Pixel person, however I am contemplating a change for 2 causes (and I am not alone)
Lastly, the 48MP ultrawide digital camera with autofocus appears like an improve that customers will not recognize till they use it. A sharper and bigger sensor means which you could now pull in additional shade and element when capturing scenic views, and there is additionally the advantage of higher macro pictures.
Google Pixel 9 Professional will get an XL measurement (and extra complicated)
Because the very first Pixel, Google has at all times launched its smartphones in pairs: one in a daily, market-appropriate measurement and one other that is a couple of point-inches bigger. In actual fact, the unique Pixel had an “XL” mannequin, which the corporate later changed with the “Professional” branding. That additionally meant that the smaller, non-Professional cellphone usually missed out on flagship digital camera options, show upgrades, and different software program advantages.
Additionally: The whole lot introduced at Made by Google 2024
This 12 months, Google is combining the most effective of each worlds, providing a Pixel 9 Professional XL mannequin that meets the wants of big-screen buffs whereas additionally protecting a smaller Professional variant that fields the identical digital camera configuration and have set. The latter is a significant win for customers who need flagship options with out the usually uncomfortable measurement. This additionally means there are actually 5 Pixel cellphone fashions to select from, together with the budget-oriented Pixel 8a and bleeding-edge Pixel 9 Professional Fold.
Moreover measurement choices, paying up for the Pixel 9 Professional additionally will get you 16GB of RAM (as an alternative of 12GB on the Pixel 9), as much as 1TB of storage, a 48MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, and a extra sensible 42MP front-facing digital camera. From my demo, what impressed me probably the most with the front-facing digital camera wasn’t the decision and element however how a lot of my environment it might body. With a 103-degree field-of-view, the Pixel 9 Professional could be the best cellphone to take group selfies and scenic portraits with.
Additionally: Google’s new Pixel Screenshots stands out as the function that lastly converts me to make use of AI
Different digital camera upgrades embody the flexibility to course of Tremendous Res Zoom in video, which suggests higher element when capturing distant topics, and Video Increase, which upscales content material to 8K — nice for videographers or professionals who need to clip out high-res pictures.
Google is bundling a 12 months’s value of Google One AI Premium Plan with the Pixel 9 Professional fashions, which incorporates entry to the most recent Google AI options like Gemini Stay and 2TB of cloud storage. In fact, how useful that is is determined by how a lot you depend on Gemini to summarize, create, and interpret info. After demoing most, if not all, of the brand new software program options coming to the Pixel, which embody Add Me, Pixel Screenshots, Name Abstract, and Gemini Stay, there are definitely sufficient instruments that make the Pixel 9 Professional worthy of your consideration for the AI alone.
