It’s not often you test a device that does more than iterate for iteration’s sake. Does the Google Pixel 9 Pro drastically change how you interface with a phone? Not really – it’s still a phone, after all. But it’s filled with meaningful flourishes that make using a phone just that bit nicer.
Clever software integrations like Pixel Screenshots and Add Me solve specific user issues, which is a refreshing change from adding a feature just because it’s the flavour of the month. Yes, generative AI lurks around every corner of the Pixel 9 Pro, some of it useful, some of it gimmicky. Google’s integration of its Gemini assistive technology isn’t quite there yet, and it needs to do better at citing its sources.
But even if you ignore the AI and additional software features, the Google Pixel 9 Pro is a beautifully designed phone. It’s powerful, efficient, and takes a nice photo. What more do you want from a phone?
First impressions
I love the design of this thing. From the ski goggle-like camera array to the soft-touch rear material, there’s something about the Pixel Pro 9’s visual language that speaks to me.
As someone who adores brightly coloured technology, the hue of pink Google used is a real looker. It’s snazzy without being garish – not that I’m averse to bold designs. If there’s any cosmetic criticism to be made, it’s that the metallic finish of the edges is a major fingerprint magnet. You’d be brave for not using a case, though.
It’s a bummer that the smaller Pixel 9 Pro model doesn’t launch alongside its larger sibling. I tested the XL for this review, which is a bit big for me. My preference is to have a phone that’s easy to use one-handed, like my iPhone 15 Pro. Having a big screen is great, don’t get me wrong, but I prioritise usability and comfort over display size.
At the very least, I enjoyed how vibrant the Pixel 9 Pro’s screen is in the biggest possible size (outside of the Fold). It looks crisp and is super responsive, both of which make the Pro a delight to use.
Google Pixel 9 Pro (XL) specs
| Display | 6.8-inch Actua OLED display 1344 x 2992 resolution 120Hz refresh rate (LTPO) 3,000 nits peak brightness |
| Dimensions | 162.8 mm x 76.6 mm x 8.5 mm 221 grams |
| Processor | Tensor G4 |
| Storage and memory | From 128GB storage 16GB memory |
| Cameras | 50 MP main rear camera: f/1.68; FOV 82° 48MP ultrawide rear camera: f/1.7; FOV 123° 48MP telephoto 5x optical zoom camera: f/2.8; FOV 22° 42MP front camera: f/2.2; FOV 103° |
| Battery and charging | 5,060mAh Fast wired charging via separate 45W charger Qi wireless charging |
| Connectivity | USB-C type 3.2 Dual SIM (Nano and eSIM) Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 NFC |
| Network bands | GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1,2,4,5,6,8,19 LTE: Bands B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/18/19/20/21/25/26/28/29/30/32/38/39/40/41/42/48/66/71/75 5G Sub-6 17: Bands n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/14/20/25/26/28/30/38/40/41/66/71/75/76/77/78/79 |
| Software | Android 14 Seven years of OS and security updates |
| Durability | IP68 dust and water-resistant |
| Price (RRP) | From $1,849 (Pro XL model) |
| Warranty | Two years |
| Official website | Google Australia |
Performance
In everyday use, the Google Pixel 9 Pro runs impeccably. It’s speedy and smooth across all manner of apps, and the battery life is superb. After an hour of YouTube video playback with the brightness and volume set to 50%, it only dropped two percentage points. Batteries don’t deplete at a linear rate, but it’s still a good indication of all-day battery life.
As much as I’d like to quantify the Pixel 9 Pro’s power, it’s currently not possible. Like past releases, including the Pixel 8a, Google disabled the ability to download common benchmarking apps like Geekbench and 3DMark ahead of launch.
To speculate as to why, I know that free versions of these tools automatically upload results online to publicly viewable databases. Still, it’s a bizarre move on Google’s part, considering that Apple and Samsung impose no such restrictions. Doubly so because it’s not like this is an underpowered phone – it’s an absolute workhorse.
I’ll update this review with some confirmed benchmark results once the restriction lifts. This usually happens a week or two post-launch, so stay tuned. Anecdotally, there was nothing to complain about from a day-to-day usage standpoint. I expect that once benchmark results roll in, it’ll reveal subtle differences between the pro-level phones – none of which will matter that much to the overwhelming majority of users.
Pixel Pro 9 software
Software features and functionality is one thing Google does highlight more than its hardware. You don’t need me to tell you how heavily the big G is leaning on AI technology right now, with Gemini sitting at the centre of the Pixel 9 Pro experience.
What’s good is that many of the generative AI features are opt-in or entirely ignorable. None of it is unnecessarily forced upon you, thankfully. There are some gimmicky tools, like the text-to-image Pixel Studio app, alongside some nifty features worth checking out.
Pixel Studio isn’t bad, per se, letting you generate images via a combination of on-device and cloud-based diffusion models. The results are quite striking, like the series of photorealistic and stylised cat images I produced. But they lack soul and look a bit too perfect – I’d much rather use a real photo, flaws and all, than reach for pictures that look airbrushed to the ends of the earth and back.
Add Me to your group photo
Speaking of authenticity, Google’s new Add Me feature is an interesting one I’m more inclined to apply leniency towards. An evolution of Best Take, it’s designed to take group photos without excluding the photographer by compositing two images together.
Via the camera app, Add Me directs you to take two photos. When taking the first photo, you need to leave space in the composition for you to appear in the next one. Whoever takes over the camera for the second photo sees an augmented reality overlay to frame the shot. Afterwards, the phone squishes both photos together to produce the final result, ideally with everyone included.
In practice, it works reasonably well, but not perfectly. Google labels Add Me a “preview” feature to set your expectations for some mistakes along the way. Trying the feature in the office, our first attempt saw me awkwardly clipping through a colleague. Fortunately, the second attempt resulted in more success.
I swapped with Valens Quinn to take the two photos between us, and you’d be hard-pressed to know that at first glance. Perhaps the only uncanny valley markers are the lack of shadow behind Val, and the way his leg cuts off at the chair, as if he’d been superimposed in. Which, in essence, he had been, just not in the conventional method of manually using an image editor.
Could you argue that it’s not a real photo? Quite reasonably! My rebuttal would be that technically it’s two real photos stitched together, making it less inauthentic than other forms of image manipulation and generative AI.
“Less inauthentic” may sound like a low bar, but the reality is that this is a cool, potentially useful, feature for taking harmless social snaps when a selfie won’t quite cut it. If features like Add Me catch on more widely, my mum could no longer blame always being behind the camera for not appearing in photos.
Pixel Screenshots
You might think that Google’s new conversational AI assistant, Gemini Live, was what I was most excited to try. Nope. Perhaps a bit dull of me, but it was Pixel Screenshots.
Built on the concept that people take screenshots to remember information for later, the imaginatively titled Pixel Screenshots adds a sprinkling of AI to make things smarter. Many high-end phones can already search for text and recognise subjects in saved images, that’s nothing new.
What makes Pixel Screenshots more useful is how it functions like a search engine. Instead of just typing in nouns like “cat” or “selfies”, I can ask questions and get a specific response in return. For example, I screenshotted a GadgetGuy article about the latest Ecovacs robot vacuum cleaner, saving the image in the Pixel Screenshots app. I then asked, “what was the name of the new vacuum covered on GadgetGuy?”, and received a correct response, accompanied by the screenshot in question.
I like Pixel Screenshots far more than many other AI technologies on the market because it serves a clear user need and enhances the phone’s usability. Being opt-in means that it won’t trawl through your photo library willy-nilly, only the screenshots you take. It also doesn’t require an active internet connection – not that many of us go without a connection these days.
Gemini Live
If there’s one thing Google has hyped more than anything else, it’s Gemini Live. A response to the stilted voice assistants of years gone by, it’s designed to answer your queries in the form of a free-flowing conversation.
It’s not a free tool, however, requiring a $32.99 monthly subscription to Google’s advanced AI service. Keen to push the feature in front of users, all Pixel 9 Pro buyers get a 12-month subscription included with the phone.
After using Gemini Live intermittently, there are some things that wowed me, interspersed by brow-furrowing moments. When you activate it, Gemini Live produces eerily natural-sounding conversations in response to your queries.
I asked several questions as casually as I could, to which the cheery masculine voice responded with advice for adopting a second cat, and the most recent AFL scores. It sometimes jumped in a bit quickly when I paused to think of how to phrase my sentences – I suppose that could be interpreted as a lifelike quality!
Gemini Live isn’t quite an all-encompassing digital assistant yet, so don’t get too carried away. Oddly, it can’t access your screenshots to answer queries, nor can it access most other apps. Broader app support is coming, and you can ask Gemini questions based on what’s on your screen as a stopgap.
I was impressed by the speed and accuracy of the responses to fairly rudimentary queries. What didn’t impress me was the lack of citations provided. You can quickly swap between Gemini Live’s voice chat and a text transcript at any time, but there are no links to any of the results, even if the assistant specifically names a source of information.
Putting aside the bias of being a small publisher reliant on search traffic, I still prefer clicking through to websites to comprehensively research a topic and cross-reference information. Instead of presenting links, Gemini lets tap on Google’s “G” symbol to double-check the results via a Google search, which is not a like-for-like replacement.
Considering how easily it identified a niche plush collectible imported from Japan, Gemini is undoubtedly impressive. I’d like it a lot more if it quoted its sources front and centre.
Pixel 9 Pro camera quality
Of all the phones available in Australia, Google is Apple’s closest competitor in camera quality. Trusty benchmarking site DXOMARK lists the Google Pixel 8 Pro marginally below the iPhone 15 Pro handsets. But what about the Google Pixel 9 Pro? How does its photography compare to the competition?
Based on some preliminary shots, the Pixel 9 Pro camera sure is nice. I haven’t had the chance to take a lot of photos yet, but I’ll add more as I update this review. I love a good telephoto zoom lens, so the 5x optical zoom is already a big tick for me.
Spying some ornamental flowers on an outdoor dining table, I could punch in and capture some nice details.
Even cranking up the zoom to 30x digitally didn’t create too much noise, mainly thanks to decent lighting. You can also use Zoom Enhance, another generative AI tool, to automatically edit photos taken using digital zoom. Just from one example, I prefer the non-edited version, as the AI-edited shot looks over-sharpened, visible in the leaves.
From a small sample size, the Pixel 9 Pro captures a nice range of colours with its camera array. I’m looking forward to trying it out in more environments. Which, to be honest, will likely mean lots of photos of my cat.
Who is the Google Pixel 9 Pro for?
Although I’m not quite ready to assign a score – I’ll wait for benchmarking to become available and take more photos – I like the Pixel 9 Pro a lot. From a hardware perspective, it shines brightly.
Even many of the AI features have their use; Add Me and Pixel Screenshots being the handiest so far. Gemini Live is flashy but doesn’t yet have the widespread app integration required to be a definitive virtual assistant. I’d also like Gemini to be more transparent and show its workings in answers unprompted so you can immediately read more about any given topic.
As it currently stands, the Google Pixel 9 Pro is one of the most comprehensive blends of phone hardware and software to date.
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