I’ve reviewed each Pixel smartphone because the model was first launched in 2016, and one thing concerning the Pixel 9 series makes me consider Google’s newest {hardware} as all grown up. It is inconceivable to level to at least one new characteristic because the supply of this sense. Relatively, it is an amalgamation of adjustments which have taken place over the previous three years—ever because the firm started stuffing its personal Tensor processors into these telephones to energy its forward-looking software program.
The mix of polished {hardware}, brawny internals, and useful software program has resulted in a handset that matches what you get from the likes of Samsung and Apple. All that class comes at a value although. At $799 for the Pixel 9, $999 for the Pixel 9 Professional, and $1,099 for the Pixel 9 Professional XL, these are among the many costliest Pixels to this point. Here is your common reminder which you could get glorious smartphones for less than $500 (together with Google-made gadgets just like the Pixel 8A).
However for anybody who does not thoughts splurging on crucial piece of tech of their life, the Pixel 9 sequence delivers a few of the greatest cell digital camera experiences cash can purchase. The Pixel 9 additionally serves as a fascinating window into the AI-fication of our private know-how—whether or not that is one thing you need or not.
The Cellphone Stuff
The refined design helps with the Pixel 9’s glow-up. The long-lasting digital camera visor that has been a mainstay because the Pixel 6 remains to be current, however in a extra elegant pill-shaped design. Don’t be concerned, it nonetheless screams “Pixel.” It is onerous to mistake this telephone for one thing else, particularly in the event you go for the beautiful pink colours. (I recognize that the enjoyable colour is not restricted to the “non-Professional” mannequin, as it’s on different makes and fashions of telephones.)
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
I do not discover the digital camera bump extreme or ugly; the telephones do not rock after they sit flat on a desk, and that is a large boon. I just like the flat show panel, in addition to the flat edges. The squared-off design is simpler to carry, and your grip will not intervene with the touchscreen like on smartphones with “waterfall” shows that curve round to the edges the place your fingers grasp the telephone’s physique. Simply know that the Professional telephones have shiny edges that entice fingerprints, so you will be wiping them down typically. (Simply me?)
Talking of fingerprints, Google has outfitted these fashions with an ultrasonic in-display scanner that’s far and away extra dependable than the optical fingerprint sensors it has been utilizing on Pixels for years, lastly matching the standard discovered on different Android phones. On the flip facet, Pixels are nonetheless a few of the solely Android telephones with safe face scanning, so it is nice that you’ve got each biometric choices, although I would have favored to see enhancements in making face unlock work higher at midnight.
Selection goes a good distance in displaying maturity in a product line too. For the primary time, you get choices within the dimension of the Pixel 9 Professional—6.3 inches or 6.8 inches for the XL—which suggests you now not must really feel such as you’re dropping out on options simply since you favor smaller telephones. Though I’ve massive paws, I favor the dimensions and really feel of the Pixel 9 Professional. Good and compact.
