Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: Verdict
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a well rounded smartphone that offers a great balance of hardware and software. It features a 6.3 inch OLED display with vibrant colors, a powerful camera setup with a 50MP main sensor, and long term software support for up to seven years. The device also benefits from Google’s AI driven features, enhancing everyday usability.
However, its processing power isn’t the best compared to competitors, and the price is on the higher side. While it may not be perfect for power users, the Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent choice for those who prfioritize software longevity and camera quality.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Compact size with premium features 2. Excellent camera system 3. Seven years of software updates 4. High quality OLED display | 1. Not the most powerful processor 2. Expensive for its specifications 3. AI driven features may not be useful to all users 4. Limited display customization options |
Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: Introduction
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is Google’s latest smartphone, boasting AI driven features, an advanced camera system, and long term software support. As a premium Android device, it aims to compete with industry giants like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
After using the Pixel 9 Pro for a week, several aspects stood out. The design feels refined with a sleek aluminum frame and durable glass back, maintaining Google’s signature aesthetic. The 6.7 inch OLED display offers a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering stunning visuals with excellent brightness and color accuracy.
Powered by the Google Tensor G4 chipset, the phone excels in AI tasks and everyday performance, though it may not outmatch Snapdragon or Apple’s A series chips in raw speed. The camera system remains a standout, with improvements in low light performance, AI enhanced editing tools, and an impressive telephoto lens.
Battery life is solid, lasting a full day with ease, and fast charging keeps downtime minimal. The Pixel exclusive software features, such as Call Screen, Magic Eraser, and AI powered voice assistance enhance the overall experience.
With seven years of software updates, the Pixel 9 Pro is a future proof choice for Android enthusiasts, delivering a refined, AI enhanced smartphone experience.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: Design & Build Quality
Bulkier than before, housing the upgraded camera sensors. While the camera bar adds a unique design aesthetic, it still protrudes significantly, making the phone wobble slightly when placed on a flat surface.
However, the overall build quality is solid, and the IP68 rating ensures dust and water resistance, making it durable for daily use.
The matte glass back provides a soft touch feel, offering a good grip while minimizing smudges. Unlike glossy finishes that attract fingerprints, this texture keeps the phone looking clean. Google has also introduced new color options, including subtle pastel shades that give the Pixel 9 Pro a modern and stylish look.
Despite the improvements, the phone is still quite large and slightly heavier than its predecessor, which might not be ideal for users who prefer compact devices. The button placement is ergonomic, with the power and volume buttons positioned for easy reach. The haptic feedback is excellent, giving a precise and satisfying click when interacting with the phone.
The Pixel 9 Pro strikes a balance between aesthetics and practicality, offering premium materials, a refined design, and durable build quality. However, users should consider using a case for extra protection and better grip.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: Display Quality
The Pixel 9 Pro’s display is one of its standout features, offering a 6.3 inch LTPO OLED panel that delivers crisp visuals, deep blacks, and vibrant colors. The QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3120 pixels) ensures that everything from text to images appears sharp and well defined, making it a pleasure to use for reading, browsing, and watching content.
The 120Hz adaptive refresh rate not only makes scrolling and animations incredibly smooth but also dynamically adjusts based on on screen activity, helping conserve battery life. Whether you’re navigating the UI, gaming, or streaming videos, the display remains fluid and responsive.
One of the biggest improvements is its 2600 nit peak brightness, which significantly enhances outdoor visibility. Even in direct sunlight, the screen remains bright and easy to read, eliminating the struggle of trying to view content under harsh lighting conditions. The HDR10+ support ensures rich contrast and vibrant colors, making movies and high definition videos more immersive.
Google has fine tuned the color accuracy, offering realistic and natural tones rather than oversaturated colors.
However, display customisation options are limited, with only a few profiles available for color tuning. Despite this, the Pixel 9 Pro’s display remains one of the best in its class, providing an immersive and high quality visual experience.
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Specification of the Google Pixel 9 Pro:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.7-inch LTPO OLED, 120Hz, QHD+ (3120 x 1440), HDR10+ |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4 |
| RAM | 12GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.0 (No microSD support) |
| Rear Cameras | – 50MP (f/1.9) Main Sensor with OIS, PDAF – 48MP (f/2.8) 5x Periscope Telephoto with OIS – 48MP (f/2.2) Ultra-Wide with AutoFocus |
| Front Camera | 11MP (f/2.2) |
| Video Recording | – 4K at 30/60fps (rear & front) – 1080p at 30/60/240fps – HDR, 10-bit video, Cinematic Blur |
| Battery | 5000mAh, Adaptive Battery |
| Charging | 30W wired, 23W wireless, Reverse Wireless Charging |
| Operating System | Android 15 (7 years of OS and security updates) |
| AI Features | Call Screening, Magic Editor, Best Take, Live Translate, Circle to Search |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) |
| Security | In display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Build & Design | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front & back) |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (Dust & Water Resistant) |
| Colors | Various (TBD) |
Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: Performance & Hardware
The Pixel 9 Pro balances power and efficiency with Google’s Tensor G4 chip, offering 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. While its AI driven optimizations enhance user experience, its raw performance lags behind competitors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Apple’s A17 Pro.
In everyday tasks, the Pixel 9 Pro delivers a smooth and responsive experience. Apps open quickly, multitasking is seamless, and AI driven features such as Live Translate, Call Screening, and Magic Editor perform effortlessly. Google’s software optimizations ensure the phone remains snappy even over prolonged use.
However, gaming performance is where the limitations of the Tensor G4 become noticeable. Casual games run without issues, but more graphically demanding titles, such as genshin impact and call of duty Mobile, struggle at the highest settings, occasionally dropping frames. Extended gaming sessions also lead to noticeable heat buildup, which can affect sustained performance.
Despite these shortcomings, the Pixel 9 Pro excels in power efficiency and intelligent software enhancements, making it an excellent choice for users who prioritize AI powered features and a refined android experience over sheer processing power. For hardcore gamers, though, better performing alternatives exist.
Camera Performance: A Standout Feature
One of the biggest reasons to consider the Pixel 9 Pro is its exceptional camera system. Google continues to refine its approach by combining improved hardware with industry leading computational photography, delivering some of the best smartphone photography experiences available.
Daylight performance is outstanding, with the 50MP main sensor capturing sharp, detailed images with natural colors. Google’s HDR processing ensures well balanced exposure, preserving highlights and shadows without artificial oversaturation. Skies appear vibrant, and textures retain impressive clarity.
Where the Pixel 9 Pro truly shines is in low light photography. Night sight produces bright, noise-free images, even in near total darkness, without excessive smoothing or loss of detail. The 5x periscope telephoto lens delivers sharp zoomed in shots with minimal quality loss, while the ultrawide sensor captures expansive scenes without noticeable distortion.
Google’s AI powered camera features further enhance the experience. Magic eraser removes unwanted objects seamlessly, Best Take helps create perfect group photos by blending multiple shots, and real Tone ensures accurate skin tones across all lighting conditions.
For photography enthusiasts, the Pixel 9 Pro remains one of the best choices, offering a versatile, intelligent, and effortless camera experience that rivals dedicated cameras.
Battery Life & Charging: Reliable, but Not Revolutionary
The Pixel 9 Pro houses a 5000mAh battery, and thanks to the Tensor G4’s improved efficiency, it delivers a better than expected battery life. With moderate usage including web browsing, social media, messaging, and occasional gaming or video streaming, the phone consistently provides 7-8 hours of screen on time.
For most users, the Pixel 9 Pro can easily last a full day on a single charge. However, heavy usage, such as prolonged gaming sessions or intensive camera use, drains the battery faster. Google’s adaptive battery optimizations help extend endurance by prioritizing power for frequently used apps while limiting background activity for less used ones.
When it comes to charging, the Pixel 9 Pro supports 30W wired charging, which, while not the fastest in the industry, provides a 50% charge in around 30 minutes. Google also offers 23W wireless charging with the Pixel Stand, allowing for convenient, fast wireless top ups. Additionally, reverse wireless charging is available, making it easy to charge accessories like earbuds.
While charging speeds still lag behind competitors like OnePlus and Samsung, the Pixel 9 Pro’s battery life and efficiency improvements ensure it remains reliable for a full day’s use, catering well to the average user’s needs.
Software & AI Features: A Smarter Android Experience
The Pixel 9 Pro runs on Android 15, with Google’s promise of 7 years of software updates, ensuring long-term support and security. This makes it one of the most future-proof Android devices available.
Google’s AI-powered features enhance daily usability in meaningful ways. Call Screening helps filter spam calls, Live Translate enables real-time language translations, and Magic Editor in Google Photos simplifies image adjustments with AI driven enhancements. Features like Best Take and Circle to Search further streamline interactions, making the experience feel intuitive rather than gimmicky.
With deep AI integration, the Pixel 9 Pro delivers a smarter, more efficient Android experience.
Connectivity & Extra Features: A Well Rounded Experience
The Pixel 9 Pro offers a full suite of connectivity options, ensuring fast and reliable performance across networks. With 5G support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and Ultra Wideband (UWB), it’s equipped for high-speed data, seamless wireless connections, and precise location tracking. UWB enables better device-to-device communication, which enhances features like digital car keys and file sharing.
The haptic feedback on the Pixel 9 Pro is exceptional, offering precise and responsive vibrations that make typing, gestures, and UI interactions feel tactile and immersive. Google’s focus on fine tuned haptics makes the keyboard experience especially satisfying.
The stereo speakers deliver clear, well-balanced audio, making them great for calls, videos, and music. While loud and crisp, the sound profile lacks the deep bass and richness found in competitors like the iPhone 15 Pro. However, it’s still one of the better speaker setups in the Android space.
Additional features like face unlock, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and improved water resistance (IP68) round out the package. While Google doesn’t include expandable storage or a headphone jack, the Pixel 9 Pro remains a well-connected and feature-rich flagship with thoughtful enhancements.
Who Should Buy the Pixel 9 Pro?
The Pixel 9 Pro is a fantastic choice for users who prioritize photography, clean software, and long-term support.
Photography Enthusiasts – If camera quality is your top priority, the Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best smartphones available. Its 50MP main sensor, 5x telephoto zoom, and advanced AI features like Magic Editor, Best Take, and Real Tone make it a powerful photography tool. Low-light performance is outstanding, and Google’s computational photography ensures sharp, detailed, and natural-looking images in any condition.
Users Who Prefer Clean Android & Long Software Support – The Pixel 9 Pro runs Android 15 with a pure, bloat-free experience. Google’s promise of 7 years of software updates makes it one of the longest-supported Android devices, ensuring it stays secure and up to date for years.
People Who Want AI Features & Usability – Google’s AI-driven features, like Call Screening, Live Translate, and Circle to Search, add real world convenience. Unlike gimmicky implementations, these tools genuinely enhance daily use, making interactions smarter and more efficient.
If you value camera performance, clean software, and AI powered usability, the Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent investment. However, power users and hardcore gamers might prefer devices with faster processors and higher refresh rate displays.
Who Should Skip the Pixel 9 Pro?
The Pixel 9 Pro isn’t the best choice for everyone.
Gamers Looking for Top Performance – While the Tensor G4 is efficient, it lags behind Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Apple’s A17 Pro in raw power. High-end gaming can lead to frame drops and heat buildup, making it less ideal for serious mobile gamers.
Users Who Need Ultra-Fast Charging – With 30W wired and 23W wireless charging, the Pixel 9 Pro charges slower than competitors like OnePlus and Xiaomi, which offer much faster charging speeds.
Those Who Prefer Customizable Software – If you enjoy heavy UI customization, Samsung’s One UI or Xiaomi’s MIUI provide more options than Google’s stock Android experience.
Final Verdict – Should You Buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro?
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent flagship smartphone, especially for users who prioritize camera quality, AI-driven software, and long-term updates. The phone excels in photography, AI powered features, and software longevity, making it one of the best Android phones for everyday use.
However, if you need the most powerful chipset or fastest charging speeds, other flagships may be better suited. Also, gamers may find better performance in Snapdragon based devices.
