The Google Pixel 9 series consists of four devices this year. One of them is the Pixel 9 Pro. This phone is stylishly designed without being a big beast. While doing so, you do have the necessary specifications at your fingertips. You can read our findings in the Google Pixel 9 Pro review.
Google Pixel 9 Pro: a comprehensive review
Google recently came out with the Pixel 9 series and for the first time, the company is also releasing its foldable in the Netherlands. So that's the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. In recent weeks, we tested another device from the family; the Google Pixel 9 Pro. In this review, you can read all about this device and what we think of it.
Design and interface
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a high-end smartphone with everything on board, but without giving you a very large device in return. The Pixel 9 Pro is just a bit bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S24. The device measures 152.8 millimetres in length, 72.0 millimetres in width and 8.5 millimetres in thickness. The smartphone fits well in the hand. On the Pro, the back is frosted glass, but the edges are shiny. Personally, I would have liked it better if the aluminium frame was also matt. The review device is light grey, in Hazel colour.
Compared to other Pixel devices, one notices that the camera module looks a bit different on the Pixel 9 Pro. Still the black part is oval-shaped, but the module no longer extends to the side, which was the case with its predecessor. We will come back to the camera later in the Pixel 9 Pro review.
The buttons are in the same place. Both the power button and the volume key. Coming from a non-Pixel device, it will still take some getting used to the fact that the volume button and the power button are reversed. On the bottom is the slot for the SIM card next to the opening for the microphone. Should you want to use a physical SIM card, it is advisable to watch carefully where you insert the pin.
Inside the screen of the Pixel 9 Pro is the lightning-fast fingerprint scanner. A light, quick touch is enough to unlock the device. Facial recognition also works excellently on the device. The 6.3-inch OLED screen is easy to read on sunny days, and can be dimmed sufficiently in dark environments. We do notice that in auto mode, the Pro sometimes stays a bit too dark.
The interface of the Pixel 9 Pro is like other Google devices; uncluttered, clean and without unnecessary fuss. You have fewer options and features than Samsung, for example. Optionally, of course, you can download another launcher from the Google Play Store. If desired, you can also activate the Always-on display so you can instantly see what notifications are up and the time.
Communication and multimedia
Calling, texting and browsing the internet are all part of the Google Pixel 9 Pro's capabilities, of course. For making calls and sending text messages, you can use Google's standard apps. The smartphone's call quality is fine. Internet browsing is also nice and smooth, and we don't notice any problems with WiFi or the mobile network. For browsing, there is the Chrome browser, which does a fine job. You can use either a physical SIM card or eSIM on the Pixel.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro lends itself well to watching videos and listening to music. Picture quality is excellent, brightness is fine and music comes out well on the device. For this, the smartphone is equipped with a set of stereo speakers. The volume can be loud enough and even at maximum volume, we don't hear any crazy distortions or other irritations. Of course, it is also possible to connect your headset wirelessly to the Pixel.
Camera
With basically every generation of Pixel phones, Google manages to score high marks when it comes to the camera. The Pixel 9 Pro should continue that success. To that end, the phone features a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens. This telephoto lens lets you use 5x zoom to bring your subject closer. The camera app works clearly and as you would expect. At the bottom of the screen, you will find the various options to get even more out of your photos.
That includes a lot of AI features. For instance, you have the 'Add me' function. Here, you take a group photo leaving space for yourself. Through AI, you are then added to the photo yourself. The point of view has to be almost exactly the same, otherwise it won't work at all. This proved to be a hassle during the review period. Should it succeed, you usually have very good results.
Other AI camera features include options found in the Google Photos app. For instance, you can remove objects in a photo, you can choose to improve zoom and there is the Magic Editor. This lets you add extra elements to the photo. A stream through the shopping street? No problem. It's instant fun and the effect is usually very nice too. For example, in the case of the aforementioned stream, we can clearly see the reflections and the light fall also seems very realistic.
But what about the smartphone's normal photo quality? We tested the camera of the Google Pixel 9 Pro under different conditions. Clearly, Google is trying to uphold its name when it comes to photo quality. We collected all the photos we took in the digital photo album. Both during the day and in the dark hours, the phone manages to leave behind very good photos. What stands out positively is the very good persistence, contrast and rich colours, without breaking through into saturation. The 5x zoom function also works well, but does show a little loss of quality, but they are certainly still acceptable.
Below is a comparison between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 9 Pro. Two smartphones that are very similar in terms of camera. However, the iPhone does score better with 5x zoom. The iPhone is more disturbing in the dark with lens flare and light reflections and during the day the differences are very small,
With selfies at dusk, the phone does clearly struggle. The 42-megapixel front camera doesn't leave very thunderous photos under these conditions.
Video camera
The video camera of the Google Pixel 9 Pro can shoot videos in different resolutions, in up to 8K 30fps or in 4K at 60fps. You can further improve the video quality through an additional piece of software called Videoboost. A video we shot with the Pixel can be found below.
Performance and battery life
Under the glass bonnet of the Google Pixel 9 Pro, you'll find Google's own Tensor G4 chipset. Earlier, the presence of the Tensor chipset was sometimes cause for debate. Not always was it efficient and power efficient. Naturally, we hoped Google addressed this with the Pixel 9 series. Over the past month, we put the device through its paces extensively and did not notice any annoying hiccups or the like. In doing so, tasks are completed quickly, but we did notice that the device sometimes gets quite warm, without you being doing very heavy tasks. Disturbing it is not immediately, but this is where perhaps a software update could make some improvements.
We got the Pixel with 128GB of storage and 16GB of working memory. You also have a choice of 256GB, 512GB and 1TB for storage memory.
In terms of AI features, we will have to do without the Pixel Studio and the Screenshots app that was presented with much fanfare at the event. The Screenshots app aggregates screenshots taken, lets you add notes and bundle them into collections. Pixel Studio lets you create unique images using AI. Both applications can be downloaded via a workaround, though, where you install the APK.
Good to know anyway is that Gemini is present, the counterpart of ChatGPT. With this, a wide variety of things can be asked. Think of a summary, answer to your question or, for example, a search query. Furthermore, certain tasks can be performed and you have even more options with Gemini Advanced; but it is only free for a year. After that, you will have to pay money.
Battery
In our Pixel 8 Pro review, we were already a bit more positive about the battery life than in our review of the Pixel 7 Pro, as it was downright lousy. How does Google do with the Pixel 9 Pro's endurance? It took Google a long run-up, but battery life has clearly improved with the device. With average usage, you can manage 1 to 1.5-2 days. Here, we always note a screen time of between 4 and 5 hours. An excellent score for a high-end smartphone. If you use the device mainly on WiFi, you can go a bit longer on the battery and feel free to achieve a higher screen-on-time, although this also depends on what you do with the device.
Update policy
The update policy for the Pixel devices is pretty clear. You are guaranteed seven years of updates. This includes monthly security updates and also seven years of Android upgrades. The phone comes with Android 14 and Android 15 is expected in October. It is not entirely clear whether the smartphones will be updated up to and including Android 21 or Android 22, but what is certain is that you can enjoy updates for a long time. On top of that, Google rolls out quarterly Pixel Feature Drop updates, with various new features and functions.
Review
We tested the Google Pixel 9 Pro extensively over the past month. The phone is clearly a bit more mature again than its predecessors. The device is perfectly finished, is logically put together and has a very good camera with which you can go in all directions. In addition, battery life has (finally) improved, although it still lacks fast charging. This should have been possible at some point, although Google is not unique in this. Samsung and Apple also still do not offer fast charging at speeds OnePlus does, for instance.
In recent times, Google has made a good impression with the Pixel 9 Pro. However, the smartphone is quite pricey. The price only starts at 1099 euros, while you only get the 128GB variant for this. If you want 256GB, you have to pull another hundred euros out of your wallet. If you have that to spare, then you will definitely enjoy the device a lot.
You can shop for the Pixel 9 Pro at;
