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Google’s Pixel 9 Professional has quite a bit to reside as much as: It is the corporate’s new flagship cellphone, coming in as AI competitors begins to warmth up. As Google faces monopoly fees, that is the corporate’s probability to justify its unified ecosystem, a process that the Pixel 9 Professional sadly falls in need of.
And but, by itself, it’s a superb product. Whereas a lot of the front-and-center branding tries to promote you on tech that most likely wants one other 10 years within the oven, the Pixel 9 Professional does common cellphone stuff higher than any Pixel in current reminiscence. It has all of the strengths of older fashions, however tuned up, with a smooth design that was lengthy overdue.
The Pixel 9 Professional is lastly pocketable
The large draw to the Pixel line of smartphones is often distinctive software program, however whereas the Pixel 9 has a number of AI tips up its sleeve to sustain with Apple Intelligence, my favourite change this 12 months is to the cellphone itself.
That’s as a result of the Pixel 9 Professional, for the primary time, now is available in two sizes. There’s the “new” Pixel 9 Professional XL, which is definitely about the identical measurement as previous Professional fashions, and the common Pixel 9 Professional, which when in comparison with previous Pixel Professional fashions, capabilities extra like a Pixel 9 Professional Mini. Regardless of having the identical naming scheme as these previous Professional fashions, it’s simply the more energizing possibility.
Pixel 9 Professional (proper) subsequent to base Pixel 9 (left)
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Whereas the XL is extra in keeping with expectations, the common Pixel 9 Professional lastly provides us a Professional Pixel cellphone that’s the very same measurement as the bottom Pixel. Meaning no extra selecting between pocketability and energy. As somebody who virtually at all times opts for professional fashions however tries to get the smallest possibility I can, I’m ecstatic.
To get the cellphone to that measurement, there’s a number of compromises—particularly, a barely smaller battery and a predictably smaller display with a smaller decision. All the things nonetheless feels lots luxurious, and to me, the tradeoffs are nicely price it.
It’s additionally light-weight, too, at 7 ouncesin comparison with the iPhone 15 Professional’s 6.6 oz. The largest distinction right here goes to return out of your case, which in a neat trick, can even match a base Pixel 9.
Pixel 9 Professional (center) subsequent to iPhone 15 Professional (left) and Pixel 8 Professional (proper)
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
That’s as a result of each telephones have the identical fundamental format, all the way down to the dimensions of the brand new, redesigned digital camera bar. Google made the digital camera bar smaller and extra round this 12 months, and whereas it nonetheless stands proud simply as a lot because the previous one, the extra minimal look is a bit simpler on the eyes.
Additionally straightforward on the eyes is the 9 Professional’s matte floor, which is quite a bit much less reflective and far much less of a fingerprint magnet than the glossier again on the bottom Pixel 9. The Hazel coloration my cellphone got here in can also be a pleasant, deep white with a greenish tint, though you may get a black, white, or pink mannequin if these are extra your velocity. I do miss the sunshine blue possibility, referred to as Bay, the Pixel 8 line had.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Nonetheless, that is simply probably the most premium feeling and looking out smartphone Google has made thus far. There’s additionally a foldable Pixel 9 Professional, referred to as the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, set to ship subsequent month. I noticed a pre-release model of that cellphone, however haven’t had many alternatives to check it.
Gemini nonetheless feels underbaked
Pixels often thrive on their distinctive software program, like Reside Transcribe or Name Assistant, however the Pixel 9’s function additions are extra iterative than regular, with not one of the new exclusives actually standing out—a minimum of for something good.
The primary you’ll most likely stumble throughout is Add Me, which you’ll be able to swipe to whereas taking an image. Add Me makes use of native processing to sew two photographs collectively so no one has to overlook out on being in a shot. Basically, you are taking a photograph of your pal or companion, then move the cellphone off to them to allow them to take a photograph of you. Add Me will then mix the photographs to make it appear to be you had been each in body on the identical time.
It’s a intelligent thought, and one I used to be excited to check out on my upcoming honeymoon. Sadly, like Magic Editor on earlier Pixels, it nonetheless seems like a demo.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Google informed me that Add Me doesn’t use generative fill, which implies you gained’t get any melty backgrounds like in Magic Editor, but it surely does nonetheless fall prey to some fundamental photoshop tells. Figures added into pictures are likely to seem like they had been lower out of {a magazine} and pasted in, with incorrect lighting and shadows being a transparent giveaway. Sizing may also be a difficulty, with folks wanting smaller or bigger than they may in actual life. The identical may be mentioned for depth: My fiancé tried framing his arm behind the place I used to be sitting so it might seem like it was hugging me, and as an alternative it simply type of blended into my shoulders.
Add Me additionally solely works with folks, so don’t take into consideration getting intelligent with it. I attempted it on some anime figures I’ve readily available, and it wouldn’t acknowledge them.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
The brand new Screenshots app fares higher, although I doubt many individuals will use it. The app makes use of regionally processed AI so as to add titles and descriptions to your screenshots, serving to you search by means of them extra rapidly. You can use this for issues like live performance tickets or resort wifi playing cards, and the instrument’s descriptions had been largely correct in my utilization. It could possibly additionally learn and summarize any textual content that could be in your screenshots, which could possibly be helpful for college notes or boarding passes.
The issue is, it’s restricted to screenshots, relatively than photographs. Even if you happen to’re taking a photograph of a bodily boarding move, you’ll have to recollect to screenshot that photograph to get any use out of Screenshots. I are likely to screenshot quite a bit, however I really feel that limitation goes to go away this app largely buried with normal customers. Google’s upcoming Ask Photographs function ought to assist extra folks, however there’s nonetheless no phrase on a launch date for it.
Then, there’s what’s prone to be probably the most controversial app debuting with the Pixel 9: Pixel Studio. It’s basically an AI picture generator with a fundamental editor thrown in, though you may also use it to the touch up your individual photographs relatively than AI-generated ones.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Pixel Studio makes use of a mixture of native processing and the Imagen 3 mannequin that additionally powers Gemini, however one thing will need to have damaged alongside the way in which. Gemini’s safeguards are usually fairly strict, however like X’s Grok, Pixel Studio may give you some fairly unhinged outcomes.
There are nonetheless some safeguards in place: The bot will refuse to generate pictures of actual folks, from celebrities to one thing as generic as “a cashier at a grocery retailer.” The problem is Pixel Studio appears to be extra permissive of violence than Gemini, and has no points with depicting copyrighted characters.
I used to be capable of get some virtually dead-on pictures of Tremendous Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mickey Mouse, and whereas these alone won’t elevate their company house owners’ ire, listed below are some extra compromising pictures I acquired of Mickey Mouse with only a little bit of prompting:
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
I used to be even capable of get a model of Mickey depicted as a member of the KKK, though I’ll maintain off on posting it in your sake.
Nonetheless, it’s not an excellent search for a brand-new instrument, and oldsters will wish to watch out with their parental controls earlier than handing their child a Pixel 9. Utilizing the instrument extra as supposed, I discovered the photographs it created to be fairly boilerplate, and not likely definitely worth the carbon emissions.
Sadly, I really feel the identical method about Gemini Assistant, which whereas not unique to the Pixel 9 collection, acquired some upgrades to coincide with its launch. It’s alleged to be extra context conscious now, capable of take info out of your display and use it in your responses, though I may by no means get this to work. Extra emphasised in adverts is the brand new Gemini Reside mode, which is unique to Gemini Superior customers and allows you to stick with it a dialog with a cloud-based and AI-powered voice. Pixel 9 Professional house owners get a free 12 months of Gemini Superior with their buy, so that you’ll have the ability to attempt Reside proper out of the field.
I discovered Gemini Reside to be pleasant, however not that helpful, because it largely added an additional step between myself and knowledge I may have discovered with a fast Google search. It wanted frequent redirecting to maintain it heading in the right direction, and sometimes lower out partway by means of speaking, requiring one other immediate earlier than it continued. Hallucination was additionally rampant, with the bot saying issues like “New Yorkers often at all times carry an umbrella simply in case” after I requested if it was going to rain at this time. Provided that my associates and I acquired drenched twice this weekend, that’s both not true or we’re only a bunch of transplants in disguise.
The conversational tone was additionally a bit off-putting, and whereas I didn’t have any points with the bot reducing me off, I didn’t love the overly pleasant, PR-adjacent voice it took with me. I felt like I used to be being dealt with, being given nonsensical responses like “the tech staff has fastened the problem” or “sorry, I misplaced connection” on events the place Reside turned unresponsive and wanted to be rebooted. Points endured, regardless of no matter “tech staff” was being referenced, and my wifi was steady all through, so the connection was most likely not the wrongdoer.
Total, I’m nonetheless unhappy to listen to that Google Assistant is on the way in which out, one thing Google emphasised through the Pixel 9 announcement. Gemini nonetheless can’t do easy issues like alter cellphone settings or set reminders, which Google Assistant has been capable of do with ease for years. For what I truly use my cellphone to do, the extra light-weight and fundamental normal assistant is well the higher choose.
A digital camera to beat the iPhone’s
As hinted in direction of by its identify, photographs are one other class the place the Pixel collection stands out. Digicam upgrades this 12 months are a bit extra refined, with rear digital camera megapixel counts matching the Pixel 8 Professional (50 MP huge, 48 MP ultrawide, 48 MP telephoto), however with enhancements to autofocus. The selfie digital camera did get a noticeable bump, from 10.5 MP to 42 MP, however in observe, taking photographs feels quite a bit higher throughout the board, with pictures being close to indistinguishable from these taken on my iPhone 15 Professional—one thing I wasn’t assured saying with the Pixel 8 Professional regardless of that cellphone technically having higher ultrawide and telephoto lenses.
To start out, right here’s some daytime pictures taken at 12 MP throughout numerous zoom and lighting ranges. Your cellphone will default to this degree of high quality to save lots of cupboard space.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
And right here’s some taken at 50 MP, which you’ll be able to activate by tapping the cog within the digital camera app’s bottom-left nook, then the Professional tab, then the 50 MP icon underneath Decision.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Pictures are vivid and detailed: Shut ups particularly profit from Portrait mode, whereas Night time Sight brightens up the night time sky. I discovered the latter to be typically useful, however a bit synthetic at occasions. This may be irritating, since Night time Sight does activate mechanically by default, however you may disable Automated Night time Sight by tapping the cog within the bottom-left nook of the digital camera app, and tapping the circle with a diagonal line by means of it underneath Extra mild. You’ll nonetheless have the ability to use Night time Sight manually by swiping to it within the digital camera app.
For comparability, listed below are some comparable pictures with my iPhone 15 Professional, with night time pictures specifically popping out a lot darker—though I’m restricted in how darkish my testing can get by the overall ambient mild the place I reside.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
And listed below are a number of taken with my Pixel 8 Professional.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Total, regardless of the largely unchanged lens {hardware}, I discovered I needed to do quite a bit much less tweaking to get topics to pop in body this time round, doubtless attributable to this mannequin’s upgraded sensors.
Efficiency nonetheless falters
Efficiency is the Pixel 9 Professional’s Achilles’ heel. Boasting the model new Google Tensor G4, it nonetheless falls behind competing professional cellphone fashions in non-Google apps.
That’s as a result of the Tensor collection is constructed to energy Google AI and different Google-developed experiences like Magic Editor, and for these, it really works nice. It additionally doesn’t get in the way in which of sunshine duties like shopping, however if you happen to’re a gamer, otherwise you edit video in your cellphone, you would possibly discover some slight hiccups.
Within the artificial benchmark Geekbench 6, which provides a basic thought of efficiency, I acquired a rating of 1,924 on single-core duties and 4,628 on multi-core duties, which is simply barely above the Pixel 8 Professional’s numbers and much under the two,938/7,250 I acquired on my iPhone 15 Professional. Artificial benchmarks can’t inform you all the things, but it surely’s not a promising begin.
To check out actual world efficiency, I took the cellphone into Genshin Influence, a graphically demanding open-world recreation. Right here, I used to be solely capable of get a clean 60 fps when utilizing the sport’s lowest settings, which make what needs to be luxurious 3D anime graphics seem like borderline pixel artwork. Bumping the settings up dropped the fps to about 45–60, but additionally precipitated the cellphone to warmth up fairly a bit, with the utmost settings fairly rapidly making it too sizzling to deal with.
That’s a disgrace, as these outcomes are about on par with what I acquired on the Pixel 8a, a finances mannequin working final 12 months’s chip. My iPhone 15 Professional, however, can play at excessive settings at 60 fps with little challenge.
Whereas the Pixel 9 Professional isn’t a gaming cellphone, the numbers right here don’t paint a form image for different demanding apps. If you wish to keep within the Android ecosystem however don’t see your self utilizing Google’s Pixel-exclusive software program a lot, contemplate an alternate flagship like a Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely as an alternative.
Battery life
I haven’t had the Pixel 9 Professional lengthy sufficient to check its battery correctly, so I’ll replace this part with extra particulars when I’ve them. For now, Google guarantees a mean 31 hours of battery life for non-constant combined use and with the default battery-saving options turned on.
A brighter show
Earlier than wrapping up, it’s price bearing on the marginally brighter show. Whereas it nonetheless tops out at 120 Hz with the identical HDR help and facet ratio, its peak brightness has been upped from 2,400 nits to three,000 nits, which I discovered I wanted fairly a bit. Perhaps I’m getting older, however in direct daylight, I needed to put the brightness to about 93% earlier than the display actually popped. Inside, I used to be capable of get away with a extra modest 65%.
That’s greater than I felt I wanted on the Pixel 8a, so it’s doubtless my requirements have simply risen. This display is unquestionably higher than on prior fashions, able to displaying extra vivid colours with its doubled distinction ratio. If not for the small measurement, I may see myself watching complete films on this, as I used to be tempted to do whereas watching a scene from The Tremendous Mario Bros Film.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Do you have to purchase the Pixel 9 Professional?
Utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional hardly feels completely different than utilizing previous fashions, however that is nonetheless an effective way to get in on the Google flagship cellphone, which begins on the typical $999.
A part of the rationale I haven’t picked up a Pixel for private use is due to the dimensions, in addition to what I thought of a fairly ugly digital camera bump. Whereas the digital camera bump is unquestionably nonetheless noticeable, each of these points are more-or-less solved now. The bottom Pixel 9 Professional seems like a large enchancment when simply carrying the cellphone round in your pocket or having it out on a desk.
The digital camera additionally positively makes the Professional mannequin price it, even with out a lot of an enchancment with app efficiency. The specs are higher on paper than most telephones from corporations not named Samsung, and Google’s post-processing takes the cellphone’s lenses that additional mile. It’s good to lastly have high-level Pixel cameras in a pocketable kind issue.
The one fear I’ve about this cellphone is the AI. Google actually needs Gemini to take off, for apparent causes, but it surely continues to falter when stress examined. There’s some borderline irresponsible issues you are able to do with the picture era, and as an assistant, Gemini nonetheless struggles with fundamentals that Google Assistant had solved years in the past. Longtime Pixel favorites like clear calling nonetheless work nice right here, however the Pixel 9’s latest AI choices aren’t price upgrading for.
That might put the Pixel 9 line in jeopardy with Apple Intelligence proper across the nook, though even Apple doesn’t appear fairly snug with AI but, because it’ll reportedly be holding again a number of key options for subsequent 12 months.
With that in thoughts, the Pixel 9 Professional might be a protected improve, because it’s prone to keep away from being outclassed for some time. And if AI isn’t your cup of tea—I nonetheless can’t discover greater than situational use circumstances for it—this cellphone may be just right for you for years to return. It’s trendy, purposeful, and eventually compact: all the things somewhat rectangle in your pocket needs to be.
