Google Pixel 9 Pro tested: is this the best compact smartphone you can buy in 2024?
Pixel 9 Pro has all the same features as the larger 6.8in Pixel 9 Pro XL apart from a smaller screen and battery
Pixel 9 Pro is a departure for Google's more premium flagship smartphone as the all-new model comes in a more compact 6.3in size - the same size as the non-Pro Pixel 9 model. The company said it has introduced the new device in response to calls for a more compact Pro-level premium smartphone.
Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are the handsets smartphone enthusiasts will most likely gravitate towards, as they both give you all the best specs that the firm offers, such as the outstanding dazzling displays and the complete smartphone photography experience with the addition of an extra lens and some exclusive AI photography features.
The only physical differences between the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are the display size (6.3in vs 6.8in) and the battery size (4060mAh vs 4,700mAh). And yes, after a couple of weeks of testing both devices, I would conclude that the battery stamina on the larger phone is slightly superior, but there’s not much in it.
I love large-screen phones so the 6.8in Pro XL is ideal for me, but I am well aware from my own anecdotal experience that many consumers prefer a phone that is less overwhelming, so I think it was wise of Google to offer all the Pro features in a smaller body, as the new 6.3in Pixel 9 Pro will probably be the best selling of the two ultra-premium devices.
And spoiler alert, that essentially means I am saying Pixel 9 Pro is the perfect Android phone for most people, and here’s why…
Pixel 9 Pro design, build and display
The sleek new thoughtfully-designed Pixel 9 series looks like it’s taken plenty of inspiration from the iPhone, but that’s not a bad thing in my book. You get flat edges with gently rounded corners and flat screens with symmetrical bezels all the way around. The distinct camera visor on the rear is narrower and shorter than on predecessors.
The build quality is superb. The matte finish on the rear contrasts nicely with the shiny aluminium frame, creating an elegant look. Although that frame is a smudge magnet if you use the device without a case. The phone looks and feels great in the hand, with more of its 221g weight in the bottom half, which helps when you are holding it. The power button and volume rocker are located on the right side, with a speaker, USB-C port and SIM card tray (curved to match the corner of the phone) along the bottom. The left side is free from buttons and ports.
The new ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable. There is Face Unlock security too.
I love large-screen phones so the 6.8in 9 Pro XL is ideal for me, but if you want all the Pro features in a smaller body, then for the first time you can buy the more compact 6.3in Pixel 9 Pro instead. My review unit was the Hazel colour, a green hue that’s probably my favourite of the colour options on the Pro models.
The eye-catching display has received many admiring comments since I started using the Pixel 9 Pro in public. And the lab testers at DXOMark have rated it the best display on any smartphone which I would agree with.
It’s an OLED screen with a resolution of 2,856 by 1,280 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate that automatically adjusts from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on what activity you are engaged in. It has a slightly higher pin-sharp pixel density than the larger phone - 495 pixels per inch (ppi) compared to 486 ppi.
Pixel 9 Pro has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, a 25 percent improvement over Pixel 8 Pro’s peak of 2,400 nits and brighter than both Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It is so easy to see on a bright day - which makes everything from reading Irish Mirror articles to framing camera shots so easy.
Pixel 9 Pro cameras
Pixel 9 Pro is equipped with three rear cameras. There's a 50MP wide angle lens with a large 1/1.31in sensor, an f/1.6 aperture and an 82-degree field of view (FOV), a 48MP f/1.7 ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree FOV, and a 48MP telephoto camera with an f/2.8 aperture and a 22-degree FOV. The telephoto lens is capable of impressively sharp 5x optical zoom and 30x Super Res Zoom.
The main rear camera uses pixel binning and produces 12.5MP images by default, but you can enable 50MP resolution shots in the Pro settings where manual controls are not as extensive as on some competitors’ phones. Colours in the automatic 12.5MP photos are generally richer, while you get finer detail in the higher-res shots.
The ultra-wide and telephoto cameras also produce 12.5MP images by default, but you can shoot at 48MP resolution and these higher-res shots are then upscaled to 50MP images. With both of these cameras, images from the default settings are often superior to the higher-res shots thanks to the phone’s software and processing. I love the 5x optical zoom - it’s the highest quality on any recent smartphone I’ve tested.
As ever with Pixel cameras, you get consistently pleasing photos with outstanding detail and colour, no matter which lens you shoot the image with and even when shooting in lowlight conditions.
There’s a re-built Panorama mode that delivers higher-quality images with an updated, easier-to-follow user interface that incorporates Night Sight and delivers brilliant low-light panoramas of landscapes and cityscapes.
Around the front on Pixel 9 Pro is a 42MP dual selfie camera with the ability to take wide angle group shots. It has a 103-degree FOV and an f/2.2 aperture. Pixel binning is used to deliver crisp and colourful 10MP shots. There is no option to shoot at 42MP. Portrait images are generally great but the phone occasionally struggles with edge detection.
Smooth video with optical image stabilisation can be captured at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps) with all the lenses.
Camera AI features
Pixel 9 Pro comes with a host of AI-assisted camera features. Add Me combines two images so you can add yourself to a picture. The resulting images usually look great but are not always perfect. It takes a bit of trial and error to get used to it. Incidentally, the original images are saved separately.
Magic Editor's Auto Frame reframes images using generative AI to fill in missing elements. It works on all photos, not just those captured on Pixel 9 Pro. You can access it in Google Photos by tapping the Magic Editor and Wand icons.
Magic Editor is also home to Reimagine. Just tap Magic Editor and choose the part of the image you want to change. When you tap on Reimagine, you can type in what you want to change in the picture. You may have to play around with the words to get to the required results and it uses generative AI to insert subjects or transform scenes. It’s great fun.
Audio Magic Eraser has been updated. Introduced last year, the feature could already split the audio track in your videos into distinct layers and let you decrease the volume of specific layers to remove unwanted noises or make specific sounds stand out. But now you can also increase the volume of specific sounds. To use the handy feature, you need to edit your video in Google Photos and select the Audio Eraser option in the Audio tab.
Zoom Enhance is only on the two Pixel 9 Pro models and it allows you to zoom in on an area and blow it up. Again it uses generative AI to add in details the phone thinks might be there.
Video Boost is also only available on the 9 Pro models. The improved video rendering service allows you to use the 5x optical zoom lens to capture high resolution videos (Super Res Zoom Video) all the way up to 20x with HDR+ applied. And you can use Video Boost to enhance footage captured as Night Sight videos.
Video Boost also enables you to upscale your 4K 60fps footage to 8K 30fps by uploading your clips to Google Photos which sends them back to you in 8K. The process can take a bit of time, incidentally, but the results are generally pleasing.
Pixel 9 Pro has also been highly praised for its exceptional camera quality by the lab testers at DXOMark who take a much more scientific approach to testing smartphone cameras than consumer tech reviewers such as me and said it offers "exceptional image and video clarity".
Gemini Live and AI features
Gemini your new digital assistant is pre-installed but the app is also available on every other Android phone. It is rapidly evolving and improving, even in the couple of weeks I’ve had the phone. It works separately to Google Assistant but seems to tap into Assistant’s capabilities occasionally.
Gemini Live is a subscription service that is free for one year on the 9 Pro models. It works similarly to a chatbot such as ChatGPT and is actually really useful due to its integration with other Google apps such as Maps. You can have proper conversations with it rather than typing in or asking a succession of questions as you would have to do with old fashioned Google Search or Google Assistant. I’m blown away by how well it works and how far ahead of the likes of Siri and Alexa it is.
Pixel Studio is a generative AI app that’s preinstalled on the Pixel 9 series. There are sample images and prompts so you can get to know your way around the app. Fill in a prompt and get an image. This feature requires a Google account and does not work offline. It’s fun and works better than other services like this that I’ve used but the novelty of it soon wears off.
Pixel Screenshots is a Gemini-powered app for screenshots, which makes searching them and finding what you are looking for much faster than it would in the Screenshots album in the Google Photos app. You can ask Gemini for the booking reference for a flight or hotel you booked, for example, and it will give you a summary and show you the right page. You can also group your images into Collections but you have to do it manually. To do this, just make a new Collection and then pick the images you want to put in it. This feature seems to have got a mixed reaction so far and I suspect it will eventually be combined with the Google Photos app.
Gemini can also help you create lists in the Google Keep app.
And of course Pixel 9 Pro includes tried and trusted Google AI features such as Live Translate and Live Transcribe in the Pixel Recorded app.
Pixel 9 Pro performance
Synthetic benchmark test scores on the Pixel 9 series’ Tensor G4 indicate a system on a chip (SoC) that in raw processing power falls well behind both iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro SoC and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC found driving most other 2024 Android flagship phones.
But while the latest Tensor G4 processor may not be the fastest SoC on the market, it delivers a super smooth experience in everyday use which is the real test. There is no discernible lag in opening apps, multi-tab browsing, loading videos on social feeds or editing photos. The SoC works wonders when it comes to the clever AI that helps ease you through the day’s digital workload. It allows the unit to run Gemini Nano for tasks such as transcribing and translating languages without an online connection. The 16GB of RAM helps here too. While the Titan M2 security chip is used to secure sensitive data like biometrics.
Pixel 9 series devices all come with Android 14 out of the box, which was a surprise as I expected Android 15 to debut here. But reports suggest the OS upgrade will land in the coming weeks.
Pixel 9 Pro battery life
Pixel 9 Pro packs a 4,700 mAh power pack into its compact frame and its battery stamina is pleasing but it does not last quite as long as Pixel 9 Pro XL which has a larger power pack. But there is not much in it and many users will get well into the second day from this handset. I still had juice in the tank at midnight from an 8am start on most days during testing.
While Pixel’s larger Pro XL phone supports 37W fast charging, the 9 Pro only supports 27W wired charging, which is the same as the previous generation. And it supports wireless charging at up to 21W. Wired charging takes a little less than 90 minutes from zero to 100 percent, incidentally.
There is no charging brick in the box, which is the case for all Samsung, Apple and Honor devices sold in Ireland so that’s no big deal.
Other Pixel 9 Pro features
Pixel 9 Pro’s temperature sensor is right next to the camera and is simple to use. It measures the infrared radiation emitted from the item and shows you a temperature reading. The sensor can take the heat up to 392°F or tell you when something is as cool as -4°F. It uses the built-in Thermometer app. It is a novel but useful extra for measuring food or drink temperatures, perhaps most useful for parents feeding babies bottles. In the U.S, it can be used to measure body temperatures, but that feature is not enabled on my review unit.
All of Google’s new handsets come with seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates so they will stay safe, secure and fully updated until 2031.
Pixel 9 Pro supports one physical SIM and one eSIM and uses USB 3.2 (Gen 1) so you can avail of data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps. However, you’ll need to buy a cable to support that as the cable in the box is a slower USB 2.0 cable.
You also get WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC and ultra-wideband which enables precise spatial awareness for features like nearby device detection and improved file sharing.
There are dual speakers, with one in the earpiece and one on the bottom firing downwards.
Pixel’s own branded protective case is a must-buy and costs €39.99. It’s so soft and comfortable to hold and so thoughtfully designed.
Call quality is pleasing. And there’s a new modem under the hood.
The device is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, which means it is protected from dust ingress and can be submerged in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to half an hour.
One of the only disappointments is the base storage only being 128GB. However, perhaps in response to the universal criticism of this, Google is currently offering to double your storage on all four Pixel phones for free at the Google store.
Pixel 9 Pro competition
Apple’s 6.1in iPhone 15 Pro is the most direct competitor for Pixel 9 Pro at the time of writing. Its entry level model comes with 128GB of storage and costs €1149 from Currys. You can pick up Apple’s flagship for a little less on Amazon where it costs €1068. Where Apple is a better proposition is in relation to its far superior A17 Pro SoC which has so much headroom in terms of raw processing power that it will still be very capable a few years from now. But obviously if you are an Android-only fan then iPhone is not an option.
The sleek designed Xiaomi 14 is 6.36in, and while not dubbed a Pro model it has a suite of similarly premium features. It costs €1099 at Harvey Norman. My review said "it does everything well, but it does not do anything exceptionally well". Which makes Pixel 9 Pro the better buy.
Samsung’s 6.2in Galaxy S24 is only €919 from Samsung but it’s not a Pro model and has got a much smaller 3880mAh battery, inferior camera system and AI features not to mention a duller FHD display with only 2600 nits of peak brightness. Again, Pixel 9 Pro is a better buy.
Pixel 9 Pro verdict
Google’s camera system and the stunning ultra-bright screen are both best-in-class. The phone offers more AI features than any other on the market .
The combination of stylish and elegant hardware with the most fluid pure Android software experience makes the Pixel 9 Pro compelling, especially now that consumers have two sizes of Pro model to choose from. The new 6.3in Pro model is easily the most complete compact Android smartphone in 2024.
Pricing and availability
Google Pixel 9 Pro is available in Rose Quartz (pink), Hazel, Porcelain and Obsidian (black) with a 6.3in Super Actua display and is priced at €1,119 for 128GB storage at Currys but you can currently get 256GB of storage for the same price at Currys, Harvey Norman and Google Store. At Google, you can pay in three €373 instalments.
The super-sized Pixel 9 Pro XL comes in the same colours as the 9 Pro and will cost you €1,119 at Currys, or from Google for €406.33/month in three monthly instalments. You can currently get 256GB storage from the Google store, Harvey Norman and Currys at the same price, while the 512GB model is reduced from €1,349 to €1,219.
The non-Pro Google Pixel 9 is available in Peony (pink), Wintergreen, Porcelain and Obsidian (black) with a 6.3in screen and costs €919 for 128GB storage. You can currently get 256GB storage from the Google store and from Currys at the same price.
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