Everything you need to know about the Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google’s latest Pixel 9 series has come a long way from the first generation launched in 2016. At its most diverse launch event in several years, Google announced four phones, two smartwatches, and a pair of wireless earbuds on offer. More importantly, it marks the reintroduction of an XL variant. Unlike the previous years, however, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL are almost identical despite their differences in size.

If you are looking to buy a no-compromise Pixel this year, significant upgrades over the previous generation make the Pixel 9 Pro duo worthy of your attention. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: price and availability

The Google Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099.

The two new Pro phones, along with the rest of the Pixel 9 family, are available for preorder as of August 13. The Pixel 9 Pro XL will begin shipping on August 22, though the smaller Pixel 9 Pro won’t officially launch until September 4.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: specs

Google Pixel 9 Pro: hands-on

We’re going to talk a lot about the Pixel 9 Pro’s specs, features, and more in just a minute. But what is the Pixel 9 Pro like to actually use? We had an opportunity to go hands-on with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL to do just that.

After spending a couple of hours with the phones, a few things are immediately obvious: The new designs are great, the displays look lovely, and the smaller Pixel 9 Pro is a treat. We’ll have plenty more to share in full reviews of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL in the near future, but for now, the phones make a great first impression.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: design

The Pixel 9 Pro has received a massive design overhaul compared to the previous generation. Most notable is the redesigned camera bump, which, in several instances in the past, has been compared to Among Us characters due to its odd visor shape. The Pixel 9 Pro XL looks like a scaled-up version of the smaller Pixel 9 Pro due to an identical design and differences that are difficult to spot.

With visible inspiration from the iPhone 15 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, the Pixel Pro 9 also has flat edges, though it’s made from 100% recycled aluminum instead of a titanium alloy. The frame is also color-matched to the rest of the body. The rounded edges on the back from the Pixel 8 Pro have also been replaced with flat ones while the power and volume buttons on the right side are now flatter.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is identical to the Pixel 8 Pro in terms of dimensions, though it’s slightly heavier. The smaller Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, shares its proportions with the regular Pixel 9 and older Pixel 8. Both new models come with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which means they can stay submerged underwater at a depth of up to 5 meters (over 16 feet) for 30 minutes.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes in four colors, two of which (Obsidian black and Porcelain white) have been carried over from last year. Another shade, Hazel green, matches the Google Pixel Watch 3, while Rose Quartz pink is new. The Pixel 9 Pro and the 9 Pro XL also get new displays, as discussed below. The rear panel gets a matte finish, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects it.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: display

The Pixel 9 Pro offers nearly the same features as the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL. One aspect where they naturally differ is in the size of the displays. While the Pixel 9 Pro comes with a 6.3-inch display with a 1280 x 2856 resolution, the XL’s screen measures 6.8 inches and has a 1344 x 2992 resolution.

Both of these are OLEDs with LTPO support, which means the refresh rate of these displays can adjust dynamically between 1Hz and 120Hz based on the content. Google says the displays on both phones support 24-bit color depth with a total of 16 million colors, which is unchanged from the last year.

Both the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL have brighter displays than last year. Although Google markets them as the Super “Actua” displays we saw last year, the phones’ brightness has been increased to 2,000 nits in the high brightness mode and 3,000 at the peak brightness value (defined per pixel instead of the entire display).

Both of these displays support HDR playback with HDR10+, along with the free codecs. As with previous Pixel phones, there’s no Dolby Vision, but with such bright displays, you are unlikely to have complaints with visibility. For durability, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 comes standard across all the models.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: performance

When it comes to performance, the Pixel 9 phones are powered by Google’s self-branded Tensor G4 chipset. For yet another year, Google relies on a rebranded Samsung Exynos AP, and the Tensor G4 has reportedly been adapted from the Exynos 2400 from earlier this year — but with cutbacks.

Based on leaked specifications, the Tensor G4 uses eight Arm V9.2 cores on its CPU (compared to nine on the Tensor G3). It comprises one Cortex-X4 prime core, three A720 cores for high-performance load, and four A520 cores for efficiency. Though it’s too soon to judge its performance, the specifications fare lower than those of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or even the Exynos 2400 it uses as a reference.

The Tensor G4 is reported to offer roughly a 10% performance boost over the previous generation, which may seem lackluster, but Google pads it with a host of new AI features that we discuss below. Additionally, the RAM has been upgraded to 16GB, which is now the norm across all storage variants. Talking of the storage, the Pixel 9 Pro and the XL have 128GB as a base variant and go up to 1TB.

The Tensor G4 shouldn’t disappoint for its initial few years of usage, though we can’t say how well it will age over the phone’s entire lifetime. That said, one less core on the CPU is expected to counter the Tensor chipsets’ tendency to heat up quickly. However, we will save our final decision until our review.

For the U.S. specifically, Google will also offer emergency SOS functionality. We cannot guarantee whether this will extend to other areas or not. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 7 with tri-band support alongside 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, and UWB.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: battery and charging

The different sizes of the standard Pixel 9 Pro and the XL mean both have different power requirements, which Google has taken care of. The Pixel 9 Pro gets a 4,700mAh battery, while the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL gets a slightly bigger 5,060mAh cell. Google says both phones should deliver a 24-hour backup, which will be extended up to 100 hours in the Extreme Battery Saver mode.

Similar to the batteries, the charging speeds on both phones also differ. The Pixel 9 Pro supports wired charging at 27 watts and wireless charging at 21W. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has faster 37W wired charging and 23W wireless charging. For the highest possible charging rates, you would need to buy charging bricks and a fast wireless charging pad separately.

The Pixel 9 Pro also supports reverse wireless charging to beef up the battery inside accessories such as wireless earbuds or deliver some charge to other phones.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: camera

Following the tradition set by older Pro-grade Pixel phones, the Pixel 9 Pro and the 9 Pro XL feature triple cameras. This setup includes a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera. Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro, the same 5x optical zoom is supported on both phones, irrespective of their sizes. All cameras come with optical stabilization and autofocus capabilities.

On paper, the sensors underlying the three cameras appear to be the same as last year, but with upgrades to the lenses. The front camera, meanwhile, receives a massive upgrade from 10.2MP to 42MP and supports autofocus.

The cameras, which lie inside the redesigned bays, also feature laser autofocus for quicker and sharper focus and a flicker sensor, so videos don’t have those unwanted dark and light bands under indoor lighting. Talking of videos, both phones can shoot at up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second (fps) or 4K at 60 fps.

The bigger magic lies in the software features supported by these cameras. The long list of features includes Astrophotography, Frequent Faces, Top Shot, Night Sight, etc. — most of which we have already seen on previous devices. For videos, you get Night Sight Video, Super Boost, slow-motion videos at up to 240 fps , Cinematic Blur, and Pan features. The new Super Res Video mode also improves the quality of videos shot from a long distance using the 5x telephoto on both the Pixel 9 Pro phones.

Additionally, there is a host of software features to improve photos and videos, including Magic Eraser, Zoom Enhance, Best Take, Audio Magic Erase, Wind Noise Reduction, and more.

Google Pixel 9 Pro: software and updates

Speaking of software features, Google is known to load the Pixel devices with tons of additional features that are exclusive to them. Starting with the basics, the Pixel 9 Pro comes with Android 14, which may come as a disappointment to those expecting to experience the latest Android 15 right out of the box. This may be because Google is hosting this event earlier than its usual timeline of October for reasons unknown.

Nonetheless, like previous generations, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL will be offered seven years of software support. Whether that ends with Android 21 or Android 22 is something we won’t be able to answer until the next decade.

AI experiences, powered by Google’s Geminin Nano large language model, remain central to the Pixel experience. The experiences have already started rolling out in various Google apps, ranging from Gmail to Messages and Phone. However, for the Pixel 9 Pro specifically, certain low-level tasks will be processed on the device. There are some new features, such as Pixel Screenshots, which store the context of the image — a time when you took it, which apps you were using with it, etc. — to make screenshots easier to sort and find even months later.

In addition to basic tasks powered by Gemini Nano, the more powerful Gemini Advanced model will be available to Pixel 9 Pro buyers free of cost for the first year, along with a Google One subscription and 2TB of external storage. Starting the following year, however, you will be required to pay for these services, so use them mindfully.

Seeing the unimaginably fast progress of AI, we can expect Google to expand its offerings with each passing year until the end of the Pixel 9 Pro’s lifecycle.

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