Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Review

Find it irresistible or hate it, AI options on a smartphone will solely develop in quantity with time. And if it is any indicator of how occasions are altering, even Apple, which has prevented taking any massive strides for years (be it foldables, tremendous high-resolution cameras, sooner charging), has jumped aboard the AI (Apple Intelligence) prepare this 12 months with iOS 18. I’ve been utilizing Google’s latest member of the Pixel household, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, for just a few weeks, and I need to admit that its tackle AI is spectacular and beginning to make some sense. Google’s push for working AI fashions additionally ends in some much-needed {hardware} upgrades that we have now been asking for years. Due to this, it seems to be a really succesful smartphone, even with out its AI bits.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Design: Lastly feels, excellent

• Dimensions – 162.8mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm
• Weight – 221g
• Sturdiness – IP68 (mud and water)

“This seems like an iPhone,” stated a non-techy good friend of mine. Whereas such a remark from an iPhone person doesn’t validate the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s design, I do perceive that some bits of this 12 months’s Professional fashions do resemble an Apple iPhone.

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL lastly appears and seems like a high-end flagship ought to

 

From the flat sides of its aluminium body to its bevelled edges to its flat again, the design may be very iPhone-like and acquainted. That is solely as a result of Apple has used these design components for the reason that iPhone 12 (2020). In the event you have a look at it from the entrance, the one giveaway that it is not an iPhone is that tiny selfie digital camera module embedded in its show (as a substitute of a giant, omnipresent capsule).

The rear digital camera module, which now seems like a flattened capsule, nonetheless protrudes fairly a bit. And in contrast to the Pixel 9 Professional, which is lots shorter, you can’t use it to help the telephone (if you maintain it up) because it’s too far up on the again.

Whereas the combination of glass and metallic lends it a really premium look, the general end of the perimeters of the body, digital camera module and ports is one of the best I’ve seen on a Pixel smartphone so far and is method higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which had misaligned panels, sharp buttons and edges.

Match and end are top-notch, with no sharp edges across the ports, digital camera module and buttons

 

Regardless of including a vapour chamber (VC) cooling system and sustaining the telephone’s wi-fi charging capabilities, the Pixel manages to be as mild because the titanium-clad iPhone 15 Professional Max and slimmer than the Pixel 8 Pro it replaces. It additionally comes with the standard IP68 score, making it good for submersion in contemporary water and sand. Nevertheless it’s clever to needless to say injury resulting from submersion in water won’t be coated underneath guarantee.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Show: All about these rounded corners

• Show – 6.8-inch, 1,344 x 2,992 pixel, 1Hz – 120Hz
• Show Sort – Flat, LTPO, OLED
• Show safety – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (entrance and rear panels)

The brand new ‘Professional XL’ tag is mainly a ‘Professional’ from earlier years, so we have now a barely larger show (on paper) in comparison with the older ‘Professional’ fashions to justify the ‘XL’ tag. It’s extremely vibrant (3,000 nits peak) underneath direct daylight and might showcase natural-looking colors (with the Pure color preset enabled in Settings).

Whereas not as sharp because the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s show, it nonetheless does the job properly. The under-display fingerprint reader lastly will get upgraded to an ultrasonic one, which may be very dependable in comparison with earlier fashions. The selfie digital camera can be used to securely unlock the machine utilizing (banking-grade) AI-based facial recognition, supplied there’s sufficient mild.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL’s show is a big improve when it comes to brightness

 

The extreme curvature of the rounded corners, together with its skinny bezel, does result in some wasted display area, similar to on iPhones. Google has pushed the standing bar increased up in direction of the highest fringe of the selfie digital camera, and even then, there’s loads of wasted area above it. This reduces the usable space of the 6.8-inch show to the 6.7-inch show which we have now on the Pixel 8 Professional. In actual fact, even the Pixel 7 Professional’s show feels bigger as a result of it is wider than the 8 Professional and the 9 Professional XL when it comes to facet ratio due to its sharper corners. Regardless, the well-spaced-out content material does look good when it comes to aesthetics.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Software program: AI or nothing

• Software program – Pixel UI
• Model – Android 14
• Software program dedication – 7 years of OS, safety and Pixel Drop updates

Google’s generally identified Pixel UI stays the identical as earlier than visually however will get a really heavy dose of synthetic intelligence (AI) options. The ‘Professional’-branded fashions, particularly, get extra options over the usual Pixel 9 smartphone.

Add Me is a enjoyable new function that will appear gimmicky at first however is definitely very helpful. It is one of many many options that will get you occupied with what’s pretend and what’s actual and whether or not you wish to cross that line. It permits you to add your humble self to that marriage ceremony picture although you weren’t bodily there with your folks within the stated body (or second). Technically, it is not dishonest (although it’s pretend) since you had been current on the stated second (simply behind the digital camera), however it’ll set off that hidden guilt everytime you verify the picture.

Pixel Screenshots are a pleasant method to organise and preserve monitor of all of your screenshots. In case you have a behavior of taking tons of screenshots, whether or not that is to recollect one thing, to make use of as proof, or simply to set the details straight, that is going to be a wonderful method to allow you to discover particulars inside your screenshots and even pull out data from them at a later date.

Google’s Pixel Studio works fairly nicely for an app that is in beta

 

One other new function circling this pretend versus actual debate is that this enjoyable software known as Pixel Studio. It is nonetheless in beta, but it surely permits you to be an artist and kind or convey your creative visions to life with zero effort. Want an edible canine that appears like cake? Completed! A pizza made out of Oreo cookies? Completed! A bridge on fireplace? Effectively… that is the place you start to cross this software’s limits. Whereas initially accessible (once I acquired this overview unit), Google has been actively putting and lifting limits on what you’ll be able to or can’t generate.

Pixel Studio has some limitations which consistently carry on altering on occasion

 

Even one thing that is borderline dangerous to a human/animal will simply not fly… for now. However at occasions, I do get a message saying that “the flexibility to edit human photographs is coming sooner or later”. On the identical time, you’ll be able to set the Gateway of India (Mumbai) on fireplace utilizing the fitting phrases that do not sound harmful. Google can be including sensible workarounds to scale back the gore, and at occasions, it’ll ignore among the key phrases in your request to make for a palatable picture (just like the puppies within the KFC carton above). Apple’s model of the identical software provides the identical performance however will solely produce cartoon-like photographs and never sensible ones, and that someway seems like safeguard to have in place.

Nevertheless, there are two outcomes for this software. Google handing out this free software to the plenty goes to end in a variety of web junk, and it’ll, in some methods, make individuals rethink the necessity for a inventive skilled (at primary ranges) on the whole.

The unique picture was captured by one other smartphone

Auto Body within the Images app can use generative AI to think about and broaden on the unique picture

I modified the setting of the telephone within the unique picture to a forest utilizing the Reimagine software within the Images app

 

Reimagine is a brand new software Google pushed out within the Images app. It is a highly effective picture enhancing software that allows you to reframe or fully change the background in a given picture whereas retaining the themes. Whereas the outcomes could also be successful or a miss (due to output high quality), you’ll be able to find yourself with some convincing outcomes. In actual fact, it is exhausting to inform whether or not a picture has been edited, as you’ll be able to see from the above examples.

Zoom Improve is one more picture software which makes use of the ability of AI to “magically” improve photographs captured at 15-30X digital zoom by including pixels after which sharpening a picture. Nevertheless, in my testing, I discovered that these outcomes had been barely higher than the unique.

Gemini Stay is certainly one of many largest highlights of the brand new Pixel Professional fashions. Sadly, at the same time as I write this overview, Gemini Stay is already out there on different Samsung gadgets like our Galaxy Z Fold 6 overview unit and will likely be coming to extra with time. In brief, it is not unique to Pixel gadgets.

Whereas it is nonetheless not as sensible as Open AI’s GPT-4o and can’t view (or take inputs from the digital camera app but), it’s supremely responsive whereas giving out solutions. Not all of those outcomes are essentially correct. In a single dialog, it contradicted its personal earlier reply within the second go and laughed about being incorrect as nicely within the first go.

Gemini Stay is a really conversational AI-powered assistant however just isn’t essentially correct

 

However the fascinating bit right here is the truth that you might be conversing with an AI assistant in a really human-like method. One of many largest limitations of Gemini Stay is that in contrast to Google Assistant or Gemini, it’s certainly all about dialog and never actions. So, if it’s good to set an alarm, it’s good to use Gemini and never Gemini Stay. I liked interacting with Gemini Stay. Nevertheless, I didn’t discover it helpful sufficient to warrant the Rs. 1,920 per 30 days price ticket for accessing it together with different Gemini Superior add-ons as soon as the 1-year free trial ends. Once more, a few of Gemini Stay’s replies are primarily based on US/EU knowledge for some motive, particularly once I requested for ideas on shopping for merchandise “in Mumbai” (and even “in India”).

AI additionally makes its method into different surprising locations. Just like the climate app (AI climate report), Maintain (producing all varieties of lists), and even for the brand new Automotive Crash Detection function, which is on the market for Pixel 9 and 9 Professional sequence customers in India. Satellite tv for pc SOS, which was introduced at launch, is barely out there to customers situated within the US for now.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Efficiency: Meh

• Processor – Google Tensor G4
• RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 256/512GB

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL could also be massive on AI, however it’s nowhere near the competitors on the subject of uncooked efficiency. Premium flagships and even foldables just like the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro are far forward with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional XL reveals no indicators of stuttering when searching by the software program interface or multitasking. The 16GB of RAM ensures that apps stay in reminiscence and in addition helps vastly with the pace of conducting AI duties or workloads.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL (proper) appears very totally different in comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional (left) it replaces

 

 

 

Whereas the VC cooling system ensures peak efficiency just isn’t affected by components like warmth, gaming efficiency continues to be not up there with different premium flagships. That is due to the show’s gradual contact sampling fee, which lags regardless of the brand new Adaptive Contact function that mechanically calibrates contact sensitivity relying on the surroundings exercise. Traditional contact interactions when searching by the UI appear to work simply nice.

With a brand new chip, extra RAM and a VC system in place, I anticipated no hiccups when utilizing the digital camera. Sadly, this isn’t the case, because the telephone nonetheless chokes up after capturing 5 portrait photographs again to again, which was additionally the case with the Pixel 8 Professional.

The machine provides two audio system, which give wealthy sound high quality, however a variety of the heavy lifting is dealt with by the underside speaker, which will get coated and muffled simply when taking part in video games or when watching a video due to its placement.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Cameras: “Pixel” excellent?

• Principal digital camera – 50-megapixel (OIS), f/1.6 aperture, AF
• Extremely-wide digital camera – 48-megapixel, 0.5X, f/1.7 aperture, AF
• Telephoto digital camera – 48-megapixel (OIS), 5X optical, f/2.8 aperture, AF
• Selfie digital camera – 42-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, AF

The Pixel 9 Professional XL provides the marginally improved main digital camera efficiency that arrived with the Pixel 8 Professional final 12 months (faucet picture to broaden)

 

The first digital camera on the Pixel 9 Professional XL does a nice job of capturing detailed photographs with glorious dynamic vary and sharpness. The colors seem balanced and really near the true scene. Like up to now, the 2X magnification stage is a digital crop of the first sensor. However in contrast to the previous, these images are very spectacular.

2X (digital) zoom efficiency (proven right here in dim mild) has improved drastically and was a significant ache level with the older Pixel Professional fashions (faucet picture to broaden)

 

The Portrait mode even works nicely in low mild or with robust backlighting, capturing photographs at 1.5X, 2X or 3X. What’s successful or a miss is the sting detection. As you’ll be able to see within the photographs above and beneath, the sting detection might seem completely nice if you’re fortunate or an absolute mess if you happen to aren’t.

Regardless of packing a 42-megapixel digital camera, the outcomes from the Pixel 9 Professional XL do not seem any totally different when in comparison with final 12 months’s Pixel 8 Professional (faucet picture to broaden)

 

When capturing selfies, edge detection suffers fairly a bit, even when in comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional (which does a greater job). Regardless of having a high-resolution sensor, the standard of photographs is sort of comparable, with minor positive factors in daylight and low mild.

Google’s 5X telephoto digital camera captures sharp photographs with good element in all lighting circumstances. However its zoom capabilities are respectable until the subsequent magnification stage (10X), past which picture high quality is not spectacular. You should use the brand new Zoom Improve AI sharpening software within the Images app to boost these blurry photographs captured at 15X or 30X, however regardless of bettering the general high quality, these aren’t game-changing.

The ultra-wide digital camera manages barely smooth photographs in daylight with some blown-out highlights and purple-fringing. This isn’t the case with the Pixel 8 Professional. In low mild, there’s extra element (particularly within the darker areas) seen within the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s photographs.

An ultra-wide digital camera pattern from the Pixel 9 Professional XL underneath synthetic mild (faucet to broaden picture)

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL’s main digital camera captures a powerful stage of element in low mild (faucet picture to broaden)

2X digital zoom has improved in comparison with earlier fashions (faucet picture to broaden)

The telephoto digital camera snaps some spectacular photographs in low mild at its native 5X zoom (faucet picture to broaden)

 

Video high quality advantages lots from the brand new VC cooling system, so this doesn’t end in automated downscaling or high quality drops as a result of it simply doesn’t get as scorching because the older Pixels did.

When recording the video, I did discover the resolved element on the Pixel 8 Professional to be higher than the softer and brighter visuals of the 9 Professional XL. The noise was current in low mild or street-lit circumstances, however the general high quality was simply nice. It is nonetheless nowhere close to the rock-steady body charges of the iPhone 15 Professional Max, particularly when panning or strolling. However all of that is tolerable as a result of Video Enhance is right here to save lots of the day.

Video Enhance really went stay with the Pixel 8 Professional post-launch. Having the overview unit with me for some time, I didn’t discover all the outcomes helpful, and so they someway didn’t appear very spectacular. However all of this adjustments with the Pixel 9 Professional XL.

With the Pixel 9 Professional sequence, Google claims to have improved video rendering, making it twice as quick as final 12 months. Furthermore, there’s even 8K upscaling help together with HDR+. Video enhance improves readability (removes noise), boosts distinction and colors and stabilises the video general, making for smoother panning actions. It even does this for footage captured in low mild (Night time Sight Video), leading to noise-free footage. 

The entire drawback with Video Enhance is that one has to attend for the processing to occur, and there’s no approximate time period supplied for when the boosted video will likely be prepared both.

Google 9 Professional XL Overview Battery: Meets expectations… For a Pixel

• Battery capability – 5,060mAh
• Charging fee – 45W
• Wi-fi charging – 23W

I didn’t count on many adjustments to the telephone’s battery life, given the meagre 10mAh bump over the earlier mannequin. Our video loop battery life take a look at additionally managed simply 12 hours and 19 minutes, which is decrease than final 12 months’s Pixel 8 Professional. With heavy utilization, which concerned capturing photographs, video, and a few calls, the telephone simply managed to ship a day of utilization that touched 18 % by the tip of the work day. All in all, that is nice for Pixel, however it’s nonetheless a one-day smartphone and much behind the competitors.

The telephone took 1 hour and half-hour once I plugged it into my 65W GaN charger. Google claims that the 45W charging fee can solely be achieved by plugging it into its proprietary charger, which sadly just isn’t on sale in India.

Google 9 Professional XL Verdict

Priced at Rs. 1,24,999 for the bottom 256GB variant and Rs. 1,39,999 for the 512GB variant, Google’s Pixel 9 Professional XL, when it comes to {hardware}, is mainly the top-end Professional mannequin we needed to see final 12 months. As a substitute, all we received was a Pixel 8 Pro, which was hard to recommend because it was not an enormous enchancment over the Pixel 7 Professional it tried to switch.

Whereas this 12 months’s Pixel 9 Professional XL just isn’t as superior as Samsung or Vivo’s flagships when it comes to uncooked efficiency and {hardware}, it is full of AI options that may actually change the best way you’re employed and even exist socially. Google pitches these AI options as “useful” or “time-saving” when getting quite a lot of issues carried out, but it surely does cross just a few strains in its quest to impress customers. The Pixel 9 Professional XL certainly builds a powerful case for why AI options ought to exist on a smartphone, however homeowners can select to make use of them and stay with them or ignore them.

It’s because this 12 months’s Pixel Professional additionally feels much more premium than any of the earlier fashions and takes care of some main {hardware} ache factors which have plagued Google’s gadgets for years, like warmth administration, a brighter show, and the listing goes on. Battery life just isn’t one of the best within the enterprise, and Gemini Superior options come at a premium worth. However I can see many Pixel 6 Professional, Pixel 7 Professional customers and even some curious iPhone homeowners immediately upgrading to 1 as a result of there’s lastly a Pixel that will get a variety of issues proper.