The Google Pixel was all the time destined to be the iPhone for Android users. This 12 months, that perception feels stronger than ever, with the brand new Pixel 9 series coming in customary, Professional, and Professional XL flavors and costs beginning at $799, $999, and $1,099, respectively.
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If the pricing mannequin and configurations do not trace at an Apple-esque playbook, wait till you see and really feel the telephones in individual. I spent an intimate morning with the most recent gadgets forward of at present’s Made by Google event, and the brand new design language — which favors flattened edges, pastel colours, and ultra-thin bezels — typically jogged my memory of the iPhone 15 Professional that was tucked in my pocket.
To be clear, that is a superb factor, and I am not alone in considering that Google ought to construct a cellphone that is extra snug to carry, exudes premium, and appears much less like Cyclops from X-Males. After testing the three Pixel 9 fashions, this is my fast tackle every as you take into account whether or not they’re well worth the improve.
Google Pixel 9 can be a sleeper hit
The vanilla Pixel 9 just isn’t as flashy as its Professional siblings, however at $799 ($100 greater than final 12 months’s Pixel 8), Google did give it vital upgrades throughout the board. Happening the checklist, the modifications embody a bigger, brighter show that ramps as much as 2,700 nits, a bigger 4,700mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, an improved 48MP ultrawide sensor, and Google’s new Tensor G4 chip.
Additionally: The $799 Pixel 9 may be Google’s sleeper hit this year. Here’s why
These are all flagship-grade options, ones you’d sometimes discover on a cellphone that prices lots of of {dollars} extra, however I would wager that many shoppers will take into account the Pixel 9 for one different cause: coloration choices. I commend Google for being a bit extra formidable with its industrial design this 12 months, coating the flattened type issue with pastel hues that may be greatest described as refreshing. This can be the primary time I ever thought-about choosing up a pink-colored cellphone to make use of day by day — that is how good “Peony” appears to be like in individual.
The Pixel 9 can be the identical dimension because the Pixel 9 Professional, with a 6.3-inch show that makes it snug to carry and navigate one-handedly. It does not have the identical LTPO panel because the Professional, which means the refresh fee will not drop beneath 60Hz to scale back animation load and, due to this fact, scale back battery consumption, however the 4,700mAh capability ought to hold the Pixel 9 working for a full day.
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Lastly, the 48MP ultrawide digital camera with autofocus seems like an improve that customers will not respect till they use it. A sharper and bigger sensor means which you can now pull in additional coloration and element when capturing scenic views, and there is additionally the advantage of higher macro photographs.
Google Pixel 9 Professional will get an XL dimension (and extra complicated)
For the reason that very first Pixel, Google has all the time launched its smartphones in pairs: one in an everyday, market-appropriate dimension and one other that is a couple of point-inches bigger. Actually, the unique Pixel had an “XL” mannequin, which the corporate later changed with the “Professional” branding. That additionally meant that the smaller, non-Professional cellphone typically missed out on flagship digital camera options, show upgrades, and different software program advantages.
Additionally: I went hands-on with Google’s $1,799 Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and I’m ready to switch from Samsung
This 12 months, Google is combining the very best of each worlds, providing a Pixel 9 Professional XL mannequin that meets the wants of big-screen buffs whereas additionally protecting a smaller Professional variant that fields the identical digital camera configuration and have set. The latter is a significant win for customers who need flagship options with out the usually uncomfortable dimension. This additionally means there are actually 5 Pixel cellphone fashions to select from, together with the budget-oriented Pixel 8a and bleeding-edge Pixel 9 Professional Fold.
Apart from dimension choices, paying up for the Pixel 9 Professional additionally will get you 16GB of RAM (as an alternative of 12GB on the Pixel 9), as much as 1TB of storage, a 48MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, and a extra sensible 42MP front-facing digital camera. From my demo, what impressed me essentially the most with the front-facing digital camera wasn’t the decision and element however how a lot of my environment it might body. With a 103-degree field-of-view, the Pixel 9 Professional may be the simplest cellphone to take group selfies and scenic portraits with.
Additionally: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Four best features that make it the foldable phone to beat
Different digital camera upgrades embody the power to course of Tremendous Res Zoom in video, which implies higher element when capturing distant topics, and Video Enhance, which upscales content material to 8K — nice for videographers or professionals who wish to clip out high-res pictures.
Google is bundling a 12 months’s value of Google One AI Premium Plan with the Pixel 9 Pro models, which incorporates entry to the most recent Google AI options like Gemini Dwell and 2TB of cloud storage. In fact, how useful that is is determined by how a lot you depend on Gemini to summarize, create, and interpret info. After demoing most, if not all, of the brand new software program options coming to the Pixel, which embody Add Me, Pixel Screenshots, Name Abstract, and Gemini Dwell, there are actually sufficient instruments that make the Pixel 9 Professional worthy of your consideration for the AI alone.
