Google’s Pixel 9 Professional is, by all accounts, one of many
finest Android telephones
on the market. AP Telephones Editor Will gave it a glowing evaluation, and that traces up with my very own expertise up to now: if you happen to ignore the foolish AI options (which is not all that tough to do), the 9 Professional’s nice {hardware} and mature software program make it a simple selection for Google’s finest telephone to this point. It is lacking one very particular function that competing choices from Samsung and Apple provide, although: always-on show wallpapers. The {hardware}’s there, all that is lacking is the software program.
Learn our evaluation
The Pixel 9 Professional’s LTPO show may do extra
Nearly each smartphone with an OLED display screen has an always-on show choice to persistently present data like notifications, the time, and native climate whilst you’re not actively utilizing the telephone. Over the previous few years, a handful of telephones with extra superior shows have taken it a step additional. On newer iPhone Professional fashions and the Samsung Galaxy S24 collection, you’ll be able to set your always-on show to incorporate a darkened model of your wallpaper.
In my
Samsung Galaxy S24+ evaluation
, I admit that I did not care a lot for the function at first. It would not have a lot affect on battery life, however all of the wallpapers I needed to make use of on my S24+’s house display screen appeared distracting on the always-on show. The function particularly makes use of your lock display screen wallpaper, although, so getting a subtler AOD wallpaper is so simple as selecting a delicate lock display screen wallpaper. As soon as that clicked, I had enjoyable discovering easier photos and graphics and to deck my AOD out with.
The choice to set AOD wallpapers is the definition of a nice-to-have function — this is not one thing that ought to make or break anyone’s telephone shopping for determination. However it’s a enjoyable little additional for individuals who need it, and for anybody who would not, it is simple to go away it turned off. If a telephone’s {hardware} helps slapping a wallpaper on the always-on show, I can not see any downsides to offering the choice within the telephone’s software program.
The Pixel 9 Professional has the suitable {hardware}. OLED screens make normal always-on show performance potential — when your telephone is locked and exhibiting solely a clock and a few icons, all of the pixels making up the clean areas are turned off and never drawing any energy. However on most OLED shows, exhibiting a static picture over a big portion of the display screen would trigger extra battery drain than a persistent wallpaper is value.
A rising variety of premium telephones include LTPO OLED shows (Google calls its take the Tremendous Actua show) that may dynamically modify their refresh charges all the best way right down to 1 Hz, or one refresh per second. In apply, shows do not at all times reap the benefits of their full refresh price vary. However a decrease refresh price attracts considerably much less energy than the extra frequent 60 Hz minimal of non-LTPO screens in telephones like the usual Pixel 9. Optionally available AOD wallpapers on the Pixel 9 Professional would not make a big distinction to battery life — I discovered the S24+ simply lasted longer than a full day, even with an AOD wallpaper exhibiting full-time.
The most important upside to LTPO panels is that they save battery in regular use versus the extra normal LTPS; refreshing the display screen much less typically is much less taxing, which is why your telephone’s battery saver mode caps the show’s refresh price. However the possibility to point out wallpapers on the always-on show would make a pleasant further perk to additional differentiate Google’s Pixel telephones — the usual Pixel 9 would not have an LTPO panel, so AOD wallpapers can be an unique Professional function.
Associated
Samsung Galaxy S24+ evaluation: A protected wager
AI gimmicks apart, it is a very easy-to-recommend flagship
It is not too late for AOD wallpapers on Pixel 9 Professional
The Pixel 9 Professional, Pixel 9 Professional XL, and final 12 months’s Pixel 8 Professional all have the suitable show {hardware} to assist exhibiting wallpapers on the always-on show, however the possibility is not there within the software program. Samsung’s AOD wallpaper implementation is nice, however it’s a customized One UI function, not a part of Android itself. As LTPO screens turn into extra frequent, constructing AOD wallpaper performance proper into AOSP and including it to suitable Pixel telephones in a Characteristic Drop solely is smart.
Personalization has at all times been certainly one of Android’s robust fits, and LTPO screens add a brand new canvas for that personalization. Android 16 can be right here earlier than it — I have never heard something about AOD adjustments (but), however possibly we’ll get fortunate.
Google Pixel 9 Professional
The Pixel 9 Professional is my favourite telephone in a very long time, however that does not imply I haven’t got petty complaints about it. Working example: the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16 Professional allow you to put a wallpaper in your always-on show, however the Pixel 9 Professional would not.