Do you need to go Pro?

The Google Pixel 9 series is exciting. It’s arguably the most important Pixel lineup since the Pixel 6, and if you’re in the market to upgrade your Android phone, there’s no better time to jump into the world of pure Google. Which Pixel 9 is for you isn’t the clearest decision anymore, though, as the company has now introduced a new Pixel 9 Pro that is the same size as the Pixel 9, and then there’s a slightly larger and feature-rich Pixel 9 Pro XL to contend with too. Don’t forget the Pixel 8a as the budget alternative, and then there’s the Pixel 9 Pro Fold .

I’ve spent a week with the Google Pixel 9, and it’s one of the best Android experiences ever. You won’t get as much as you do with the Pixel 9 Pro or Pro XL, but I’m not sure if that’s necessary for everyone, either.

Availability and network

Expect to pay $100 more than last year

Let’s kick off with the bad news. Much like the rest of your life, the price is going up. The Pixel 9 costs $100 more than the Pixel 8 . That’s the story for most phones this year, with many Android manufacturers increasing prices, citing inflation as the main factor. There are still plenty of deals available for the Pixel 9, and we expect to see this phone on sale for less in the coming year, but it’s now $799 on day one. The Pixel 7 , just two years ago, went on sale for $599, so this is a tough one to stomach.

In the US, you can pick it up from the usual retailers, Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. You can use the Pixel 9 on all major US carriers, and we’d recommend looking through our guide to the best Pixel 9 deals to find the perfectly priced deal for you.

The Pixel 9 is also available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the UK.

Design and display

The biggest change to Pixel in years

I’d say the Pixel 9 series features Google’s best-looking phones ever. The Pixel 9 feels more premium than previous handsets from the company, and it feels like you’re getting a top-end phone with a good enough design to fight it out with Samsung and Apple. The design has been tweaked since the Pixel 8 series, and while it’s not a huge departure, it will take some getting used to if you’re moving from a Pixel 6 or later Google handset.

Starting with the back of the phone, you’ve got a new redesigned camera bar that no longer hits the edges of the phone. It remains big, thick, and the main element that draws your eye to the back of the phone, but now the edges of the bar at the left and right are rounded to give it that Bender from Futurama look. It still won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I really like how Google has managed to keep its now iconic Pixel look but develop it into something new this year.

Side note; Google has managed to continue to make one of the dirtiest elements of a smartphone with the camera bar. Even through just one week of use, and a couple of attempts at cleaning, my phone had a thick layer of dust above and below the camera bar. I don’t think my pockets caused this, but you may find yourself regularly cleaning that part of your phone.

The dimensions are 152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm, which means it’s a little thinner than the last-gen handset but slightly bigger in the other two directions. The handset feels easy to hold and use in one hand, but it is on the weightier side at 198 grams. If you’re looking for a light phone, this may not be it.

The rear edges of the phone are no longer rounded like the Pixel 8 series which may not sit as comfortably in the hand. It now feels a lot more like an iPhone, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a negative. The edges of the phone remain a brushed aluminum frame. The front and rear of the phone are Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which should mean improved durability, but I’ve yet to have any serious accidents with the phone to truly test them out.

I have found the Pixel 9 to be slipperier than previous Pixel models, as it has gone for an adventure off my bedside table a couple of times when it was on charge. That may be down to the camera bump rather than the material used, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on and maybe all the more reason to pick up a Pixel 9 case .

You’ve got four color options: Obsidian (the black you can see in this review), Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony. The black is boring and a dust magnet, but the other three colors are far more exciting. The front of the phone is largely similar to previous generations, with flat edges on a 6.3-inch display. That’s slightly larger than the last generation, and that’s down to both slimmed-down bezels and a slightly larger phone.

If you’re frustrated by the bezels on the Pixel 8, you’ll be more satisfied here. Shoutout to Android Police’s ex-Google Editor Manuel Vonau, who said in his review last year that it was one of his biggest frustrations. They are a touch slimmer, and that chin on the last-gen phone is gone. I’ve seen some people online speculating that the bottom bezel remains thicker here, but I honestly can’t see that so even if it is, I don’t think you’ll notice it in everyday use.

I love the Pixel 9’s screen. It has a resolution of 1080 x 2424 (which is 422 pixels per inch), and that’s remarkably clear offering a brilliant picture throughout my testing. The best new upgrade is the increased brightness, which I found was noticeable immediately. It now features a peak of 2700 nits compared to 2000 nits on the Pixel 8.

If you opt for either of the top-end Pixel 9 products, you’ll get an LTPO display. That may be worth it if you’re used to using an incredible phone display, but I didn’t have any issues with the OLED Google was using here, and it’ll suit most people well.

Other hardware and what’s in the box

Very little else in the box

The Pixel 9 speakers are okay,, but I wouldn’t say there’s anything remarkable here. They’re good enough for listening to music as you wander around the house. The phone’s haptics remain some of the best on the market, as they’re strong and give a bit of a punch when you’re looking for feedback from your device.

Don’t expect much in the box with the Pixel 9. You get the charging cable, but as with most modern smartphones, you don’t get the charging brick. Google wants you to use your own from a previous device or to buy one separately. There’s a small amount of documentation in the box alongside the charging cable, but there’s little else here aside from the phone itself.

Software and performance

Stuck on Android 14, for now

For many, the big disappointment with the Pixel 9 series is that Android 15 just isn’t ready yet. Google pulled forward the reveal of the Pixel 9 series earlier in the year than previous generations to try and beat Apple to the punch. Because of that, the company hasn’t had its new software ready yet, and it’ll be coming to the Pixel 9 at a later date.

The latest version of Android is here with a few Pixel 9 exclusive features on top of it, so I’ll run you through those here. Notably, the software is smooth and easy to use, but if you’re a day one Pixel owner to get your hands on the new software, you can likely wait until later in the year for when Android 15 will be ready. I’ll come back to this review when Android 15 lands to give you the rundown of what has improved.

As last year, Google is offering seven years of OS updates with the Pixel 9 series. That means you’ll be getting through to Android 21 at a minimum. Google has yet to confirm whether the Pixel 9 series will get a further software update, considering the phone launched one generation before what we expected.

That longevity, even if you do get one fewer year than expected, is fast becoming the norm in Android phones, and knowing you can use this device for the next seven years without it becoming an online safety hazard is a huge deal. For this reason alone, I’d opt for a Pixel 8 or Pixel 9 over an older device like the Pixel 7.

Pixel 9 exclusive features are limited this year. Gemini is everywhere, integrated into more apps than before, and that’s a big part of Google’s software changes. For the first time, Gemini AI is the default assistant on the Pixel 9. That means you can now hold down the power button and get instant access to Gemini. It’s helpful and will likely encourage you to use Gemini daily.

A brand new Pixel-exclusive app is the Pixel Screenshots app, which gives you a location where all your tickets, screengrabs, and more can live. The idea here is that it takes some of the power away from Google Photos, keeps all your screenshots in one place, and allows you to better search through them for key details. If you take as many screenshots as me, you’ll find this helpful in identifying membership numbers, passwords, or other key details.

One of the bigger additions is the new Pixel Studio, Google’s new AI image-making app. Give the app a prompt, and it’ll make you an image from it unless you’re trying to include human beings. Humans are currently exempt from the app, and they’ll be coming in a future update. The feature is okay at best, but it’s struggling to keep up with the major alternatives on the market.

The feature is largely useless, and the few times it did get what I was asking for accurately, I wasn’t hugely impressed with what it could do from there. If you’re excited about artificial intelligence imagery, you’ll want to play around with this, but it’s yet to get my blood pumping.

A new feature called Call Notes is an addition to the company’s burgeoning phone call features. It’s designed to give you a quick summary of what was discussed on the call, including key information. I’ve yet to be able to test this feature as it’s currently US-specific (and I’m based in the UK), but the early impressions seem to be negative.

Then there’s the Pixel Weather app, which has been jolted in the arm with AI, that I also found to be largely lacking. It’s designed to give you a summary of the weather and advice on what to do. It recommends things like a hat or an umbrella. I don’t find this helpful when I know how to read weather forecasts on my phone.

Onto performance, and the Tensor G4 chip. This is an improvement over previous Pixel phones, and it has performed better than the Tensor G3. The handset handled everything here remarkably well throughout my time with the phone. I’ve had a little bit of the typical heat-up that we’ve always found with Tensor products, but I experienced it less here than with other products.

It became mostly an issue when using the phone for photography in direct sunlight. It never became too hot to touch, but it may be something you want to consider compared to a lot of other flagship phones. Snapdragon chipsets remain better for performance, but this is powerful enough, and it seems Google has kept on top of the heating issues we’ve seen time and time again.

You’ve got one option here for RAM, and that’s 12GB. Google has dropped its 8GB options for this series, and that’s a major step forward. If you’re spending this much on a phone, you should expect 12GB of RAM. Your storage options are more limited than most of the competition at 128GB or 256GB, and I would have preferred to see Google jump up to offering 256GB and 512GB options here.

Camera

One of the best on the market

The main camera on the Pixel 9 is a 50 MP Octa PD wide camera, and it’s pretty remarkable. Throughout my time with this phone, I’ve been amazed at what it can achieve, especially considering my light touch on the setting side. That main camera does most of the heavy lifting here, but there’s also a 48MP Quad PD ultrawide camera with a 123-degree field of view. This is the same setup as the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, but you don’t get some of the added extras here.

Ultrawide is first in both examples, followed by main camera

Google’s processing has always allowed this to be a top point-and-shoot camera, which continues to be the case with the Pixel 9. Everything I shot turned out well through the automatic settings.

There’s no telephoto camera here, and instead, the company’s Super Res Zoom feature returns. This works well enough for most scenarios, but if you’re used to using your telephoto camera, you may find it frustrating. I captured a few images that I was satisfied with, but it isn’t a full replacement for a proper telephoto shooter. You’ll get optical quality at 2x, but everything else above that is using Super Res Zoom.

Normal camera, 2x zoom, 5x zoom, and 8x zoom

Selfies are using a 10.5MP punch-hole camera with an f/2.2 aperture. I’ve not tested this as much, but during my testing, I’ve found it to be clear and light throughout its shooting. Video calls themselves remain good imagery, and this was suitable for all the video I needed from the front camera.

Shoutout to Pixel’s Portrait mode, which remains the best in the business. I’ve been shooting my cats with it all week, and it’s turned out brilliantly.

Two examples of Portrait mode on the Pixel 9

Onto the software features; you’ve got everything from the last few generations of handsets like Best Take. The new big software addition is a feature called Add Me, which is designed to give you the option to take a photo alongside someone else without the need to ask a passerby or bring along a tripod.

You take a photo with one person and then switch to another person. An AR version of the original image is overlaid onto the second photo so you can position it perfectly to make it look like a natural shot. It doesn’t work perfectly, especially if the lighting changes, but you should play around with it as it’s fun to do.

Then there’s the Reimagine feature. This is an editing tool built into Google Photos that allows you to add AI elements to your own photos using prompts. You select the area you want to change using a brush, and then tell it what to do. Below I changed the landscape to have a night’s sky featuring a moon, I asked Gozilla to attack in the second image, and the third image I asked for my cat to be relaxing at a ski lodge.

Much like Pixel Studio, they’re fun to play around with, but I think it’ll be rare if you get an example you particularly want to share with friends. The Godzilla example turned out remarkably well, but the other two aren’t particularly share-worthy, especially the final example where things just look wrong with the fire and trees in the background.

Battery life and charging

Better battery, worse charging

I’ve been beating the Pixel 9 into submission over the last week, and it’s done remarkably well. I took the phone on two flights, which both managed to be two to five hours delayed, so my airport usage went through the roof with me using work apps, watching Netflix, listening to podcasts, and playing games. On one of those days, I did recharge at around 7 p.m., but it made it to that time with 20% left in the tank, and that was with over six hours of screen on time.

There’s a 4,700mAh cell doing the hard work here, which is a touch bigger than the last phone’s 4,575mAh. That’s not a noticeable change, but overall battery life has been strong, with it often giving me enough to get through a whole day.

The Pixel 9 charging speeds remain a disappointment compared to the competition. If you have the right brick, it’s a 27W wired charging speed that recharges to 55% in 30 minutes. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not great for a flagship in 2024. Google has seen fit to change this up on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but this remains a limited capacity on the standard phone.

You’ve got wireless charging here, but I found this to be slower than I’d like at 15W with the Pixel Stand or 12W with standard wireless charging. That’s lower than the Pixel 8’s 18W charging, so we’re not sure why Google chose to downgrade these specific elements. Reverse wireless charging makes a return, so you can share some of your phone’s battery with accessories like compatible headphones.

Competition

Which Pixel is for you?

There are two main alternatives to the Pixel 9 that you should consider before you upgrade here. The first is the Samsung Galaxy S24 from earlier this year which you’re going to be able to find some cheaper deals for than the Pixel 9 series. It costs the same amount at launch but is now cheaper with consistent sales. For most people, the Pixel 9 is likely the best choice, but there are some areas of Samsung that you may prefer. It’s lighter for one, and the design may be more to your tastes.

The other big piece of competition is the Pixel 8. Android Police gave the Pixel 8 a nine out of 10 in 2023, and the truth is that it may suit you better if you’re money-conscious about your smartphone. You’d lose out on the slightly more powerful chipset, the improved camera hardware, and a few other elements, but that may be worth the price difference. With Google offering at least another five years of software updates on that phone, it’s also worth investing in now.

Then there’s the rest of the Pixel 9 series to consider. The Pixel 9 Pro is the same size as the Pixel 9, and if you’re after some slightly improved hardware over the main flagship phone, you may want to consider spending a bit more to get that. If you’re okay with going larger, there’s always the Pixel 9 Pro XL to look at, too. Both those phones offer improved displays, slightly more accomplished cameras, and a bit more grunt in terms of RAM and storage.

Should you buy it?

It will depend on your situation, but I’d recommend the Pixel 9 to almost anyone who’s after a top-tier Android experience in 2024. If you’ve got that extra $200 to spend, go for it and get the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL. But if you want to avoid shelling out for the best of the best, this phone is pretty fantastic.

Google has always been strong at offering a more affordable alternative to its top-end phone, and that’s still the case here. The Pixel 9 feels the most accomplished we’ve ever seen of one of the company’s phones, and I’d seriously consider buying this over the top-end phones out there from all the other Android competition.