The Pixel Pro phone is already the leader in Google’s phone range, but Rumored for a long time and Keep leaking The Pixel 9 Pro XL is truly the first large Pixel built for people with Hulk-sized hands and pockets. The company hopes you’ll be attracted to the size and (absorb) more of the AI-centric features. Some of them are actually useful on the Google Pixel 9.
This year, the regular $800 Google Pixel 9 ($100 more than last year’s starting price) and the $1,000 Pixel 9 Pro are the same shape and size, but the $1,100 XL is larger . At the same time, other 9s have 6.3-inch displays (slightly larger than 9s) Pixel 8), the Pro is equipped with a 6.8-inch screen. For comparison, it is slightly larger than Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro.
Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro: Screen size
Google’s big bet
With the redesign, most of the rounded edges on the sides and back of the Pixel have been shaved off. The sides are now flat with an aluminum frame, while the old camera pole has been reduced to a pill shape. I prefer the feel of this design compared to past Pixels, although I also often feel that many phones are starting to look very similar (even more so than they do now).
You can’t really tell the size difference unless you put each generation phone side by side, but the Pixel 8 Pro comes with 12 GB of RAM, while the Pro and Pro XL bump it up to 16 GB of RAM. The regular 9 will be upgraded to 12 GB. This is probably to help with all the extra Gemini features now flooding Google phones, but it’s still an improvement, especially for multitasking.
Google Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Software
It’s all about Gemini
Much of the marketing behind Google’s latest hardware is devoted to integrating artificial intelligence. The focus is on Gemini’s ever-expanding integration with Pixel phones. The new Tensor G4 chip should handle all of these issues better than before, but the phone will still rely heavily on cloud-based computing for all but the most routine AI tasks. You can bring up Gemini by long pressing the power button. There are some very interesting AI features, such as the ability to get details from Gmail and send them to Maps, but we didn’t test much of them in the demo.
Instead, oddly enough, the feature I’m most looking forward to is a dedicated screenshot app. In fact, pixel screenshots work like Microsoft teases recall feature. Still, on the contrary Automatically take screenshots of your work every few seconds, and it will only read what you decide to capture. Like Recall, Google’s artificial intelligence will use image and text recognition to scour your screen photos, whether receipts or text, to find what you’re looking for based on simple prompts.
Google tells us that this feature works entirely on the device, so no information should be sent to the cloud. At least, this would be a good option if I wanted to take all my screenshots without cluttering my Google Photos.
Google Pixel 9 vs. Pixel 9 Pro: Camera
Some camera tweaks, plus better night vision
Other AI features are available more or less immediately. There are some updates to the Magic Editor suite, including Add Me, which we found a little easier to work with on the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold. There’s also a new feature that helps automatically recompose your photos. It is similar to the AI cropping tools of Photoshop and other editors, using AI image generation to fill in empty areas. However, this feature will give you the option to recompose your photo to better emphasize simple photographer techniques such as the rule of thirds.
This refactoring tool worked relatively well in our tests and is more directly useful than the Reimagine feature. You can select an area of the image to imprint with some AI-generated texture. For example, you can make a blank wall look like the surface of the sun. Still, the AI is severely limited in how much it can reimagine a photo, and in our tests it refused to reimagine any people or pets in the photo.
The new Pixels get some camera updates, but the regular Pixel 9’s lens is upgraded to a 48 MP ultra-wide lens (with an aperture of f/1.7), up from the previous 12 MP ultra-wide lens. The 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL feature a 50 MP wide-angle fo/1.68 aperture, a 48 MP ultra-wide-angle fo/1.7 aperture, and a 48 MP 5x telephoto lens (fo/2.8 aperture).
Improvements to video and panoramic night vision should be a huge boon to the Pixel’s camera software suite. Still, there are some strange inclusions. If you really, really need the best duck face compared to any other non-reversible camera, then the Pro model comes with a surprisingly large 42 MP selfie camera with autofocus.
There are some interesting color options across the entire Pixel 9 lineup this year. Yes, this includes Bright, Pepto Bismol pink It’s a different color than the “peony” color on the regular Pixel 9.
