Introduction
August seems like October, not because of the weather, but because Google revealed the ninth Pixel generation early. Of course, AI and cameras are at the forefront, as are new hardware and many software upgrades. We also received new sizes and models. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. We’re kicking off the Google evaluations with the largest of the new phones: the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Google made a big move this year by providing the Pro model in small and XL sizes, as Apple has done with the Pro and Pro Max versions for some time. And that makes sense: not everyone wants a huge phone, but not having the greatest cameras and most sophisticated functions is not an option. This brings us to the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL features only two differences from the Pixel 9 Pro, both of which are size-related: screen diagonal and battery capacity. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a flatter appearance with a new prominent camera bar that is oval and thick, with a slightly abrupt termination. It has an upgraded Super Actua display – a 6.8″ LTPO OLED with 486ppi density, 120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits.
Everything on the new Pixel 9 Pro XL
is powered by the Google Tensor G4 CPU, and the phone now has 16GB of RAM, which should be plenty for Gemini AI to function well. The photography department is what many consumers think of first when they hear Google Pixel, and this one has three cameras on the back: a 50MP OIS main (1x-2x), a 48MP ultrawide, and a 48MP 5x telephoto, all of which are helped by Multi-zone LDAF.
The primary camera allows 8K video capture, which is not available on the Pixel 9. The selfie camera has also received an update, becoming a 42MP shooter with focusing capabilities. The Pixel 9 Pro XL includes an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is a nice improvement over previous generations’ faulty optical scanners. It also has a 5,060mAh battery and enables up to 45W rapid wired charging. Fast and reverse wireless charging options are also available.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL, like the rest of the new Pixel phones, features Satellite SOS, which is now only accessible in the United States. Finally, the Pixel 9 Pro XL runs Android 14, which was released before Android 15. The phone, like the rest of the series, will have complete software support for seven years.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL specs at a glance:
Body dimensions: 162.8×76.6×8.5mm; weight: 221g; glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass rear (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; dust/water resistance: IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
Display specifications: 6.80″ LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak), 1344x2992px resolution, 20.04:9 aspect ratio, 486ppi, always-on.
Chipset: Google Tensor G4 (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.1 GHz Cortex-X4, 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A720, and 4×1.92 GHz Cortex-A520); Mali-G715 MC7.
Memory: 128GB (16GB RAM), 256GB (16GB RAM), 512GB (16GB RAM), and 1TB (16GB RAM); UFS.
OS/Software: Android 14 with up to seven major updates.
The main rear camera is 50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.31″, 1.2µm, with dual pixel PDAF, multi-zone Laser AF, and OIS. Telephoto: 48 MP, f/2.8, 113mm, 1/2.55″, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS, and 5x optical zoom; 48MP, f/1.7, 123˚, 1/2.55″ with dual pixel PDAF.
Front camera: 42 megapixels, f/2.2 aperture, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF.
Video Capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR. Front camera: 4K@30/60fps and 1080p@30/60fps.
Battery capacity: 5060mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 70% in 30 minutes (advertised), 23W wireless (with Pixel Stand), 12W wireless (with Qi compliant charger), and reverse wireless.
Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3, aptX HD; NFC.
Miscellaneous features include a fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic), stereo speakers, Ultra Wideband (UWB) capability, Satellite SOS service (US only), and a thermometer sensor to measure skin temperature.
Unboxing the Pixel 9 Pro XL
The new Pixel 9 phones, including the Pro XL, come in eco-friendly retail packaging made of recycled paper with paper sleeves. The print is monochromatic.
Design, build quality, handling
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the biggest Pixel of the new generation, but the Fold is in a different boat. Don’t be deceived by the XL designation; it’s the same size as the Pixel 8 Pro. The Pixel 9 series features a fresh look that some would deem modern or popular, while others will term it unappealing or Apple-like. We’re predisposed to prefer the new Pixels.
The flat design and evident glossy frame-matte back and matte frame-glossy back separation between the Pro and non-Pro variants make them seem more like iPhones. Regardless of the similarities, each of the Pixel 9 phones is distinct enough from an iPhone. And the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a high-end smartphone in terms of design and build quality. The Pixel 9 Pro XL includes two Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels: one that protects the screen and another with a matte finish on the rear.
The frame is composed of metal and is perfectly polished, which appears beautiful at first but quickly becomes dirty with fingerprints. The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes in four colors: porcelain (ours), rose quartz, hazel, and obsidian. Finally, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Google advertises it as quite challenging, with the potential to survive a downward plunge to the shore. Well, we will not take that chance.
We noted that
the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the same size as the Pixel 8 Pro; it has merely added 8 grams in weight, bringing it to 221 g. The updated model has a slightly bigger 6.8-inch LTPO OLED screen with 1344p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. This implies that the bezels are even narrower than previously. The earpiece/front speaker outlet is extremely narrow, making it hard to perceive with the naked eye.
This year, Google decided for an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for the whole ninth series, which works flawlessly. The sensor is located beneath the screen, in the bottom half, but not too low – an ideal location, some may argue. It works quickly and flawlessly. There is also a new selfie camera within the punch-hole, which is billed as 42MP and features focusing.
The rear of the Pixel 9 Pro XL features an all-matte glass screen that is smudge-resistant yet rather slippery. The new oval camera housing isn’t enormous, but it’s really thick! It houses the laser emitter and receiver, as well as three cameras: a 50 MP main, a 48 MP ultrawide, and a 48 MP 5x telephoto. They are followed by a metal surface containing the LED flash and temperature sensor.
The original seamless camera housing was certainly preferable, but we have to acknowledge that this new bar is a distinctive design element, and its thickness was not a major issue for us. The original €40 Pixel covers may assist to alleviate the subjective camera bar protrusion if it gets in the way. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a SIM tray at the bottom, close to the USB port and the second speaker.
It can accommodate a single nanoSIM card. eSIM supports dual SIM capabilities. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is a huge phone, comparable to the most prominent Maxes and Ultras on the market. It’s ruggedly attractive in our perspective, but extremely slick with little to no grip. And it is the only thing we detest about the design.
Super Actua display is super-brighter still, slightly larger too
The Pixel 9 Pro XL features some display improvements over the previous version. For starters, the OLED panel is now somewhat bigger, with a 6.8-inch diagonal that allows for better separation from the 6.3-inch 9 Pro non-XL (the prior 8 Pro had a 6.7-inch display). The other change is the increased peak brightness, which is now listed as 3,000nits (up from 2,400).
The display’s resolution remains same – a fairly unusual 1,344×2,992px in a more or less regular 20:9 aspect ratio – but the pixel density has increased to 486ppi. It still uses an 8-bit panel with up to 16 million colors, but other competitors have switched to 10-bit and even 12-bit displays (maybe not Samsung, but nonetheless).
The highest refresh rate for the 9 Pro XL is 120Hz. Returning to brightness, we measured an impressive 2,365nits on the Pixel 9 Pro XL in adaptive brightness mode, with the phone set in strong light for our typical 75% patch. That’s a considerable improvement over the previous generation and far brighter than anything we’ve seen from a recent flagship phone.
Perhaps even more striking is the Pixel’s maximum brightness, which can be manually adjusted to nearly 1,300nits at the right end of the slider. Compare that to the other phones on the list, which range from 700 to 800 nits.
Refresh rate
Google refers to its greatest screens as Super Actua, with the ‘Super’ standing for LTPO; the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL can dynamically adjust their refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. In comparison, the 9 non-Pro features an Actua display (without the ‘Super’), but it can only cycle between fixed 120Hz and 60Hz settings. In any case, there’s only a ‘Smooth display’ option in the settings – no modes or anything – and it’s turned off by default.
When Smooth display was selected, the Pixel 9 Pro XL was able to sustain 120Hz when gaming, both for 2D arcade titles and 3D games. Outside of games, the Pixel will retain 120Hz in browsers or social applications while you’re scrolling or there’s fast-moving material (even if you’re not touching the screen), but will drop to 1Hz for static content when there is no contact.
Streaming and HDR
The Pixel 9 Pro XL supports HDR10 and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. We received HDR feeds from both YouTube and Netflix, with Netflix additionally supporting FullHD quality thanks to the Widevine L1 certification. You can also expect the Pixel 9 Pro XL to show Ultra HDR-compliant photographs with increased highlights, including its own photos in the Google Photos gallery and other suitable phone images found online in browsers or social media.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL battery life
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery, which is a modest gain over the 8,050mAh battery. The Galaxy S24 Ultra and certain other high-end Androids, such as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, have virtually the same battery capacity, at 5,000mAh, however figures in the 5,400-5,600mAh range are not uncommon. In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a battery capacity of 4,441 mAh.
In our tests, the Pixel 9 Pro XL performed admirably—for a Pixel. We saw significant gains in both web surfing (12:18h, up from 10:34h, 16%) and video viewing (14:35h, up from 12:18h, 19%), as well as a slight increase in gaming. Meanwhile, the call time has stayed nearly unchanged. Overall, our Active Use Score demonstrates a significant improvement, although the big Pixel still behind its competitors in terms of endurance.
Charging speed
For this generation of Pixels, Google is releasing a new charger – a 45W Power Delivery device capable of delivering the 37W rated for the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Pixel 8 Pro only topped out at 27W, so the current 30W adaptor was adequate, but a new brick was required this year. However, we did not have access to the new adaptor, so we had to make due with what we had on hand to time the phone’s charging speed.
Pixels have always performed well with the Samsung 45W adapter, and its specifications are remarkably similar to the Google 45W converter. Using the Samsung charger (the EP-T4510), we recorded 67% at the half-hour mark; Google claims 70% in ‘approximately 30 minutes’, so we’re almost there, even without their own adaptor. A full charge took us 1:18 hours, which was 5 minutes faster than on the 8 Pro. Our power meter indicated that the two devices had negotiated 37W, but the actual transmitted power was roughly 33W; this continued for a few minutes.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL also supports wireless charging. The Pixel Stand (2nd generation) produces the quickest results at up to 23W. You can achieve up to 12W with generic Qi-compliant pads that meet the Extended Power Profile specifications. The Battery Share function allows you to wirelessly charge additional devices from the rear of the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Speaker test
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a twin speaker design, with the primary unit located at the bottom of the phone and the front-firing one above the display, which also functions as an earpiece. The phone will allocate channels dynamically based on its orientation in space. Each speaker will also play the other channel’s audio, but at a lesser level, as is typical with Google.
In our tests, the integrated loudness result was excellent enough to bring the 9 Pro XL into ‘Very excellent’ zone, a step up from the previous generation and on par with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max. We’d say the 9 Pro XL is tuned somewhat differently than the 8 Pro, but the variations are minor – possibly slightly reduced low-end presence in some tunes and less excited voices here and there – so we wouldn’t call it an enhancement, but rather a side step. We’d still say that the iPhone has the advantage here, and perhaps the Galaxy as well.
Android 14 with Gemini
Since the Pixel 9 phones were released before Android 15, the latest series of Pixel phones ship with Android 14 out of the box. It is a clean version of the popular operating system that includes the new Gemini AI. Google offers seven years of full software support for all Pixel 9 phones, which includes seven major OS upgrades and all security fixes.
You can also count on spare parts to be available throughout that time if something goes wrong with your Pixel. Google’s sleek Android 14 is quick and smooth, and it feels comfortable after being around for over a year. The lockscreen is clean and straightforward; the homescreen has app icons, folders, and widgets; there is an app drawer; and the notification shade with fast settings is a permanent feature.
Google’s Gemini AI plays an important part in the Pixel 9 series. You may ask Gemini to do a lot more, even start full discussions regarding interviews or book/essay topics. It may suggest what to prepare based on a snapshot of your fridge items, whereas Magic Editor can eliminate distractions from images and even create an entire setting in a photo – for example, a stunning sunset instead of a drab one.
You may get ready-to-paste content for emails, email or text summaries, and more. It will also be able to listen to your calls and provide a summary of the conversation – with the other party being told, of course. This way, if the conversation is significant and filled with information, you’ll be able to recall everything, including dates, hours, meetings, plans, and more.
Gemini is still in progress,
but it is ready to use and pretty enjoyable! Cook, write, generate content, search, and ask questions. It also speaks more than 100 languages right out of the box. Pixel Studio is the next stage, where you may design personalized pictures. Note that generating pictures of persons is not currently supported. Here you may try to construct numerous crazy graphics, depict your thoughts, create a concert poster, or design your next book cover.
And, for the most part, the maker works well, and you can then further personalize the picture’s look using the extra choices. The Pixel Screenshots software organizes your screenshots and allows you to browse through them in depth. Product keys, trailer screenshots, phone numbers, sports, recipes, favorite cuisines, gift ideas, that t-shirt stamp, landmarks, companies, and places to visit – ask here and you will receive a response, including a screenshot summary if available.
The software utilizes Gemini to recognize content in all of your screenshots, allowing you to recall information from them. Circle to Search is also accessible; simply press and hold the nav bar at the bottom of the screen, then draw on anything on your screen to search for. It eliminates the need to screenshot and open it with Google Lens, and it works just as advertised: you circle something, and Google finds it for you.
Magic Editor
is included in Photos and includes Zoom Enhancer, Magic Eraser, Blur/Unblur, and other features. The Camera app has some cool AI techniques, such as include Me, which allows you to include the photographer to a group image by taking one with the group and one with him, and the AI will mix them. Alternatively, you can clone your subject in the same photograph (examples on the next page).
Best Take is also available, which allows you to replace faces/objects with a superior version of them. Google Gemini can also make advantage of Google’s most powerful AI, Gemini powerful, which provides more accurate and targeted generative AI solutions. It generally needs a paid membership and is not currently accessible in all areas, but all Google Pixel 8 Pro and 9 Pro XL owners will receive it for free for a year.
The majority of the features, including those we discussed previously, are free and perform effectively even without the Advanced version, which appears to be aimed at power users. Finally, Satellite SOS is becoming a more prevalent function on modern devices. Google has teamed with Garmin Response to provide emergency response coordination services for the new Pixel 9 series’ satellite SOS function.
This service is currently only accessible
in the United States and is limited to owners of the new Pixel 9 series, which includes the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold. Older models are unsupported. Garmin Response handles over 17,000 SOS activations every year in over 150 countries, therefore the service will most likely be available outside of the United States in the future.
That’s how Apple got started, and maybe after the problems are smoothed out, Google may spread the service to additional areas. Garmin has already partnered with a global network of search and rescue specialists, coast guards, embassies, and other organizations to help you get out of difficulties. Skylo is Google’s other partner in this.
Skylo is a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) service provider, which means it collaborates with a variety of satellite operators and carriers throughout the world to provide emergency access in locations without cell or Wi-Fi coverage. Skylo’s network operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thus there is no reason why the Pixel 9 satellite SOS feature should not be expanded further. And possibly more.
Software and performance
The latest Pixels rely on Google’s next-generation processor, the Tensor G4. It has a brand-new CPU with eight cores, one fewer than the G3: 1×3.1 GHz Cortex-X4, 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A720, and 4×1.92 GHz Cortex-A520. All cores have been updated to the newest generation. The GPU remains the same as on the Tensor G3 – Mali-G715 MC7 – but has a higher clock rate of 940Hz, up from 890Hz. All new Pixels feature more RAM than before: 16GB of LPDDR5X.
The TPU for AI tasks has remained constant from the Tensor G3 – now in its third iteration. Finally, Samsung has introduced a new energy-efficient modem, the Exynos 5400, which supports satellite communication. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you with test scores at this time since the benchmark apps we use were flagged as “incompatible” on the Play Store. Sideloading them yielded results that were far too low (lower than the Pixel 8 Pro, for example) to be deemed representative. Let’s hope the restrictions are eliminated later on and we can provide you with accurate benchmark results.
Saving the real upgrades for next year
According to the specifications, the Pixel 9 Pro XL retains the 8 Pro’s rear camera components with only a tiny update to the ultrawide. The 8 Pro wasn’t exactly cutting-edge, so a hardware update would have been appreciated, but Google is a software firm, so we get AI instead. For the record, the selfie camera is entirely new. The primary camera keeps the 1/1.31″ sensor size, letting Chinese manufacturers to compete with the 1-inchers.
Realistically, with both the current top iPhone and top Galaxy having around the same sensor size, the Pixel isn’t exactly lacking in sheer size. Using the same comparing technique, the telephoto should be comparable to the Galaxy’s and potentially better than the iPhone’s, assuming we limit comparisons to sensor size and zoom capability. The Pixel’s minimum focusing distance of roughly 75cm will not be a match for the Galaxy because it is not quite as close.
The Pixel’s ultrawide is new, with Google sacrificing sensor size for a brighter lens – a 1/2.55″ imager replaces the 1/2.0″ one (still 48MP), and the optics now have an f/1.7 aperture vs. the f/2.2 of the 8 Pro (AF remains). This appears to be more of a side step than an advance, although it still uses a Quad Bayer sensor rather than the typical 1/2.55″ sensors used by the rival iPhone and Galaxy.
So, all things considered, in the unique and constrained context of ignoring Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, the Pixel’s camera hardware is truly competitive. Oh, then there’s the new selfie camera, which has a 42MP sensor instead of the previous generation’s 10.5MP. As is customary with Pixels, there includes an ultrawide lens for capturing more individuals in the picture, as well as autofocusing.
Main camera
The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s primary camera takes amazing images throughout the day. It features good, sharp detail and is usually beautifully depicted. There are traces of pixelation in some cases, but the sharpness is conservative, and random textures do not appear overprocessed. Noise is virtually non-existent. Dynamic range is normally excellent, with the exception that Google phones like strong contrast, thus shadows may seem dark on occasion.
Colors might appear subdued if you’re coming from a Galaxy; even the somewhat conservative newer Samsungs have more pop. In contrast, the Pixel’s photographs have a lot more life to them than iPhone images. The Pixel captures skin tones accurately and portrays face characteristics well. The default blur setting in Portrait mode is a tad extreme, and we’re not convinced the hazy transition around shoulders is totally realistic.
Main camera (1.5x), Portrait mode
The full-res 50MP samples are frequently fuzzy, while we may convince ourselves that the Pixel has resolved more information in this or that scenario, such as the one with the snail. Main camera (1x), 50MP, The Pixel 9 Pro XL performs well at 2x, but it will not mislead anyone who examines these at 1:1. Main camera (2x), The Pixel is comparable to the current iPhone, however not nearly as nice as the Galaxy. However, none of these are comparable to the X-series vivos.
Daylight comparison, main camera (2x): Pixel 9 Pro XL, Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max
You can still take people photos at 2x with reasonable assurance. You won’t be able to see your subject’s skin pores in the photograph, but the shooting distance will be more convenient for all sides. Surprisingly (or maybe not), Portrait mode will rob you of fine subject detail. As with previous year, there is a 50MP resolution option at 2x. Even with all of the AI in play, we can’t see it producing enough pixel-level information to make any practical sense.
Telephoto camera, 5x
The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s telephoto lens provides good shots without gleaming too brightly. It’s not lacking in sharpness, but it lacks that defining edge that makes you go ‘wow’. The camera’s inability to focus as near as some of the other top cameraphones (like the Galaxy S24 Ultra) does not help when it comes to pulling information from your objects. However, we have no concerns regarding the dynamic range or colors; everything is fine.There is no Portrait mode at 5x unless you go through certain hoops, which is not a great idea.
If you like to photograph individuals at 110-ish millimeters, the Photo mode will suffice. Here’s how some of those moments look when filmed at 50MP. When compared to the Galaxy and the iPhone, we observe equivalent detail – the Pixel has nothing to be ashamed of in this company, but it also has nothing to distinguish itself. Similarly, at 10x, there isn’t much to distinguish between these three – the iPhone images may be a little noisy, but the detail is roughly the same.
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera does not disappoint and produces excellent shots. It resolves a large amount of detail and processes it naturally. The global settings are also consistent with the recognized Pixel appearance. The Pixel’s better sensor appears to give it an advantage over its rivals in terms of detail rendition. We see an extra touch of definition in the 9 Pro XL photos that the other two do not have. The ultrawide’s full-res mode does not boost detail any more – at least not in our opinion.
Close-ups (macro)
Because the telephoto lens cannot focus in close proximity, Google has assigned a Macro mode to the ultrawide camera. When you’re using 1x and the Macro focus is set to auto, if you go past the main camera’s minimum focus distance, the phone will switch to a zoomed-in image from the ultrawide camera, which can focus extremely near. The results are fairly nice, albeit not quite pin sharp.
Depth of field is relatively shallow at this distance, and there’s a lot of field curvature, so even if you’re photographing a flat subject, you’ll probably only get a nice patch of perfect focus in the center of the frame. Due to the wide shooting distance, you will almost certainly cast a shadow on your subject.
Overall, we’d love a fantastic close-focusing zoom camera, but the Pixel’s approach is better than nothing. Mind you, the ultrawide camera will focus down to around 15mm from the lens’s edge, whether in Macro mode or not, so you can get some extreme ultrawide closeups in its natural field of view.
Selfies
Pixels have always managed to make us appreciate their selfies, despite their shortcomings, and the 9 Pro XL’s results are fairly good as well. This time, our only small concern is the somewhat pixelated detail reproduction, which is more of a nuisance than a serious defect. Indeed, the 10.5MP photographs are highly detailed, and the ultrawide lens provides some additional coverage. The colors are vibrant, the skin tones are realistic, and the dynamic range is exceptional.
Now, both big competitors are excellent selfie cameras, and just because the Pixel is wonderful doesn’t mean the others aren’t, each in its own way. We’re definitely least fond of the iPhone’s rather washed-out portrayal as compared to the others, and we’d recommend the Galaxy for darker lighting. Overall, the Pixel appears to be the clear victor here.
Low-light photo quality, Main camera
After dark, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s primary camera performs admirably. It catches decent detail without defining strict definition requirements; shadows, in particular, can be a touch fuzzy. That’s somewhat of a result of the shadow boost: exposures look wonderful generally, with no dreary dark areas. The benefit of highlight preservation virtually goes without saying.
White balance can be unsteady at times, resulting in slightly varied colors in consecutive photographs of the same scene, however this does not happen all the time and is only a little difference. The saturation is spot on. In our experience, the Galaxy wins out, capturing clearer photos with greater shadow detail.
In comparison to the iPhone, we believe the Pixel has a little advantage, but not by much. The Pixel’s performance in the dark are acceptable at 2x, but you’d be better off restricting your 2x photography to scenarios with a little more light. The Galaxy retains a 2x lead over the Pixel, but comparisons to the iPhone are unclear; neither is consistently superior in our experience.
Low-light photo quality, Telephoto camera, 5x
The telescopic camera’s low-light performance isn’t very impressive. While it exposes well and maintains decent color accuracy and saturation, the detail is painted with too wide strokes for our taste. Even if the EXIF data indicates a telephoto lens, the photographs we receive frequently appear to have been taken with the primary camera at 5x digital zoom. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is noticeably better at 5x, with higher clarity and detail. The Pixel is also losing to the iPhone by 5x, and the Pixel acknowledges that it has resorted to the primary camera.
Low-light photo quality, Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide lens continues to produce bright exposures with appealing tonal development, even if this comes at the sacrifice of pixel-level detail and sharpness – in fact, at 1:1, things are somewhat soft. When compared to the Galaxy, the Pixel’s visuals are clearer, while the Ultra’s noisier presentation provides noticeably more detail. However, darker passages, such as the second one, help to balance things out. It’s unclear whether there is a clear winner in this comparison against the iPhone.
AI: Unblur, Zoom Enhance, Add Me, Eraser, Magic editor
There is a wide range of AI-powered picture editing features. The Zoom enhance will try to bring out information where the camera did not catch much – it produces 3MP pictures, so you’ll typically be better off dealing with cropped versions of your photos rather than the entire image – the tool does urge you to do this. Here are some instances.
‘Add Me’ is a function that allows you to be a part of a group photography when there are no strangers to photograph the entire group. You snap the initial image of the group and then give over the phone to someone else, who directs you to your position next to the already photographed group shown on screen. Alternatively, you may add another you.
Now that you’ve got a snapshot of yourself, you may utilize Magic Editor to relocate yourself to a better environment. You may experiment with Magic Editor for fun or come up with imaginative ways to make it useful (the following few are clearly not).
Video recording
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL can capture 4K60 video with all of its cameras, including the three on the back and one on the front. The rear cameras can also shoot in 4K at 24fps rather than 30fps, although the selfie camera does not have this feature. The main camera and telephoto lenses also add 8K30 to the list of options. There is the standard choice between the h.264 codec for more compatibility and the more efficient h.265 alternative. The menu also has a 10-bit HDR recording option.
There is now a Video Boost setting, which activates AI-enhanced processing to improve HDR, stabilization, and zoom results. It needs backing up the files to Google Photos, and the boosting occurs in the cloud. You receive one non-boosted 1080p movie for instant enjoyment, while the pseudo-raw file for further boosting has a resolution of 4032x2268px.
There are three approaches to stabilization, with ‘Standard’ accessible in all settings and cameras. For action shots, the ‘Active’ mode locks you into 1080p30 on the ultrawide, while ‘Locked’ allows you to zoom in at 2x or 5x (up to 4K60). You may even turn off the stabilization completely if you have other procedures in place to assure steady footage.
The main camera footage
from the Pixel 9 Pro XL has left us dissatisfied. It’s softer than ideal – softer than the competition and softer than the Pixel 8 Pro, which doesn’t make sense. And it shouldn’t be a lens flaw because we didn’t see any problems in stills; it’s only that the Pixel handles movies in this manner. Looking at the ultrawide and telephoto footage, we see a little more of the same.
Perhaps it’s the early software, and Google will fix things up in future updates, but we’re not happy with the outcomes as they stand. The contrast is a little too strong for our comfort, but this isn’t necessarily a negative thing; we can blame it on the ‘Pixel look’. Colors can be slightly warm, but not to the point of being unappealing; in fact, they are often rather appealing.
In low light, the Pixel’s primary camera movies lag behind the competition in terms of clarity, although the changes are minor. The ultrawide and telephoto lenses are comparable to their Galaxy and iPhone equivalents, with good ultrawide capture and less appealing zoomed-in pictures. We can’t complain about stability; it’s fantastic. The main and ultrawide cameras handle walking wobble quite well, pans are extremely smooth on all cameras, and there’s also a stunning stability while simply pointing the phone in one direction.
Competition
The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s primary competitors are well known, and with Google’s newest priced at $1,200/€1,200, the figures are more or less in line. In addition to the obvious options, there may be a few more possibilities to consider. It would make sense to begin with the internal competition first. The 9 Pro non-XL, for example, is virtually the same as the XL but smaller.
We haven’t tried it, but we don’t expect its battery life to be considerably shorter, and aside from that (and the visibly smaller display), there’s nothing that distinguishes the two – grab the Pro to save some weight in your EDC, get the XL for the extra screen estate. You could go the other way and acquire the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which has the biggest screen estate on a Pixel.
That will cost you 50% more money, and you will be compromising camera performance and, most likely, battery life. However, there is significantly greater display. A case might potentially be designed for the Pixel 8 Pro. You’ll be saving money – at least $100/€100, but probably more – while making minimal compromises. The 8 Pro’s display isn’t as brilliant as before, but it’s still brighter than most, and while battery life has improved with the latest version, it’s not substantially so.
Because both have a 7-year update policy
you’ll almost certainly have changed one before the other makes a difference. The 9 will undoubtedly be faster at AI tasks, but how much faster, given that the Tensor G4 TPU is the same as in the G3, and how much does it actually matter? Moving on to the true rivalry, there is no more obvious adversary than the iPhone 15 Pro Max (albeit a 16 Pro Max will be released soon).
The iPhone is a superior option for video recording, but otherwise, the cameras are rather comparable. The Pro Max also provides increased endurance. As is customary, this decision will most likely be made with the ecology in mind. The iPhone is 20% more expensive in Europe and other regions, adding one additional reason against it outside of the United States.
In comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is somewhat less expensive than the Pixel in Europe, and almost the same price as the Google phone in the United States and India. It eliminates the OS issue from the equation above, leaving you with a S Pen and a close-focusing telephoto as the highlights of a generally superior cameraphone.
If you’re looking for a cameraphone and aren’t too concerned with Pixel processing, there are objectively superior solutions, even if some may consider them esoteric. The vivo X100 Pro comes to mind, having a well-equipped 1-inch primary camera and a respectable telephoto. That final piece is even better with an X100 Ultra if you can get your hands on one and are willing to put up with certain limitations caused by its Chinese software.
But that may be too much of a reach for the demographic that is usually looking for a Pixel. If you choose the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, you will not have to make any software concessions, and you will receive an additional 1-inch primary camera (with variable aperture, no less) and two telephoto lenses.
Verdict
The Pixel 9 Pro XL features significant cosmetic improvements as well as hardware enhancements, making it a better phone than the previous iteration. The brighter display is a great enhancement, and it may be the brightest in the industry, but the 8 Pro was not lacking in this regard. Battery life has been a blemish for Pixels in head-to-head comparisons, and the latest model improves on that front, albeit it still falls behind its competitors.
Google claims that the Pixel’s most compelling feature is its AI capabilities. A variety of software capabilities are available for both business and entertainment, and picture editing tools can assist salvage a shot that circumstances have attempted to harm. Having a phone produced by the OS maker provides benefits, however they are difficult to measure. We’re not as impressed with the camera setup as we had thought.
The Pixel lags behind several trends, and just because AI can enhance photographs and even create things that weren’t there before doesn’t mean it can be used to replace cutting-edge camera technology. The new selfie camera is impressive, but the others fall short. Of course, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a well-rounded and fully capable high-end smartphone, and that is without doubt.
This generation prioritizes phone development as a vehicle for Google’s AI aspirations; if you’re interested and want to ride the AI wave, go for it. There have also been significant improvements to some of the basics to appeal to AI doubters. Camera fanatics, on the other hand, are unlikely to be unduly enthusiastic.
