Review: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

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This year, Google released this year’s versions of their flagship Pixel series a couple of months earlier than in previous years. The naming and sizing of the models differ somewhat from previous years. Looking at last year, Google released the slightly simpler Pixel 8 (6.2-inch screen) and Pixel 8 Pro (6.7-inch screen).

This year, the naming system has changed, and the models start with the simpler Pixel 9 (6.3-inch screen). Then there are the Pro models in two sizes: a model called Pro (6.3-inch screen) and the model we will take a closer look at here, namely the Pro XL (with a 6.8-inch screen), which corresponds to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro.

Another thing that differs from previous years is that this year Google is not releasing the phones at the same time as they release a new version of Android. So this year’s models are released with the same version (14) as the phones last year. Android 15 is expected to be released in mid-October.

Design

The phone has an aluminum frame with straight edges and rounded corners. It measures 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 millimeters and weighs 221 grams. So, despite the slightly larger screen (6.8 inches), it is the same size as last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, which had a 6.7-inch screen.

The camera placement no longer spans the entire back as on previous models, but is instead more like an island. Aside from the camera placement, it looks and feels very much like an iPhone. Everything feels very premium; the buttons are neatly recessed into the frame and feel excellent.

Both the front and back are made of glass and covered by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The phone is IP68-rated. According to Google, it should be twice as durable as previous models. The built-in fingerprint reader has been replaced this year with a significantly better ultrasonic reader.

Screen

The screen has the same resolution as before (1344×2992 pixels). The pixel density is now 486 ppi. The maximum refresh rate on the 9 Pro XL is 120Hz, and to save battery, the refresh rate adjusts dynamically between 1Hz and 120Hz.

The screen is the brightest we have tested, and according to Google, it can reach up to 3000 nits (compared to 2400 on the Pixel 8 Pro). Of course, HDR10 and HDR10+ are supported (but not Dolby Vision).

Performance

This year, Google has equipped the Pro models with a generous amount of RAM, 16 GB. The CPU is the updated Google Tensor G4, which is specifically optimized for AI functions. As usual with Pixel phones, they don’t perform exceptionally well in benchmarks, but at the same time, they always feel lightning-fast and very responsive.

Battery and Charging

The battery is 5060mAh (which is almost exactly the same as the Pixel 8 Pro). Something we have repeatedly complained about regarding Google’s phones is the lack of true fast charging. This year they have improved slightly; by using a compatible charger (e.g., Google’s 45W charger), you can charge the phone at up to 37W. So with the right charger, you can reach 70% in about 30 minutes and a full charge after just over an hour.

But there is a major problem here. Almost no chargers, except Google’s own, are capable of delivering power according to Google’s requirements. So don’t assume that your old charger (or a newly purchased one for that matter), which might be spec’d higher than 45W, will charge the phone particularly quickly; instead, the phone will charge at around 23-27W. We tested with all the chargers we had in the office (about 10), all spec’d at more than 45W and which charge other devices quickly. None were good enough for the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Once the phone is charged, the battery life is good; there is a noticeable difference compared to previous models and it is absolutely no problem to last a day or two on a single charge.

Cameras

The camera system is largely identical to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, except that the ultra-wide-angle camera has been changed to one with a slightly smaller sensor but a larger aperture, and the selfie camera is 42MP instead of 10MP. The camera specifications look like this:

Wide (main camera): 50 MP, f/1.68, 24 mm.
Ultra-wide: 48 MP, f/1.7, 12 mm.
Telephoto/zoom 5x: 48 MP, f/2.8, 110 mm.
Selfie: 42 MP, f/2.2, 18 mm.

And just like before, the phone takes very good pictures, regardless of whether the lighting is good or not, if you need zoom, or if it’s portrait shots. Everything turns out well. However, it is a very small improvement over the Pixel 8 Pro (or Pixel 7 Pro for that matter).

Starting with daylight photos, and placing the images side by side with the Pixel 8 Pro.

As the images show, the results are very similar, except in the last image where some type of “sharpening” has been applied by the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Here are the corresponding images when it was really dark outside. Night mode is turned on:

Even with night mode, the differences are not that large. The ultra-wide-angle shots on the Pixel 9 Pro XL handle light sources slightly better, and in the 5X shot on the Pixel 8 Pro, some ghosting effects from the lamps occurred, which is unusual but something we have never seen on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. So despite having the same hardware, the software on the Pixel 9 Pro XL handles it better.

True to form, Google has added new features to the camera app. Last year, the big thing was being able to remove people/unwanted objects. This year, it’s instead about being able to add them. In the “Add Me” feature, you can take a group photo, then ask one of the people in the photo to swap places with the photographer, take a new photo, and the camera adds the photographer.

How does it work then? Well, quite well if you make sure people stand still and that there are no objects in the foreground. Perhaps not a feature you’ll use very often, but it’s fun that it exists.

The panorama function has also received an upgrade, with more visual aids for moving the phone correctly so that the images turn out as good as possible.

Here is a gallery with some of the many photos we have taken while testing the phone. A mixed bag, and all photos are taken as ‘point and shoot’.

AI Features

This could have been the largest and most interesting part of the review, because when watching Google’s presentation of the Pixel 9 series, it was clear where the focus lay. It was AI. Lots of cool features, such as advanced voice-controlled chat/assistance, an app that used AI to index and make your screenshots searchable, an app for creating images, a new updated weather app with AI support, and major improvements in image editing with the possibility of zoom enhancement and altering images using AI.

Once we actually received the phone, it was a bit of an anticlimax. A good portion of what was new does not yet support Swedish, or it is not available at all. Some of the features can be accessed if you switch to English, but far from all of them.

But we’ll go through what is actually available. We’ll start with Gemini Live, which is similar to a voice-controlled ChatGPT. It includes one year of free access, after which Google will start charging. What it will cost in a year is hard to predict, but currently, it costs 255 SEK/month including 2 TB of storage in Google Drive/Photos/Gmail. Gemini Live doesn’t officially support Swedish yet, but most of the time it works perfectly well to speak with it in Swedish.

Here is an example:

There is a feature called ‘Reimagine’ that allows you to change or add things to an image using generative AI. If we take this picture of a football pitch at sunset:

And then we realize we need a cow on the pitch.

So Google solves it for us:

If you try to make any changes involving people, it won’t work, and how useful it is can be discussed, but it is undoubtedly a fun feature.

The next new feature is called ‘Zoom Enhance’ and with the help of AI, you should be able to zoom really far into images. Think a bit like what Hollywood often had in movies 20 years ago, like a CSI zoom. If we take the image above, you can see a couple of hot air balloons in the sky; I zoom in to the max on the left one and press ‘Zoom Enhance’:

And sure, it gets better, but you shouldn’t expect magic.

The next feature is called ‘Auto Frame’, which uses generative AI to change how the image is composed. Below is an example of an image, the original on the left and the manipulated image on the right. In this case, Google thinks I should have stepped back slightly to include more around the image, and has used generative AI to fill in what is missing. So it’s not how it looked in reality, but a reality created to make the picture better.

At first glance, it looks quite okay, but if you start zooming in and looking for errors, there are often quite a few. But sometimes the result can be really good.

Conclusion

Something I haven’t mentioned yet is the pricing. When Google introduced the Pixel series to the Swedish market, they were quite aggressively priced and cost a few thousand kronor less than corresponding models from competitors. Now the pricing for the Pixel 9 Pro XL looks like this:

128 GB – 14,490 SEK
256 GB – 15,790 SEK
512 GB – 17,390 SEK

So the prices are just as high as a flagship from Samsung or Apple. And seriously, Google, 128 GB on a phone in this price range in 2024? Now, these are list prices and there are generally much better prices when buying through a carrier, but you can never know for sure, and if you want to buy without a contract, these are the prices that apply. Google is now offering updates and spare parts for the phone for seven years, so it is a phone that will be supported for a long time. However, competitors are also getting better at releasing updates; for example, Samsung now also promises seven years.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL sometimes feels like a Pixel 8 Pro in a new shell – the same phone but with a refreshed exterior and some AI features (some of which cannot be used in Sweden). So if you have an 8 Pro, it’s pretty pointless to upgrade, and that applies to the 7 Pro as well. Too little has happened. However, if you have an older phone and want to buy the best Android has to offer, and find it at a good price through a carrier, then it is a definite buy.

Google sent a review unit for this review. The sender of the material has no editorial influence on our tests.

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