Price: £1,099 for 256GB model (discounted to £999 for launch), also available in 128GB
Our rating: 9/10
We like:
- Astounding AI camera functions
- ‘Human-like’ AI assistant
- Mature, classy hardware
We don’t like:
- Occasional hiccups with AI
- High price
- No high-storage models
What is the Pixel 9 Pro?
Released in August 2024, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best smartphones we’ve tried this year and quite different from the others, being built from the ground up for AI.
Its unique features include Gemini, an AI assistant which talks just like a human. You can ask it to operate everything from the camera to the calendar, interrupt it and correct it while it is talking. AI also powers a suite of remarkable new picture-editing features.
The Pixel 9 Pro is not actually the best-specced Pixel phone, because this year Google added a Pixel 9 Pro XL model to the top of the range. It costs £100 more and has a 6.8-inch screen compared to the Pro’s 6.3 inches. The XL is intended to compete with Samsung and Apple’s range-topping phones.
There is also a Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with an 8-inch folding screen. It costs £1,749.
How we test phones
We always rate the quality of a phone’s design and hardware, especially the screen and CPU, followed by the quality of the cameras, the quality of the picture editing software, the unique software and the battery life.
For the Pixel 9 Pro review, we compared it to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro (pictured below), and put the device through its paces with photography, gaming, and everyday office apps, as well as gauging its battery life over multiple days of use.
With this year’s Pixel device focusing squarely on AI, we also tested multiple AI functions in many apps to work out whether new voice assistant Gemini is as groundbreaking as they claim.
Visit our Who We Are page to learn more about Telegraph Recommended reviews.
Design: 8 out of 10
Google has been making Pixel phones for almost a decade now and the hardware feels mature and looks classy. The camera visor, which has become an iconic Pixel ‘look’, has been streamlined,but still looks distinctively Pixel-y, with a jutting rounded structure at the back.
The 9 Pro is smaller than last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. The design has also been tweaked, as you can see above (the 9 is on the right). Crucially, there’s a new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner which is faster and more responsive than last year’s optical one. The 120Hz OLED screen is brighter than previous Pixel generations and looks gorgeous with video.
Camera: 7/10
On the main camera, this is a ‘filler’ update, rather than a revolution. Google has boosted the Panorama mode, with ‘helping hands’ that help you to structure the perfect shot. I tried it out in my local park, above. It now works in low light for capturing sunsets. Otherwise, the hardware remains much the same as it was last year: there’s a triple rear camera including a 50 megapixel wide angle lens, 48 megapixel ultrawide and a 48 megapixel telephoto, with the Pro models offering extras such as more manual controls.
The big news is a serious upgrade to the selfie camera, with a jump up from 10.5 to 42 megapixels. Overall, Pixel 9 Pro remains a very capable camera phone indeed. Pixel phones have leaned heavily into AI for many years, long before the arrival of the fancy Gemini assistant. Like previous Pixels, the front and back cameras here deliver pepped-up shots which use machine learning to smooth out lighting issues. This means that even relatively inexperienced photographers can achieve great results.
Picture editing: 10/10
The big ‘wow’ feature this year is ‘Add Me’, a new function which has been added to Google’s Pixel camera app – which is already liberally salted with AI-enhanced features.
Once you’ve upgraded to the latest versions of the camera app and Google’s augmented reality app, Add Me appears in the bottom left: you then take one shot with one photographer and another with a second, leaving space for the photographer to insert themselves virtually. It works incredibly well, guiding both photographers through the process and delivering convincing results.
Another AI-powered feature, Reimagine in Magic Editor, is similarly mind-boggling, allowing you to add unreal and fantastic backgrounds and objects directly into pictures. I was able to take a picture of my children in front of a forest and turn the trees into gigantic toadstools, which were convincingly and instantly inserted into the background (the AI refused, however, to create a background of a raging fire).
It’s an insanely powerful tool and something that would have been unimaginable even 18 months ago. Other extras include upscaling to 8K resolutions for video and an ‘Auto Frame’ mode, which reframes your shots for artistic effect, using generative AI to fill in the blanks: it works reasonably well, but it’s less thrilling than the other AI tricks on offer here.
Software: 8/10
Google has gone absolutely all-out with the AI functionality on this phone, in an effort to make AI assistants as indispensable and everyday a technology as the smartphone itself. Does it work? Sometimes it’s electrifyingly good - sometimes, it’s a bit weird (although saying that, it’s inevitable that Google will work out the kinks in its Gemini AI over the course of the year).
The big sell here, and something that’s utterly unique, is Gemini Live, an AI chatbot that can chat with you like a human. You can interrupt it and it remembers what you are talking about, and generally ‘chats’ in a human-like fashion. Normally you need to pay a £19 a month subscription to access it, but the Pixel 9 comes with a year of free Gemini Advanced, the Google One subscription which comes with Gemini Live.
It’s great fun. when Gemini Live gets it right, it’s a very fun experience, with a whiff of the future about it. It’s really the first chatbot that feels like talking to the ship’s computer in Star Trek or other sci-fi robots. But Gemini Live does occasionally get things wrong, and badly so. In our first conversation with it, Gemini started talking confidently about a non-existent character class in a game, and continued to do so even after being chastised for being wrong.
Possibly more useful is Gemini’s ability to integrate with other apps in the phone, making it practically useful in a way previous chatbots simply haven’t been. It can (for example) respond to commands like, ‘What appointments do I have next week?’, reading out a list, and even, ‘What’s the most important email I’ve had today?’
Google’s new Pixel Watch 3 smartwatch and Pixel Buds Pro 2 earphones are designed to work seamlessly with Gemini, letting you hold conversations with the AI via their built-in microphones without getting your phone out of your pocket.
Performance and battery life: 8/10
The Pixel 9 Pro’s battery life is solid enough for the phone to last all day, even with fairly heavy use. However, in our tests we found it less long-lasting than last year’s 8 Pro. The new Tensor G4 chipset copes well with everything from standard office and productivity apps to games like Diablo Immortal. The Google-designed chip is also built to cope with the demands of on-device AI.
Specifications
Verdict
Previous phones which have led with AI have failed to deliver enough ‘wow’ factor, but this certainly raises the bar. Functions such as Add Me and Gemini Live are both impressive and fun to play with.
The Pixel 9 Pro no longer directly competes with the ‘superphones’ at the very top of the market, but it’s certainly a contender against the likes of the Samsung S24 and iPhone 15, with AI-enhanced camera performance, speedy silicon and a lot of personality.
Google’s Pixel phones have a loyal cult following and the clever ideas here show exactly why.
FAQ
What are the key features of the Google Pixel 9?
The Pixel 9 has Gemini AI built in, enabling a new suite of photo-editing features such as Add Me, which enables the picture-taker to add themselves to a shot. Its AI assistant understands normal conversation and can carry out complex operations. It has the brightest screen and best camera yet seen on a Google phone.
What is the difference between Pixel 9 and 9 Pro?
The Pixel 9 Pro has the same dimensions as the Pixel 9 but a better screen, more RAM and a telephoto camera. This enables features such as zoom enhance, night sight video, macro focus video and video boost – which upscales content to 8K.
There is also a Pixel 9 Pro XL, with all the same features as the Pro apart from a larger, 6.8-inch screen and a longer battery life.
How big is the Google Pixel 9?
The Google Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch screen and weighs 199g, with 8.5mm thickness. The Pixel 9 Pro is the same size. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 6.8-inch screen.
Is the Google Pixel 9 camera better than previous Pixel models?
The main 50MP camera is the same but the Pixel 9 comes with a 48MP ultra-wide camera, compared to the Pixel 8’s 12MP. The biggest difference, however, is in the new AI photo features such as Add Me.
What storage options are available for the Google Pixel 9?
The Pixel 9 comes in 128GB and 256GB models. The Pixel 9 Pro comes in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB models, as does the Pixel 9 Pro XL .
What is the lifespan of a Google Pixel?
Google promises that durability improvements have made this year’s generation of Pixels twice as durable as before. Its Ingress Protection rating is IP68, meaning it can survive being underwater for 30 minutes. Google promise seven years of software support, so it won’t become obsolete until at least 3031.
When is the release date?
The Pixel 9 was released on August 22, 2024.
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