Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Smartphone Review
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Smartphone Review: The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL was announced in August 2024 and went on sale a week later. The new smartphone was launched globally in many regions and will soon expand to more countries. It was launched with a new design that is drastically different from the previous Pixel phones. Samsung’s flagship Android phones are preferred by users across the world due to their sleek and sophisticated design.
Google wants to change that with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which has an equally impressive design. The phones’ internals are just as good as the design and include an even better 5G modem from Samsung, which should offer better 5G performance with lower power consumption. Let’s start with a detailed review of the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone and find out if it’s worth buying.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with support for a high refresh rate of 120 Hz.
- The phone is powered by the newly launched Tensor G4 5G SoC, which is capable of clock speeds of 1×3.1GHz.
- The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL arrived with Android 14 operating system.
- The smartphone has a 50MP triple rear camera system with a 42MP selfie camera.
- The phone has a 5060mAh battery with support for 37W wired fast charging and 23W wireless fast charging.
Design and exhibition
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL features a beautiful new design that’s both different and very similar to previous Pixel phones. Instead of a curved design, Google has gone with the flat design that was first introduced on iPhones. Honestly, the flat design looks pretty good, especially with the rounded corners.
Even with the new design, the Pixel 9 Pro XL still looks familiar, and that’s because it retains the horizontal visor, but it’s a bit shorter and rounded on the sides. However, the new horizontal visor did make the design feel more elegant. We love the new Pixel design, but longtime fans of the original Pixel may not feel the same way. After all, designs are subjective, and not everyone will like the same things.
As for the body build quality, the sides and the middle frame are made of stainless steel, while the rear panel is made of glass with a frosted finish on the surface. This choice of build materials made the smartphone feel much more premium to the touch and also more durable. Both the front and rear glass are protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The smartphone is also protected against dust and water with an IP68 rating.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available in Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, and Obsidian colors. As for the display, it sports a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with support for a high 120Hz refresh rate. This panel comes with a 1.5K resolution and is capable of displaying HDR10+ content, which will result in superior picture quality. The display brightness can reach up to 3,000 nits under sunlight, so you won’t find any issues while using the phone outdoors.
Memory and internal
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is equipped with the latest Tensor G4 5G chipset, which is capable of reaching a clock speed of 1×3.1 GHz. The Tensor G4 5G chipset is designed by Google itself, which offers better synergy between the hardware and the Android operating system. This is the secret behind the smooth performance of the Pixel smartphone. All apps and programs launch quickly and run smoothly.
Even the gaming performance is pretty good and can easily run games like PUBGm, Summoners War, Black Desert Mobile, CODm, and Genshin Impact at high graphics settings at decent frame rates. While the gaming performance is pretty good, it is not as good as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and other flagship smartphones of 2024.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a new 5G modem from Samsung, which should not only improve 5G connectivity but also reduce 5G power consumption, which should help with battery life. It also comes with Android 14 with a clean Android experience. Since it’s a Pixel phone, we were expecting it to come with Android 15 out of the box, but that’s not the case.
Google may believe that Android 15 is not fully ready yet and may ruin the Pixel experience, and if that is the case, Google is right to launch the phone with Android 14. As for memory and storage, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is available to buy with 16GB of RAM and 128GB to 1TB of UFS 3.1 internal storage.
Camera
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is equipped with a 50MP triple rear camera setup. The 50MP main rear camera can capture some great photos with high levels of detail and saturated colors. However, the images have a slightly processed look that is not found on other flagship smartphones from Samsung and Apple. Some users might like it, while others might not. The overall image quality is similar to other top-of-the-line flagship phones.
The 48MP periscope camera is extremely good. It’s as impressive as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or even better in some scenes at 5x zoom levels. However, if you zoom beyond the 5x optical range, the Samsung reigns supreme. The third camera has the 48MP ultra-wide camera, which is also just as good as the main camera, but with a wide 123˚ field of view.
The phone offers spectacular nighttime photography, which is what Pixel phones are known for. The camera optimization combined with the Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) and Night Mode algorithm allows for well-lit photos that look great and have a decent amount of detail. On the front, the phone has a 42MP selfie sensor, which can capture some fantastic selfies with natural skin tones.
As for video recording, the rear camera can record videos at up to 8K resolution at 30 FPS, but the selfie camera can only record videos at up to 4K resolution at 60 FPS. Videos from the rear camera are stabilized with OIS and gyro-EIS, so the footage will be steady. However, the same cannot be said for the selfie camera.
Battery and others
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is equipped with a 5060 mAh battery that can provide at least 1-2 days of battery life depending on usage. With light to moderate usage that includes camera usage, music, texting, and a bit of social media, getting 2 days of battery life won’t be impossible. This is made possible by the use of a large capacity battery and the use of a more efficient 5G modem.
However, if you play games a lot, the battery will drain much faster and won’t last a full day. Thankfully, the phone supports both wired and wireless fast charging. Its 37W wired fast charging can fully charge the smartphone in under 1 hour and 30 minutes. It also has a 23W wireless fast charging, but that should take around 2 hours to fully charge the smartphone.
Apart from that, the smartphone has support for tri-band Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, an under-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, NFC, Satellite SOS, Ultra Wideband (UWB), and a USB Type-C connector for charging. The smartphone will start at $1,099 (Rs 92,199 in India) approximately.
Pros and cons of the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Detailed specifications of the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Below you can see the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Smartphone Full Specifications.
| Budget | Google Pixel 9 Pro XL |
| Grid | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | August 2024 |
| SIM card | Electronic SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 inches |
| Weight | 221 grams |
| Size | 6.8 inches |
| Show | LTPO OLED display 120 Hz HDR10+ Brightness from 2000 to 3000 nits Ratio 20:9 ~486 PPI density Always-on display |
| Protection/Others | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 IP68 waterproof and dustproof |
| Resolution | 1344 x 2992 pixels |
| Operating system | Android 14, up to 7 major Android updates |
| Chipset | 4nm: Google Tensor G4 |
| UPC | Octa-core 1x 3.1GHz Cortex-X4 processor 3×2.6GHz Cortex-A720 processor 4×1.92GHz Cortex-A520 processor |
| GPU | Mali-G715 MC7 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS3.1 |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide angle), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 48 MP (periscope telephoto), dual-pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 48MP (123˚ ultra-wide), Dual Pixel PDAF Multi-zone laser autofocus, LED flash, pixel shift, Ultra-HDR, panorama, best shot, zoom enhancement Max: 8K@30fps, Gyro EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR |
| Selfie | 42 MP (ultra wide angle), PDAF Auto HDR, panorama Max: 4K at 30/60 fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yeah (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm connector | No |
| Wireless network (WLAN) | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE, apt-X HD |
| GPS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | Yeah |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type C 3.2 |
| Sensors | Under-display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, barometer, thermometer (skin temperature) Ultra Wide Band (UWB) support SOS satellite service Circle to search |
| Battery | 5060 mAh Li-ion battery 37W Wired, PD3.0, PPS 23W wireless (with Pixel Stand) 12W wireless (with Qi-compatible charger) Reverse Wireless |
| Flag | Porcelain, rose quartz, hazelnut, obsidian |
| Expected price | $1099 (Rs 92,199 in India) approximately |
Conclusion
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is designed to deliver a high-end experience, and it delivers. Everything from the design and display to the performance and camera is excellent and may even outperform other high-end phones of the same price. However, is it better than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra? That would be a no.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is an excellent smartphone, which can’t be beaten by the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL except for two things, night camera performance and AI. Pixel phones have always been excellent at night photography and that hasn’t changed here. The phone also has a lot of AI features that are quite good and beat the AI performance on other phones.
If you want an alternative phone to the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, then you should consider the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which costs a bit more but has better performance, display, battery, and build quality. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your needs and requirements.
