I get to make use of quite a lot of telephones, and whereas I routinely change between gadgets, there are just a few instances within the yr when I can use a telephone for an prolonged length. That is precisely what I did with the Pixel 9 Professional XL; I began out with the gadget shortly after its launch, and I racked up shut to 2 months of use.
That is an enormous deal in itself, as a result of I wasn’t eager on the Pixel 9 Professional XL initially. Google modified the aesthetic this era, going with flatter sides and eschewing a few of its design ethos. The telephone appears a lot like an iPhone 16 Professional Max that it is easy to confuse the 2. The design modifications means the Pixel 9 Professional XL is now not as comfy to carry and use as its predecessors, and it necessitates a case — I went with Thinborne’s ultra-thin case, and I would not use the gadget with out it.
Whereas the design is not as evocative, I’ll admit that the Pixel 9 Professional XL has a lot better construct high quality than any Pixel telephone so far. After two months of prolonged use, the telephone would not have any {hardware} points or issues with construct high quality, and that is a refreshing change of tempo.
In an analogous vein, the Pixel 9 Professional XL has the brightest OLED panel of any telephone I utilized in 2024. Whereas Chinese language producers discuss their gadgets with the ability to hit 5000 nits in HDR content material, the fact is that these figures are meaningless in every day use. What you really need is a panel that will get constantly brilliant beneath harsh daylight, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL outmatches each different telephone on this regard, together with the Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Extremely, Galaxy S24 Extremely, and the iPhone 16 Professional Max.
Clearly, Google knew what it was doing when establishing the OLED show, and though you aren’t getting a lot in the way in which of customizability — there are simply two shade modes and no capacity to regulate total stability — it’s calibrated effectively out of the field, and has good shade accuracy and vibrancy.
However similar to earlier Pixels, the ambient gentle sensor takes a second or two longer to regulate the brightness while you go right into a dimly-lit room (or vice versa), and it is annoying sufficient that I simply manually tweak the brightness with the slider. Aside from that, I did not have any issues with the display.
{Hardware} continues to be a stumbling block for Google, and though the Pixel 9 Professional XL is powered by the newer Tensor G4, there’s not a lot in the way in which of distinction over the G3 in every day use. It would not overheat because of lively thermal administration (lastly!), nevertheless it simply is not as highly effective because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or MediaTek Dimensity 9300 — a lot much less the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400.
Google wants to handle this subject, as a result of pretty much as good because the Pixel 9 Professional XL is in quite a lot of areas, it simply would not measure as much as different telephones in the case of efficiency. That will change over the following two years if the leaks pointing to Google switching to TSMC have any weight, however that does not change the truth that the 9 Professional XL is hobbled on this regard.
On that be aware, Google continues to hawk 128GB storage with the bottom mannequin; even mid-range telephones now supply 256GB of storage as customary, and this transfer feels stingy. Fortunately, Google solely sells 256GB fashions in India, and that is the one I am utilizing now. Even then, I went by means of 57% of obtainable storage (146GB), and have 110GB left. That is after simply two months of use, and as a lot as I am detest to take action, I predict I am going to must delete locally-stored images and movies shortly.
Battery life is noticeably higher than the Pixel 8 Professional, and I routinely received a day’s value of use constantly. I averaged a day and a half between fees on most different flagships this yr, so whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL would not measure up in that regard, for those who’re coming from an older Pixel, you will notice a sizeable distinction.
What nonetheless sucks is the charging tech; whereas the gadget goes as much as 33W briefly bursts, it is on the decrease finish of the size in the case of charging. It takes almost 80 minutes to totally cost the gadget, and that is twice so long as the OnePlus 12. I do not see Google doing something concerning the charging state of affairs, and the one upside is that the iPhone 16 Professional Max takes even longer to cost.
One of many primary causes to make use of Pixels is the cameras, and Google rolled out quite a lot of upgrades on the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The telephone takes improbable images in any state of affairs, and also you get usable photographs at as much as 10x zoom. What I like concerning the Pixel digital camera is that it does a greater job with movement monitoring than most different telephones, so when you’ve got children, you may get clear images even after they’re continuously in movement — in contrast to Samsung.
That mentioned, Google now not has the particular edge in picture high quality. Chinese language manufacturers made sizeable positive aspects during the last 18 months, and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Professional, and X100 Extremely all take higher images and movies than the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The place I see the largest distinction is with portrait imagery; by doubling zoom lenses as portrait shooters, Vivo particularly delivers excellent portrait photographs which can be on par with devoted cameras.
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Google’s reliance on software program to eke out higher images clearly is a differentiator, however these manufacturers use larger sensors and do an awesome job with tuning, and the result’s that the Pixel is now not the gadget I’m going to if I wish to take images or movies — that honor now goes to Vivo’s X100 Extremely or X100 Professional. I am not saying that the cameras on the Pixel 9 Professional XL are unhealthy — it is nonetheless higher than the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 16 Professional Max — nevertheless it now not measures as much as the 1-inch sensors being fielded by Chinese language manufacturers.
The place Google has an insurmountable benefit is with on-device AI; the Pixel 9 Professional XL comes with AI options which can be truly good, and I routinely use most of those options. Add Me is astonishingly good at taking group photographs, Magic Editor and Unblur proceed to be fabulous at fixing particulars in photos after the very fact, and Pixel Studio is first rate at producing imagery on the fly.
Whereas I do not see the purpose of Gemini but, the one-year Gemini Superior trial was engaging sufficient that I attempted out the assistant sporadically. It is good with summarizing articles and pulling up contextual particulars, nevertheless it’s restricted in what it may well do for the time being.
I ended up utilizing Pixel Screenshots much more than I assumed I might, and it is small issues like this that make utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional XL gratifying. Being able to floor related info inside screenshots and make it searchable is an enormous deal, and it positively turns out to be useful.
One other factor that Google completely nails is the software program. Actually, I want utilizing Pixels over extra highly effective gadgets solely due to the software program — that is why I went again to the Pixel 8 Professional firstly of the yr. Though the Android 15 replace would not have noteworthy additions, it delivered much-needed fluidity to the interface, and that made an enormous distinction in how I take advantage of the 9 Professional XL.
I perceive that not everybody likes the Materials You interface, and that is okay; between One UI, MIUI, ColorOS, MagicOS, and Funtouch OS, there is no scarcity of selection in order for you a custom-made UI, and for those who’ve been utilizing Android for some time, there is a good likelihood that you just dialed in in your desire by now.
I like Google’s software program imaginative and prescient, and that is the rationale I predominantly use Pixels; I take advantage of gadgets with ColorOS and Funtouch OS extensively over the course of the yr, however I all the time come again to Pixels due to the software program. One additional advantage with Pixels is getting the most recent Android launch on day one; I put in Android 15 on my Pixel 9, 9 Professional XL, and 9 Professional Fold instantly after the secure construct rolled out, and that is simply not possible with every other Android model.
As somebody who makes use of Pixels quite a bit, I just like the modifications with the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The gadget would not fairly have the identical design magnificence as final yr, nevertheless it nonetheless manages to look good in its personal proper. I need Google to handle the {hardware} shortcomings, however we might not get to see any progress on this entrance till the Tensor G6 rolls out.
The 9 Professional XL has terrific cameras, and whereas it would not have outright mastery on this space, you may solely discover a distinction for those who’ve used Vivo’s X100 Professional or X100 Extremely this yr. If we’re simply counting telephones bought in North America, Google nonetheless has the particular edge. Finally, it is the software program that makes utilizing Pixels gratifying, and that hasn’t modified this yr.
Actually, the Pixel 9 Professional XL is best than I assumed it will be. The {hardware} nonetheless is not on par with rivals, however in all different areas, it’s a terrific showcase for what Google can ship.