The Pixel 9 Professional is the small Android cellphone I have been ready for

In case you’ve learn any of my many critiques right here at Android Authority, you’ll know I like a small cellphone. You’ll know I appreciated units like the bottom Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 as a result of they might match comfortably in my hand (and pocket) and let me go about my life with out feeling like I had a pill in my pocket.

However you’ll additionally know that smaller telephones nearly all the time include compromises, like ditching a telephoto sensor, trimming a number of gigabytes of RAM, or capping the charging velocity — minor cuts that restrict the general expertise. I all the time needed to give one thing as much as maintain a cellphone I preferred in my pocket, not less than till Google launched the Pixel 9 Professional.

If I’ve waxed poetic as soon as about Google’s design evolution over time, I’ve carried out it 100 instances — and now I’ll do it only one extra time. In any case, Google’s penchant for colourful finishes and clear traces drew me to the Pixel sequence within the first place, and the Pixel 9 Professional is not any exception. In actual fact, the Pixel 9 Professional particularly may effectively be the most effective iteration but, if solely as a result of it lastly offers me the top-tier Pixel expertise in a cellphone that I can use one-handed. I feel it’s pretty apparent that Google noticed what Apple was doing with its two Professional-level iPhones and determined it may do one higher.

That’s not a lot of an exaggeration, both — the Pixel 9 Professional is extra iPhone-like than ever. It has a easy G emblem on the again as an alternative of a half-eaten apple and a digicam bar that’s grow to be extra of an island, however the flattened facet rails and show are related sufficient to make Tim Prepare dinner blush. And, like I mentioned once I referred to as the Pixel 9 Professional XL the most effective iPhone ever, I imply that in the most effective methods. See, Apple has lengthy set a typical in relation to smartphone construct high quality. Whether or not or not its newest iPhone fashions look thrilling, they’ll really feel sturdy and dependable. Google’s annual updates, however, all the time felt like they’d room to enhance, both on account of super-thin facet rails, curved shows vulnerable to unintentional touches, or in-display fingerprint readers that weren’t superb.

Now, it’s arduous to even consider these flaws whereas utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional. Google’s new 6.3-inch AMOLED panel is completely flat, but the slight curve on the again of the aluminum body permits the cellphone to take a seat comfortably in your hand for an extended day of utilization. Its barely textured again panel of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 feels ever so barely extra premium than its predecessor, tucking comfortably into the shiny body slightly than protruding behind it. And, whereas I believed that shiny body might need labored in opposition to Google’s bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL, it’s a lot simpler to admire on a smaller cellphone that doesn’t really feel like it’s important to maintain onto it for expensive life. Even for those who drop it, the IP68 score ought to offer you slightly peace of thoughts in filth and water for those who’re out for a weekend away from dwelling.

Regardless of its smaller stature, the Pixel 9 Professional’s show packs the identical spectacular specs as its top-end sibling. It pairs its slim bezels with a powerful 3,000 nits of peak brightness whereas holding a stable 2,000 nits in high-brightness mode. Each measures are sufficient to maintain the Pixel 9 Professional simply seen whereas sitting on the seashore throughout Labor Day weekend on the East Coast — although I’ve hardly come near maxing out the cellphone’s show in any other case. It’s nonetheless interrupted by a punch-hole selfie digicam, however even that’s about as straightforward to disregard because the bezels.

I’ll admit {that a} small a part of me, someplace deep down, feels barely dissatisfied by Google’s newfound maturity. Shrinking the digicam bar and giving it sturdy aluminum edges may make it extra sturdy, but it surely additionally implies that the times of two-toned Pixels is perhaps gone for good. Its facet rails is perhaps simpler to carry, but they’re much less distinctive in an ever-evolving Android market. Even the colour choices really feel extra muted on the Pixel 9 sequence, with enjoyable hues like Bay and Mint making method for Rose Quartz and Hazel. They’re nonetheless attractive, simply not as enjoyable or flashy as Pixels of the previous.

Nevertheless, if my largest complaints are improved sturdiness and barely grown-up colours, the Pixel 9 Professional is doing many issues proper. Taking all the most effective elements of the Pixel 9 Professional XL, it’s simply probably the most pleasant Pixel to make use of in my expertise, and it feels prefer it ought to set the tone for smaller, lighter telephones sooner or later. The Pixel 9 Professional seems like a message to Samsung, OnePlus, and different Android rivals {that a} pro-level cellphone doesn’t want a large show.

Oh, and the temperature sensor continues to be right here — simply figured I ought to point out it after Google primarily forgot about it. I’m nonetheless struggling to seek out causes to make use of it.

In fact, with Google packing its up to date Tensor G4 chipset right into a smaller physique with much less room for cooling elements, I used to be slightly nervous about how the Pixel 9 Professional would carry out. I figured that any thermal shortcomings related to the Tensor chip would solely be amplified by its new, pocket-friendly residence and that the Pixel 9 Professional may fall a bit behind its full-sized sibling, the Pixel 9 Professional XL. I’m joyful to report that I used to be flawed (principally).

As standard, I put the chipset — which comes backed by 16GB of RAM and a disappointing 128GB of storage in its base configuration — by means of its paces with our standard set of CPU, GPU, and battery checks. However, when you may anticipate that further RAM to kick issues up a notch, you may solely really use 13GB of it with the remaining 3GB carved out for Gemini. Anyway, I lined it up in opposition to its high Android foes and Apple’s extra moveable Professional, if solely in order that it may inform me what I already knew: The Tensor G4 continues to be no benchmarking beast.

Positive, it beat its predecessor, the Tensor G3, in nearly all of our testing, but it surely nonetheless has an honest hole to make up earlier than it’s genuinely racing in opposition to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or Apple’s A17 Professional — although rumor has it that we’d see a few of these enhancements on the Pixel 10. Surprisingly, the Pixel 9 Professional is neck and neck with the bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL throughout most of our workload and CPU checks. It’s not a major hole — only a proportion level or two throughout most of my checks — however excellent news for small cellphone lovers in all places. That mentioned, the anticipated dip in GPU efficiency for the smaller Pixel 9 Professional is fairly seen because the cellphone drops to the Tensor G3-powered Pixel 8 Professional’s efficiency after simply 5 runs, whereas the XL model manages to maintain respectable stability for an additional 10 runs. That is possible because of the lowered room for the brand new vapor chamber.

Fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional feels simply as succesful as its sibling in day-to-day use. I headed right down to the Jersey shore for a vacation weekend and in contrast my Pixel 9 Professional head-to-head in opposition to the Pixel 9 Professional XL my dad lately purchased from Verizon. We began our days at about the identical time, me kicking off my day with a mixture of Spotify streaming and checking the Chelsea FC rating a number of instances all through a five-mile run and him heading to the top of the island to seize some pictures and see how the cameras in comparison with the Galaxy S21 Extremely that he traded in.

The remainder of the day noticed us use our Pixels a bit nearer collectively, sitting within the solar and sand and placing the Tensor G4 beneath a bit extra thermal load than it most likely would have preferred. I put my Pixel 9 Professional by means of an hour or so of gaming, cut up between Royal Match and Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus, which warmed it up a bit, however by no means to the purpose the place I wanted to cover it within the shade to let it cool off. Despite the fact that my stretch of gaming didn’t prepare dinner the Tensor G4, it did present me one factor — the Pixel 9 Professional has a little bit of a battery weak point.

I do know what you’re pondering — in fact, the Pixel 9 Professional places in a shorter battery shift than Google’s different Professional-grade Pixels; it has a smaller battery (over ~300mAh smaller than the XL). That’s true, but it surely’s additionally powering a smaller show, so I used to be nonetheless shocked to see such a spot in our battery drain testing. It fell in need of the Pixel 9 Professional XL by a fairly good margin throughout all classes, faring the worst when 4K video was concerned — both recording or playback.

The smaller Pixel’s Zoom and net outcomes are a bit extra respectable, and it leads Google’s trio in gaming sturdiness, but it surely’s not sufficient which you can anticipate two full days of utilization between expenses. Actual life entails a greater mixture of utilization, so that you won’t really feel the consequences of poor gaming battery utilization, however I discovered myself reaching for a charger greater than each 36 hours.

Whenever you want a cost, you’ll run into one other one in all Google’s puzzling Pixel selections. Despite the fact that it bumped the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s wired charging as much as 37W, it left the Pixel 9 Professional behind with 27W wired charging with a USB PD PPS-enabled charger. Unusually, that’s the identical velocity the earlier Pixel 8 Professional supported, however you wouldn’t understand it from the graph above. The Pixel 9 Professional took nearly 90 minutes to fill with Google’s brand-new 45W charger, whereas the Pixel 8 Professional crammed its bigger battery practically 10 minutes faster with an older 68W Motorola TurboPower charger I had mendacity round.

Curiously, our testing confirmed that the Pixel 9 Professional spent extra time charging at near-peak speeds (21 minutes as an alternative of 19), but it surely reached a high temperature of 42.2 levels Celsius in comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional’s 38.2 levels, which is probably going the place you see the dropoff at across the 35-minute mark above. Fortunately, although, the Pixel 9 Professional seems able to reaching its full 27W speeds from that very same TurboPower charger that I’ve trusted for a number of years — in contrast to the Pixel 9 Professional XL, which appears to require an additional particular set of chargers to succeed in its full potential on account of bizarre interactions with charger voltage.

You may as well skip Google’s headache of a wired setup and cost your Pixel 9 Professional wirelessly, during which case it’ll attain 21W with the second-generation Pixel Stand ($79 at Finest Purchase) or 12W from some other Qi-certified pad. I want I may make full sense of Google’s plan for its charging setup, however alas, Goog’ gonna Goog’.

One factor I wasn’t apprehensive about was Google’s cameras not residing as much as the hype on the Pixel 9 Professional. In any case, it packs the identical trio of high-resolution sensors I simply completed testing on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, simply in an easier-to-wield type issue. Which means you as soon as once more have a 50MP main sensor with a shallow most aperture of ƒ/1.7 with which to seize your world, in addition to ultrawide and telephoto sensors to again it up. They fill out the digicam bar properly and make the Pixel 9 Professional the most effective digicam telephones round — particularly at its measurement.

Each of Google’s peripheral lenses provide matching 48MP resolutions however are just about opposites in any other case. The ultrawide snapper gained the identical most aperture as the first digicam however swapped to a barely tighter 123-degree discipline of view — similar to the Pixel 9 Professional XL. When you most likely gained’t discover that lack of three levels, you’ll most likely welcome the additional mild seize, which ought to make it simpler to seize macro photographs utilizing Google’s software-based resolution. Oh, and it’s slightly simpler to get near your topic with the smaller 6.3-inch footprint. The Pixel 9 Professional’s periscope telephoto sensor presents much less of a change from its predecessor, sticking with 5x optical zoom and reaching as much as 30x Tremendous Res Zoom. Let’s head to the seashore to take a look at a number of digicam samples.

First, proof that Google nonetheless is aware of the way to shoot and course of a well-lit photograph. My weekend on the seashore wasn’t fairly as adventurous or colourful as my journeys to Pittsburgh and Washington, DC, with the Pixel 9 Professional XL, however I discovered that the smaller Pixel 9 Professional was simply as prepared to drag particulars out of photographs all through its zoom vary. I’m significantly happy with the photograph of the solar setting over the bay, which caught all the things from the colour of the sky to the small birds on the dock and stored the wooden boards within the foreground in smooth focus.

The picture of the capybara within the second row is nice, too, even when the water around the globe’s largest marsupial is fairly gross. Google nailed the colours of the floating leaves and the shade because it falls throughout the animal’s fur, and you’ll nearly make out the turtle swimming slightly below the floor of the background. I’d have preferred slightly extra pop within the picture of the boats subsequent to it, although, which appears slightly bit lifeless and flat.

Fortunately, I acquired all of the pop I needed on a night stroll downtown. The Pixel 9 Professional gave the center picture of a neon signal loads of glow within the constructing and on the tree within the background whereas preserving the hardly seen phone wires overhead. I’m impressed which you can nonetheless make out a little bit of inexperienced within the leaves within the shot to the left, too — low-light pictures usually crush these clusters to blackness.

I’ve mentioned this earlier than, too — macro mode ought to all the time be software-based, and the Pixel 9 Professional reveals why. It offers its 48MP ultrawide sensor double responsibility, and the wide-open aperture implies that it may seize extra mild to course of. The result’s a snail shell that reveals each final grain of sand and a Black-Eyed Susan with loads of element by means of its “black eye.”

Google’s total zoom vary is fairly spectacular, too. I’d usually bin nearly all of my 10x and 30x samples shortly after writing a evaluation, however I’m happy with the main points within the seagull and the tracks within the sand at 10x zoom. Our feathered good friend is slightly bit fuzzier at 30x zoom, however you may nonetheless make out that he’d come to steal your hotdog if given an opportunity.

After which, there’s Google’s up to date collection of AI-powered options. I already talked about that I preferred the revamp of panorama mode on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, and it’s simply nearly as good right here. It’s extremely easy to line up your shot throughout a sequence of dots slightly than trusting a gradual hand, even when there’s a tiny processing error alongside the dock to the suitable facet.

Sadly, Zoom Improve isn’t fairly as spectacular. It took nearly a yr to launch after being introduced alongside the Pixel 8 Professional, however the end result is a photograph that appears far too sharp in some locations whereas not trying a lot completely different in others. The patriotic badge to the suitable appears nearly prefer it’s been lower with a laser to seize the leaves and description, giving it edges which might be a lot too sharp. Slightly than Zoom Improve, the characteristic feels extra like Zoom Oversharpen, and sharper isn’t all the time higher.

Different AI-powered options allow you to be slightly extra artistic, just like the improved Reimagine possibility in Magic Editor. On high of resizing and rearranging parts of your shot, now you can exchange the sky, the bottom, and issues your topic is holding with a faucet and slightly typing. The Pixel 9 Professional nonetheless will get slightly fuzzy on the edges of its picture technology, but it surely’s considerably higher than the artifact-heavy model launched with the earlier technology.

Google gave the Pixel 9 Professional the identical selfie digicam overhaul because the Pixel 9 Professional XL, which stays one of many greater surprises on this yr’s digicam setup. It packed a 42MP sensor into its punch gap, which captured extra correct colours and particulars once I in contrast it to the bottom Pixel 9’s 10.5MP shooter.

I may copy and paste the Pixel 9 Professional’s video chops if I needed to, too — they’re the identical because the Pixel 9 Professional XL. It could possibly shoot clips at as much as 20x Tremendous Res Zoom, which Google will then apply Video Enhance for smoother, sharper closing outcomes. The Pixel 9 Professional can upscale movies to 8K decision, from which you’ll be able to clip 33MP stills.

You may as well take a look at full-resolution variations of those samples (and several other extra) at this Google Drive hyperlink. Oh, and if you’d like much more samples from the Pixel 9 Professional XL — which has the identical {hardware} — we now have a gallery of these at this Google Drive hyperlink.

As you’ve most likely found out, all the things the Pixel 9 Professional XL can do, the Pixel 9 Professional can do too — simply smaller. That, in fact, contains its mountain of AI-powered capabilities. I’ve already touched on a number of camera-focused options above, however they’re solely the beginning of Google’s lofty plans for the Gemini age.

And sure, I nonetheless have reservations about all the things I do getting used to coach Gemini (one week in Pixel-land isn’t sufficient to alter that), however Google’s completed product is a lot better than the present choices from Samsung, Motorola, and different cellphone manufacturers hurriedly leaping into the AI race. Perhaps it rushed a number of issues to market on the Pixel 8 sequence and launched its Gemini Assistant with out giving it the ability to, effectively, help along with your sensible dwelling, but it surely’s clear that Google has discovered quite a bit within the final yr or so.

Every little thing feels slightly smoother and faster, whether or not you’re chatting with a revamped and interruptible Gemini Reside or producing photographs from textual content in Pixel Studio. I’ll admit that since swapping from the Pixel 9 Professional XL to the Pixel 9 Professional, I’ve been a bit extra inclined to make use of the latter than the previous — however that’s extra so I wouldn’t have to elucidate the idea of Gemini Reside to my grandparents whereas sharing a seashore home for the weekend. The very fact nonetheless stands that Gemini Reside, with its eight interchangeable voices, is frightening good, simply in a method that I feel would freak out two individuals who presently use a Motorola Moto G Play from 2021.

Then again, Pixel Studio seems like one thing each guardian needs they’d when their child requested them to attract one thing. In actual fact, that’s form of how I defined it whereas exhibiting off my “smartphone of the week,” as my household calls it. This time, I caught to a theme of beach-related creations, placing animals on surfboards and burying treasure on eighty fifth Avenue, and the Pixel Studio continued to indicate off its Imagen 3-powered chops. You continue to can’t generate folks, although, making the general expertise a lot completely different from Samsung’s Portrait Studio.

Different options, just like the revamped Pixel Climate app and all-new Pixel Screenshots app, are extra just like the unsung heroes of Google’s Gemini revolution. You won’t discover issues like organizable widgets for the air strain and wind path for those who by no means scroll previous the hourly forecast and radar, however the AI-generated Climate Report is just like the one-sentence reminder your mother used to present you earlier than you headed out the door for varsity within the morning. I’ll additionally readily admit that I’m not a screenshot man — preferring to go away a billion Chrome tabs open as reminders — however I’d begin altering my tune if I can bear in mind to make folders each time I analysis seven vs seven soccer ways and search for betting recommendation throughout faculty soccer season.

These are additionally simply the Gemini options we are able to use thus far. Google’s Pixel 9 sequence is promised software program updates for seven years, together with Pixel Drops, together with safety patches, Android variations, and common characteristic drops. The Pixel 9 Professional launched with Android 14, which appeared like an uncommon step, but it surely ought to achieve Android 15 fairly quickly.

After I completed reviewing the Pixel 9 Professional XL, I referred to as it the cellphone I’d been ready for. Because it seems, the Pixel 9 Professional was the cellphone I really had been ready for — I simply didn’t understand it. Every little thing I mentioned about Google’s bigger flagship completely nonetheless rings true, with spectacular cameras, a powerful suite of AI-powered options which might be principally user-ready, and a construct high quality that’s head and shoulders above Pixels of the previous. The Pixel 9 Professional XL is a chic selection for anybody who needs the easiest Pixel has ever needed to provide and desires it within the largest bundle potential. However for me, it’s simply much more pleasant on a cellphone that I can use with one hand.

Google’s skill to pack this a lot energy right into a 6.3-inch smartphone ought to put different Android flagship sequence’ on discover. You don’t have to churn out a virtually 7-inch smartphone to name it a Professional and even an Extremely (although I assume that measurement nonetheless justifies the Plus moniker). The Pixel 9 Professional combines a battery capability that rivals the Galaxy S24 Plus, cameras that out-process the OnePlus 12, and an replace dedication that goes up in opposition to nearly anybody. Think about its construct high quality, and there aren’t many telephones I’d attain for earlier than this one.

And but, the Pixel 9 Professional isn’t and not using a few small cellphone compromises. Google didn’t see match to carry its quickest charging to its smaller mannequin, nor has it found out a number of of the kinks (thermals and benchmarking) which have plagued the Tensor chip since its earliest days. Maybe the latter outcomes from the previous, however we’ll most likely discover out when Google makes its anticipated swap from Samsung to TSMC for its subsequent in-house chipset. I don’t assume both flaw is a real dealbreaker, although, because the Pixel 9 Professional escapes many of the charging headache that plagues its huge brother whereas feeling simply as clean as some other flagship from day after day.

However if you’d like an answer for not less than a type of points, Google has a Pixel 9 Professional XL ($1099 at Amazon) that it’ll promote you. It presents nearly the identical expertise because the Pixel 9 Professional, from the flattened-out design to the sensible cameras and Gemini infusion, simply greater. It picks up an additional half-inch of display actual property to match its 5,060mAh battery and grabs the 37W wired charging that may prevent a couple of minutes — offered you may have one in all a selected set of chargers. My colleagues and I don’t usually hand out five-star rankings on the finish of critiques, however the Pixel 9 Professional XL greater than earned its accolades.

Do you have to determine to enterprise exterior of Google’s ecosystem, it turns into a bit harder to decide on pure rivals for the Pixel 9 Professional. It’s configured nearer to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Amazon), but sized to match the bottom Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon). Personally, I’d slightly have Google’s extra pure cameras and extra full AI expertise, however I’m certain that some will attain for the Galaxy S24 Plus with its bigger 6.7-inch show and quicker 45W wired charging on the similar worth. Each of Samsung’s smaller telephones pack the extra highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, which could sway customers, too, though it gained’t really feel any faster in day-to-day utilization.

After which there’s the iPhone — Google’s twin from one other working system. Whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL matched up properly in opposition to the iPhone 15 Professional Max, the Pixel 9 Professional is extra snug in opposition to the smaller iPhone 15 Professional ($999 at Amazon). From the facet, the 2 are practically twins, sharing flat frames and shiny finishes and even matching the position of their antennas with solely the sq. digicam bump and Google’s digicam bar to inform them aside. In fact, going for the iPhone most likely means diving headfirst into Apple’s bigger ecosystem, which could possibly be fairly the funding when you add an Apple Watch and possibly an iPad to switch your present Android options. Apart from, at this level, it would make extra sense to attend for the iPhone 16 — after which you should purchase the Pixel 9 Professional over that as an alternative.