The Pixel 9 Pro is here, and the question of whether it's time to upgrade or not should be even more pressing. There's a lot to love about Google's latest phone and a lot of information to digest, so let's break it all down.
Google has effectively jammed all that made the Pixel 8 Pro so good into a smaller package while making several hardware and software upgrades at the same time. It’s got more AI features than you’ll know what to do with, plus a new selfie camera, more RAM, a new chipset and a more advanced display, while still coming in at just under a grand.
Even with that price, it can be difficult to decide if you want a new phone, or if it's time to upgrade. Naturally, we would first recommend that you check out our review of the Pixel 9 Pro, as well as the reviews for the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold to see which device offers you exactly what you're looking for. If you've done that, but are looking for just a little bit more info, then look no further as we break down everything right here.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Cheat Sheet: The big changes
- As well as a new flat-edged design, the Pixel 9 is a new 6.3-inch size, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL acting as a direct sequel to the Google Pixel 8 Pro from last year.
- There's a new 42MP selfie camera, but the same 50MP main/48MP ultrawide/48MP 5x telephoto rear camera combo as the excellent Pixel 8 Pro
- The display is a second-gen Super Actua panel, meaning it's brighter and has slimmer bezels.
- A Tensor G4 chip, coupled with more RAM, means this is the most powerful Pixel yet
- Google's added and upgraded AI features everywhere around the Pixel 9 Pro, including photo editing, productivity boosts and new Gemini abilities.
Google Pixel 9 Pro pricing and availability
There's a £999/$999 price tag attached to the Pixel 9 Pro, which is about the same price as an iPhone 16 Pro and the same price as the prior Pixel 8 Pro.
That default price gets you 128GB of storage, but paying extra will give you 256GB, 512GB or 1TB depending on how much more you are willing to part with. All variants come with the same 16GB RAM capacity, and the full choice of black, white, green and pink colors.
Google Pixel 9 Pro specs
Google Pixel 9 Pro: What's new?
It's not often we can answer the question of "what's new?" with "the whole phone," but we can do that here with the Pixel 9 Pro. Previous Pro Pixels came in a large 6.8-inch form factor, but this Pro has a new, 6.3-inch form factor, with a smaller display and a smaller battery accordingly. Fans of the older size can still find it in the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Aside from the smaller size, the Pixel 9 pro got a bit of a style upgrade. Google has added new flatter sides and an improved camera block. The new glass back and metal sides, alongside the rounded corners, make the phone look distinct from older Pixel models.
The color selection is partly updated too. Obsidian, Porcelain and Hazel returning from previous generations of Pixels, but a new Rose Quartz option is also available if you want something more lively-looking.
Google introduced its Actua and Super Actua displays on the Pixel 8 last year, and the models of the Pixel 9 series get upgraded versions. The Pixel 9 Pro uses the second-gen Super Actua display, and offers thinner bezels than the first generation. It's also clad in Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the same as the Pixel 8 Pro. Beneath the screen is another upgraded part — an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that should make for faster and more reliable biometric security.
The cameras on the Pixel 9 Pro are the same as the Pixel 8 Pro, except for its new 42MP selfie camera. But the sensors feed into an upgraded image processing pipeline, plus Google's now allowed you to use Night Sight low-light mode while taking panorama shots.
Google uses its new Tensor G4 chipset to power the Pixel 9 Pro. It's joined by 16GB RAM, up from the 12GB used in older Pixel Pro models. Some of that RAM is dedicated solely to AI features, which is good considering how many of these Google's added to the Pixel 9 series. But more on that later.
The Pixel 9 Pro's also been equipped with Google's newest 45W charging standard. This can fill the phone up to 70% in 30 minutes according to Google's testing.
Now we get into Google's AI updates. The Pixel 9 Pro is one of the first phones to feature a multimodal version of Gemini Nano built-in, and a more capable Gemini Assistant. Your photography can also be enhanced by Google's new AI through the Add Me feature for including photographers in their own photos, or new Magic Editor powers. There's also the Pixel Studio if you want to just generate an image outright.
These are also accompanied by Audio and written transcripts for phone calls, Magic Lists in Google Keep, a new Pixel Screenshots system to help you find and search things you've screen grabbed but are having trouble finding, and a dedicated Pixel Weather app with AI conditions summaries. Pixel 9 users subscribed to Gemini Advanced will also get access to Gemini Live chat, letting you converse with the Google AI. Gemini Advanced is a premium subscription service, but luckily for you, you get a year of free Gemini Advanced with a Pixel 9 purchase.
Our Pixel 9 AI features guide will go into more detail on all of these additions and more.
Oh, and one last non-AI upgrade: similar to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series, the Pixel 9 Pro has a Satellite SOS feature to help you message the emergency services when you're off-grid.
While Google is working on Android 15, and normally launches its new Pixels with the latest build of Android each year, this isn't the case with the Pixel 9 series. The Pixel 9 Pro and its brethren will launch with Android 14 initially, though we expect an upgrade to Android 15 won't be far off.
Google Pixel 9 Pro: How it compares to other phones
If you're interested in the Pixel 9 Pro, chances are that you'll also be looking at the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL, or similar small premium flagship phones like the iPhone 15 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S24. So let's look at these comparisons in more detail.
The Pixel 9 Pro shares all the same features as the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The only difference is that the XL model gets a larger display and a larger battery, and costs $100/£100 more. It'll be down to you if you prefer the more compact device or want as much display and charge capacity as possible in return for extra money.
The iPhone 15 Pro is likely going to be replaced with the iPhone 16 Pro, but as it stands, it's very similar to the Pixel 9 Pro. The iPhone's a little smaller at 6.1 inches, and has lower-res cameras, and a lower 3x telephoto zoom level. Its battery and charging are also smaller and slower on paper, and the Pixel is likely to have a longer update lifespan. But the iPhone offers a likely powerful A16 Pro chipset, and while it currently has minimal AI features, Apple Intelligence will be arriving with iOS 18 and its further updates this fall and next year. Both sell for the same $999 price too.
We put the two through their paces in a seven-round stand-off and the Pixel 9 Pro was the clear winner. However, it struggles compared to the iPhone 16 Pro.
As for the Galaxy S24, it's cheaper than the Pixel 9 Pro at $799 and matches its seven-year update schedule and offers its own Galaxy AI feature package. The Samsung is a smidge smaller than the Pixel and has lower zoom magnification and lower resolution ultrawide, telephoto and selfie cameras, less RAM, a smaller battery and slower charging than the Pixel. That's a lot to lose out on, even for $200.
Google Pixel 9 Pro outlook
The Pixel 9 Pro is a great phone for the price, but as is evident it has some weaknesses. The biggest issue without a doubt is the relatively weak Tensor G4, at least when compared to the more powerful chips from Apple and Samsung.
In the past we considered the Pixel 9 Pro to be incomplete thanks to the lack of certain features. However, the addition of some of Gemini's features, and constant improvements to Google's features, arguably pushes the Pixel 9 Pro to be a great mid-range phone.
