Gadget Weekly
Be a part of Namerah Saud Fatmi as she explores the cool, quirky, and typically downright odd world of smartphone equipment, devices, and different nerdy toys each week.
The cat’s lastly out of the bag with the squeaky new Pixel 9 household of smartphones. Google gave us not two, not three, however 4 new flagship telephones in a single go. That is rather a lot to course of. Whereas our ultimate verdict remains to be pending, it is simple to say that the Pixel 9 sequence will get so much proper. There are many upgrades and AI magic to make the gadgets engaging for anybody. But, regardless of all that, there’s one drawback with the Pixel 9 sequence that bums me out, and it has to do with the pink coloration choice.
I will not lie; the largest draw for me was purely superficial at first. My interior Elle Woods screamed in dignified delight when the leaks first showcased a pink Pixel. To prime it off, it turned out to be an all-pink lineup of Android telephones with pink equipment to match! How can a lady say no to that?
Now that we all know for certain that three of the 4 Pixel 9 fashions are available pink, all I wanted to determine was which mannequin to purchase. To me, Rose Quartz is probably the most attention-grabbing shade of the upper-tier Pixel 9 Professional sequence, adopted by the deeper Peony hue of the essential Pixel 9. The Pixel 9 Professional stood out as the plain selection because it has virtually no different distinction in comparison with the 9 Professional XL in any side aside from dimension. I choose smaller telephones as they’re simpler to make use of one-handed.
My thoughts was just about made up about bumping my Pixel 8 over to the 9 Professional, however that is once I bumped into an sudden drawback. Once I’m seeking to purchase a cellphone, naturally, I worth different specs as nicely. Storage is an important issue, particularly as a result of Pixels are famously superior photographers. So it was stunning to me that Google doesn’t supply the Pixel 9 Professional or the 9 Professional XL in Rose Quartz with greater than 256GB of storage.
That is a serious roadblock for me as a result of I’ve already acquired round 200GB of photos and movies on my present cellphone. If I had been to improve to 256GB — not all of which is usable — I might run out of house on my brand-new cellphone in a number of brief months. It isn’t like I can use a good microSD card to repair that situation, seeing as most flagships just like the Pixel 9 Professional and Professional XL have ditched expandable storage slots.
Even with the underwhelming efficiency of the Tensor G4 and the stuttering fingerprint sensor, I used to be onboard with the Pixel 9 Professional. The cameras and the Pixel UI are what I used to be prepared to pay for, and naturally, the candy coat of pink paint. All issues thought-about, storage merely is not one thing I can compromise on.
Google One is one potential answer right here, providing extra on-line storage and some bonus options for a month-to-month or yearly payment. Nevertheless, this requires you to be related to the web always. Moreover, counting on a cloud storage answer additionally implies that any of the recordsdata that do not match in your Pixel must be saved within the cloud absolutely, with no on-device availability. In areas with poor or no connectivity, this can be a huge disadvantage.
I do not know why Google handed on a 512GB choice for the pink Pixel 9 telephones, however based mostly on expertise and my intestine, I am assuming it is as a result of somebody doubted the recognition of this coloration. When a model would not have sufficient confidence in coloration, they do not supply bigger storage choices for it as a result of it assumes that the demand will likely be low. I reached out to Google for clarification concerning coloration and storage choices however didn’t get a response in time for publication. I’ll replace the article if I hear again.
However let’s be trustworthy, 256GB would not minimize it anymore. Every colorway ought to have sufficient storage to final for a cellphone that is promised seven years of upgrades. Samsung provides greater than twice as many colorways on its telephones, and you’ll go as excessive as 1TB on a lot of them. If Samsung can do it, why cannot Google?
Pinkalicious
For those who’re a lover of pink issues like me, you will discover it arduous to disregard this candy concoction. The Pixel 9 Professional packs all the most effective options of this Pixel era however boasts a smaller dimension, making it simpler to carry and use one-handed.