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

In case you’ve learn any of my many evaluations right here at Android Authority, you’ll know I like a small cellphone. You’ll know I appreciated gadgets like the bottom Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 as a result of they’d 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 virtually 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 hold a cellphone I favored in my pocket, at the least till Google launched the Pixel 9 Professional.

If I’ve waxed poetic as soon as about Google’s design evolution over time, I’ve completed it 100 instances — and now I’ll do it only one extra time. In any case, Google’s penchant for colourful finishes and clear strains drew me to the Pixel collection within the first place, and the Pixel 9 Professional is not any exception. The truth is, the Pixel 9 Professional particularly would possibly nicely 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 believe 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 brand on the again as a substitute of a half-eaten apple and a digital camera bar that’s turn into extra of an island, however the flattened aspect 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 normal in terms of smartphone construct high quality. Whether or not or not its newest iPhone fashions look thrilling, you recognize they’ll really feel sturdy and dependable. Google’s annual updates, however, all the time felt like that they had room to enhance, both attributable to super-thin aspect rails, curved shows susceptible 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 a protracted 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 moderately than protruding behind it. And, whereas I believed that shiny body might need labored towards Google’s bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL, it’s a lot simpler to admire on a smaller cellphone that doesn’t really feel like you need to maintain onto it for expensive life. Even when you drop it, the IP68 score ought to provide you with just a little peace of thoughts in filth and water when you’re out for a weekend away from residence.

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 strong 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 digital camera, however even that’s about as simple to disregard because the bezels.

I’ll admit {that a} small a part of me, someplace deep down, feels barely disillusioned by Google’s newfound maturity. Shrinking the digital camera bar and giving it sturdy aluminum edges would possibly make it extra sturdy, however it additionally signifies that the times of two-toned Pixels may be gone for good. Its aspect rails may be 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 collection, with enjoyable hues like Bay and Mint making means for Rose Quartz and Hazel. They’re nonetheless beautiful, 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 components of the Pixel 9 Professional XL, it’s simply essentially the most fulfilling 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 looks like a message to Samsung, OnePlus, and different Android opponents {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 search 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 parts, I used to be just a little 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 would possibly fall a bit behind its full-sized sibling, the Pixel 9 Professional XL. I’m blissful to report that I used to be improper (largely).

As regular, I put the chipset — which comes backed by 16GB of RAM and a disappointing 128GB of storage in its base configuration — by way of its paces with our regular set of CPU, GPU, and battery exams. However, whilst you would possibly count on that additional RAM to kick issues up a notch, you may solely truly use 13GB of it with the remaining 3GB carved out for Gemini. Anyway, I lined it up towards 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, however it nonetheless has a good hole to make up earlier than it’s genuinely racing towards 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 exams. It’s not a big hole — only a proportion level or two throughout most of my exams — however excellent news for small cellphone fans in every single place. 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 first rate stability for an additional 10 runs. That is probably because of the diminished 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 towards 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 tip of the island to seize some photographs 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 favored. I put my Pixel 9 Professional by way of an hour or so of gaming, break 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. Although 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 spot.

I do know what you’re considering — 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, however it’s additionally powering a smaller show, so I used to be nonetheless stunned to see such a niche in our battery drain testing. It fell wanting 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 internet outcomes are a bit extra respectable, and it leads Google’s trio in gaming sturdiness, however it’s not sufficient that you would be able to count on two full days of utilization between prices. 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.

While you want a cost, you’ll run into one other considered one of Google’s puzzling Pixel choices. Although 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. Surprisingly, 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 virtually 90 minutes to fill with Google’s brand-new 45W charger, whereas the Pixel 8 Professional stuffed its bigger battery practically 10 minutes faster with an older 68W Motorola TurboPower charger I had mendacity round.

Apparently, our testing confirmed that the Pixel 9 Professional spent extra time charging at near-peak speeds (21 minutes as a substitute of 19), however it 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 attributable to bizarre interactions with charger voltage.

You too can skip Google’s headache of a wired setup and cost your Pixel 9 Professional wirelessly, wherein case it’ll attain 21W with the second-generation Pixel Stand ($79 at Greatest Purchase) or 12W from another 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 nervous about was Google’s cameras not dwelling 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 digital camera bar properly and make the Pixel 9 Professional among the finest digital camera telephones round — particularly at its measurement.

Each of Google’s peripheral lenses supply matching 48MP resolutions however are just about opposites in any other case. The ultrawide snapper gained the identical most aperture as the first digital camera however swapped to a barely tighter 123-degree subject 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 answer. Oh, and it’s just a little 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 digital camera samples.

First, proof that Google nonetheless is aware of how you can shoot and course of a well-lit picture. 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 tug particulars out of photographs all through its zoom vary. I’m significantly happy with the picture of the solar setting over the bay, which caught the whole lot from the colour of the sky to the small birds on the dock and stored the wooden boards within the foreground in comfortable focus.

The picture of the capybara within the second row is sweet, too, even when the water world wide’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 may nearly make out the turtle swimming slightly below the floor of the background. I might have favored just a little extra pop within the picture of the boats subsequent to it, although, which appears just a little bit useless and flat.

Fortunately, I bought all of the pop I wished 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 that you would be able to nonetheless make out a little bit of inexperienced within the leaves within the shot to the left, too — low-light photographs typically 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 exhibits why. It offers its 48MP ultrawide sensor double responsibility, and the wide-open aperture signifies that it may seize extra mild to course of. The result’s a snail shell that exhibits each final grain of sand and a Black-Eyed Susan with loads of element by way of its “black eye.”

Google’s general zoom vary is fairly spectacular, too. I might usually bin virtually all of my 10x and 30x samples shortly after writing a evaluation, however I’m happy with the small print within the seagull and the tracks within the sand at 10x zoom. Our feathered buddy is just a little 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 choice of AI-powered options. I already talked about that I favored the revamp of panorama mode on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, and it’s simply pretty much as good right here. It’s extremely easy to line up your shot throughout a collection of dots moderately than trusting a gentle hand, even when there’s a tiny processing error alongside the dock to the best aspect.

Sadly, Zoom Improve isn’t fairly as spectacular. It took virtually a 12 months to launch after being introduced alongside the Pixel 8 Professional, however the outcome is a photograph that appears far too sharp in some locations whereas not trying a lot totally different in others. The patriotic badge to the best appears virtually prefer it’s been lower with a laser to seize the leaves and description, giving it edges which can be a lot too sharp. Reasonably 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 just a little extra inventive, just like the improved Reimagine choice in Magic Editor. On high of resizing and rearranging parts of your shot, now you can substitute the sky, the bottom, and issues your topic is holding with a faucet and just a little typing. The Pixel 9 Professional nonetheless will get just a little fuzzy on the edges of its picture era, however it’s considerably higher than the artifact-heavy model launched with the earlier era.

Google gave the Pixel 9 Professional the identical selfie digital camera overhaul because the Pixel 9 Professional XL, which stays one of many larger surprises on this 12 months’s digital camera 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 wished to, too — they’re the identical because the Pixel 9 Professional XL. It might probably shoot clips at as much as 20x Tremendous Res Zoom, which Google will then apply Video Increase for smoother, sharper last outcomes. The Pixel 9 Professional can upscale movies to 8K decision, from which you’ll clip 33MP stills.

You too can take a look at full-resolution variations of those samples (and several other extra) at this Google Drive hyperlink. Oh, and if you would 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 discovered, the whole lot the Pixel 9 Professional XL can do, the Pixel 9 Professional can do too — simply smaller. That, in fact, consists of 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 the whole lot I do getting used to coach Gemini (one week in Pixel-land isn’t sufficient to vary that), however Google’s completed product is significantly 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 collection and launched its Gemini Assistant with out giving it the facility to, nicely, help along with your sensible residence, however it’s clear that Google has discovered quite a bit within the final 12 months or so.

Every thing feels just a little smoother and faster, whether or not you’re chatting with a revamped and interruptible Gemini Dwell or producing pictures 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 clarify the idea of Gemini Dwell to my grandparents whereas sharing a seashore home for the weekend. The very fact nonetheless stands that Gemini Dwell, with its eight interchangeable voices, is horrifying good, simply in a means that I believe would freak out two individuals who at the moment use a Motorola Moto G Play from 2021.

Alternatively, Pixel Studio looks like one thing each father or mother needs that they had when their child requested them to attract one thing. The truth is, that’s sort of how I defined it whereas displaying 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 Road, and the Pixel Studio continued to point out off its Imagen 3-powered chops. You continue to can’t generate individuals, although, making the general expertise a lot totally 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 stress and wind path when you 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 college within the morning. I’ll additionally readily admit that I’m not a screenshot man — preferring to depart a billion Chrome tabs open as reminders — however I would begin altering my tune if I can bear in mind to make folders each time I analysis seven vs seven soccer techniques 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 collection 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, however it ought to acquire 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 truly had been ready for — I simply didn’t understand it. Every thing I mentioned about Google’s bigger flagship completely nonetheless rings true, with spectacular cameras, a powerful suite of AI-powered options which can be largely user-ready, and a construct high quality that’s head and shoulders above Pixels of the previous. The Pixel 9 Professional XL is a elegant selection for anybody who desires the perfect Pixel has ever needed to supply and desires it within the largest bundle potential. However for me, it’s simply way more fulfilling on a cellphone that I can use with one hand.

Google’s capability to pack this a lot energy right into a 6.3-inch smartphone ought to put different Android flagship collection’ on discover. You don’t have to churn out an almost 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 towards 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 with no few small cellphone compromises. Google didn’t see match to convey its quickest charging to its smaller mannequin, nor has it discovered 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 suppose 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 easy as another flagship from day after day.

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

Do you have to resolve to enterprise exterior of Google’s ecosystem, it turns into a bit more durable 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 moderately 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 value. 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 towards the iPhone 15 Professional Max, the Pixel 9 Professional is extra snug towards the smaller iPhone 15 Professional ($999 at Amazon). From the aspect, the 2 are practically twins, sharing flat frames and shiny finishes and even matching the position of their antennas with solely the sq. digital camera bump and Google’s digital camera bar to inform them aside. In fact, going for the iPhone most likely means diving headfirst into Apple’s bigger ecosystem, which may very well be fairly the funding when you add an Apple Watch and possibly an iPad to exchange your present Android options. Apart from, at this level, it’d make extra sense to attend for the iPhone 16 — after which you should buy the Pixel 9 Professional over that as a substitute.