Introduction:
Here we have the pixel 9 which has been a bit overshadowed by the future release of a dedicated compact Flagship in the pixel 9 Pro so is the pixel 9 still worth getting or are you better off waiting for the small Pro I'm will for GSM Marina and let's see.
What the pixel 9 is all about in our full review the vanilla pixels are known for providing a clean Google software experience and Powerful cameras all within a compact form factor and this year's model brings a new chipset a brighter display a larger battery and a new ultrawide camera that's a pretty decent Hull of upgrades the design has.
Changed too and so has the size the pixel 9 is not as compact being bigger and heavier than the pixel 8 it also has a flat back now as well as a flat aluminum frame lending a tangible iPhone Vibe the back is made of gorilla glass Vic is to here, and it's quite glossy, and the camera bump has gotten an overhaul it's still horizontal but doesn't extend across to meet the frame.
It's oval-shaped now too but one thing that hasn't changed is that the pixel 9 still brings an ip68 certification for dust and water resistance which is always welcome the OLED display of the pixel 9 is a bit larger than the pixel 8's at 6.3 in it has a 1080p resolution grow glass Us 2 protection and a 120 HZ refresh rate Google calls it an actual display as it doesn't get the LPO tech from the Pro Models Super actual displays this means the refresh rate can only toggle between 120 HZ and 60 HZ it can dial down lower or use intermediate.
Basic:
Steps on the upside the max brightness has received an impressive boost this year we were able to measure around 1,200 nits of brightness when adjusting it manually and with the auto brightness mode enabled it went to an incredible 2200 nits that's better than any of the competition right.
Now and excellent for outdoor use on a sunny day the display is also plenty sharp with a pixel density of 422 PPI, and it supports hdr10 plus video playback there's also support for displaying Ultra HDR compliant images with boosted highlights for audio the pixel 9 has a stereo speaker setup which earned a very good rating for loudness the sound quality is decent vocals and highs sound fine.
But the low end is a bit thin Google finally upgraded the under display fingerprint reader from Optical to ultrasonic this year it works well, and it's super reliable when it comes to storage you can get the pixel 9 with 128 or 256 gigs on board and that isn't expandable through memory card with the pixels you get Google's vision of the Android software experience but unlike previous pixel releases which debuted the new version of Android the pixel 9.
Uses Android 14 like we've seen all year this phone has come out earlier and Android 15 isn't out, yet Google has packed plenty of AI features here for example the pixel 9 can summarize calls texts and emails so you can get the relevant info faster Google's AI assistant is called Gemini and you can ask it natural language questions and engage in conversation it speaks over 100 languages.
From the get-go and is very good at understanding context but the accuracy of its answers varies as with all current AI tools another feature relying on AI is the pixel Studio which allows you to make AI generated images and designs the pixel can also keep track of and organize your screenshots allowing you to search for specific topics or info you've saved.
Before the magic editor within Google photos provides various tools including best take you can replace faces or objects with a better version of them taken from another shot and a neat trick within the camera app is added me it allows you to combine people from separate shots into a single group photo, or you can just clone yourself if you want to the pixel 9 series also brings satellite SOS support but right now that's only available for users in the USA and Google promises 7 years of complete software.
Support for the pixel 9 plus you can also rely on spare parts during that time should anything happen to your pixel all the new pixels run on a tensor G4 chipset made in-house by Google compared to the previous one it packs a new CPU design while the GPU only gets a higher clock speed and the TPU for AI tasks is unchanged since last year as well we weren't able to run performance.
Benchmarks at the time of this review but based on the specs and what we've seen on past pixel phones with tensor chips we expect the Peak Performance here to be lower than other flagships running the top Snapdragon chipset still we didn't have issues when using the pixel 9 the interface apps and games ran hiccup free the pixel 9 has a 4700 mAh battery slightly bigger than the 4,575 mass of the pixel 8.
The Improvement in battery life is sizable though the pixel 9 did better than the pixel 8 in all of our tests and earned a good overall active use score of 13 hours and 5 minutes like last year charging maxes out at 27 was and there's no charger in the box with a compatible adapter we were able to charge the phone from 0 to 55% in 30 minutes and to full charge took an hour and 25 minutes that's far from impressive and in line with what the pixel 8 did.
There's also support for wireless charging and reverse wireless charging when it comes to cameras the pixel 9 brings a couple of upgrades a new Ultra wide camera and autofocus for the selfie camera so on the back you get a 50 mega pix main Cam and a 48 mega Ultra wide cam both with autofocus it's the same setup you get on the Pro Models minus the telephoto cam also.
The plain pixel 9 gets a lesser laser assist for its autofocus it's single zone here versus multitone on the pros a somewhat stranger Omission here is that there's no Pro mode in the camera interface but when it comes to image quality during the day the main camera captures excellent photos there's plenty of detail rendered naturally with well judged sharpening.
There are hints of pix elation in certain situations, but it's not a big deal there's the dual high contrast you'd expect from pixels with a focus on highlight preservation and somewhat dark as shadows and the colors look really nice shots of people also look great with well rendered skin.
Features:
There's no telephoto cam, so you have to rely on a digital crop from the main camera if you want to get closer. There's a bit less detail, but the quality is acceptable and shooting people this way is more comfortable. After dark, the main cam captures respectable photos, detail is amazing, particularly in the shadows, which can be a little soft, but overall the rendition is good.
Exposures are on point with good highlight retention and shadows which aren't too dark, and the color saturation is well judged. The new Ultra wide camera captures solid images as well; they're tack sharp in the middle and slightly less so towards the corners, but they're not bad there either. Dynamic range and color addition are great as well, thanks to its autofocus.
The ultrawide camera can also shoot extreme close-ups and these shots come out great. There's also a dedicated macro mode, which adds some digital zoom to the mix. In low light, the ultrawide cam captures good photos with nicely bright exposures. The sharpness is decent in the better-lit areas and okay in the darker zones. Colors are also nice.
The pixel 9 selfies are very likable; they capture excellent detail and have pleasant skin tones and overall lively colors. The addition of autofocus this time around also expands the possibilities for different framing and perspectives. The pixel 9 can record video in up to 4K at 60 FPS with all of its cameras. There's no 8K recording here, unlike on the Pro models.
Similar to what we already saw on the pixel 9 pro, XL video clips from the pixel 9 have plenty of contrast and nicely saturated colors, but the detail.
Conclusion:
Leaves more to be desired from either camera. The clips are softer than what we'd expect from the class. In low light, Post from the pixel's main camera have a decent level of detail, good dynamic range, and accurate colors, and the electronic Post stabilization deserves nothing but praise. Walking shake and pans are nicely smoothed out. So that's the Google Pixel 9.
It's a solid pixel phone that offers nearly everything the Pro models can, and compared to last year, you have a bigger and brighter display, longer battery life, and a new and improved ultrawide cam. It does lose a bit of its compact feel though, and for a sort of phone that's known for camera prowess, the Post Publish falls behind other flagship competitors.
But if that's not an issue for you, the Pixel 9 could be worth looking into, especially down the line when its price is a bit easier to digest. Thanks for watching, guys. If you're looking for alternatives, you can check out our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15. Let us know what you think, and I'll see you on the next one.
