Final yr, I was emphatic that my time with Pixel phones was over as a result of Google had introduced it was planning to inject much more AI “goodness” into Android. I noticed that as a possibility to leap ship.
My objective was to purchase the Nothing Phone 3. Then, as destiny would have it, Nothing CEO Carl Pei introduced that his firm was going all-in on AI, and the following Nothing Telephone would leverage the know-how in methods no different gadget had.
Foiled once more.
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Shortly after, I seemed into the Pixel 9 Pro series, which Google has made clear it is critical about returning the “flagship” moniker to the lineup. As a substitute of questionable design decisions for the {hardware} (just like the unpleasant digital camera hump, too-slick glass, and oddly-beveled edges), Google opted for a classier look.
The corporate succeeded.
I positioned my order, traded in my Pixel 8 Professional, and obtained a whopping $700 in credit score. I sat again and waited. A few weeks later, my pink Pixel 9 Professional arrived. As quickly as I unboxed it, my first thought was, “Now this is a flagship gadget.”
The construct high quality is stellar, the look is gorgeous, and the texture is nice — and that was all earlier than I switched the cellphone on.
The very first thing you will discover with the Pixel 9 is the flat edges, which give the cellphone a really polished look. Virtually talking, these flat edges make the Pixel 9 Professional exponentially simpler to choose up.
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This was considered one of my huge complaints with the Pixel 8 Professional. When the Pixel 8 cellphone is on a flat floor, it may be arduous to choose up with any confidence. Due to the slick floor, the cellphone is susceptible to slide from between my fingers. Not that dropping a cellphone a couple of inches to a desk floor would harm the gadget, nevertheless it’s actually irritating.
The Pixel 9 Professional may be very straightforward to carry with one hand.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
That subject isn’t any extra. The Pixel 9 Professional is much simpler to choose up.
Past the texture of all of it, the Pixel 9 look is simply spot on. Sure, it is very iPhone-like, however I do not see that as a foul factor. There is a motive why Apple has caught to an analogous chassis design… as a result of it really works, and it screams “I am a flagship gadget!”
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Additionally, the digital camera hump is a lot nicer. On the Pixel 7 Professional and Pixel 8 Professional, the digital camera hump made the cellphone look low cost. It virtually appeared “unintentional.” Now? The digital camera hump seems to be intentional in design, and it matches the appear and feel of the gadget a lot better than in earlier iterations.
Lastly, the dimensions of the Pixel 9 Professional is ideal. It is a bit shorter than the Pixel 7 Professional and Pixel 8 Professional, which suggests it is simpler to make use of with one hand.
Establishing my Pixel (from an older mannequin)
Usually, when transferring knowledge from one Pixel to a different, you are prompted to attach the telephones through a USB-C cable and permit the info to switch (a course of that may take a while). With the Pixel 9 lineup, it is all completed through Bluetooth, and it is surprisingly quick and straightforward. I’d go as far as to say that is the only and quickest switch from one Pixel to a different that I’ve skilled (and I have been doing this because the early Pixel days).
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In fact, not all the pieces transferred. When it comes to credentials, solely my Gmail account was mechanically added. I needed to enter different app logins manually. That is to be anticipated, and I did not thoughts having to log again into sure apps and add my non-Gmail accounts.
I additionally bought a transparent case for magnetic equipment from Google, which was a wise transfer.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
My expertise
Ever because the Pixel 6 Professional, I’ve discovered Google’s prime cellphone’s efficiency excellent. The Pixel 9 Professional takes this up a notch, and at last, Android can actually exhibit animations on par with iOS. The whole lot is buttery easy, and apps launch immediately. Scroll by way of the App Drawer, and also you now not expertise stutters and jumps.
The show of the Pixel 9 Professional is nothing in need of unbelievable. Usually, I swap off the Ambient Show characteristic as a result of the show tends to get a bit too darkish. On the Pixel 9 Professional, I’ve but to really feel the necessity to shut off that characteristic. Positive, the show adjusts to the smallest change in ambient mild, nevertheless it by no means will get too dim to see clearly.
If I manually alter the brightness all the way in which up, it is very brilliant. In truth, that is the primary cellphone I’ve used the place I believed the show at full brightness was virtually too brilliant. Photographs have extra depth and readability when displayed on the Pixel 9 Professional.
The evening earlier than final, I forgot to place my cellphone on the charger in a single day. After I awoke the following morning and noticed it on my desk, the proportion of the remaining battery was 76%. As a substitute of inserting it on its cradle so it might cost, I made a decision to make use of it and wait till my traditional time (round 6 PM — I prefer to fully disconnect on the finish of the day) to set it on the Pixel stand.
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By the tip of the day, the cellphone was at 50%. Granted, I am not on my cellphone continuously all through the day however, even so, that is spectacular. It is not any form of battery benchmark that I might actually go by, however figuring out the cellphone can go with out an in a single day cost and the battery barely budges an inch downward is a reasonably good indication that this cellphone will greater than go the space.
Backside line (for now)
It is early in my relationship with the Pixel 9 Pro, however I am able to proclaim that Google has lastly created a Pixel cellphone worthy of the flagship title. I can not wait to see how Android 15 will run on this child as a result of it runs like a champ on my Pixel 7 Professional.
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