The prevailing wars in the realm of smartphones, mainly in the ultra-premium sections, are more than just the hardware. Absolutely, the specs and the design sheet are important; however, the entire user experience is marking itself as the main differentiator.
While the market is flooded with products from Samsung and Apple, one such brand constantly pushes the boundaries of the innumerable possibilities across the world of smartphones: Google. Google’s Pixel series is among the ideal ways to experience Android, and it has successfully used AI to boost the entire user experience.
With the main entry of Google’s Pixel 9 series, they are offering something for everyone with the standard variants, a Pro Variant, a Pro XL Variant, and even a Fold. Today, we bring to the table the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and here is what our reviews bring to you.
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL has a major form factor with dimensions of 168.8mm x 76.6 mm x 8.5 mm, whereas the iPhone 15 pro-Max scales to around 159.9 mm x 76.7 mm x 8.25 mm. Both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro XL weigh around 221 grams.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL offers gentle matte finishes appearing and feeling the premium range. The feeling of plastic is no more with the Pixel 9 series. It does not get the finger imprints on the back; however, smudges do appear when they are pushed against the harsh surfaces. Otherwise, it stays cleaner and does not involve regular or constant cleaning. Using Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 makes the smartphone highly durable. The IP68 rating adds to the different layers of protection from dust and water.
The protruding visor of the camera has become synonymous with the Pixel phones. The triple rear camera, temperature, and flash sensor are all housed in it. The speaker, SIM tray, and USB ports lie right at the bottom, with the volume and power key placed on the appropriate frame. The punch-hole displays come with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that blazes accurately and rapidly. The facial unlocking works ideally, even with the glasses on.
The primary enhancement brought about in the Pixel 9 series relies on thermal performance as compared to the Pixel 8 series. The Pixel 9 Pro XL never heats while performing normal jobs such as video calls, photography, and watching content.
As the XL variant, the Pixel 9 Pro XL offers its 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO displays with a 20:9 aspect ratio, while the iPhone Pro Mac arrives with a 6.7-inch display. The dynamic refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz offers a better feel to its content. The 3,000 nits peaks its brightness, making it visible right under the direct sun gaze. Unlike the versatile island, the punch hole displays never impact a lot when watching the content. The screen generates vivid and vibrant colors. The bezels have turned narrower, allowing greater space for play. The display is often proactive in their responses. The haptics appear much better compared to typing.
Unlike Apple, which uses varied processors in the base models of the iPhone and the Pro units, Google kept them uniform with their self-made Tensor G4 Processor throughout the Pixel 9 series. The firm often claims around 10% of the enhancements over the last generation with the Tensor G3 chipset. Even Pixel 9 Pro XL performs the best with 16GB of RAM with tensor G4, assisting Pixel 9 Pro XL to operate seamlessly throughout several apps and operating them with greater ease.
There is no lag in its performance. The 256 GB offered in the review unit holds several files. The phone functions on Android 14 out of the box, and you will be among the first ones to get Android 15 whenever it becomes available. Google further offers 7 years of OS along with security updates. For us, the non-heating forms the biggest change this year, with the entire enhancement in their performances.
Every blister around AI and Gemini functions will make the entire updated assistant experience a bit weird. Contextually, Gemini is the ideal one. In different practices, numerous basic functionalities are missing. For instance, it isn’t very pleasant to ask Gemini to perform things that the Assistant is able to get mealy-mouthed responses for nothing being used. We never doubt that this would enhance over time; however, Gemini is supposedly prepared for primetime.
Despite the controversies surrounding Reimaging, the detailed guide gets the rails added. The probability is often done before the launch; however, the genie is out of the bottle now.
Read Also: Android Go vs Regular Android: Which Offers Better Performance?
The cameras on the Pixel 9 series have not yet been considerably upgraded. The rear setup continues with the 50MP primary camera, the 48MP ultra-wide camera that comes with the macro mode, and the 48MP telephoto camera. However, it is never the case if you fail to fix what is not broken.
To initiate with the UI of the camera is extremely seamless, and shooting some of the best photos appears seamless. The cameras here continue to shoot some astounding photos during the daylight conditions into the management of capturing innumerable details. The colors here pop out of the phone, which is ideal to get shared on social media without requiring any further edits.
The ultrawide camera often does the best job under the perfect lighting conditions with colors that are impressively at par with the primary camera. The telephoto lens manages to capture the photos without losing out on the details even when they get zoomed past 10x. The upfront camera notices the upgrade with the 42MP lens that stays in the punch hole displays. The selfies shown on the phone appear the best and are at par with the different premium range photos out there. Even the photos that get shot under dim light appear the best.
Google added its 5,060 mAh battery to its Pixel 9 Pro XL. It is good enough to walk with us for a day or beyond normal use. You would require a plug-in after a long day of photography, playing music, or watching some random YouTube content. But for normal schedules, it often lasts about 30 to 32 hours on a single charge. It helps in supporting 37W wired charging, while it would take some time to fill up. The battery fills in just an hour.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL shines bright with its dynamic design language, enhanced thermal performance, and AI-based camera. The chipset’s performance has been top-tier with overall enhancements. The dynamic and bigger display competes with the Pro Max in town. The battery often sustains its requirements seamlessly; however, slow charging causes irritation. But the next-gen AI features make it a highly engaging Pixel phone more than ever.
Several other things relate to the design, including the huge display, cameras, and other plethora of features. Google stays in the front seat, driving such change in the manner in which we use smartphones in our regular lives.
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