Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Preview

In late 2015, Google for the first time released two smartphones simultaneously, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. I owned both of them, and they were both terrific phones. They were also the end of an era: In 2016, Google launched its Pixel family of smartphones, disingenuously claiming that they were its first original creations, where the Nexus handsets had been co-designed with hardware partners. (The first Pixels were similar co-designs.) I was initially excited, but the products were a let-down, with a copycat design and pricing, both more than a little too much like the iPhone. It did ship in two sizes, at least, and both were identical in features and specifications other than the screen size. This, at least, felt like a good decision.

Flash forward 8 years, and Google just announced and will this week launch its latest generation Pixel phones. This year, there are four of them–the base Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold–which is a first. But I like that Google has returned to its Pixel roots, sort of, by providing the non-folding Pro version in two sizes, which are identical other than the screen sizes. This was the right decision when Google first did it in 2016, it was the correct decision when Apple sort of (and then literally) did it with iPhone Pro/Pro Max, and it’s the correct decision now. Choice is good, and the very best features shouldn’t be arbitrarily limited to a model with a bigger screen.

What happened between then and now, of course, is … messy.

There were highs and lows, too many of each to count. Google expanded its Pixel lineup with inexpensive a-series models, some of which remain among the best devices the company ever shipped. (The Pixel 3a XL remains one of my favorites of all time.) It tried tablets, multiple times. Chromebooks, where the brand started. Earbuds, and then with a-series and Pro models. And folding phones, of course, the great white whale of smartphones. Among the biggest hardware changes–that, sadly, has never panned out into a net positive differentiator–Google started using its own in-house Tensor processors–in addition to its on Titan security chips–starting with the Pixel 6 series.

Pixel has been touted for its “clean” Android image, which is a ludicrous misunderstanding: Google expands on the base Android OS in Pixel as much as Samsung does, it’s just that the additions it makes are thoughtful and useful. There are quarterly Pixel Feature Drops in addition to monthly Android updates and annual version upgrades. And now Google supports Pixel phones with 7 years of OS upgrades and security updates, which is rather incredible.

But Google’s biggest software success on the phone has come via its computational photography capabilities, which have expanded over they years along with the multiple hardware lenses no found in the devices. Back when Pixel still shipped with lackluster, aging camera hardware, its photographic expertise reached its apex. But today, Pixel leads the way: With the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, all four lenses–the three on the back and the selfie camera on the front–are super-high-resolution 50-ish MP units. This is an area in which Samsung and Apple still lag.

But in the end, it’s all about the experience, which is where all the disparate pieces that make up the phone come together. With the Pixel 8 series last year, Google finally got smartphones right again, nailing it to a degree I’d not experienced since those final Nexus phones in 2015. Unfortunately, the broader Pixel ecosystem continues to lag behind: The Pixel Tablet and Pixel Watch are both lousy, pointless devices, while the original Pixel Fold was held back by its expensive pricing and the Android ecosystem, which has been slow to embrace different form factors and their unique capabilities. I can’t imagine Pixel Watch 3 changes anything, and I’m not interested regardless. And there’s no new Pixel Tablet, at least not yet. Perhaps Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the successor to the original Fold, is a big enough upgrade to make a difference.

I hope so. But it also doesn’t matter to me in the short term. For now, I’ve cast my lot with a predictable entry in the Pixel 9 series, the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL model that maps most clearly as the upgrade to my Pixel 8 Pro, thanks to their similarly sized displays. And as I sit here a week after the announcement, and two days ahead of its promised delivery, I have hopes. And uncertainties. This is my nature, but it’s also understandable based on the mixed quality and missed opportunities of so many Pixels past.

One thing isn’t uncertain, and this helps a lot: The Pixel 9 Pro XL didn’t cost me very much. I paid $1,164.94 for a base model Pixel 9 Pro XL with 128 GB of storage in Hazel, plus $49.80 for a Google case I will almost certainly replace later when thinner, more streamlined third-party cases are available. But Google is offering me $699 in trade for my Pixel 8 Pro–not bad one year later, given that I paid $999 for it before taxes–which brings the cost down to about $465. And Google is giving away one year of Gemini Advanced with 2 TB of Google One storage, which is worth $100 to me (I already pay for a 2 TB Google One plan, annually), but really worth $240 (as this tier is monthly only at $20 per month). So now we’re down to $365 or $225, depending on which number you use. And because I preordered through the Google Store before the end of August, I’m getting a $200 Google Store credit too. That’s only valid on future purchases, of course, but it means I can test the new Pixel Buds Pro 2 soon, basically for free. Whatever the numbers, the math, at least, works. This is affordable. Almost no-brainer affordable.

(Update: I forgot about my Google One 10 percent discount, which gave me another $109 or so in Google Store credit. So the total store credit is $309 now, not $200. Not too shabby.)

The updated Pixel 9 series design is apparently divisive in some circles, but I love it. Google had struggled for years to come up with a visual differentiator for its phones, and after experimenting with ever-more-subtle two pane designs and color-coded buttons, it finally landed on something unique with the Pixel 6 series. These phones added the now-iconic camera bar, which is objectively useful because it prevents the phones from wobbling on a table–an ongoing issues with all iPhones and with Samsung flagships–and subjectively attractive. It’s gotten better each year, too, moving from plastic to metal and then to more refined designs. But the version we see in Pixel 9 series is the best yet. It has the same utility as before, and is just as unique, but it’s bolder and more attractive now, and it screams out for the attention that Pixel devices, sadly, seldom get. Perfect is a strong word, and we’ll see how that opinion shifts in time, especially when the Pixel 10 series arrives. But … yeah. I love it.

Tied to that, Google has been hit or miss on the color choices, especially in the Pro line. I loved the Hazel color it offered with the Pixel 7 Pro, and my only regret was that I had to cover it up with an ugly, bulky case. But this color disappeared with the Pixel 8 Pro, which came only in lackluster Obsidian (black), Porcelain (beige), Bay (blue), and Mint (light green) colors, forcing me to fall back on black. But this year, Hazel is back, baby. And I will, of course, cover it up in a bulky case, at least at first. Though my ongoing–and still successful experiment with minimalist almost-not-there cases with the iPhone 15 Pro Max gives me some hope I can do a lot better. (I do have a minimalist case on the Pixel 8 Pro as well.)

But we’ll see: With the Pixel 9 series, Google is back to copying Apple designs again, and this time it’s my least favorite part of the iPhone, its “hurty” hard-edged “polished finish metal” sides. Hopefully, Google also adopted the subtly curved edges of those sides that Apple implemented with the latest iPhones. If not, a bulkier case might remain necessary.

Beyond that, it’s the screen, or the screens, that differentiate the outside of the Pixels this year. That was a no-brainer in my case, I practically need the larger display, which is now 6.8-inches, up a hair from the 6.7 inches in the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But there’s a 6.3-inch (non-XL) version for those that prefer smaller displays. Interestingly, the overall dimensions of the phone haven’t changed year-over-year, so the bigger display must be surrounded by smaller bezels, which is usually a good thing. I’m curious if it’s heavier, though. The Google site doesn’t say.

For the most part, however, the display looks nearly identical to its predecessor, albeit with a higher peak brightness (2000 nits in HDR, 3000 nits overall, vs. 1600/2400 nits) and a 2 million-to-one contrast ratio, which is double that of last year’s phone. Beyond that, it’s still a 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate display panel with a 1344 x 2992 resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover glass.

On the inside, some things have changed quite a bit, but others have changed almost not at all.

In the latter case, the Tensor G4 is reportedly a very minor upgrade over its painfully pedestrian predecessor, so it will remain a far cry from the general performance (and AI performance) we see in Samsung’s flagships. And the Titan M2 security processor is unchanged. Indeed, the Titan M2 debuted in 2021 with the Pixel 6 series. The rear-facing camera lenses, while excellent, are largely unchanged. The battery is slightly smaller, which is troubling: Pixel battery life has been lackluster in recent years, especially when compared to iPhone and the Samsung flagships.

Speaking of which, the Pixel 9 Pro XL supports fast-charging up to 37 watts (compared to just 23 with the Pixel 8 Pro and 27 for the other 9 series phones), and you can allegedly get a 70 percent charge in just 30 minutes with the right charger. That’s terrific, and I already have a few chargers that can deliver that level of performance. Oddly, the Pixel 9 series does not explicitly support Qi2 wireless charging, so I’d be limited to just 12 watts when charging. But with the Pixel Stand, the Pixel 9 Pro XL can wirelessly charge at up to 23 watts (vs. 21 watts for Pixel 9 Pro and 15 watts for Pixel 9). I don’t have a compatible wireless charger, but it’s odd that Google is ignoring Qi2 and the magic of MagSafe add-on compatibility. (Samsung did the same with its Galaxy S24 series.)

In the upgrade department, RAM is up significantly, from 12 GB to 16 GB, thanks to the Gemini AI requirements, and perhaps that will help offset the Tensor G4 a bit. The in-display fingerprint reader, improved in Pixel 8 Pro, is finally up to the quality level one gets with Samsung flagships, so that should be good. The front-facing selfie camera is a significant upgrade, though it’s one I will rarely experience, with 42 MP of resolution (vs. 10.5 MP), an f/2.2 aperture (unchanged), and a wider 103 degree field of view (vs. 95 degrees). And though the telephoto rear lens looks identical to its predecessor on paper, Google says it’s new and will offer better focus and clarity.

There is some weirdness here, of course.

Thanks to its early-than-usual launch–new Pixels usually ship in October–the Pixel 9 family ships with Android 14, and not with the nearly complete Android 15. Obviously, we’ll get that upgrade soon, and quicker than the rest of the Android world, but this raises an interesting question about those 7 years of OS upgrades and whether Google is purposefully undercutting its own promise. Not that it matters, I guess: Almost all Pixel 9 series users will have long since moved on to new phones by the time 2033 (yikes) rolls around.

And while Google touts several camera features that are unique to the Pixel 9 series–Add Me, the full range of Video Boost features, and so on–it has a rich history of bringing these types of features to previous models over time. I wouldn’t (and didn’t) buy the Pixel 9 Pro XL for this reason per se, but I am very much interested in the camera capabilities. And I’m surprised there isn’t more differentiation this year. Perhaps the on-device AI will be better, faster, or both, allowing computational photography to lead the way. We’ll see. (Google is pushing the notion that Pixel has finally caught up to the iPhone in video, as well, but that’s another “we’ll see.”)

But the biggest software push this year, of course, is AI. And … I don’t know.

I wrote previously that I would not pay for AI, but it looks like Google gave me a loophole by giving away one year of Gemini Advanced with the hope that I’d be so hooked I would want to pay for it next year. I doubt that, but the AI focus of the Pixel event and some specific features–Gemini Live and the Recall-esque Pixel Screenshots, for example–look interesting and warrant some testing.

Anyway, we’ll see how it goes. I wasn’t expecting much heading into last week’s Google event, but I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the messaging and the products it announced. Perhaps the Pixel 9 Pro XL will be similarly surprising in real-world use, and a reasonable upgrade over its excellent predecessor. Hope springs eternal.