Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Google's AI gateway device

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Three-minute review

If you feel like new Pixel phones arrived sooner this year, you're right. Google's August Pixel hardware event gave us not a duo, but a quartet of new phones; starting at one end with the new baseline Pixel 9, and freshly topped with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Into larger phones? Then the 'XL' nomenclature should tip you off as to where you might want to spend your money. This is the direct successor to last year's 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro.

It's the biggest (flat) Pixel yet and it sports a new design that marks a relatively significant shift in the series' aesthetic; the camera bar introduced with the Pixel 6 series is gone and instead we have the camera 'pill.' 

The fit and finish have unquestionably been elevated, with the phone's polished frame adopting a much flatter form that's decidedly iPhone-like in its execution, and Google says new construction methods and material choices make it twice as durable as its predecessor.

In reality, the Pixel 9 Pro XL feels great, with the best build quality I've seen from Google to date; not to mention it looks superb, thanks to an updated Super Actua Display that boasts higher peak brightness than anything Apple or Samsung has to offer. The move to an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is welcome too, delivering on Google's promised speed improvement.

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The same seven-year commitment to OS and security updates helps the Pixel 9 series stand apart from rivals from Apple and Motorola. The phones' earlier-than-usual arrival in the calendar year means that this is the first generation of Pixel in a long time that doesn't debut with a new build of Android. It will benefit from the same future releases of Android as the Pixel 8 line, and likely no more.

Beyond the usual fare of a clean Pixel experience, AI is all Google is talking about. With an updated Gemini Nano model that is multi-modal and three times more capable running on-device, you'll find AI-generated features throughout the user experience.

Most notably, there are three new apps to play with: a new Weather app that's richer and more customizable, with AI-generated weather reports; a new Screenshots app that – as well as helping organize your captures – allows for semantic search; and Pixel Studio, which allows for on-device text-to-image generative AI that Google pitches as a new creative tool. Feel free to reconcile your feelings about using AI-generated imagery in your own time.

The cost of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL also includes a year's access to Google One AI Premium with Gemini Advanced and its new Gemini Live feature. Gemini Live is a decidedly ChatGPT 4o-like conversational experience with Google's off-device AI. It works well for things like how-to guidance and recipe help, but still comes with limitations surrounding how it can actually action on-device tasks for you.

All the on-device AI experiences are powered by Google's new Tensor G4 SoC, paired with a new higher RAM ceiling of 16GB. Previous Pixels already felt fast in day-to-day use, but existing users will notice speed improvements for things like image processing and app load times; even if these gains are seemingly slight. Benchmarks only put the Tensor G4 about 10% ahead of the G3, in terms of CPU performance, with more noticeable graphical gains and, of course, NPU gains for AI tasks.

The other big aspect of any modern, AI-enhanced Pixel phone is the camera experience. The hardware looks, for the most part, similar to the Pixel 8 Pro, albeit with a much higher resolution selfie snapper and a tweaked ultrawide on the back. However, Google claims to have reworked its HDR+ pipeline end-to-end, meaning more true-to-life imagery.

In daylight, I had few complaints, and the Pixel 9 Pro delivers great detail and accurate colors and with dynamic range. Night Sight ensures low-light shooting is almost always rescued from unusable to usable, even if it can still be a little heavy-handed in its post-processing.

The expansion of that HDR+ pipeline to panoramas (paired with a new capture UI), means much better results, especially as Night Sight is now supported here too, although I do wonder whether this upgrade will simply manifest as a Feature Drop update for previous Pixel models in the near future. 

Another Pixel 9 Pro exclusive is Video Boost, which can now scale 4K footage up to 8K and proves particularly useful when zooming up to the phone's 20x limit.

There's another side to the imaging experience on recent Pixels: Magic Editor. Beyond moving elements around in a shot or turning a blue sky to golden hour, the new Reimagine button lets you enter text to generate completely new elements in a shot. It's unquestionably fun and creative, but it also throws out any semblance of authenticity to shots you've captured yourself. Unlike Samsung, there's no AI watermarking going on with edited images, either.

Although that Tensor G4 chipset doesn't mark a huge leap forward in raw horsepower, it certainly has helped with power efficiency, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL serving up almost 70% more screen-on time compared to the Pixel 8 Pro. 

The jump from 30W to 37W wired fast charging speeds is a small but welcome bump too, although it looks like you'll have to grab Google's 45W charger for the absolute quickest recharge times, based on my testing with similar chargers.

Perhaps the biggest benefit the Pixel 9 Pro line offers is that – beyond the XL's larger screen and physically bigger battery – there's no compromise across both sizes. If you're happy with the premium, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the most unapologetic, bombastic Pixel experience you can have right now, outside of foldable land.

Even if the jump from the Pixel 8 Pro isn't as significant as I would have liked, and it feels like this is more a means for Google to cultivate new Gemini Advanced subscribers, I can't help but appreciate the Pixel 9 Pro XL for being greater than the sum of its parts. It may only be just enough of an upgrade, but it is enough.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Price and availability

• Priced from $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849
• On sale from August 22, 2024
• Pro Pixels now start above $/£1,000

While Google announced four phones at its August 2024 event, the standard Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL are the two that hit the market first, on August 22. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrive on the scene September 4.

In the UK, you can pick up the Pixel 9 Pro XL directly from Google, with double the storage at no extra charge on purchases made before September 5. US buyers can nab $200 in-store credit if ordering before August 28, and Australian buyers can pick up a limited edition poster with purchases made before August 25 (tough break, Australia).

The addition of the new smaller Pro model this year (which starts at a similar launch price to the larger Pixel 8 Pro), helps Google justify its decision to render the Pixel 9 Pro XL the most expensive candy bar Pixel to date: it starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849. It's practically like for like, when compared to equivalent storage options of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, truly putting an end to the notion that the Pixels are the 'affordable' flagship option.

For the asking price, you also get a year's access to a Google One AI Premium (2TB) plan which, as well as granting access to Gemini Advanced (which leverages the Gemini Pro 1.5 model) and Gemini Live, includes more general Google benefits like Fitbit Premium access, Nest Aware, 10% back on Google Store purchases, and unlimited Magic Editor saves in Google Photos.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Specs

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Design

• New Pixel aesthetic: the camera bar is dead
• 100% recycled aluminum frame
• Improved build quality

A Pixel in iPhone font – that's the shorthand I keep coming back to with the new Pixel 9 series' design language. The size and feel of the XL's new squared aluminum frame immediately reminds me of Apple's current iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max in the hand. Does that polished metal attract fingerprints? Absolutely, but not anywhere near as badly as expected.

This new squared form, paired with the heaviest build of any candy bar Pixel yet (221 grams, the same as an iPhone 15 Pro Max), leads to a more premium look and feel overall. This is helped further by the Pixel 9 Pro XL's slimmer profile compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, and side by side with my wife's old Pixel 6 Pro, the jump in build quality is truly impressive.

One update I'm not sure I love quite so much is the loss of the camera bar, which is replaced in this generation with a camera 'pill' that protrudes out of the phone's rear panel at 90 degrees. It makes for a more bold and confident aesthetic, but it's not as quickly identifiable as the bar.

As well as the cosmetic changes, Google also claims that the Pixel 9 Pro XL's new mid-frame design, not to mention its 100%-recycled aluminum outer frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and rear panels, and IP68-certified protection against dust and water ingress, make the new phone twice as durable as its predecessor. In my time with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, by trying to keep it out of harm's way as much as possible, the finish has remained unscathed, but whether it'll age as gracefully as its titanium-clad competition from Apple and Samsung remains to be seen.

Both sizes of Pixel 9 Pro come in four colorways, with Obsidian pictured most prominently in this review. The Hazel finish most closely apes the iPhone 15 Pro's Natural Titanium look and the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Titanium Gray, while Porcelain and Rose Quartz offer decidedly more vivacious options.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Display

• 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED
• Improved HBM and peak brightness
• New ultrasonic fingerprint sensor

The Pixel 8 Pro's Super Actua Display felt like a noteworthy upgrade from the panel on its predecessor and while not as earth-shattering an improvement this generation, the Pixel 9 Pro XL's screen is a great refinement, yet again.

Although it sports the same resolution as the Pixel 8 Pro's panel (technically not as sharp as the Pixel 9 Pro), both high brightness and peak brightness levels have been cranked up to 2,000 and 3,000nits, respectively, meeting or beating key rivals in a spec-for-spec comparison.

Add to that the panel's flat design, its thin, equally-proportioned bezels on all sides, and its excellent viewing angles, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL's Super Actua display is a thing to behold.

As before, the use of an LTPO OLED panel facilitates a dynamic refresh rate from 1 to 120Hz, making it ideal for always-on display functionality, thanks to the implied power saving benefits, while also still serving up a snappy user experience when swiping around the UI.

One of the more prominent changes you might not immediately notice is the fingerprint sensor. Instead of the optical module used since the Pixel 6 series, Google has gone the way of Samsung and instead kitted the Pixel 9 Pro XL's display with an ultrasonic sensor. I didn't notice a huge difference when making the switch from my Pixel 7 Pro, but in side by side comparison is lives up to the promise of a 2x speed improvement. Perhaps more useful is the greater reliability, especially with damp fingers or when used in the rain.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Software

• Seven years of OS & security updates
• Launches with Android 14
• Gemini AI is woven throughout the user experience

One side effect of this latest-generation Pixel launch happening earlier than usual is that the whole series runs Android 14. Typically, Google times the arrival of its latest smartphones to coincide with the release of the next Android, but the Pixel 9 debuts on the same Android 14 foundation as the Pixel 8.

At least the company's ever-impressive commitment to seven years of updates persists, meaning the phone's price tag includes excellent long-term support for both future releases of Android and subsequent security patches, an area where many rivals still fall short.

As a long-time Pixel user, the look and feel of Android on the Pixel 9 Pro XL is characteristically clean, easily navigable, pleasantly customizable (without being overwhelming), and dressed with helpful everyday features that aren't guaranteed on other phones. 

That said, the Pixel 9 Pro XL does get some Pixel-exclusive additions that up the ante, all of which lean on Gemini AI.

There's a new dedicated Weather app that generates dynamic weather reports to make insights into each day's weather more digestible than ever. The ability to drag and drop the various in-app widgets for things like UV index, ten-day forecast, and air quality is a nice perk too.

Next up is the new Pixel Screenshots app, which seems like an odd addition at first, but for list-makers, students, and journalists (like yours truly), it offers surprising depth. You can add notes to individual screenshots and group them into Collections, too. The app can index screenshot content across text and images, making it searchable. This allows for semantic search and object recognition, as well as recognizing WiFi passwords and QR-code information.

Pixel Studio uses an on-device variant of Imagen 3's diffusion-based text-to-image generative AI, allowing you to create imagery seemingly from scratch. You can remix results using pre-defined style prompts, or sculpt a completely original prompt if you prefer. 

At launch, Pixel Studio won't render people, but it's fine with objects and animals. It also managed to render legible text without much artifacting, a challenging test that I've seen other image generators fail. Right now, the application proves novel enough but there's scope for everything from messaging to graphic design work, depending on your feeling towards the use of AI-generated imagery.

Google Gemini

The price of the Pixel 9 Pro XL also includes a year's access to Gemini Advanced, meaning you can interact with its latest off-device model in Gemini 1.5 Pro and gain access to Gemini Live: Google's conversational AI experience.

My family tested it's abilities on a bean salad recipe – including suggestions on preparation and accompaniments – all without any obvious breaks in conversation or AI hallucinations. I also had it explain how to change various Gemini and Android settings, although its inability to take actions on many features feels like a missed opportunity, or at least an area that Google should focus on as its expands the assistant's functionality.

A couple of other sprinkles of AI magic on the Pixel 9 Pro XL include text-based summaries of YouTube videos that I didn't have time to watch and Zoom Enhance image upscaling (although results were mixed). I'm also intrigued by the Call Notes feature shown off at launch, that'll summarize phone calls, however, this wasn't ready during review.

The most obvious criticism of Gemini on the Pixel 9 Pro is that it feels consistently slower when asked to carry out the same tasks I would have previously asked of Google Assistant. The trade-off is much richer results and more insight, provided you trust the source data Gemini's pulling from.

• Software score: 5 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Camera

• 50MP-led triple rear camera setup
• New 42MP front-facing camera
• New AI-supported features like Add Me and Reimagine

Nowhere is AI more prevalent across the Pixel 9 Pro XL's user experience than the camera. While it might have gone by 'machine learning' in the early days of the Pixel camera experience, AI-powered post-processing has been the secret sauce that has helped elevate the reputation of the Pixel cameras over the past four years, to the point where they regularly sit among the best camera phones.

As Google has focused its efforts on AI more directly, the proposition of a Pixel camera has changed somewhat, with capture and editing becoming two distinct facets of the experience.

If you're looking for a great all-round camera phone, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is right up there. A revised HDR+ pipeline puts into practice the company's learnings from previous entries, paired with new training data to create images with a more true-to-life appearance, better exposure, dynamic range, detail, contrast and color.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL camera samples

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High contrast comparison shot on Pixel 9 Pro XL

High contrast comparison shot on Pixel 7 Pro

There's a little inconsistency when shooting between the updated ultra-wide's macro mode and macro shots taken on the main 50MP wide sensor, for example, but results remain consistent in how appealing and usable they are. I'd have also liked a lighter hand with the default simulated bokeh when shooting portrait mode shots (something the likes of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra nails), but these are minor grievances and fixable on-device.

Night Sight continues to impress in low light, while support has now been expanded to include the oft-overlooked panorama mode. Led by a new UI that ensures you hold the phone still enough for each shot it stitches together, the results generated are far more impressive than anything capable by previous entries; delivering much better detail and color capture than ever before.

Video Boost is another Pro Pixel-exclusive feature worth shouting about, thanks to the addition of 8K upscaling on 4K footage, the results of which can be quite staggering; especially when zooming in on the phone's 20x magnification. Even if you don't see the need for 4K or 8K footage natively, the extra wiggle room those added pixels afford you makes the experience of creating and editing content far more flexible.

Add Me is a great new addition this generation that solves the problem of getting a group shot, when there's no wall to rest your camera on or passer-by to accost and entrust with taking a photo with you and your friends in. If, like me, you're serially the photographer of your friendship group, this could prove to be a game-changer.

There was certainly trial and error involved, but once we and the phone both understood the goal, results improved until we had a usable shot seemingly taken by a fourth unseen photographer who was never there.

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A successful Add Me shot

A failed Add Me attempt

Part 1 of the successful Add Me shot

Part 2 of the successful Add Me shot

Even more so than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's/ Galaxy Z Fold 6's Sketch to Image feature, the generative image tools on the Pixel 9 series unashamedly barge passed the line of authentic photography. At least personally, I'm fine with automated HDR bracketing and tone mapping, in order to produce a photo that's better than I could muster, even if I had full manual control. However, I start to feel uncomfortable with the idea of sharing images shot on the Pixel that have used the full might of the newly-enhanced Magic Editor.

The ability to change a blue sky to that of golden hour and remove unwanted people from the background were novelties that challenged my comfort level, but the new Reimagine feature within Magic Editor doesn't hold back in letting you endlessly rework a shot until it's something entirely different.

In one shot (above), I surrounded my friends and I with sunflowers and then added a scarecrow for good measure. The results don't hold up to close scrutiny, but like most AI-manipulated images, if you don't have prior context, you're less likely to question its authenticity. 

A more subtle edit that really impressed/unnerved me was Reimagine's ability to change the ground on a pebbled beach into more ocean (below); creating a rippled mirror surface with an accurate reflection of the clouds in the sky above.

Your mileage with Magic Editor will vary, depending on how scrupulous you feel about using its image-doctoring abilities and whether or not you feel the need to contextualize the results when you share them.

• Camera score: 4.5 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Performance

• Debut of Google Tensor G4 SoC
• New 16GB RAM ceiling
• 128GB to 1TB storage (non-expandable)

While the Pixel 9 Pro XL feels more than equipped for everything you throw at in right now, including high-fidelity mobile games, there's no getting around the fact that Tensor chips continue to lag behind Apple's iPhone chips and Qualcomm's top-tier Snapdragons in terms of raw processing and graphical grunt.

Whether it's a matter of the shorter turnaround between generations of Pixel, or the fact that it's not Google's focus, the new Tensor G4 chipset powering all of the Pixel 9 series doesn't pack that much more horsepower, even compared to the Tensor G3.

It's built on a similar 4nm process as the Tensor G3, but with new core architecture and one fewer high efficiency cores than its predecessor. The switch from an Immortalis to a Mali GPU means no more ray tracing, a small but notable loss for mobile gamers.

In testing, the Tensor G4 processor produced a 10% bump to CPU performance, a 15% graphical performance improvement and a 16% uptick in NPU performance over the last generation, however, the biggest gains look to be in power efficiency (more on that later). 

As with its predecessor, the Pixel 9 Pro XL can be had in four storage variants, however, the 1TB ceiling appears to be a US exclusive, while other markets, including the UK and Australia, top out at 512GB. Its 16GB of RAM is a range-wide upgrade, likely driven by the phone's newfound AI capabilities, but spec-heads will note that Google isn't using the latest available standards of either LPDDR memory or UFS storage, compared to Samsung's Galaxy S24.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Battery

• 5,060mAh battery
• Improved 37W wired charging
• Impressive 9.5 hours of screen-on time per charge

Google has propelled the Pixel 9 Pro XL from a one to a two-day phone. While Pixel batteries have gotten larger over the years, battery life has never really been a positive talking point for the line. Through presumed optimization led by the new Tensor G4, however, the Pixel 9 Pro XL serves up superb longevity by comparison; significantly longer than any previous Pixel we've tested.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL got 9.5 hours of screen-on time, which clocks in at around 65% longer than the 5.75 hours the Pixel 8 Pro was able to muster, despite packing a battery that's around 10mAh smaller (5,050mAh). 

Google hasn't stopped there, with faster 37W charging, promising up to 70% charge in just 30 minutes. The company has introduced a new 45W Pixel charger to facilitate the 9 Pro XL's new top charging speed (which is faster than the smaller 9 Pro's 27W charging), however, this was unavailable during review. Instead, I tried Google's previous 30W wired charger – which pushed the Pixel 9 Pro XL to 55% charge in 30 minutes, while a 65W PD PPS charger got closer to Google's quoted speeds, with 65% charge in 30 minutes, and a full charge in 1 hour 20 minutes.

•  Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: Also consider

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is a superb large-screened Android phone with a great camera and decent battery life (finally), but its AI-heavy blend won't suit everyone.

How I tested the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

• Review test period: one week
• Testing included: everyday use including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used: Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, Geekbench AI, GFXBench, 3D Mark, native Android stats, Google Pixel 30W USB-C charger, Samsung 65W trio charger

I received the Pixel 9 Pro XL sample directly from Google, the day after the August Pixel hardware event concluded and was testing it as my daily driver everyday since.

I kept track of battery usage each day and run several benchmarking apps for comparison to other devices, but otherwise used the phone as I would my own, in addition to taking time to test all of the key new features of the device.

As a reviewer with 13 years experience, and having reviewed numerous Pixels, not to mention mainlining a Pixel 7 Pro since its launch in late 2022, I felt confident assessing and scoring the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, both relative to other Pixels, and in the context of the wider smartphone market in which it competes.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2024