Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: big size, big prize?

Google is taking a leaf out of Apple’s playback for the new Pixel smartphones. For the first time, the Pixel Pro series are available in two sizes in the form of the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Apart from the evident differences in size and battery, the specifications of the two smartphones remain identical.

That also means the new AI features on the Pixel 9 Pro XL are available to use on the Pixel 9 Pro. However, if you choose the “extra large” variant, the price goes up by Rs 15,000, making it the most expensive Google smartphone in the non-foldable category.

Is the Pixel 9 Pro XL, at Rs 1,29,999, worth those extra bucks, especially when competing against Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra (review) in the same segment? Let’s find out.

Verdict

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is sure to impress if looks and performance matter to you. The new processor and AI features also ensure an improved user experience, and the camera performance combined with fun editing tools, continues to get better. However, some old Pixel issues, like slow charging, linger. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also takes a small lead by offering inbuilt S-Pen and extra AI tools for an additional Rs 5,000. Perhaps more aggressive pricing might help Google gain an edge.

Design and display

The most evident change in this year’s Pixel 9 Pro lineup is the redesigned camera module. While the triple rear cameras retain their original positioning, they are now housed in an oval module instead of the previous rectangular one. The Pro models, including the Pixel 9 Pro XL, retain the temperature sensor below the LED flash.

Views about the new camera module might be polarising, but I appreciate the design. Complemented by the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s flat-edge design, the overall appearance looks bold and premium.

The in-hand feeling is equally impressive. Google has incorporated a matte-glass back for the rear panel to hide scratches and fingerprint smudges. I reviewed the Porcelain white colour variant, which is easily my favourite. Many of my colleagues equally preferred the Rose Quartz, an unusual choice for flagship products. The remaining Obsidian (black) and Hazel (grey) are the usual choices for smartphone OEMs and many customers.

There’s little to complain about regarding the build quality, as you’d expect from a smartphone priced at Rs 1.25 lakh. The sides feature a metal finish, and the front and back are protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The flat metal edges have a soft, curved finish, providing an extremely comfortable grip. Like last year’s Pixel 8 series, the new Pixel 9 Pro XL carries an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. It might be time for smartphone brands to push the envelope further by offering an IP69 rating, as seen recently on the OPPO F27 Pro+ (review).

Despite all these certifications and protection, I recommend a screen protector or at least, a protective case. Neither of the two is available in the box, and this year, Google has taken a step further by skipping the Type-A to Type-C dongle in the package. Interestingly, there’s no word from the company about proprietary cases. I am sure there are going to be plenty of options online though.

While the design remains impressive, Google could’ve been more thoughtful of the weight. At 221 grams, it’s at par with the iPhone 15 Pro Max (review), which features a titanium build. Even the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with the inbuilt S-Pen, is only 11 grams heavier. It seems to be the price we have to pay for a super-tall 6.8-inch display.

Its viewing experience is equally good, if not the best. The spacious display offers almost 2K resolution (1,344 x 2,992 pixels) and up to 3000 nits (peak brightness). Typical brightness is sufficient, though the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra with the matte coating offer a brighter viewing experience under harsh sunlight.

Google has incorporated an OLED panel (called Actua display), which does a stellar job of reproducing real-life colours. The LTPO technology ensures variable refresh rates (1-120Hz), also providing a silky smooth viewing experience.

The overall movie viewing experience could’ve been better with an immersive audio system. While Pixel 9 Pro XL offers stereo speakers, I feel the iPhones do a better job with punchy bass and overall audio quality.

Another addition this year is the Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner instead of an optical scanner. The advantage of the former is that it relies on 3D mapping of the registered finger instead of 2D scanning. In simple terms, you will experience a quicker and more reliable biometric unlock, although wet fingers still have limitations.

Cameras

The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s rear camera setup remains unchanged from last year, featuring a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP telephoto camera, and a 48MP ultra-wide camera. While the telephoto camera offers 5x optical zoom, the smartphone also leverages the primary camera. Anything beyond that, the periscope-style lens of the telephoto camera solely takes over. However, the front camera has been upgraded to a 42MP selfie shooter, still supporting 4K video recording at 60fps.

Similar to older Pixel smartphones, images captured by the new Pixel 9 Pro XL typically include high contrast and punchy colours. Google successfully reduces noise in the image and improves the dynamic range through software tweaks. As a result, its images can look naturally more appealing and social media-ready, though details aren’t always the best. Google’s Real Tone technology also gets utilised in photos with human subjects. It allows the smartphone to capture accurate skin tones in most cases, whether in bright or dim conditions.

Speaking of dim conditions, the primary camera is capable of taking great photos even in dim conditions. In my experience, the phone automatically tweaked the brightness and reduced noise, though at the cost of sharper details. Notably, the telephoto camera struggles with stability in low-light conditions, which needs improvements.

Daylight and lowlight

I compared the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s images against the iPhone 15 Pro Max (review) and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to test the camera capabilities. In most cases, the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Galaxy S24 Ultra images looked similar, but the latter captured sharper details.

On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offered a brighter output without boosting the colours.

I noticed a similar treatment in images with a human subject. Google and Samsung’s outputs look almost indistinguishable. The iPhone’s image boasts a balanced white balance with a controlled exposure.

This was also noticeable with the highest zoom enabled (image below).

And even in a low-light condition (image below).

Ultra-wide and portrait

You can expect a similar colour science to that of the primary camera with the ultra-wide. Google again does a good job of balancing the dynamic range through software tweaks. But its details and sharpness can often be inconsistent. Additionally, the ultra-wide camera doubles as a macro shooter, which takes mind-blowing close-ups.

As I mentioned, Google’s Real Tone image does a brilliant job of detecting accurate skin tones in different lighting conditions. However, its portrait mode does not match the standard set by the Pixel 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Close-ups taken with the primary camera generally include a pleasing shallow depth of field. However, the bokeh with the portrait mode, can look unnatural at times. Even the edge detection around the subject can be average at best.

Selfies

Selfies have improved significantly on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, thanks to the new 42MP camera. Its details are much sharper and the skin tone detection with Real Tone remains on-point.

Without portrait mode, the results are balanced and vibrant. However, the edge detection is inconsistent with portrait mode enabled, perhaps more noticeable when compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Videos

While I am mostly pleased with the photos, the Pixel 9 Pro XL surely impresses with its video performance. Google has added 4K60fps recording support for both front and rear cameras.

Google has also expanded AI to its videos with video boost. It essentially enhances stability and adds popping colours. The best part is that the feature works without an internet connection, unlike other AI-backed editing tools. The primary camera supports up to 8K recording. However, you will achieve the best stability in 4K resolution. The audio enhancer tool to improve the anchor’s speech also works efficiently, and should be highly useful for creators who enjoy shooting outdoors.

AI camera features

Google’s efforts to improve the overall camera experience with AI features continue with the Pixel 9 Pro XL – almost successfully setting it apart from most.

The biggest addition to the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the “Add Me” feature, added directly to the Camera app. It essentially lets users add themselves to a group photo if they do not want to give the smartphone to a stranger. The “Add Me” feature also lets you clone yourself, which can be a fun party trick for social media.

However, my experience with it was mixed, primarily due to its inconsistent ability to produce convincing results. The feature tends to work best in bright conditions, but even then, the added element – whether it’s you or someone else – doesn’t always look natural. The subject can even lack shadow, giving the final image an unnatural appearance.

The Magic Editor has been also updated with a new “reimagine” feature. As the name suggests, you can reimagine an area with simple text prompts and the results can look stunning. However, it can raise alarms about authenticity and may irk privacy advocates. Otherwise, the original Magic Editor to move around subjects continues to be available. Other available AI editing features include Best Take, Magic Eraser, and AI Enhance.

Lastly, Google has rolled out a dedicated Pixel Studio app, similar to the OPPO’s AI Studio on the Reno 12 Pro (review). The app does not let you create human avatars like the OPPO AI Studio yet, but it can generate different types of images with simple text prompts. Google notes that Pixel Studio will add support to generate human images later. It may not be your everyday app, but the exclusive addition may attract some customers.

Performance and software

We continue to see the addition of a new ARM-based proprietary chipset with the latest Pixel devices.

This year, there’s Tensor G4 with a lot of focus on improved AI performance. Apart from that, the Pixel 9 Pro XL gets 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, while users can enjoy even 1-year worth of free Gemini Advanced subscription and 2TB cloud storage. There’s also the dedicated Titan M2 security chip for user privacy.

Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro XL performed smoothly during my review, and I did not notice any visible stutters even while gaming. The stock Android experience continues to elevate the user experience with its simple interface. Google again promises seven years of OS and security updates, which has already set a benchmark in the industry. Even Apple has yet to match this claim. I would’ve appreciated if the phone shipped with Android 15 out-of-the-box. It currently ships with Android 14.

As mentioned, there’s a strong emphasis on AI, with Google offering some interesting productivity-focused tools. For instance, Gemini Live (included with the Advanced subscription) allows for more natural interaction with AI in both Hindi and English. I found this tool particularly helpful for understanding complex finance topics without the need for extensive typing or reading.

The redesigned weather app now offers an AI-generated snippet, providing a quick overview of the day’s forecast. Additional productivity features include “Circle to Search,” a function we’ve seen on the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy Z Fold6. The dedicated Screenshot app leverages AI to help you find the right web link of the Pinterest screenshot you might have taken. There’s also a “Call Notes” feature, though it’s not yet available in India.

While these tools are surely useful for daily use cases, Google could have natively added AI summaries for news articles and an AI editor to Gboard, similar to what’s already offered on the Galaxy S24 series and the much more affordable OPPO Reno 12 series. Some AI tweaks to improve cellular connectivity could greatly help users in India.

Gaming and benchmarks

Based on our synthetic benchmarks, the Tensor G4-powered Pixel 9 Pro XL achieved decent scores. It’s still not as power efficient as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but for regular users, the phone offers enough juice to ensure lag-free performance. However, the Pixel 9 Pro XL faces heating issues similar to the older Pixel models. It does not affect the performance but may irk new users.

For hardcore gamers, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro (review) remains the top choice based on numbers and overall experience. For casual gamers, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a decent choice, considering its wide screen and flat edges. However, the overheating becomes more noticeable after prolonged gaming.

Battery and charging

The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s tall size allows for a bigger 5,060mAh battery, which performed well during my review even with the highest settings enabled – providing nearly a full day’s use. You can extend this further by disabling Always-On Display (AOD) and lowering the screen resolution.

However, the charging speed desperately needs improvements. The phone only supports 37W charging and Google continues to skip the adapter in the box. I used a Motorola PD charger, and the phone took over 70 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent.

Final verdict

While the new Google Pixel 9 Pro XL truly feels like a flagship with its premium and snappy performance, the overall user experience is good, if not the best. The Galaxy S24 Ultra with the built S-Pen and additional AI features, remains our top choice for productivity-focused customers. Even the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro, with an overclocked processor and inbuilt AirTriggers, is an easy recommendation for hardcore or professional mobile gamers.

Perhaps, the biggest takeaway is the pricing, which Google must consider reducing to gain an edge in the market. The Pixel 9 Pro can be considered if you don’t want to spend over 1.20 lakh, though its display size is much smaller in comparison.

However, if the price is not the concern and you want to experience the cleanest Android interface and be the first to try the newest Google-developed AI features on a tall screen, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is your best choice. Even for content creators, Pixel 9 Pro XL’s video recording performance is among the best across segments.

Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10

Reasons to buy

• The Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a tall vivid display, perfect for reading and watching movies.
• The camera video performance is among the best across all segments.
• The new AI editing tools continue to get better. Even Gemini Live can be a game-changer.
• Its big battery ensures a good battery backup with the highest settings enabled.

Reasons not to buy

• The charging speed is slow and the phone can take over an hour to charge.
• Google must consider adding more productivity-focused AI features.
• The Pixel 9 Pro XL could’ve been priced more aggressively.

(Tested by by Gaurav Sharma)