The Google Pixel 9 landed as the successor to last year’s Pixel 8, offering the latest AI features, camera advancements, and a few minor improvements. It starts at just Rs 79,999 in India and competes with the flagship smartphones available in India in the same segment. In this article based on our Google pixel 9 review, we’ll check out four reasons why you should get the Google Pixel 9 and four reasons why you should skip it.
Table of Contents
4 reasons to buy the Google Pixel 9
Premium design
The Google Pixel 9 features flat edges along with a new elongated oval-shaped camera module, moving away from the signature camera visor and curved edges that have been a staple since 2021. The dual-tone module, with matte grey and black on the obsidian variant, protrudes slightly but is designed to avoid discomfort or wobbling on flat surfaces.
The Pixel 9 has curved edges and a matte finish giving it a premium feel but the back may attract fingerprint smudges. Besides this, the phone is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, making it suitable for use in rain.
Useful AI features, Gemini AI assistant
Google has introduced a new camera mode called “Add Me” on the Pixel 9, designed for group photos. This mode allows you to add a person to a photo without having to be in the picture in the first place. Caveat though: while “Add Me” functions as intended, it’s still in its early stages and may have issues with shadows, and subject placement, and may not be suitable for all settings.
A standout feature is the Pixel Studio app, allowing you to create AI-generated images from text prompts in various styles, though it can’t yet generate human images. The key highlight is the integration of Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, which offers superior capabilities and new features. Gemini, accessible via the power button, provides comprehensive assistance. It includes a one-month free subscription to Gemini Advanced, offering features like Gemini Live for interactive AI conversations, though it comes with a steep monthly cost thereafter.
Gemini also supports cross-platform features, such as summarising and organising screenshots with the new Google Screenshots app, generating weather summaries in the Weather app, and creating summaries of important emails. Additionally, the Pixel 9 includes upgraded AI tools like the Magic Editor, which can transform photos extensively, and generative AI features for tweaking existing images. Google plans to expand Gemini’s capabilities to more apps in the future, enhancing its utility further.
Impressive camera performance
The Google Pixel 9 features a 50MP primary sensor and a 48MP ultrawide lens, delivering significant improvements in camera quality over its predecessor. It offers vibrant, contrast-rich images with better light handling and sharper ultrawide shots. It lacks a telephoto lens but provides up to 8x Super Res Zoom.
Overall, the device’s camera setup delivers superior results, especially in daylight and ultrawide shots, though some flaws remain. Despite these flaws, the Pixel 9 excels in capturing accurate skin tones and facial details, making it strong for selfies and portraits.
Clean UI, long-term software support
The Pixel 9’s software, though slightly buggy, remains clean with only 37 pre-installed Google apps. Moreover, it will get seven years of all Android OS releases and seven years of security patches, offering long-term software support with a clean software experience.
4 reasons to skip the Google Pixel 9
Average portrait photography
The Google Pixel 9 shoots photographs with excellent facial details and near-perfect skin tones, but its edge recognition isn’t up to the mark. There is significant warping around the border of the subject, and the smartphone had difficulty focussing and blurring the subject in the frame, which is surprising given Pixels’ history of producing excellent portraits.
Slow charging speed
Charging the Pixel 9 is not particularly enjoyable, as it only supports 27W charging speed, which takes a long time to fully charge. Even the wireless charging speed is limited to a maximum of 15W. Starting with a 20 percent battery level, it took 78 minutes to reach 100 percent using wired charging and a suitable PD charger, which you have to purchase separately.
The device comes with simply a Type-C to Type-C charging cable in the box. Google has even removed the OTG adaptor that used to be bundled with the smartphone until the Pixel 8 series.
Buggy software
While the new Pixel flagship is typically where we first see the most recent Android versions out of the box, the Pixel 9 is pre-loaded with last year’s Android 14 OS. However, the Android 15 is available as an OTA update, taking away one of seven major OS updates planned for the device’s lifetime.
This gives the Pixel 9 the same software support cycle as its predecessor, ensuring that both devices get updates until 2030. Not only that, but the Pixel 9 software experience is almost unchanged from last year, which is a bit buggy.
Dated display features
The Google Pixel 9 features a 6.3-inch OLED “Actua” display that feels compact and comfortable for one-handed use, though it has noticeable bezels that stand out for a premium device. The punch-hole selfie camera also draws attention due to its size. While the FHD+ resolution is good, it falls short of the QHD+ displays offered by competitors in the same price range.
Google Pixel 9 Images
Google Pixel 9 Images