Google Pixel 9 in 2025: manages to hold its ground with juicy price drop

• By Ashish Kumar
Published On: 2 September 2025 | 12:15 IST

The Google Pixel 10 smartphone may be better than the Pixel 9 at almost everything, but it also comes at a price – Rs 79,999. This is where the last year’s Pixel 9 might entice you. The handset is selling at Rs 64,999 after a recent price cut (more discounts to follow in the upcoming festive season sale), now runs the latest Android 16 after OTA updates (five more OS updates to follow to keep it relevant), and boasts larger 50MP primary and 48MP ultrawide sensor sizes as opposed to 48MP and 10.8MP on the Pixel 10, respectively.

A full head-to-head comparison between the two smartphones will follow in our dedicated Pixel 10 review. For now, this article focuses on the Pixel 9, its strengths, its shortcomings, and why it might still be the right choice for certain users. Having spent some time with the device, I can already see it being a near-perfect fit for a very specific crowd.

Design, still fresh

Since the Pixel 10 hasn’t introduced a design overhaul, the Pixel 9’s look still feels refreshingly current. Its signature visor-like camera bar remains a highlight, giving the phone a distinctive, modern aesthetic that continues to stand out in a market crowded with similar-looking slabs. Moreover, its flat edges and roughly 6.3-inch screen size make it a delightfully handy device, striking a balance between compactness and usability. The handset is lightweight, weighing 198 grams, making it comfortable to use for prolonged periods.

That said, if you prefer using your phone without a case, there’s a caveat: the paint around the camera module, which protrudes noticeably from the frame, and the corners of the device tend to get chipped with regular use. It’s not something you’d expect from a premium smartphone, but a compromise you may have to live with.

Vibrant display

The Pixel 9’s 6.3-inch Actua display is essentially an OLED panel, delivering vibrant colours and deep blacks to deliver an enjoyable viewing experience. The screen supports HDR10+ to amplify the picture quality, 120Hz refresh rate for smooth animation, gaming, and scrolling, and reaches up to 1800 nits peak brightness, sufficient for most conditions. Except for the higher peak brightness, the Pixel 9 display is identical to its flagship model. However, when compared to the similarly priced OnePlus 13 (review), the Pixel’s display might fall short.

It’s FHD+, and while it delivers crisp visuals, the Pixel 9 display doesn’t quite match the pixel density of the QHD+ panel of the OnePlus smartphone. The OnePlus 13 also achieves higher brightness levels and employs an LTPO panel with a variable refresh rate that scales smoothly from 120Hz down to 1Hz, helping conserve battery. In contrast, the Pixel 9’s screen, while very good, feels more like a safe choice rather than a standout in its segment. It also feels less immersive with visible bezels around and a slightly chunky punch-hole setup.

Feature-rich software

That said, the Pixel 9 also stands out with its clean, feature-rich software experience. With at least five more years of software and security updates promised, it will stay relevant far longer than most competitors in its price range. While it doesn’t inherit the Pixel 10’s latest AI upgrades, the phone still packs a solid set of productivity and creativity tools, including Add Me, Pixel Studio, Screenshots app, Gemini Live, Summary, and more. These features generally work as advertised, though you may find yourself using them occasionally rather than every day. For a deeper dive into the AI capabilities, check out our full Pixel 9 review.

Reliable cameras, with some quirks

The Pixel 9 camera setup is good, but it might leave you wanting more. First of all, the handset features a dual-rear-facing setup, comprising a 50MP primary and a 48MP ultrawide sensor. It lacks the versatility of a telephoto lens, which is essential for zoom shots. Moreover, while the phone continues to deliver contrast-rich shots with pleasing sharpness and vibrant tones, it’s not so strong with colour accuracy. The Pixel 9 now tends to oversaturate colours (possibly due to updates), pushing darker shades more than necessary. For example, in the sample images below, the Pixel 9’s output looks comparatively dull, with tones appearing heavier and less true-to-life than what you see on its competitor, the OnePlus 13.

Pixel 9

OnePlus 13

Even after several software updates since launch, Google still hasn’t fixed the edge warping issue in portrait shots on the Pixel 9. That said, the overall portrait performance remains solid, the bokeh effect looks natural, facial details are well preserved, and skin tones stay close to reality. Similar performance can be expected from its 10.5MP selfie camera. Moreover, the smartphone also manages to impress with its low-light performance, preserving the details while reducing the light flare and noise level.

Plenty of performance for an everyday user

When it comes to performance, the Pixel 9 handles everyday tasks with ease. Its Tensor G4 chipset delivers respectable numbers on benchmarks like AnTuTu and Geekbench, trailing the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 by only about 15 percent. That said, thermal issues persist. While Delhi’s recent mild weather kept the phone running cool most of the time, I did notice it warming up even during light tasks such as voice calls. This could raise concerns for users in tropical climates or those who push their phones harder with gaming and heavy multitasking, where the heat may become more noticeable.

If you fall into the heavy user category, the Pixel 9’s battery life might leave you wanting more too. The phone packs a 4,700mAh cell paired with 27W wired charging, which takes just over an hour to top up from 0 to 100 percent with a compatible charger sold separately. For casual, mixed use involving calling, messaging, browsing, streaming, and social media, the battery is well-optimised and comfortably lasts a full day. Push it harder, though, with gaming, multitasking, or frequent use of AI features, and you’ll likely find yourself reaching for the charger at least once before bedtime.

Bottomline…

In short, the Pixel 9 remains a solid choice in 2025, and the reduced price makes it more appealing than before. The handset looks and feels current, thanks to Google’s timeless design language, and its software experience, clean, fluid, and backed by five years of updates, remains one of the best in the business. The cameras still deliver excellent results overall, though quirks like edge warping in portraits and slightly boosted colours mean it’s not quite the uncompromised imaging champion in the segment. Performance is solid for day-to-day tasks, but the Tensor G4’s thermal behaviour and average battery endurance hold it back from being a power user’s dream device.

Be that as it may, if you are a user who values clean software, long-term updates, reliable cameras, and a distinctive design over raw horsepower or bleeding-edge hardware, the Pixel 9 is still a worthy buy.