Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: A smaller Pro without the compromises

It’s a big year for Google hardware with not the usual two Pixel phones (Pro/Standard), but expanding to a foldable and the more compact Pixel 9 Pro – a pro level Pixel phone in the body of the Pixel 9. 

Starting at $1,699 with 128GB of on-board storage – $150 less than the Pixel 9 Pro XL – the Pixel 9 Pro is available in the same four colour choices as the Pixel 9 Pro: Hazel, Porcelain, Obsidian and Rose Quartz – though there’s a wide range of case colours to choose from if those colours don’t suit your taste.

Scott and I have already given the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL full reviews, and I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro XL ever since – but now it’s time to see how those Pro features go in a more compact form factor. 

I’ve been a fan of big phones for some time, finding they fit my larger hands well while providing more screen real-estate. The appeal of something that more easily slips into a pocket, while retaining the most important pro features of the larger one has its appeal though.

Google sent over the Obsidian Pixel 9 Pro for review and I’ve been using it for two weeks now – and I’m definitely a convert to the smaller form factor. 

Hardware

What’s the difference?

While its compact size may lead you to compare the phone with the Pixel 9, the feature set and specs are definitely more in line with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. 

The differences between the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL are minimal, with the display size and resolution, as well as Battery capacity and Charging speeds the only differences. 

Want the nitty gritty? Before we get into the phone itself, here’s the spec break down of the three phones: 

Design

To start, the fit and finish of the Pixel 9 Pro is just as excellent as the rest of the Pixel 9 family. That is to say, it’s Google’s most premium designed handset to date. 

From the delightfully even bezels around the entirety of the absolutely stunning LTPO display, which seemingly melts into the polished rails around the edges, the Pixel 9 Pro just screams premium.

Like the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9 Pro has a matte finish on the rear with polished rails on the edges. While they look great, the polished rails make it a little slippery to hold, meaning a case is very much a necessity for extra grip. 

A case also smooths out that somewhat severe pill-shaped camera bar, which sits quite proudly above the rear panel. 

The design of the Pixel 9 Pro means it’s the same size as the Pixel 9 – which of course means you have different case options with the Peony or Wintergreen colours, in addition to the Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel and Rose Quartz cases for the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

I’ve always liked the new Pixel camera bar design introduced in the Pixel 6 series, and the new pill shape looks good. The big camera bar also allows Google to fit three camera sensors as well as a multi-zone LDAF (laser detect auto-focus) sensor and thermometer.

A case would hide that ‘G’ logo on the rear, which reminds you it’s a Google phone, though after four generations of it, at this stage I can pick a Google Pixel camera bar from fifty paces – and I enjoy this design flourish that they’ve leaned into. 

The Pixel 9 Pro has the same button and port layout as the rest of its stable mates, opting for a volume rocker below the power button on the left and USB C port on the base next to the speaker and SIM tray – and the weird window looking thing on the top? That’s the 5G mmWave antenna. 

Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro is a more compact version of the Pixel 9 Pro XL and it’s a lot easier to handle with one hand, as well as fitting into your pocket very nicely.

Display and Audio

The Pixel 9 Pro includes a 6.3” Super Actua display with the same LTPO technology as the Pixel 9 Pro XL offering 1-120Hz refresh rate – but more importantly a display that’s super bright and can be read in bright sunlight.

The smaller display compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL hasn’t actually bothered me as much as I thought it would, with almost similar amounts of content displayed on both.

The Actua Display last year offered up to 2400 nits peak brightness, however Google has amped that up this year to 3000 nits making it simply brilliant to use in the daylight. 

The LTPO display allows for buttery smooth scrolling, when navigating through the OS, or simply playing games or reading on your phone. I’ve tried with the auto option as well as the 60Hz option and it’s not hugely affected the battery life at all. 

The colour accuracy is excellent, though you can select between Vibrant or Natural colour profiles in the settings to customise the look. 

A new addition across the Pixel 9 range this year is a switch to the faster ultrasonic fingerprint sensor which is under the display. It’s super fast and accurate, and I’ve never had it miss a beat. 

Performance

The Pixel 9 Pro includes the latest Tensor G4 processor designed by Google, with 16GB of RAM. Base storage starts at 128GB, though there’s a 256GB and 512GB options available if you need more local storage. 

The Tensor G4 is 20% faster for web browsing and 17% faster loading apps than the previous Tensor says Google. This additional power has allowed them to build Gemini Nano with Multi-Modality into the Pixel 9 series, the first time they’ve been able to run it on a mobile form factor. This brings the option to use multiple inputs like speech, pictures and more with Gemini for best results.

As far as performance goes, the Tensor G4 has been rock solid, with no stuttering. I can run through games with ease, or watch videos and flick through apps without any glitches and that 120Hz display just keeps smoothly scrolling along.

We’re four generations into Tensor and Google seems to be finding their feet on chip design. The Tensor G4 has been solid, and the inclusion of a new modem has seen great performance on the mobile networks – but as with all networks, your mileage may vary.

While usual benchmark apps weren’t available through Google Play to test the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro XL – they ARE now available and here’s how the Pixel 9 Pro performed.

Camera

The main advantage of the Pixel 9 Pro is that the major features are the same as the Pro XL – this includes the impressive camera array on the rear and the same front-facing camera. 

The Pixel 9 Pro includes a 50MP main sensor with a 48MP sensor with ultra-wide lens, and a 48MP telephoto sensor with 5x Optical Zoom. This is the same setup as the Pixel 9 Pro XL – one of the major advantages of the Pixel 9 Pro experience – it’s the same whether you get the larger display or not. 

The front-facing sensor is 48MP and resides in a small punch hole notch in the display and takes a pretty decent shot. 

As you’d expect with the same camera system, after taking a bunch of photos with both the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL – the quality is the same: Stunning. 

I just love the Pixel camera system. Point and shoot is all you need to do, the defaults are amazing and you’ll get a great shot every time, no matter what lighting conditions you experience.

The zoom is also pretty good, even with only 5x Optical zoom which ramps up to 30x digital for some great results.

Camera AI

Google has been building their AI features into the camera for a couple of years now, with Night Sight, Unblur, and the introduction of new generative AI features last year including Magic Editor and Best Take for photos and Magic Audio Erase for video – all of these features are back and there’s a lot more to add. 

The biggest feature for Google in the Camera AI department this year is Add Me, a way to add yourself to a shot after you’ve taken it. There’s also Auto frame in Magic Editor which offers hints on reframing your new or old photos, and Reimagine in Magic Editor which lets you completely recompose your shot. 

Add Me

We’ve all been there. Someone needs to take the shot. If you’re often missing from group photos, Add Me is for you. 

Add Me uses Augmented Reality to let you jump into the shot once it’s taken, and then stitch you into that group shot. 

Auto Frame in Magic Editor

If you’re not quite happy with the composition of a shot, then Auto Frame can reimagine your shots using some ‘known photographic techniques’ to create a more pleasing shot.

The techniques it applies also introduces some AI generative fill in the shots to achieve some of the re-framed shots.

Overall, I found the Magic Editor to be a decent way to reframe a shot

Re-Imagine in Magic Editor

Re-Imagine in Magic Editor is another feature launching in Photos on the Pixel 9 series. The feature allows you to use AI to re-imagine your images using a prompt.

I previously found it hit and miss, but had a lot of fun this time around. It appears Google is working on this in the back end and I’m getting a lot more fun out of this feature. 

Zoom Enhance

Zoom Enhance is a bit of a bonus on the Pixel 9 Pro which already includes a tidy 5x optical zoom. Zoom Enhance uses AI on cropped parts of an image for a pretty decent final shot.

Battery and Charging

The Pixel 9 Pro comes with a 4,700mAh battery, and, like most phones these days, it doesn’t include a charger – though you do get a USB-C cable in the box. 

The Pixel 9 Pro will support fast charging up to 27W if you use the previous gen 30W Pixel Charger or the new Pixel 45W USB Type-C charger which Google sells on the store for $49.99. You also get wireless charging up to 15W, though no Qi2 support. 

I charged using both the 30W and the new 45W chargers and found both similar speeds on the Pixel 9 Pro. You can get over 50% charge in 30 minutes, and over 90% in an hour – however it did take an hour and a half to get to 100%. 

In terms of battery life the Pixel 9 Pro is absolutely solid, getting a full 12 hours of hard use and up to 24 hours if I was more gentle. 

There’s pretty decent standby life on the phone as well. I forgot to charge one night, leaving it around 50% and woke up to around 44% remaining – giving me plenty of time to get to my desk and put it on the charger. 

Software

Android

The Pixel 9 Pro arrived for review with Android 14 on-board, however Google began rolling the Android 15 update mid-review. 

The Pixel 9 series will all receive seven years of updates which includes OS updates, monthly security updates, and of course the extremely useful Google Pixel Drops – which bring exciting new features, just like they delivered with the Android 15 update. 

The big features of the Pixel experience are here again, with the Pixel Recorder and Assistant Voice typing absolute standouts for me in terms of features.

Gemini

The Pixel 9 series is even more AI focused than previous years with the expansion of Gemini Nano with Multi-Modality to the phone thanks to the Tensor G4. 

Gemini launched back in May in Australia to coincide with the Pixel 8a launch. The new Gemini Nano model is more powerful than previous iterations, and introduces multi-modal input.

After the launch alongside the Pixel 8a, and through the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL launches, Gemini started showing a lot more promise than before – or perhaps my acceptance of letting AI take the reigns sometimes is growing – and I’m starting to use it a little more. 

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL include a 12 month trial of the Google One AI Premium plan – normally $32.99/month. The plan includes access to Gemini Advanced – Google’s most capable AI model, as well as getting access to new features. The plan also brings Gemini to your Gmail and Docs, and  you get a whopping 2TB of Drive storage.

Also included now is Gemini Live, the conversational version of the AI. Again the idea of talking to an AI model can be daunting, but it’s one of those cases of keep using it and it has some good ideas. 

As far as Gemini goes, I’m still in the early days of this relationship, learning to trust the output is the main issue for me when dealing with data, but the summaries in Gmail are becoming very handy indeed. 

Pixel Screenshots

A feature I’m keen to see Google grow is their new AI powered Pixel Screenshots app. I take a lot of screenshots, why? I often don’t remember until late one night – Pixel Screenshots helps you find those random screenshots. 

The app lets you organise your screenshots in collections. The collections can include a wide variety of categories – wifi passwords, menus, shopping lists and more, then search for them using AI.

While reviewing your screenshots in the Pixel Screenshots app, Gemini will analyse the image and offer a summary…if it can find anything in there. It’s a good start, but it’s fairly rudimentary at the moment. 

Pixel Studio

With all this generative AI launching, Google has also launched Pixel Studio with the Pixel 9 series. Pixel Studio runs on-device, and lets you generate an image from a text prompt.

Google is still very carefully navigating the generative AI space, including not generating Human images yet. Pixel Studio is a pretty fun way to take those off-hand comments in a chat and turn them into something tangible – or just create some fun images in different styles. 

You can play around with the styles, and edit the image once it’s shown you some options before saving it. 

Should you buy it?

The Pixel 9 Pro finally answers a call from a lot of Pixel fans wanting the Pro features, including the telephoto camera, in a smaller form factor. 

The smaller package is very easy to hold, and slips so much easier into a pocket or bag than its larger sibling. The screen real-estate jumping down from 6.8” on the 9 Pro XL to 6.3” on the Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t seem that big of a deal when the phone is so compact. 

As far as I’m concerned, the Pixel 9 series is hard to go past this year with these phones extremely well built and designed. The Pixel 9 Pro gives you the best option to get the very best of Google, without compromising quality or features. 

I’m a convert, and I love this smaller form-factor. I sincerely hope we see the continuation of the smaller Pro Pixel.

If you want to check it out, you can head into Vodafone, Telstra and Optus stores, or JB HIFI, Harvey Norman, Officeworks and the Google Store online.