And a design that feels like it belongs among us.
Reviews are in as Google launched an event featuring the anticipated Pixel 9 series. These include the Pixel 9 and Pro, and the return of the XL model too, since the Pixel 4 XL. All three phones feature the Tensor G4, LTPO displays, and Qualcomm’s 2nd-generation Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. This is unlike those regular optical fingerprint sensors. Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors have very fast reading speeds and are far more secure because they have anti-spoofing features and cannot be fooled by images and fake fingerprints. However, due to them being more advanced, they are also more expensive to have. So, when brands have it on their phones, they make sure to make it a necessary feature, instead of a gimmick.
There is also the foldable version, the Pixel Pro Fold, which deserves an article of its own. For now, we’ll look at the three musketeers of the handset.
Before we proceed with the differences, let’s take a look at the Tensor G4, which Google did not make much of a fanfare of as they are preparing for the G5, where the big changes are going to happen, such as the rumored 3nm TSMC process. The first time Google swayed away from Samsung’s fabrication, which the G4 still uses.
The Tensor G4 is quite underwhelming on paper as it failed to impress benchmarks. However, thanks to the Pixel software, the chipset performed quite well in the stress test above, showing that benchmarks do not always reflect reality. Like how grades don’t reflect your intelligence. What Google lacked in hardware prowess; they came back with great software optimization which is very important in any smartphone nowadays. The Tensor G4 is not intended for those intense gaming hours. Instead, it was developed specifically for Google’s AI and computational photography, which the Pixels since day one, are best at.
This chipset is manufactured by Samsung based on a 4nm process. It uses a 1+3+4 setup comprising of a single Cortex-X4 prime core at 3.1GHz, three Cortex-A720 big cores clocked at 2.6GHz, and four Cortex-A520 efficiency cores clocked at 1.9GHz, which is lower than the desired 2GHz many other chipsets use for efficiency. It uses the Mali-G715 MP7 as its GPU.
Though, despite this, the phone still cannot game as hard as its rivals like the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra can, making it not-so-ideal for performance, which we hope to see changed on next year’s Tensor.
Google Pixel 9/Pro/Pro XL
The Pixel 9, unlike last year, is now the lowest-end of the series, but that only comes in size. Ask yourself if size matters. If it does, you’re better off with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Pixel 9 Pro is actually the more compact version, roughly the same size as the regular Pixel 9. It also features a higher-res display, with 2856x1280px. resolution, effectively making it a 1.5K display. The Pixel 9 has 2700nits peak brightness and a resolution of 2424x1080px while the Pixel 9 Pro and its XL variant have 3000nits. Either way, these are bright enough to blind you.
The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro have a 6.3″ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate while the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 6.8″ one with almost QHD+ (2992x1344px) resolution. See, while all three phones are nearly identical, the Pixel 9 comes with several watered-down differences only the dedicated ones can identify. For instance, the Pixel 9 has a weaker 10.5MP front camera while the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL has that sweet new 42MP.
Also, as part of Google’s tradition since the Pixel 6 series, the vanilla phone lacks the telephoto sensor. The 50MP primary camera of the Pixel 9 is complemented by a 48MP Ultrawide. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro and its XL version come with three cameras. Aside from the aforementioned two, there is also a 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, laser PDAF, and OIS.
Another main difference, and probably the most distinguishable one, are the colour options. The unique color options of the Pixel 9 are Wintergreen and Peony, which are the pastel green and magenta colors respectively. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro twins get Rose Quartz and Hazel as their unique colours. The former has a light pink hue while the other has a neutral green hue, almost like military green. It’s like Google ran out of toner for the Pros.
Finally, there comes the battery and charging. Of course, the larger the phone, the larger the battery typically. The compact phones get 4700mAh capacities with 27W fast charging while the XL bumps it up to 5060mAh with 37W fast charging. To top it all off, there is also Qi charging support and fast wireless charging. 15W for Pixel 9, 21W for Pixel 9 Pro, and 23W for Pixel 9 Pro XL. Of course, these charging rates are only guaranteed when you purchase the proprietary kickstand Google offers.
The prices of the phone are as follows. No, the phone is not available in the Philippines yet officially, but there is now an official Google Pixel store in Malaysia’s Shopee and Lazada. We can only hope it arrives in the Philippines, by ensuring its success in Malaysia.
| PRICE/RAM/STORAGE | GOOGLE PIXEL 9 | GOOGLE PIXEL 9 PRO | GOOGLE PIXEL 9 PRO XL |
| 12/128 | USD 799 (~PHP 45.2K) | USD 999 (~PHP 56.4K) | USD 1,099 (~PHP 62K) |
| 12/256 | USD 899 (~PHP 50.8K) | USD 1,099 (~PHP 62K) | USD 1,199 (~PHP 68K) |
| 12/512 | – | USD 1,219 (~PHP 68.8K) | USD 1,319 (~PHP 74.5K) |
| 12/1TB | – | – | USD 1,689 (~PHP 95.4K) |
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