I get to make use of a variety of telephones, and whereas I routinely swap between gadgets, there are just a few occasions within the 12 months when I can use a cellphone for an prolonged period. That is precisely what I did with the Pixel 9 Professional XL; I began out with the gadget shortly after its launch, and I racked up shut to 2 months of use.
That is a giant deal in itself, as a result of I wasn’t eager on the Pixel 9 Professional XL initially. Google modified the aesthetic this era, going with flatter sides and eschewing a few of its design ethos. The cellphone seems a lot like an iPhone 16 Professional Max that it is easy to confuse the 2. The design modifications means the Pixel 9 Professional XL is not as comfy to carry and use as its predecessors, and it necessitates a case — I went with Thinborne’s ultra-thin case, and I would not use the gadget with out it.
Whereas the design is not as evocative, I’ll admit that the Pixel 9 Professional XL has significantly better construct high quality than any Pixel cellphone to this point. After two months of prolonged use, the cellphone does not have any {hardware} points or issues with construct high quality, and that is a refreshing change of tempo.
In an identical vein, the Pixel 9 Professional XL has the brightest OLED panel of any cellphone I utilized in 2024. Whereas Chinese language producers discuss their gadgets with the ability to hit 5000 nits in HDR content material, the truth is that these figures are meaningless in day by day use. What you really want is a panel that will get constantly vibrant underneath harsh daylight, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL outmatches each different cellphone on this regard, together with the Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Extremely, Galaxy S24 Extremely, and the iPhone 16 Professional Max.
Clearly, Google knew what it was doing when organising the OLED show, and though you aren’t getting a lot in the best way of customizability — there are simply two shade modes and no potential to regulate general steadiness — it’s calibrated nicely out of the field, and has good shade accuracy and vibrancy.
However similar to earlier Pixels, the ambient mild sensor takes a second or two longer to regulate the brightness whenever you go right into a dimly-lit room (or vice versa), and it is annoying sufficient that I simply manually tweak the brightness with the slider. Aside from that, I did not have any issues with the display.
{Hardware} continues to be a stumbling block for Google, and though the Pixel 9 Professional XL is powered by the newer Tensor G4, there’s not a lot in the best way of distinction over the G3 in day by day use. It does not overheat due to energetic thermal administration (lastly!), however it simply is not as highly effective because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or MediaTek Dimensity 9300 — a lot much less the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400.
Google wants to handle this situation, as a result of pretty much as good because the Pixel 9 Professional XL is in a variety of areas, it simply does not measure as much as different telephones in terms of efficiency. Which will change over the following two years if the leaks pointing to Google switching to TSMC have any weight, however that does not change the truth that the 9 Professional XL is hobbled on this regard.
On that word, Google continues to hawk 128GB storage with the bottom mannequin; even mid-range telephones now provide 256GB of storage as customary, and this transfer feels stingy. Fortunately, Google solely sells 256GB fashions in India, and that is the one I am utilizing now. Even then, I went via 57% of accessible storage (146GB), and have 110GB left. That is after simply two months of use, and as a lot as I am detest to take action, I predict I will must delete locally-stored photographs and movies shortly.
Battery life is noticeably higher than the Pixel 8 Professional, and I routinely received a day’s value of use constantly. I averaged a day and a half between expenses on most different flagships this 12 months, so whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL does not measure up in that regard, when you’re coming from an older Pixel, you will note a sizeable distinction.
What nonetheless sucks is the charging tech; whereas the gadget goes as much as 33W in brief bursts, it is on the decrease finish of the size in terms of charging. It takes practically 80 minutes to completely cost the gadget, and that is twice so long as the OnePlus 12. I do not see Google doing something concerning the charging scenario, and the one upside is that the iPhone 16 Professional Max takes even longer to cost.
One of many principal causes to make use of Pixels is the cameras, and Google rolled out a variety of upgrades on the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The cellphone takes improbable photographs in any scenario, and also you get usable photographs at as much as 10x zoom. What I like concerning the Pixel digital camera is that it does a greater job with movement monitoring than most different telephones, so when you have children, you may get clear photographs even after they’re continuously in movement — in contrast to Samsung.
That stated, Google not has the particular edge in picture high quality. Chinese language manufacturers made sizeable good points over the past 18 months, and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, Discover X7 Extremely, Vivo X100 Professional, and X100 Extremely all take higher photographs and movies than the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The place I see the largest distinction is with portrait imagery; by doubling zoom lenses as portrait shooters, Vivo specifically delivers excellent portrait photographs which are on par with devoted cameras.
Google’s reliance on software program to eke out higher photographs clearly is a differentiator, however these manufacturers use larger sensors and do a terrific job with tuning, and the result’s that the Pixel is not the gadget I am going to if I need to take photographs or movies — that honor now goes to Vivo’s X100 Extremely or X100 Professional. I am not saying that the cameras on the Pixel 9 Professional XL are dangerous — it is nonetheless higher than the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 16 Professional Max — however it not measures as much as the 1-inch sensors being fielded by Chinese language manufacturers.
The place Google has an insurmountable benefit is with on-device AI; the Pixel 9 Professional XL comes with AI options which are really good, and I routinely use most of those options. Add Me is astonishingly good at taking group photographs, Magic Editor and Unblur proceed to be fabulous at fixing particulars in photos after the actual fact, and Pixel Studio is respectable at producing imagery on the fly.
Whereas I do not see the purpose of Gemini but, the one-year Gemini Superior trial was engaging sufficient that I attempted out the assistant sporadically. It is good with summarizing articles and pulling up contextual particulars, however it’s restricted in what it could possibly do for the time being.
I ended up utilizing Pixel Screenshots much more than I assumed I might, and it is small issues like this that make utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional XL fulfilling. Being able to floor related info inside screenshots and make it searchable is a giant deal, and it undoubtedly turns out to be useful.
One other factor that Google completely nails is the software program. Actually, I choose utilizing Pixels over extra highly effective gadgets solely due to the software program — that is why I went again to the Pixel 8 Professional firstly of the 12 months. Though the Android 15 replace does not have noteworthy additions, it delivered much-needed fluidity to the interface, and that made a giant distinction in how I take advantage of the 9 Professional XL.
I perceive that not everybody likes the Materials You interface, and that is okay; between One UI, MIUI, ColorOS, MagicOS, and Funtouch OS, there isn’t any scarcity of selection in order for you a personalized UI, and when you’ve been utilizing Android for some time, there is a good probability that you simply dialed in in your choice by now.
I like Google’s software program imaginative and prescient, and that is the explanation I predominantly use Pixels; I take advantage of gadgets with ColorOS and Funtouch OS extensively over the course of the 12 months, however I at all times come again to Pixels due to the software program. One additional advantage with Pixels is getting the newest Android launch on day one; I put in Android 15 on my Pixel 9, 9 Professional XL, and 9 Professional Fold instantly after the steady construct rolled out, and that is simply not possible with every other Android model.
As somebody who makes use of Pixels lots, I just like the modifications with the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The gadget does not fairly have the identical design class as final 12 months, however it nonetheless manages to look good in its personal proper. I would like Google to handle the {hardware} shortcomings, however we could not get to see any progress on this entrance till the Tensor G6 rolls out.
The 9 Professional XL has terrific cameras, and whereas it does not have outright mastery on this space, you may solely discover a distinction when you’ve used Vivo’s X100 Professional or X100 Extremely this 12 months. If we’re simply counting telephones offered in North America, Google nonetheless has the particular edge. In the end, it is the software program that makes utilizing Pixels fulfilling, and that hasn’t modified this 12 months.
Actually, the Pixel 9 Professional XL is best than I assumed it could be. The {hardware} nonetheless is not on par with rivals, however in all different areas, it’s a terrific showcase for what Google can ship.