I get to make use of numerous telephones, and whereas I routinely swap between gadgets, there are a couple of occasions within the yr when I will use a telephone for an prolonged period. That is precisely what I did with the Pixel 9 Professional XL; I began out with the machine 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 telephone seems to be 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 now not as snug 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 machine with out it.
Whereas the design is not as evocative, I’ll admit that the Pixel 9 Professional XL has a lot better construct high quality than any Pixel telephone thus far. After two months of prolonged use, the telephone does not have any {hardware} points or issues with construct high quality, and that is a refreshing change of tempo.
In the same vein, the Pixel 9 Professional XL has the brightest OLED panel of any telephone I utilized in 2024. Whereas Chinese language producers discuss their gadgets with the ability to hit 5000 nits in HDR content material, the fact is that these figures are meaningless in day by day use. What you really want is a panel that will get persistently shiny below harsh daylight, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL outmatches each different telephone 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 do not get a lot in the way in which of customizability — there are simply two coloration modes and no potential to regulate total steadiness — it’s calibrated effectively out of the field, and has good coloration accuracy and vibrancy.
However identical 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 way in which of distinction over the G3 in day by day use. It does not overheat due to energetic thermal administration (lastly!), but it surely 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 problem, as a result of nearly as good because the Pixel 9 Professional XL is in numerous areas, it simply does not measure as much as different telephones with regards to 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 notice, Google continues to hawk 128GB storage with the bottom mannequin; even mid-range telephones now supply 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 by way of 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 images and movies shortly.
Battery life is noticeably higher than the Pixel 8 Professional, and I routinely received a day’s value of use persistently. I averaged a day and a half between fees on most different flagships this yr, so whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL does not measure up in that regard, when you’re coming from an older Pixel, you will notice a sizeable distinction.
What nonetheless sucks is the charging tech; whereas the machine goes as much as 33W in brief bursts, it is on the decrease finish of the size with regards to charging. It takes almost 80 minutes to totally cost the machine, and that is twice so long as the OnePlus 12. I do not see Google doing something concerning the charging state of affairs, and the one upside is that the iPhone 16 Professional Max takes even longer to cost.
One of many major causes to make use of Pixels is the cameras, and Google rolled out numerous upgrades on the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The telephone takes unbelievable images in any state of affairs, and also you get usable pictures at as much as 10x zoom. What I like concerning the Pixel digicam is that it does a greater job with movement monitoring than most different telephones, so when you’ve got youngsters, you may get clear images even once they’re continually in movement — not like Samsung.
That mentioned, Google now 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 images 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 particularly delivers excellent portrait pictures which can be on par with devoted cameras.
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Google’s reliance on software program to eke out higher images clearly is a differentiator, however these manufacturers use greater sensors and do an important job with tuning, and the result’s that the Pixel is now not the machine I am going to if I need to take images 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 — but it surely now 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 can be truly good, and I routinely use most of those options. Add Me is astonishingly good at taking group pictures, Magic Editor and Unblur proceed to be fabulous at fixing particulars in pictures 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, but it surely’s restricted in what it could possibly do in the mean time.
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 pleasing. Being able to floor related info inside screenshots and make it searchable is a giant deal, and it positively turns out to be useful.
One other factor that Google completely nails is the software program. Actually, I favor utilizing Pixels over extra highly effective gadgets solely due to the software program — that is why I went again to the Pixel 8 Professional initially of the yr. 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 exploit 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 is no scarcity of selection if you need a personalized UI, and when you’ve been utilizing Android for some time, there is a good likelihood that you just dialed in in your desire by now.
I like Google’s software program imaginative and prescient, and that is the rationale I predominantly use Pixels; I exploit gadgets with ColorOS and Funtouch OS extensively over the course of the yr, however I at all times come again to Pixels due to the software program. One additional advantage with Pixels is getting the most recent Android launch on day one; I put in Android 15 on my Pixel 9, 9 Professional XL, and 9 Professional Fold instantly after the secure construct rolled out, and that is simply not possible with some other Android model.
As somebody who makes use of Pixels rather a lot, I just like the modifications with the Pixel 9 Professional XL. The machine does not fairly have the identical design class as final yr, but it surely nonetheless manages to look good in its personal proper. I would like Google to handle the {hardware} shortcomings, however we might 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 yr. 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 pleasing, and that hasn’t modified this yr.
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.
