Google Pixel 9 Pro Review: A Good Thing in a Small Package

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Our verdict

The Pixel phones have always been great at photography, and with the Pixel 9 Pro, the battery, display, and design have mostly caught up.

From $999

What we love

Fantastic cameras
Great battery life
Seven years of software support

What could be improved

AI features are inconsistent
Processor isn't as powerful as the competition

The essentials

Performance

Super snappy, but not as fast as top-tier rival phones.

Battery

The best battery in the Pixel 9 family. Up to six hours of screen per charge, which should be enough for a day of moderate usage with a very comfortable buffer.

Screen

A lovely display that's hard to complain about.

Camera

Excellent. As with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the best cameras you'll get on an Android phone.

View Pixel 9 Pro Plans

The Pixel 9 Pro is ostensibly just a smaller version of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Google expanded the Pixel 9 family this year, introducing the Pixel 9 Pro to be a "no compromise" small phone. In previous years, unless you opted for the biggest, most expensive Pixel, you'd miss out on features like extra cameras and a nicer display.

This year, the Pixel 9 Pro flips the script. Not only is it a far more pocketable version of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but it's arguably the better buy.

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The Australian situation around the Pixel 9 Pro is a bit weird. While its release timeline was similar to every other Pixel 9 device in early September in most countries, it didn't make it to down under until late October.

It's also the "newest" phone in the Pixel 9 family, in that it never had a predecessor. It has the same size 6.3-inch display as the standard Pixel 9, but the same feature set as the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL.

The cameras are fantastic. The Pixel 9 Pro shares the crown with the Pixel 9 Pro XL as Android's best camera phone. It can consistently take great photos across every lens, in almost every situation. It's hard to argue with that.

Pixel 9 Pro camera samples

Check out these camera samples taken on the Pixel 9 Pro. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.

The processor is good enough, but doesn't go toe-to-toe with the competition. While I can't fault the day-to-day experience of using the Pixel 9 Pro, Google's Tensor G4 processor doesn't prioritise performance. There's a growing divide between what the best phones from Apple and Samsung are capable of and what the latest Pixels can do. Google isn't pushing mobile hardware in the same way.

AI features are a mixed bag. I'm a generative AI sceptical and the Pixel 9 family haven't done much to convince me to change my stance. Gemini is very prone to hallucinations, the Pixel Studio Ai image generator is as mid as it gets, and the Screenshots app - while potentially helpful - miscategorises things. You can ignore all of these features, however. Just don't go into a Pixel 9 Pro purchase thinking AI will change your life.

The design is lovely. The Pixel 9 Pro feels properly premium, in a way past Pixel phones haven't always. It's a little cleaner, and feels better in the hand. The polished frame sure is a fingerprint magnet, however.

The main question about the smaller Pixel 9 Pro was battery, and thankfully, it's a pleasant surprise. The Pixel 9 Pro somehow lasts longer than its larger sibling. When I tested the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I was getting around five hours of screen time per charge. With the Pixel 9 Pro, I get as much as six.

That's a full day of moderate usage with a healthy buffer, and is in line with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro. While some phones best this, the Pixel 9 Pro is the longest-lasting Pixel yet.

While a smaller phone lasting longer than its larger counterpart is pretty unusual, it kinda makes sense in this situation. The Pixel 9 Pro only has 300mAh less battery capacity than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but a much smaller screen.

The Pixel 9 Pro does have a slower maximum charging speed, however. It features 27W fast charging, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL has 37W fast charging. This means you can top up the Pixel 9 Pro XL just a little bit faster. The Pixel 9 Pro XL can recharge from flat to around 70% in 30 minutes, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro will only charge to 55% in the same time. This shouldn't be an issue for most, but it's worth calling out.

Google Pixel 9 Pro—final thoughts

The Pixel 9 Pro is a smaller, better version of the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Unless you really want the larger display, I'd take the cheaper phone with a better battery.

It's great to see smaller phones that don't make compromises. You shouldn't need to buy the biggest and most expensive phone to get the best features, especially when it comes to essentials like battery life.

And hey, it's hard to argue with getting Android's best camera in a more pocketable form factor and at a cheaper price.

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Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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