Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review: a huge success

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

MSRP $1,099.00

“The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offers stunning hardware, lovely cameras, and much-improved specs — making it one of 2024’s best flagship smartphones.”

Pros

• Google’s best Pixel hardware yet
• Excellent display
• 16GB of RAM!
• Really fantastic cameras
• Helpful AI tools
• Much better battery life
• Seven years of updates

Cons

• Pixel Studio is a mess
• Slow charging speeds
• 128GB of base storage

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has big shoes to fill. It’s the first “XL” Pixel we’ve seen in five years, one of Google’s most expensive Pixels ever, and it has to follow up on the excellent Pixel 8 Pro it’s replacing. That’s a mighty tall order.

Here’s the good news, though. The Pixel 9 Pro XL does it. Google went all-out for its ninth-generation flagship Pixel phone in ways I wasn’t expecting. Not everything is perfect, but the result is a phenomenal smartphone that’s well-made, powerful, and a joy to use.

If you’re in the market for a flagship Android phone in almost every sense of the word, here’s why the Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of your best choices.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: specs

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: design

Google regularly ups its design game every year with Pixel phones, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is no exception. However, it doesn’t feel like a year-to-year improvement over the Pixel 8 Pro. Instead, it feels like a two- or three-year jump.

Google made significant design changes this year, with one being the flat frame. Unlike other phones that went flat this year (I’m looking at you, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6), Google did a great job keeping the edges between the frame and the front and back of the phone smooth. It’s a top-notch construction job that makes the phone comfortable to hold while still giving it that flat, industrial look. I didn’t think Google could pull it off, but it did.

Also new is the redesigned camera bar. Instead of extending the entire length of the phone’s back, it’s now an oval shape that sits like an island. And I like it! The Pixel 9 Pro XL still looks like a Pixel phone, just one with a fresh coat of paint. Combined with the flat frame, the whole package looks and feels like a grown-up version of previous models.

That theme also continues throughout the rest of the phone’s build. The buttons are first-class, the speakers sound rich and full, the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is fantastic, and the vibration motor is one of the best I’ve used on an Android phone in recent memory. Throw in an IP68 rating for protection against dust and water, and I’m struggling to think of things to complain about with this hardware.

I imagine some people reading this will blast Google for copying the iPhone’s design this year, and that’s a fair criticism. When placed side-by-side with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Pixel 9 Pro XL does look eerily similar. But I’d also argue that it’s not a bad thing. Given the choice between the two phones, I prefer how the Pixel 9 looks. It’s a gorgeous and tremendously well-crafted piece of hardware, and it may be one of my favorite smartphone designs of the entire year.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: screen and performance

As the XL name suggests, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a big phone, so you get a big screen. Taking up the front of the phone is a 6.8-inch Super Actua Display. It’s an OLED panel with a 1344 x 2992 resolution, a variable refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz, and peak brightness up to 3000 nits. It’s all packaged with symmetrical bezels around the entire display — just as it should be.

This is an outstanding display. Google impressed me when it first introduced its Super Actua Display technology on the Pixel 8 series last year, and it’s even better on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The screen is bright and vibrant without being too punchy. Whites are stark, blacks are deep and inky, and everything is as sharp as can be.

I’ve been running the phone at the “High resolution” option at a slightly lower 1008 x 2244 resolution (which looks great to my eyes), but you can easily change it to the full 1344 x 2992 resolution if you’d like. The 120Hz refresh rate has been buttery smooth throughout my testing, and the always-on display looks excellent, too. I honestly don’t have anything to complain about — this is a fantastic screen.

Speaking of fantastic, let’s talk about the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s performance. Last year’s Tensor G3 chip was surprisingly reliable (much more so than the Tensor G2 from the Pixel 7 series), and the Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9 phones continues that trend.

I’ve not had any major performance issues with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Apps open quickly, navigation is smooth, and graphically intense games run without a hitch. I played a few back-to-back rounds of Star Wars: Hunters with graphics set to Very High, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL stayed at a consistent 60 frames per second (fps) for all of my matches. It also does this without overheating — a consistent issue for Tensor-powered Pixel phones. The Pixel 9 Pro XL got warm to the touch after about 20 minutes of Star Wars: Hunters, but around a level I would expect any phone to be.

Finally, you get a lot more RAM this year — 16GB compared to the 12GB on the Pixel 8 Pro — and it’s noticeable. I’ve been able to leave apps and games running in the background for over two hours and have them open immediately without needing to reload. Call 16GB of RAM overkill if you want, but I love it.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: camera

Cameras are always a big deal for Pixel phones, and as you might have guessed, that’s no different for the Pixel 9 Pro XL. This year, you get a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, a 48MP telephoto camera, and a 42MP selfie camera. The rear camera specs are virtually identical to those of the Pixel 8 Pro, though the selfie camera is a significant boost from the previous 10.5MP sensor.

Call Google lazy for not changing much of the camera hardware this year if you’d like, but you won’t find me complaining about this camera setup at all. The Pixel 8 Pro was one of my favorite smartphone cameras of 2023, and it’s safe to say the Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of my favorites for 2024.

Like its predecessor, what I love most about the Pixel 9 Pro XL is how effortless its camera is. I don’t have to think too hard about the shot I’m taking; when I press the shutter button, I’m all but guaranteed to take a great photo. Whether outdoors in great lighting, shooting directly into the sunset, or in a dimly lit restaurant, it doesn’t matter — the Pixel 9 Pro XL just continues to deliver excellent photographs.

The primary camera is the star of the show, but the secondary cameras are just as impressive. The ultrawide shooter gives you a lovely 123-degree field of view (FoV) while retaining good colors and detail that’s comparable to the primary camera. The ultrawide camera can also double as a macro camera, and the results are lovely.

The telephoto camera is technically a 5x optical zoom sensor, though Google says it has a 10x “optical equivalent.” And, if you want to get crazy, Super Res Zoom lets you go up to 30x. And you know what? All of these zoom lengths — even up to 30x — look shockingly good. I’ll let the photos of the rabbit above speak for themselves.

Rounding out the camera sensors, the selfie camera is arguably the best I’ve used this year. It captures lots of detail and great colors and has a large FoV of up to 103 degrees (with the option of 1x and 0.7x shooting modes in the camera app). It even has autofocus, as do all of the Pixel 9 phones this year.

Also, in typical Google fashion, the Pixel 9 Pro XL camera experience has its fair share of AI features. Add Me is the one Google is marketing the most, and it’s impressive. Say you’re taking a picture of your two friends, but there’s no one to hold your phone so you can be in the picture. With the Pixel 9, you can open the camera, select Add Me, and take a photo of your friends. Then, have them leave the scene, ask one of them to take a picture of you in the same spot, and the Pixel 9 creates a composite of the two images to insert you. It’s not something I’ll use very often, but I can see it coming in handy in certain situations.

Auto Frame is another new feature, and I’m already getting a lot of mileage out of it. If you take a crooked photo, open it in the Magic Editor in Google Photos and tap the Auto Frame button. It uses AI to perfectly line up your shot and fill in any missing gaps. In about a second, you get a perfectly framed photo. As someone who can rarely frame a shot the way I want to, Auto Frame has been a fantastic tool.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: software and AI features

In a surprise twist, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL doesn’t ship with Android 15. Instead, like the Pixel 8 family, it ships with Android 14. It’s an odd move, though ultimately, it’s not a big deal. It’ll be first in line for Android 15 when it’s ready, and even without the newest Android version available, there are still some new software goodies to play with.

One of my favorites is the new Pixel Weather app. I’m a sucker for well-designed weather apps, and I’m happy to report that this is a great one. One of the highlight features is the AI Weather Report, which gives you a one-sentence summary of the current weather. It updates throughout the day, and you can tap the dropdown arrow for a longer explanation. It sounds gimmicky, but I’ve actually found it quite useful.

Speaking of useful, the new Pixel Screenshots app is fantastic. If you’re like me, you probably take screenshots to remember things you see on your phone. The problem is that you take so many that when it comes time to find something important, you can’t. Pixel Screenshots solves that problem.

As you take screenshots on your Pixel 9 (or import any screenshots backed up to Google Photos), they’re saved in a new Screenshots app. Here, you can organize screenshots in collections/groups and search for the contents of your screenshots — such as a recipe, an upcoming concert, plans you made with friends in a group chat, etc. It all runs entirely on-device (no internet connection required) and works incredibly well. It’s not something you’ll need to use all the time, but when you do, it should prove to be a pretty invaluable tool.

The other new features are Gemini Live and Pixel Studio, though I’ve been less impressed with them. Gemini Live is a more natural, free-flowing way of talking to Googe Gemini. It feels like talking to another human rather than Alexa or Siri, though it’s not much more than a cool tech demo. Gemini Live can’t access any personal data like your contacts, shopping lists, or smart home devices, so I’m not quite sure what to actually use it for.

Pixel Studio, meanwhile, is Google’s new image-generation app. After introducing AI wallpapers with very rigid prompts last year with the Pixel 8, Pixel Studio on the Pixel 9 is much less restrictive. Open the app, type in what you want an image of, and Pixel Studio makes it for you. The app is well-designed and easy to use. However, it’s also quite problematic — generating images of animals and popular fictional characters in inappropriate (and sometimes illegal) situations. I won’t get into everything here, but to give you an idea of just how bad it is, Pixel Studio generated an image of SpongeBob dressed as a German soldier from WWII. Yeah.

I don’t think the presence of Pixel Studio on the Pixel 9 Pro XL ruins the phone, but it also feels like an unnecessary app that we could all live happily without. I don’t want or need an AI image generator preinstalled on my phone — especially when it generates such tasteless and distressing images. Google is usually smart about adding new apps and Pixel software, but this one misses the mark. The good news is that you can completely ignore it, and that’s what I’d recommend you do.

Beyond those new additions, this is the same Pixel smartphone experience we’ve come to know and love over the years. Google’s Android interface is clean, organized, and easy to navigate. Other features — such as Now Playing and Hold For Me — are still here and as helpful as ever. I’ve long preferred Google’s Pixel software over any other Android interface, and that’s not changing this year.

As for updates, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is promised seven years of Android upgrades, security patches, and feature drops. It’s the best update policy in the smartphone industry and remains one of the best reasons to buy a Pixel phone over anything else.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: battery life

Going into my review of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I was anxious about the battery life. The 5,060mAh battery is virtually identical to the Pixel 8 Pro’s 5,050mAh battery, and the Pixel 8 Pro was a mediocre one-day smartphone. Presumably, due to better power efficiency with the Tensor G4 chip, the Pixel 9 Pro XL fares significantly better this year.

On particularly heavy days, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is still a one-day smartphone. One day, for example, began at 7:20 a.m. and ended at 11:55 p.m. with 16% battery remaining. That included 4 hours and 49 minutes of screen time, over 20 minutes of gaming, and lots of time on a 5G connection away from Wi-Fi. On a more casual day with just 2 hours and 47 minutes of screen time, I started the day at 7:20 a.m. with 100% battery and still had 44% remaining at 10:45 p.m. Depending on how you use the Pixel 9 Pro XL, this can easily be a day-and-a-half smartphone.

Is this on the same endurance level we’ve seen from phones like the Galaxy S24 Plus and OnePlus 12? Not quite, but it is a notable improvement from the Pixel 8 Pro — and that means my Pixel battery anxiety isn’t a thing this year. There’s still room to improve, but Google is making great progress here.

Unfortunately, that same progress doesn’t translate to charging. The Pixel 9 Pro XL recharges at up to 37 watts, which is technically an improvement over the 30W charging on the Pixel 8 Pro last year, but still not as fast as I would have liked. Using my trusty Belkin BoostCharge charger, the Pixel 9 Pro XL went from 3% to 42% after 30 minutes and took about an hour-and-a-half to reach 100%. That’s not terrible, but it’s also a far cry from phones like the OnePlus 12R that go from 0 to 100% in 30 minutes.

Wireless charging is available, going up to 12W with regular Qi chargers and up to 23W if you have the Pixel Stand. Reverse wireless charging also returns. Unfortunately, there’s no Qi2 support. That’s been the case for almost every Android phone this year, and it’s getting annoying. Fingers crossed for next year.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: price and availability

Are you interested in the Pixel 9 Pro XL? If so, prepare to spend at least $1,099. That’s for the base model with 128GB of storage. Larger storage options are available for $1,199 (256GB), $1,319 (512GB), and $1,549 (1TB). Given the $100 price increase from the Pixel 8 Pro, I would have liked to see 256GB become the new base storage amount, but alas, that didn’t happen.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is available at the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and most major carriers in the U.S.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: verdict

On the one hand, I suppose it isn’t surprising that the successor to one of 2023’s best smartphones is also excellent. But it’s the level of improvement in certain areas where Google surprised me this year.

I’ve discussed it enough, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s hardware is unfathomably good. Google’s Pixel hardware has always felt just a bit behind the competition, but it’s now on par with — if not better than — the latest flagships from Samsung and Apple. It’s also impressive that overheating and battery life are nonissues this year, as these are two things that have notoriously been a thorn in the side of Pixel phones. Throw that together with the expected excellence in camera quality, (mostly) good AI features, and clean, up-to-date software, and you’re looking at a darn good package.

So, if the Pixel 9 Pro XL is so good, why not give it a perfect 10/10? Despite all the upgrades, the new $1,099 price is a sticking point. That’s not because of the competition but because the non-XL Pixel 9 Pro includes all the same features and specs, with a more compact display and a smaller battery for $100 less. It’s the one I’ll probably stick with, but that’s because I prefer smaller phones. If you like bigger phones, the XL is the way to go — and the fact that we have a choice this year is fantastic. I just wish going for the XL also came with more storage and faster charging.

Regardless, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of the best phones you can buy in 2024. It’s the phone I’d personally choose over the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it’s even giving my iPhone 15 Pro Max a run for its money. If you want a big flagship Android phone, it’s tough to do better than this. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is that good.