Google Pixel 9 Review: Compact Pixel with Big AI

The plain suffix-less Pixel has, in recent times, been the compact phone in the Google Pixel series with a price tag that is relatively affordable as compared to its Pro bros. The Pixel 9 continues this tradition, but with a slight difference – it is now third in the Pixel pecking order, behind not just a larger Pro variant (called the Pixel 9 Pro XL) but also a Pro (the Pixel 9 Pro) that is as compact as itself. Given the fact that it still comes with a premium price tag, can it hold its own in a very competitive market?

Google Pixel 9 looks and appearance: Different from usual Pixels, similar to its rival

Google has redesigned the Pixel 9 range. The curved sides and slightly sloping back are replaced by straight sides and a flat back that whispers “Cupertino” rather than “Googleplex.” The camera bar on the back that used to be a Pixel trademark is history, and in its place comes a large metallic horizontal capsule that is equally distinct and juts out. The front remains a tall display with tiny bezels. At 152.8 mm, the Pixel 9 is taller than the Pixel 8 (150.5 mm) but is still on the compact side (the Pixel 9 Pro XL is 162.8 mm tall, just for comparison). It is, however, slimmer at 8.5 mm as compared to 8.9 mm of the Pixel 8. At 198 grams, it is a little on the heavy side for its size.

The straight sides and flat back have led to many saying that the Pixel 9 looks like an iPhone, although that very distinct camera unit marks it out as a Pixel. We got the white-ish Ceramic unit, which looked very smart and elegant, although the slightly glossy finish on the back made it a little slippery. You also get the very striking Peony (pink) and Wintergreen and a more sober Obsidian (black). The materials used are premium, with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back and an aluminum frame, and an IP68 rating means the phone can easily survive even being in the water.

Classic Pixel fans might not like those straight sides and flat back, but all in all, the Pixel 9 is a very good-looking phone (the Peony shade will turn heads majorly), compact by modern standards, with a reassuringly solid feel to it. Yes, it looks a bit like the iPhone from the sides, but anyone who looks at the back will know that it is a Pixel, thanks to that camera unit.

Google Pixel 9 specs: Decent flagship hardware with AI-infused Android

The Pixel 9 comes with a flagship-level spec sheet. It comes with a 6.3-inch OLED display (up from 6.2 on the Pixel 8) with FHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as a maximum brightness of 2700 nits, much better than the 2000 nits on the Pixel 8. While this is a superior display to the one on the Pixel 8, some might have expected a slightly higher resolution and also a refresh rate that alternates between 1-120 Hz depending on the content being shown – the Pixel 9’s display only switches between 60 Hz and 120 Hz.

Powering the Pixel 9 is Google’s own Tensor G4 processor, the same as seen on its Pro siblings, and it comes paired with the most RAM even seen on a ‘plain’ Pixel – a full 12 GB – and 256 GB of storage.

The cameras on that new camera unit have got a boost as well. While the main camera remains a 50-megapixel one with OIS, the ultrawide camera accompanying it has been bumped up to 48 megapixels and has also got a large f/1.7 aperture (almost as big as the f/1.68 on the main sensor) as well as autofocus. The front-facing camera remains a 10.5-megapixel one with autofocus. The battery is also slightly larger – 4700 mAh as compared to 4575 mAh on the Pixel 8, but the charging speeds remain on the slower side: 27W over a wired connection, 15W over wireless with a Pixel stand, and 12W with other wireless chargers.

This being a Pixel, you also get a clean Android that is uncluttered by any bloatware. Rather unusually, the Pixel 9 comes with an existing version of Android 14, rather than the soon-to-be-launched Android 15, but is packed with a number of AI features. The Pixel 9’s spec sheet is pretty standard flagship fare, but Pixels have rarely been about specs.

Google Pixel 9 cameras: Pixel perfect, with brighter colors and lots of AI

The cameras are among the biggest attractions of the Pixel range, and the ones on the Pixel 9 deliver some very good photography. While the detail Pixels are legendary for is very much present, colors are significantly brighter than in the past, which is not a bad thing, really, as Pixel snaps could occasionally look a little dull. The huge megapixel bump up to the ultrawide sensor means that landscape snaps look amazingly detailed even when you zoom in on them. The large apertures on both sensors also result in very good low light and night photography – among the best in its segment in terms of detail.

The front camera continues to take very good selfies and deliver decent videos as well, but unlike the rear cameras, has not adopted brighter colors. Videos from all the cameras are very good, although the sound needs to improve.

The Pixel 9’s cameras also come laced with a lot of AI magic. Apart from the usual Magic Eraser, you also get Magic Editor, which lets you change different aspects of a photograph – you can resize objects and people, change the colors of objects, and even change the overall appearance of a snap using the ‘Reimagine’ feature (you can turn a daylight shot into a night one, for instance). It can take a bit of time to work and can be a little eccentric, but you can literally change the whole photograph using it.

The Pixel 9 also comes with Add Me, which lets you add yourself to a photograph by taking a snap of a group of people and then joining the group and asking another person to complete the snap – the phone walks you through the steps and while they are a little complex, the results are often very good. You also get the usual array of editing tools, ensuring that on the rare occasions when the Pixel 9 does not take good photographs, you can tweak the results to suit yourself! Good pictures are almost guaranteed on this phone.

Google Pixel 9 performance: Not a gaming beast but an AI monster

The brighter display, combined with very good stereo speakers, make the Pixel 9 a very good device for viewing content, be it films, shows, or live telecasts. The compact form factor also makes it very easy to use – it is wide enough to type comfortably. Google has also improved the in-display fingerprint scanner, making unlocking faster and smoother.

The Pixel is one of the few Android phones that come with a secure face unlock. Like all recent Pixels, the Pixel 9 is not a gaming beast, although it can handle the likes of Call of Duty and Genshin Impact at relatively high settings (maxed-out graphics can lag a little, though) and is very comfortable in the casual gaming category. All that RAM also means that the Pixel 9 is terrific at multitasking and sails through daily tasks like Web browsing, mail, and messaging without breaking a sweat – it can heat up a little but never hits alarming levels. And, of course, as it runs on clean Android, there is no chance of pesky bloatware messing up your experience.

However, one of the biggest attractions of the Pixel 9 is the fact that it brings you a number of Google’s AI tools. You get a taste of this at the very beginning when you get the option to use Gemini instead of Google Assistant as your digital assistant, letting you do so much more. You can not only have more conversational queries or even casual conversations but also use Gemini to draft messages and emails for you and even generate images. It can all be a little overwhelming initially and sometimes can be a little sluggish, but there is no doubting the sheer potential of Gemini as an assistant.

Then there is Pixel Studio, an app that lets you generate images by giving detailed descriptions and even determine the style of illustration you want – it cannot do humans at the time of writing and sometimes takes a bit of time to deliver results, but is brilliant in its versatility (If you think that is hard to believe, we got an anime art version of a cat serving tea to its kittens in about a minute!).

That is not all. You also get a beefed-up Keep note-taking app with support for creating lists based on your descriptions, as well as a Screenshots app that organizes all your screenshots and lets you search for information you saved on them. Add all this to features like Circle to Search, the ability to summarise information on websites and emails, transcription and translate tools, and a whole lot more, and the Pixel 9 becomes almost magical, thanks to its AI. What’s more, thanks to Google’s assurance that it will deliver seven years of updates, these tools (AI and others) are only likely to become more powerful and refined.

Mind you, using a lot of AI and photography can really drain the battery of the Pixel 9. Be careful, as the phone can see off a day of use, but if you go AI or camera crazy, you will be looking for power sources well before the day is out. A 33W charger (the phone supports 27W charging) will get the phone from 0 to 50 percent in about half an hour. Charging it fully takes about 90-100 minutes. Those are not deal breakers but are way behind what the likes of OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Vivo are offering on their flagships, although Samsung and Apple are very much in the same “slow charging and no charger in the box” boat as the Pixel.

Google Pixel 9 price: More affordable than the Pixel 8, but still premium

The Google Pixel 9 is available in a single RAM and storage variant of 12 GB/ 256 GB for Rs 79,999. That is actually less than the Pixel 8, which not only had no 12 GB RAM variant but whose 8 GB/ 256 GB variant was actually priced at Rs 82,999. However, while this slight price dip is welcome, it does not alter the premiumness of the pricing of the Pixel 9.

At Rs 79,999, the phone goes up against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Xiaomi 14, which are compact and capable in their own right. Spec chasers might also be tempted by the OnePlus 12, which boasts a brilliant display, Hasselblad cameras, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and comes at Rs 64,999 for its 12 GB/ 256 GB variant.

And, of course, lurking in that price zone is also the iPhone 15! As if that were not enough, those wanting a compact Pixel with fewer budget constraints are likely to consider spending more and getting the equally compact and better specced (better cameras, more RAM) Pixel 9 Pro.

Google Pixel 9 Review Verdict: Go for it for the Google AI experience!

So, should you be investing $799 / Rs 79,999 in the Pixel 9? We will keep it simple – while the Pixel 9 is an excellent phone, it is not exactly the sort of spec demon that some similarly (and some even lower) priced phones are, and its camera and update edges over the competition are not as massive as in the past. Although its camera performance is very good, those looking at a compact-ish design with good cameras and good hardware can also consider the Samsung Galaxy S24, the iPhone 15, or the Xiaomi 14, all of which match the Pixel 9 and even have their own special features. Even the Pixel’s once-unique update record has been matched by Samsung, which also brings seven years of updates to the table.

Where the Pixel 9, however, stands totally apart from the competition is in coming with Google’s flavor of Android and its AI tools. The Pixel 9 gives us the most affordable seat in the house for experiencing Google’s AI magic show, not just for the immediate but also for the long-term future. And that is definitely worth investing in. In the past, we used to recommend Pixels for clean Android, assured updates, and very good cameras. The Pixel 9 ticks those boxes, too, but adds an AI one to them. This is the most intelligent phone in its segment. A lot of the intelligence of the Pixel 9 is artificial, but the value it delivers is real!
Buy Pixel 9 (USA) Buy Pixel 9 (India)