Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Review: The Big Boss of the Pixel Series

Google surprised many when it launched a Pro XL variant as part of its Pixel 9 series of devices. The phone’s name is deceptive. It is not an “extra large” phone but actually a replacement of the previous year’s Pro, which used to be larger than the plain Pixel variant, but in the 9 series, is of the same size as its non-Pro bro. It retains its super-premium price tag, though, and is the most expensive non-folding Pixel out there. But is it worth the big bucks it is charging? We have been using the Pixel 9 Pro XL for more than a month, and here is our take.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL looks and design: A larger Pixel 9 (complete with iPhone hints)

In terms of design, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is cut from the same cloth as the smaller Pixel 9. This means that you get the straight sides and flat front and back that many claim reminds them of the iPhone, as well as the horizontal capsule-shaped camera unit that juts out. Unlike the Pixel 9, which comes in funky colors such as the pink Peony and the light green Wintergreen, the Pixel 9 Pro XL sticks to sober shades – a white Porcelain, a black Obsidian, a green-gray Hazel and a light pink Rose Quartz, which only slightly dips its toes in funky waters.

We got the Obsidian shade, which cut a subtly smart and premium figure. The straight Armour Aluminium sides do give iPhone vibes, and the camera unit, and the Google logo beneath it ensure that the phone is not mistaken for an Apple from a tree in Cupertino. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on front and back and IP68 dust and water resistance, it sports what Google calls a ‘soft matte’ finish, unlike the slightly glossy one on the Pixel 9. At 162.8 mm, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of the tallest phones out there, and you will need both hands to use it. At 221 grams, it is relatively light for its size. All said and done, the Pixel 9 Pro XL looks like the college’s corporate executive sibling, who is going with the Pixel 9, which is not a bad thing, although we would have loved a Peony or Wintergreen variant.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL specs: Pump up the RAM and those cameras

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is pretty much the most well-specced Pixel around by some distance. It has the same Tensor G4 chip that powers the Pixel 9 range but comes with a massive 16 GB of RAM and storage options of 256 GB and 512 GB. It also comes with a big 6.8-inch AMOLED Super Actua Display with 2992 x 1344 pixel resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, which can switch between 1-120 Hz depending on the content being shown on it (the ‘regular’ Pixel 9 can only switch between 60 Hz and 120 Hz).

While the camera unit on the back might look like a bigger version of the one of the Pixel 9, it actually packs in more cameras which are also more capable – a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor with OIS and 5x optical zoom and a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor (with autofocus, allowing it to act as a macro snapper too). Also on board is a 42-megapixel selfie camera – the heftiest we have seen on a Pixel.

Keeping all this running for a decent amount of time is the task of a large 5060 mAh battery, which has support for 37W charging and 23W wireless charging with a Pixel Stand, although this dips to 12W on other wireless chargers. You also get stereo speakers, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, and one of the few secure face unlocks in the Android world, although there is no charger in the box.

In spec terms, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a clear edge above the Pixel 9 and serves up a larger display and battery as compared to the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, making it the best specced Pixel of them all. And, of course, as this is a Pixel, one gets access to seven years of Android and security updates – it has been updated to Android 15 even as this review is being written. We know that the Tensor processor is not exactly a benchmark buster, but by Pixel standards, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is as powerful as any Pixel gets.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL performance: Lots of AI brains rather than gaming brawn

We are going to keep this simple – the biggest reason for purchasing the Pixel 9 Pro XL rather than the Pixel 9 Pro or the Pixel is AI. Yes, you do get AI on the other Pixels, too, but what makes the Pixel 9 Pro XL different is the amount of real estate on offer. It did not hit us right away, as the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro’s 6.3-inch displays seemed more than adequate for carrying out most tasks, but as time passed and more updates flowed in, we found ourselves reaching out more often to the big Pixel – that extra viewing area starts making a big difference.

We also felt that AI worked slightly faster on the Pixel Pros than on the Pixel 9, and we did not experience the slight lags we got while running AI on the Pixel 9 – something that could be attributed to the extra 4GB of RAM. If you are the type that uses Pixel Studio a lot to generate images or love adding and removing objects and people using Magic Studio, this is the Pixel for you. While on the subject, both Pixel Studio and Magic Studio have been working significantly more smoothly ever since the Android 15 update arrived.

Gemini is the default assistant, and while those used to the more structured Google Assistant might find it a little too intimidating (it literally is like chatting to an information genie of sorts), once you get used to it, the whole concept of having a virtual assistant changes. Gemini pretty much does everything in information terms you ask of it, and its image generation abilities have also improved significantly in terms of speed with a few updates. What’s more, you get one year of Gemini Advanced free with the Pixel 9 Pro XL! Also on board are all those translation, website summaries, note managing and transcribing tools, and many more, which are rapidly becoming Android flagship staples.

Notably, the phone does not heat up like the Pixel 9 does when given multiple tasks. And there is plenty of tasking that can be done on the device. While it is not the sort of gaming monster that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is, the Pixel 9 Pro XL can still deliver a very good gaming experience, allowing you to play Genshin Impact at high settings.

The display is not the brightest we have used (we think Samsung and OnePlus have an edge here), but it is still very good, and the speakers are excellent, making this a super option for consuming multimedia, be it shows or films. Of course, this being a Pixel, there is no bloatware and a lot of Google apps (including a very handy one for saving and searching Screenshots), all of which work very smoothly. On the subject of smooth performance, the face unlock is easily the best we have used on an Android device while still being secure. This is Android the way Google sees it – free of bloatware and loaded with AI smarts.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL camera: OF COURSE, it takes great pictures

They might get overshadowed by all the AI magic onboard the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but the cameras on the phone are superb, in the best Pixel tradition. Those three cameras on its back deliver some excellent detail and colors that, by default, strike a balance between realism and being bright (you can tweak this, of course).

Some might find the snaps a little on the dull side compared to the high contrast outputs of the Leica Xiaomi 14 series or the more poppy colors served up by the Galaxy S24, but the real strength of the cameras is the level of detail they offer – there are enough tools on board to adjust colors as per your wish. This attention to detail (pun intended) really comes to the fore when you use the very good telephoto sensor (not available in the Pixel 9), which not only gets you 5x optical zoom and 10x lossless zoom but actually lets you get social media friendly snaps even when you get to 20x digital zoom, especially if you shoot in good light conditions. In terms of zoom performance, this is one of the best we have seen on a smartphone. Portrait snaps are very good as well, although sometimes the bokeh seems a little artificial and overdone (something that happens with most smartphone cameras these days).

Low-light photography is very impressive, too, especially if you stick to the main sensor (the telephoto can struggle a little). Processing times initially seemed a little long in night mode (Night Sight), but these have improved significantly since the Android 15 update. Video quality has improved significantly as well, although it is not on iPhone level (well, no one is). You also get the option to increase or decrease specific sounds in videos, so you can turn down ambient sound and turn up the sound of a person speaking if you wish. Videography is another area where the larger display of the Pixel 9 Pro XL makes a difference, as more display real estate lets you actually tweak and edit videos on the phone itself. This was again an area where the Pixel 9 Pro XL seemed much faster than the Pixel 9.

There are AI tools galore for those who want to get more out of their images and videos. The Add Me feature, which lets you add yourself to a group shot, is impressive on paper, but we got mixed results and found the whole process of taking a picture and then handing the phone over to someone to take another one a little tedious. Object removal remains extremely impressive, though, and one of the best we have seen. Zoom Enhance, which uses AI to fill in details into zoomed-in snaps, is also a little hit and miss – we sometimes got stunning results, and sometimes there was no discernible change. It is also worth mentioning that Google Photos works more smoothly on the Pixels than on phones from other brands.

All said and done, the rear cameras of the Pixel 9 Pro XL live up to the Pixel’s reputation for being among the best phone cameras out there. We did expect more from the selfie camera, though. It takes very good snaps but is not a huge improvement over its predecessor, in spite of the much higher megapixel count. The Vivo V series rules this zone at the moment.

Pixel 9 Pro XL battery life and charging: Better with Android 15, but charging remains slow

Battery life on the Pixel 9 Pro XL was middling initially. We were able to see off a day of normal use, which was acceptable but still relatively low compared to what we got from the likes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12 (post a few updates).

However, things have gotten significantly better with a few updates, and we have been getting close to a day and a half of usage from our unit. Mind you, charging speeds remain sluggish in comparison to the competition. The Pixel 9 Pro XL charges at 37W over a wired connection, and a 65W charger got it from 0 to 100 in about 80-85 minutes. That is nowhere near the “charge in half an hour” benchmark set by the OnePlus 12 and the Vivo X100 Pro and is actually even behind the 65-70 minutes it takes to charge the Galaxy S24 Ultra. That said, we got about 60-70 percent charge in about half an hour, which is very handy. Wireless charging remains a very disappointing 12W unless you are lucky enough to have a Pixel Stand, which takes it to 23W.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Pricing: Big bucks for the big Pixel

In India, the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes in two storage variants at these prices:

• 16 GB/ 256 GB: $1199 / Rs 1,24,999
• 16 GB/ 512 GB: $1319 / Rs 1,39,999

In the US, you also get 16 GB/ 128 GB variant for $1099 and 16GB/ 1 TB variant for $1549.

That is extremely premium pricing and puts it in the zone of some of the best smartphones in the world out there, including the iPhone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, both of which come with comparable cameras, good displays, and much more powerful processors. Those attracted to foldables might even consider the OnePlus Open, which is available for a little more, while camera freaks might be tempted to go for the likes of the Vivo X100 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which are available for under Rs 1,00,000 and boast very good cameras with big name tie-ups and also sport powerful processors and fast charging with chargers in the box for good measure.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Review Verdict: For AI and Camera-crazy Pixel fans

In our review, we had said that 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”. Well, the Pixel 9 Pro XL gives you the best seat in the house for the same purpose. The likes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12 might handle gaming better and also serve up better benchmark scores, but then this is a device for a very different segment – one that values the Pixel Android experience and also wants to stay up to speed with the latest on the platform.

If you are looking for a gaming and spec monster, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is not for you. If, however, you seek a future-proof device that serves up excellent AI features (which are likely to keep getting better) and very good photography, and that too with a classic Android interface, then the Pixel 9 Pro XL is very hard to beat. It is pretty much the Big Boss of the Pixel range. If you have the bucks and do not mind the size, we would totally recommend it over the Pixel 9 (and perhaps even the Pixel 9 Pro, although that one has not come in for review), as the extra RAM and bigger display do make a significant change in terms of performance.

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