Google Pixel 9 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

We wouldn't exactly call the Pixel design language subdued or mundane. The long end-to-end "visor" camera island might be gone in this generation, but the camera island design still somehow screams "Pixel". Props to the Google for pulling that off.

This year's Pro and non-Pro models have a remarkably consistent design, but they have some differentiating factors too. The Pros are matte on the back side and glossy on the frame, while the vanilla models are the opposite - matte on the frame and glossy on the back. It reminds us of how the iPhones used to be in the 13 and 14 series.

On the Pro, neither material is particularly easy to keep clean. The Pixel 9 Pro is a fingerprint magnet. It is also quite slippery, with little to no grip without a case.

The camera island protrudes quite a bit- so much so that it makes the phone wobbly on a flat surface. On the plus side, the camera island is centered, which makes for good visual appeal.

The €40 Pixel cases that Google offers might help to ease off the subjective camera bar protrusion if it gets in your way.

The camera area is rather large as well. It is the defining feature of the entire design. It contains the laser emitter, receiver, and three cameras - a 50MP primary, a 48MP ultrawide and a 48MP 5x telephoto. They are followed by a metal surface that houses the LED flash and the thermometer sensor.

The overall design is definitely reminiscent of Apple's current look of choice. The frame, the angles and curves, combined with the mostly flat sides, the materials and finishes. Some inspiration has been taken, which is not bad in our book.

Speaking of materials, the Pixel 9 Pro not only looks the part but also feels like it as well. It has a very premium bill of materials. The frame is made of aluminum, and the device's back and front are Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels.

The Pixel 9 Pro has IP68 ingress protection, like the vanilla and the Pro XL.

The Pixel 9 Pro is available in four different colors. There is Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel and the one we have - Obsidian.

The front of the Pixel 9 Pro is a lot less recognizable than its back. The phone still looks very premium from the front. The punch hole for the selfie is reasonably small, considering the fairly large upgraded 42MP selfie camera. The display bezels have been shaved down for this generation. The Pixel 9 Pro has around an 87.6% screen-to-body ratio.

The earpiece/front speaker outlet is incredibly thin, and it is quite impossible to see it with the naked eye. Some sensors are hidden under the top part of the display.

Google has opted for an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner this year for the whole ninth series, and it works great. The sensor is placed underneath the screen, in the bottom half, but not too low - a perfect spot, some might say. It's super-fast and flawless in its operation.

The Pixel 9 Pro has a SIM tray at the bottom, next to the USB port and the second speaker. It can take just a single nanoSIM card. For Dual SIM functionality, there is eSIM support.

The left-hand side of the phone is mostly empty, except for a couple of antenna lines. Those are also present on the right frame, along with the power button and volume rockers. These are well-positioned height-wise and also nice and clicky. However, we should point out that, unlike most phones with the volume rocker above the power button, the buttons are the other way around, which does take some getting used to.

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The top frame houses a secondary noise-canceling microphone, a singular antenna line, and a plastic insert right next to it, which, we can only imagine, facilitates some internal antenna communication through the otherwise metal middle frame.