Google Pixel 9 Pro XL in for review

This is the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the successor to the Google Pixel 8 Pro, which was the largest member of the 8 series. There's also a smaller Pro this year, but that's coming to the market in September. So let's unbox this one.

This year's Pixels ship in a recycled paper box with a sleeve. There's a USB-C cable in the box and that's that.

We also have the €40 official Pixel 9 case, which is available in six colors. It fits perfectly snug on the phone, especially around the camera bar. Upfront it isn't too intrusive. It's a soft silicone but it doesn't turn out your pocket when you take the phone off like some cheap ones do.

The official Pixel 9 Pro XL case

Google chose flat to be the theme with the Pixel 9 phones - flat glass front and back and flat sides. The frame is a polished metal that picks up fingerprints in no time but looks posh and premium.

We have the Porcelain Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is a slightly muddy white color.

Here's the Pixel 9 Pro XL next to the regular Pixel 9. This is also the size difference between the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the new, smaller Pixel 9 Pro, since that has exactly identical dimensions to the vanilla 9.

But no matter how they appear in photos, neither of these phones feels truly small. And at just 2g short of 200g for the Pixel 9 and 221g for the Pixel 9 Pro XL, neither phone feels light either. They both feel sturdy and well-made, just not featherweight!

Google Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL

The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a faster Tensor G4 chipset and now ships with whopping 16GB of RAM. It has an ever-so-slightly bigger display (0.1") too. The camera system is very similar to last year's Pixel 8 Pro - but the ultrawide angle camera has a significantly brighter lens, and the selfie shooter sounds like a big upgrade at 42MP.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL