Google Pixel 9 series hot take

17 August 2024
Google made a bigger event that's also two months early!

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Darth Caesium, 20 Aug 2024Still thicker than that 5.5mm that the iPhone 15 Pro has. B... moreHmm... I got your point. But reducing the bezels beyond a point becomes increasingly difficult and might have some cost implications too. Also, very minimal bezels might increase the risk of display damage in case of side impact. I find something around 6mm to be a good balance between aesthetics and practicality.

    RaviSS, 20 Aug 2024Pixel 9 Pro doesn't have very thick bezels. The phone ... moreStill thicker than that 5.5mm that the iPhone 15 Pro has. But, I digress, my comment wasn't saying that those bezels were thick in the first place.

      Darth Caesium, 18 Aug 2024The thing is, I'm fine with a 6.30" display if it... morePixel 9 Pro doesn't have very thick bezels. The phone width subtracted by the display width comes out to be around 6.3mm. For comparison, the corresponding numbers for Iphone 15 Pro is 5.5 mm and Iphone 15 is 6.5mm.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • JH0
        • 20 Aug 2024

        Anonymous, 18 Aug 2024"Google made its premier flagship meaningfully better ... moreI don't like that Google says absolutely nothing about the Pixel 9 Pro's 10x-30x zoom algorithm in the default 12 megapixel mode because they completely changed it as I explained. The official specs still state "optical quality" at 10x, but this doesn't make sense because analog pixel binning is used.
        But it's actually not surprising as they even lied about the 42 megapixel selfie camera.

        I guess, silence speaks louder than words...

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • vaS
          • 19 Aug 2024

          WeirdPasta, 19 Aug 2024If a gain of about 2mm feels big, your wife deserves all my... moreA 6.7" diagonal is like being late by 50 minutes while a 6.3" diagonal is like being late by 15 minutes, which is not as late but late nonetheless.

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            • WeirdPasta
            • YUU
            • 19 Aug 2024

            If a gain of about 2mm feels big, your wife deserves all my respect... TD;DL, Cool hardware, cool software, but hot chipset and struggling to beat a 2 years old SD gen 2. That might be the main selling point though, some people might like it weak and uncompetitive.

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              • Gandalfdenvite
              • 38F
              • 19 Aug 2024

              Flat design with too sharp edges make most new phones today very uncomfortable in the hand, BAD design!

                Anonymous, 18 Aug 2024For reliably reviews I tend to go to small name YouTubers t... morebased

                  Wesker, 18 Aug 2024Cope much ?coping about what? A relative of mine uses a Pixel 7, literally doesn't care about updates. I use an S22U, literally don't care about updates. A lot of people I know use iPhones, updates nuke battery. I'm just saying these updates aren't enough anymore for people to stick to Google or Samsung or even Apple. Others are providing such good hardware for the money they're always a better buy.

                  Basically all I'm saying is if a phone were to be considered great cus of its update policy, it also needs to at least be great on its own merits for the price. The S24 Ultra and the Pixel 8 Pro were compared with the Oneplus 12 by nearly everyone, but if price were accounted for then they'd have been compared with the X100 Pro.

                  The smartphone market for the average person has completely stagnated, I used to feel FOMO each year back in the day. Now it's been two years with my S22U and I feel like I should continue using it for a decade, the new phones are only worth it if they get a 50% discount.

                    The base Pixel 9 has glossy frame, glossy back, no LTPO, no telephoto, 128GB, UFS3.1 which are ridiculous at this price.

                    You would think that Google, with its vast data collection, would know better what customer wants.

                    But then, the $1000 iPhone 15 has similar crappy spec.

                      jiyen235, 18 Aug 2024android versions have become nothing more than a cosmetic c... moreCope much ?

                        RaviSS, 18 Aug 2024I think the decision to go with large display of Pixel 9 wa... moreThe thing is, I'm fine with a 6.30" display if it is surrounded by very thin bezels. What I'm not fine with is a 6.34" display with the bezel thickness that the Pixel 9 Pro has. It should be doable to reduce the size of the phone like this, no? And if not, then they could always slightly increase the thickness, since the difference between 8.5mm and 8.9mm is not really perceivable to the end user. It doesn't even have to be 8.9mm, anything in between these two values is fine.

                        For the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the problem is that the bezels are thick, and the hinge is also VERY thick. Reducing both of these would've allowed them to stick the Pixel 9 Pro XL's display, if they had to keep the phone's dimensions the same. I mean, it would be a uniquely large cover display on a foldable, which could be a marketable niche.

                          Darth Caesium, 18 Aug 2024My hot takes: 1) The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro should'... moreI think the decision to go with large display of Pixel 9 was a bit forced. Pixel 9 pro fold has the exact same 6.29" 1080x2424 front panel. Using the same panel enables cheaper cost due to economies of scale. And it is reasonable to assume that Google didn't want to make the Fold any smaller.

                          As far as 9 pro is concerned, it would have been difficult to incorporate a periscope telephoto camera in very compact dimension. Even Iphone 16 pro is going to grow larger to 6.3" to accommodate a periscope telephoto. With a 6.32" size (and by reducing bezels slightly), Google is able to extract even more economies of scale by using the same form factor for both 9 and 9 pro.

                          From a product development perspective, I can't find fault with this approach. Though as a user, I would have preferred more compact dimensions. That's one of the reasons I went ahead and got the Pixel 8 when it became clear that Pixel 9 was going to grow in size.

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                            • Anonymous
                            • I@H
                            • 18 Aug 2024

                            Anonymous, 18 Aug 2024You do not understand. Does not matter if phone is $700 or... more"Not having to pay more for stuff they do not need." Would you get the 128gb instead of 256gb if they're the exact same price, so no additional cost for you, and would you expect the rest of the world to choose 128gb too? Because that's the whole point: at this price, there should be more storage.

                              Am I the only one who thinks P9 is better buy than P9 PRO at current prices?

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                                • Anonymous
                                • 0p}
                                • 18 Aug 2024

                                jiyen235, 18 Aug 2024idk if you're actually this dense or if you don't... moreYou do not understand. Does not matter if phone is $700 or 1200.
                                It is about having more options for users. Not having to pay more for stuff they do not need.

                                My phone has a 128gb variant as well , but not available here. I would surely get this one if it was possible. Everyone knows that brands charge at least $50/€50 more from 128 to 256GB. Some even $100/€100. And if you are from somewhere with currency weak compared to dollar/euro, then $100 is huge money.

                                I once had flagship. Why?
                                Better design, better internet, better screen , it was 4G back then when 4G was only on flagships, stereo speakers ( that galaxy s and iphone did not have yet) , better external materials, 4k video and ip rating.
                                Does not mean I need to fill entire storage of my phone.

                                If 128gb is enough to me, why paying for 512?
                                If 256gb was what I needed, then why paying for 512?

                                Making 256 or 512gb the base based on how much phone costs, just takes options away from clients.
                                There are people with $800 phones that use no more than 80gb, while there are ppl with $300 phones that use 100gb and have micro sd card of 512gb in there.


                                It is convenient to phone makers because storage is cheap to them, then they charge 5x more from us.

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                                  • Nik Name
                                  • 3CR
                                  • 18 Aug 2024

                                  Have they at last put the shutter release to the left (volume rocker) like most phones, where normal humans can reach it?

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                                    • ithehappy
                                    • Dky
                                    • 18 Aug 2024

                                    1. Lacklustre tensor chip in terms of performance, thermal throttling etc. Immediate move to tsmc chip is urgent.
                                    2. Brick-like weight. Almost 200 gms? Seriously? It should be around 180 gms max.

                                    Fix the above and you have a phone worth considering. At present state, only fools like me who cares for camera and camera alone bothers with a pixel phone.

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 0p}
                                      • 18 Aug 2024

                                      Hikari, 18 Aug 2024Thank you for pointing it out. I hate when people say "... morePro Max sells significant % more than non-max.
                                      Considering how many iphones are sold, this number is not small.

                                      The 2023 ranking:

                                      14 pro max with 16,7% more than 14 pro.
                                      15 Pro Max with 21,4% more than 15 Pro.

                                      Source is Counterpoint.

                                      Anyway. Pixel 9 Pro and XL just prove brands give better stuff to larger phones bevause they want to. Smaller battery inside smaller phones can save space enough to avoid nerfing cam system. Doing that is just to save money.

                                        Darth Caesium, 18 Aug 2024Well said. The only reason why I'm complaining is that... moreYeah I get it, compact phones are kinda gone now and the 15 Pro is the only true compact phone out there alongside the Pixel 9 Pro because it's a top tier flagship. Unlike the S24 which is on par with a V40 Pro at best.

                                        And yeah man, at this point people who like compact phones have the idea of "beggars can't be choosers". Top brands don't understand that people don't buy compact phones outside of the 15 Pro not because they don't like compact phones, but because they usually come with compromises. Additionally, the iPhone 13 mini didn't work out cus it was too small I'd say, there's only a small number of people who are into truly small phones, nearly everyone is content with the Pro I'd say cus yk it's super small compared to the Pro Max.

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