Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review

21 August 2024


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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • xjH
  • 21 Aug 2024

Midrange pretending to be a flagship.

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    • PanRT
    • Mrn
    • 21 Aug 2024

    To wesker:
    But Tensor G4 on Pixel 9 series beat Apple And Samsung.
    Look here:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SucwT88p0 ... eck.net%2F
    Optimalization on Pixel is rly great And Apple With Samsung is bad trash.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • NUw
      • 21 Aug 2024

      Oof. Google blocking benchmark software during release so buyers have to purchase blind and uninformed.

      Tells you everything you need to know about this phone.

        You either die an Android or live long enough to become an iPhone.

        I would've been happier if Pixels had died with the fourth generation (the best imho).
        But instead we have this iPhone-looking, overpriced stale mess.

        No more interesting design, or dual tone finishes. iPhone frame and iPhone colors.
        Visor is gone, this ain't it.
        No more latest Android out of the box.
        No more pricing that reflects the inferior chipset inside.

        Because let's acknowledge it once and for all, the only reason Google went to Samsung foundries for Tensor, is money.
        The AI NPU thing is a marketing stunt, there's nothing TG4 can do that S8G3 couldn't.
        No one IN THE INDUSTRY wanted to buy the cursed Samsung chips, so Google got them at a great price, careless of the awful user experience we would have.
        Yesterday my Pixel 8 Pro required 130% (a top up from 0 to 30% at 5pm) of battery to get (painfully) from 8am to 8pm. Poor thing shutdown at 8:30. It's not what I did with the phone, it's the chip, consuming an enormous amount of power on IDLE. And TG4 isn't any different. With that chip onboard slow UFS 3.1 storage is the least of your problems.

        If you need a device you can rely on, don't get this.

        So yeah, I gladly would've seen Pixels going extinct after the fourth generation, considering what they've become : iPhone clones with an Exynos chip.

          The camera system is a disappointment, they need to upgrade the hardware and improve the algorithm. I preferred Galaxy's shots in most of the comparisons. The iPhone's is too green though. iPhone destroys everyone in video though. The competition has caught up with Google, and now they are behind. The Chinese camera flagships are in a completely difference category in terms of hardware.

          There were some video samples posted from Pixel 9 and it stuttered badly.

          SoC is a disappointment. As is 128GB as base storage, especially at that ridiculous price.

          Pixel 9 is an a series disguised. It should not cost more than €450
          Pixel 9 Pro should cost no more than €650 for 256GB.
          Pixel 9 Pro XL should be €750 for 256GB

          But if you want to buy a mid-ranger at a flagship price, go for it I guess.

            Great review as always. Thank you.

            I wonder how G4 compares with G3 in thermals and modem.

            ✌️

              Screens are getting too bright my S24 Ultra is bright enough we don't need retina searing brightness that kills battery too quickly and screen burns too quickly too

                Anonymous, 21 Aug 2024128gb is UFS 3.1, 4.0 always starts at 256gb.everyone knows that!! What I'm referring to is what is the version since 256, why is 3.1 not 4.0 here?

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • JHv
                  • 21 Aug 2024

                  jiyen235, 21 Aug 2024Insane display. Bright enough to be harmful indoors probabl... morePeople may not talk much on phones, but they do use mobile data, which uses cellular modem too

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • Tsr
                    • 21 Aug 2024

                    They reviewed phones with worse battery life and never mentioned it as a con.

                    Also the camera hardware is fine,

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • Tsr
                      • 21 Aug 2024

                      Anton .el PAPI., 21 Aug 2024The version of the internal memory, what is it? no one talk... more128gb is UFS 3.1, 4.0 always starts at 256gb.

                        Insane display. Bright enough to be harmful indoors probably LOL I respect the fact that they allow SUCH A HIGH brightness in manual mode. Good stuff. But wait, only 8 bit??? What in the world man, native gradient handling ain't gonna be that nice most likely especially in HDR videos.

                        The phone has improved battery, that's great. But it's sad that the Pixel 9 Pro XL can't even handily beat the small iPhone 15 Pro. Talktime isn't something that matters as most people don't talk enough to drain too much battery, web browsing and video streaming are the most important factors as that's basically all we do and Pixel takes a small W and a huge L here. Not to mention the better gaming numbers.

                        No Performance tests either, not allowing reviewers to benchmark is funny business. Isn't too confidence inspiring. If the performance isn't better or at least on par with the competition, then there's no reason for the phone to have poorer battery and still be justifiable. Just saw Mrwhosetheboss's stress test, its highest score is lower than last year's S23 Ultra's lowest score. OOF

                        Charging speed is better, that's good. It's on par with Samsung and that's all they needed to do. Pretty sure Samsung is gonna get faster sooner and then Google will be playing catch up again. But for now this is good enough for average folk.

                        Cameras just seem the same as before, nothing huge that's different. The one thing that deserves praise is the selfie cam. Google seems to be doing better than before and they're truly great shots, especially considering the super wide FOV.

                        So Pros : Better than before
                        Cons : Worse than everyone else and priced the same.

                        Whatever the case, this is just a poorer product than the competition. Worse battery and performance which'll lead to a hotter phone when doing the same tasks as the chip'll get pushed harder. If anyone wants the experience of a Google phone, last year's 8 Pro would be an infinitely better purchase if it can be found for less than 700 dollars. If anyone wants great auto mode shooting, Huawei is the king. Snappy software is something all phones provide and there's nothing inherently worth paying 300 dollars more than one should on this phone. AI features are great but again, you can just get a Oneplus 12 and buy a pixel 8a (with discounts) and you're good to go if you NEED them. Only thing that's worth anything here are the AI features and the display. Display is the undisputed best one if brightness is concerned. AI features can be easily replaced/alternatives can easily be found for them, usually higher quality as well.

                        Would've been quite a nice phone if it were sold for 900 dollars with 256 GB of storage. The Oneplus 12 would've been a completely inferior phone due to the better Google camera. But people usually think the S24 Ultra is worth comparing the Oneplus 12 to, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL doesn't stand a chance to that mid-monstrosity. Google can leech customers with 128 GB of storage all they want at 600-800 dollars but for 1100-1200 dollars they need to provide something that really makes them worth it. It's like selling a Porsche 911 at the price of a Ferrari F8. The 911 is amazing at its price but it isn't nearly as good as the F8. As someone who rides a Yamaha bike I understand how chassis tuning and engine tuning can change riding dynamics/fun and yeah, reviewers talking about the F8 being fun ain't joking.

                        TL;DR kinda yucky for the price.

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                          • ProMax Ultra
                          • CbK
                          • 21 Aug 2024

                          Marginal improvements here & there with slight fesign change compared to Pixel 8 Pro,Thats all about 9 Pro XL.
                          .

                          Pros-
                          *Looks clean.
                          *Display is superb.
                          *Stock android with 7 Year OS Updates.
                          *Not best but still overall dependable camera.
                          *Tons of AI Features for those who use them.

                          Cons-
                          *Tensor G4 performance is almost on par with 8+gen1(nearly 3 year old flagship) & the picture become more bleak when you consider that 8gen4,D9400,A18s are around the corner.
                          *Battery endurance is behind competition.
                          *Pixel UI is still plagued by frequent bugs & other stability issues.
                          *It seems pixel doesn't utilise its 5X tele cam during night shots, literally wasted potential.


                          Overall Pixel 8 Pro seems much better deal as its mostly same device & performance,all while being quite cheaper

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                            • Walter
                            • q%1
                            • 21 Aug 2024

                            Í not sure an increase in ultrawide resolution is a reason to downgrade screen size from 6.82+ that is available on phones 1/10th cost without invasive AI. That's my outsider thoughts on the premium phone and watch markets after researching them all this year lol. . I appreciate the value phones and they already have 50mp main cams with camera ai.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 0p}
                              • 21 Aug 2024

                              I do not know if this is because iphone uses HEIF as default, but my screen remains dim when I see 15pm photos but suddenly boosts brightness when I switched to photos of pixel and galaxy..

                              This can be problem to view on certain screens

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                                • Atmo
                                • jWa
                                • 21 Aug 2024

                                Benchmark software won't run on the reviewer firmware?

                                WTF?

                                I've never even heard of a company running a separate firmware for review units... Is this a common practice? It kind of makes you doubt whether you can trust anything in this review, as it apparently is running firmware that won't be on the retail version of the phone.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • gX{
                                  • 21 Aug 2024

                                  Wow that Max display brightness test

                                    Where's the macro with the ultrawide? Also, please compare the ultrawide's and the telephoto's results with the Pixel 8 Pro.

                                      The version of the internal memory, what is it? no one talks about it

                                        If I say anything the #TeamPixel police will come after me.

                                        At least the battery life is more than 12 hours!

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