Google Pixel 9 review

23 August 2024


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The way Google handled the Pixel 9 series reminds me of something they said in their 2024 environmental report. Google said “As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging.” And I think that’s the problem with Google and the Pixel 9. Google won’t use more power efficient small language models, and they’ll never take a second and seriously consider if every single part of your phone really needs an AI feature. I bet 99 percent of people already love Google assistant, and replacing it with an AI chatbot wouldn’t be helpful at all to them. But Google doesn’t care. Google doesn’t care about the artists and other creatives that Gemini will replace, and they sure don’t care about the stories and the lives and the experiences behind the art the Gemini will replace either.

It’s not just about AI though. Google doesn’t care about making their phones last longer. Google doesn’t care about making sure the materials used to make their phones are ethically sourced. Google doesn’t care about making their phones easier to repair for the people who can’t afford or don’t want to buy a new device. And worst of all, Google doesn’t care about the people who have died because of cloud services that Google sold to apartheid regimes where human rights are an afterthought.

Google never cared about their users. Google never cared about artists. Google never cared about the planet. Google never cared about creating a circular economy. Google never cared about human rights. Google never cared about anyone or anything that gave them the resources they used to amass such wealth and power. You might think that all Google cares about is making their stock price go up, but even that’s not good enough for them. Google needs to keep growing their company exponentially to make their shareholders happy, and any consequences of that are problems for the next quarter.

So I don’t care about the Pixel 9, and I’m not really sure Google cares about it either. And honestly you’ll probably be able to find one used for like half the price in a few months.

    A lack-lustre review for a lacklustre cameraphone. Here, like reviewers everywhere, I begin to get bothered: Google, Apple & Samsung are among the wealthiest companies on the planet. Their software excellence in Google's case allows us to look at ourselves from space (allegedly...). All ARE capable of providing: perfect 4K video with LUTs, Panoramas at 8K res from both the Main & Ultrawide cameras, headphone sockets with state of the art Dacs, & editing softwares capable of bringing out the best of what each of their phones is capable of.
    But STILL we read that the Pixel 9 4K video is poor, & that the ultrawide is unsharp into the corner areas. And that this Pixel 9 is denied Pro software features such as the ability to record a still image at 48MP in jpeg and RAW.
    And my fuss is because 12MP is not enough resolution at all these days when at 1:1 on a 5K Mac, for example, the images are TINY, and when you enlarge them full-screen they fall apart, because we are not all still using HD monitors now, & I fail to see the point of seeing the need by providing 4K video whilst retaining the same 12MP resolution of my Nokia N8 from 15 years ago.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 0Uc
      • 25 Aug 2024

      Anonymous, 24 Aug 2024But does 7 Gen 3 have Gemini Nano, live translation, comput... more7+ Gen 3 > Tensor G4
      Cry more

        Anonymous, 24 Aug 2024But does 7 Gen 3 have Gemini Nano, live translation, comput... moreI wasn't satisfied with the performance of the 7 Pro and I have switched to the S23U.
        Never even considering buying another Pixel until it finally catches up with the competition.
        Samsung's software works pretty well, btw. Now if OneUI 7 fixes the laggy animations as it's rumoured to do and they keep improving the picture treatment of the camera, it'll be almost perfect

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • m51
          • 25 Aug 2024

          Anonymous, 24 Aug 2024But does 7 Gen 3 have Gemini Nano, live translation, comput... morePixel 9 ships with Android 14, not 15 😂🤪

            Nick Tegrataker, 25 Aug 2024I refuse to believe that this isn't a rage bait. If no... morestuff like this isn't funny anymore to me, it's just sad. I'm disappointed by how easily the average person is willing to pay more for something they don't need and shun others who might need something but don't get it. I assure you, if the Pixel 9 was sold as a Pixel 9 Pro XL these people would still find ways to defend it.

            The marketing (propaganda) of these companies has worked perfectly, people just switch off their brains and buy the most mundane, cash grabbing pieces of tech.

              Anonymous, 24 Aug 2024But does 7 Gen 3 have Gemini Nano, live translation, comput... moreI refuse to believe that this isn't a rage bait. If not then it would be a cringe that reads..

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • PZT
                • 25 Aug 2024

                Anonymous, 24 Aug 2024You've literally never used #TeamPixel and can't ... moreI can't afford the embarrassment of paying 1k for a phone that should be 500.

                IPhone SE's got a good chip, everything else is very far behind. Plus low ram dooms iPhones. Notice only iPhone 15 doesn't get all the AI stuff due to low ram.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • Jvg
                  • 24 Aug 2024

                  Anonymous, 24 Aug 20247g3 vs Tensynos 4 Speed: 7g3 Battery: 7g3 Modem ... moreYou've literally never used #TeamPixel and can't even afford it. Imagine paying $500 for the Scamdragon 7 Gen 3 when it falls far behind the more modest Apple Bionic chipset. The affordable iPhone SE4 will blow away all the competition in any price range with Scamdragon.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • Jvg
                    • 24 Aug 2024

                    Anonymous, 24 Aug 20247g3 vs Tensynos 4 Speed: 7g3 Battery: 7g3 Modem ... moreBut does 7 Gen 3 have Gemini Nano, live translation, computational photography, artificial intelligence, 7 years of updates, Android 15 from day one? Enjoy your feature-free Scamdragon with zero years of updates and mediocre cameras. Longevity is not an issue for #TeamPixel and customers are satisfied with the performance.

                      jiyen235, 24 Aug 2024yeah but price IS part of a product. Price and product aren... moreThis is true and you're right. The normal Pixel 9 is basically an overpriced mid range phone. You would get better value just buying a Pixel 8 Pro for cheaper instead.

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

                        7g3 vs Tensynos 4

                        Speed: 7g3
                        Battery: 7g3
                        Modem signal : 7g3
                        Fab: 7g3
                        Heat : 7g3
                        Usability: 7g3
                        Longevity: 7g3
                        Durability: 7g3

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 0Uc
                          • 24 Aug 2024

                          I'm starting to believe that those benchmark numbers are lower than what the G3 accomplished...

                            Minu, 24 Aug 2024Couldn't have said it better, because the dated Galaxy... moreAt least without the rainbow design. That is too flashy.

                              janeymac, 24 Aug 2024Don't think they're bad phones really apart from ... moreyeah but price IS part of a product. Price and product aren't different. If you separate the price then the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an amazing product but at the price it is sold? It's only barely acceptable.

                              I was talking about these phones being bad FOR THE PRICE ofc. If the Pixel 9 were sold at 500-650 dollars it'd be a banger.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0Uc
                                • 24 Aug 2024

                                Next!

                                  Xiaomi 14 better choice

                                    I personally think this vanilla Pixel 9 is the phone to buy in 2024/25. It also cost less than the Pro and XL. The most important thing is its not slippery as the Pro and XL according to this review. The specs are not much different to Pro and XL. It also has a better battery life. And I am already in awe of the Obsidian color of the vanilla Pixel 9. The Obsidian on Pro and XL sucks, and looks dull due to the black Googe logo and camera bar.

                                      Just get back here because I m so annoyed even without benchmark they could have put some description about performance out of the all the reviews this site has done this is the worst biased one

                                        alski10, 23 Aug 2024I've just read an article from Androidauthority where ... moreBecause it's a slightly overclocked version of the G3.
                                        There's nothing new or good about the processor.