Google Pixel 9 Pro review

20 September 2024


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Tensor G4 performing comparably to Kirin 9010 in terms of CPU and falling far behind Snapdragon 8gen2 in GPU is genuinely hilarious, given how expensive Pixel 9 Pro siblings are. Embarrassingly bad sustained performance (This needs to be emphasised because its peak performance isn't great to start with) is just the icing on the cake.

GSMArena, the 256GB model of S24 Ultra is currently sold at below 1.1K USD at the moment, are you really sure this upper-midrange phone somehow deserves 4.4 out of 5? Like, if anyone around me were trying to purchase this device without any discount, I would absolutely try my best to prevent them from doing so, because it's obvious that Google is overcharging people with this generation of Pixel.

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    • Anonymous
    • Brt
    • 20 Sep 2024

    BlahBlah, 20 Sep 2024Not a great chipset agree. But do i need more performance? ... moreCorrect, unless your a heavy gamer avoid..if not, a great phone for the majority.. if google had left their prices alone the 9 series could have been an home run but as you said, not for everyone.

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      • Anonymous
      • 0p}
      • 20 Sep 2024

      Qualcomm shareholds complaning againg about a phone that they will not buy.🙃

        Whatever spat went on between Samsung and Google, Google has had over 1 year with the benefit of AI to improve on the 9 Core Tensor G3 it did not

        Stay with me... Qualcomm would not name the Tensor G4, G4 as this is Octo core so doesn't follow the same architecture unless it just numeric 4 which should have been avoided

        This is where it gets bizarre, instead of developing the potential of a nine core SoC
        wait for it.... the Tensor G4 is the upgraded Exynos 2200 with the latest cortices
        1+3+4 see for yourself

        https://nanoreview.net/en/soc-compare/samsung-exynos-2200-vs-google-tensor-g4

        Either the G5 "reverts" to a nine core SoC, or Google do one of two things go fully Snapdragon FLAGSHIP! or use upgraded Octo core architecture. The Tensor G5 cannot be another under whelming SoC, chasing the performance of many mid rangers but costing more

        All in all the Tensor G4 ranks BELOW Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, so better than the Tensor G3. As an example you have to consider the price of the Google Pixel 9 fold SoC is not even 2022 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 $1899?

        There are two significant dates and significant announcements expected from Qualcomm, the first is between now and 23rd September 2024

        The second is the October announcement of the latest Snapdragon SoC. if as rumoured it is a 3nm SoC It WON'T be named Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, ONLY if it remains a 4nm SoC will it be called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 which is just a name of convenience

        Qualcomm has always changed the naming of it's SoC when the process changes 4nm to 3nm is that.

        Whilst I appreciate and no doubt many of us will benefit from A.I I simply do not understand how spoof features such as Best Take and Add me in.

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          • Anonymous
          • nFP
          • 20 Sep 2024

          David, 20 Sep 2024That camera bump ruins it for me, and the G logo which is s... moreThe camera visor is the best part imo. I love the hardware, it's just the software that lets it down.

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            • Anonymous
            • I8p
            • 20 Sep 2024

            BlahBlah, 20 Sep 2024Hey, just wanted to ask what do you do on your phone like d... moreI returned mine. The 9 pro xl was like a mirror outside. S24u is the best phone with the best screen.

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              • BlahBlah
              • Lec
              • 20 Sep 2024

              nion, 20 Sep 2024Damn, these RAM numbers are getting out of hand lol Ther... moreI think i red somewhere that out of 16GB of RAM it has only 13GB available as 3GB is reserved for AI tasks only. So, it has just 1GB of RAM more then in previous series but it sounds better on paper. Lol.

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                • BlahBlah
                • Lec
                • 20 Sep 2024

                Simon, 20 Sep 2024I'd give 3 at most. I can't say much about the ... moreHey, just wanted to ask what do you do on your phone like daily. My experience with Pixel 7 as my first Pixel ever was pretty good considering it cost me just 650€. And i compared it with the likes of S23 Ultra which is my work phone, my personal Xperia 1 V phone and previous OnePlus 7 Pro (which would be the perfect for me if only their cameras are any better... So, if you're after for a good and consisent camera results you can't go wrong with Pixel in contrast to these mentiones is by far the best. At least for me. That was actually my reasonings to go away from OnePlus and try Pixels and my expextations are achieved. I guess i'm not a demanding user because i see a lot of people not happy even with the new Pixel 9 series and i'm having a 9 Pro which is almost on par with S23 Ultra which already (by my standards) have a great battery life with 2 days of use (weekends not included, because of trips with kids yadda yadda..)

                Now, considering the battery and chipset efficiency, i'm not a heavy user, so basicaly using phones only for occasional shooting pics/vids and social apps. On weekends that can be sometimes a hard core use of the camera app, but that's i guess expected when you have two kids running around.

                Fyi; since you had OnePlus 10 as a previous phone, what made you try the Pixels?

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                  • nion
                  • pq{
                  • 20 Sep 2024

                  PureOS, 20 Sep 2024Terrible soc. Maybe worst thermal throttling ever classifie... moreAgreed. GSM Arena's reviews are the most biased thing on the internet.

                  Everything that Apple and Google make is top tier but Samsung is apparently sh*t lol

                  This phone got better rating than Galaxy S24+... which is stupid on so many levels lol

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                    • BlahBlah
                    • Lec
                    • 20 Sep 2024

                    Anonymous, 20 Sep 2024You couldn't pay me to use your smartphone with this S... moreNot a great chipset agree. But do i need more performance? No. So, obviously for some users it's not of an issue at all.

                    it's an issue only for those looking at the benchmark or perfomance in gaming. It depends what do you do on your phone. I'm not a power user and didn't have any issues with Pixel 7 in almost 2 years of use living in Dalmatia in Croatia, EU with moderate climate. It can be a little hot to touch if you're doing something intensive but nothing too different then other phones in house we have. Would i want to be on par with other competition efficiency wise? Sure! Do i need it right now? No.
                    Will i have my Pixel 9 Pro for 7 years to find out? No. I will buy another in aprox. 3 years and "the old" one i will pass to another family member.

                    This is just my angle so you tech gurus know that some users can be absolutely happy even with mid-range performing phone you payed for 1k €, because we cherish some other things or aspects on the phone. For example you and many fellow commentators can't coprehend the fact Pixel is a flagship device with out flagship performance and i get that. Many people just want the cheapest best performing phone out there and we have many options to choose from, especially Redmi and Poco. These are great performer, but what about other areas? Not so great right? But also, who cares. Buyers of Poco F5 will not cry over bad camera results. There is valid reason why Google went with Samsung 4 years ago and they will never use Snapdragon again, but that's apparently too hard to swallow for some.

                    So in conclusion. Sure, Tensor is not the best out there, not even by a long shot. But it offers Google to be unique in its field and what it has to offer in contrast to others. Do you personally care for that uniqness? If the answer is no i understand and respect your opinion, but it's the same regarding my opinion about perfomance in Tensor. It's not the greatest, but in the other hand i don't need it. I need a good and consistent camera results. Who knows, maybe my habits will change and i will be all in for a highest possible performing phone because say... My AI fancy stuff will not work. It's hard to swallow that big of a difference for that flagship price i know, but then again, i fricking buy'd the Xperia 1 V with its Snapdragon 8 gen 2 and with my habits they perform the same to me, but i liked Pixel 7 more as it gave better overall results not just from the main camera. It really really depends everything on you as a user and what do you expect.

                    Im really liking the Pixel 9 Pro so far and looking at my work phone the Galaxy S23 Ultra with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 i really can't see the difference in perfomance. But maybe i would if i play games which as mantioned earlier i don't. Battery life on 9 Pro is much better when Pixel 7 was brand new which was already a good enough for me through the day, so again, i don't have any issues regarding performance or efficiency, but i read a lot of people does, so i am aware Pixels are not for everyone.


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                      • David
                      • 3HZ
                      • 20 Sep 2024

                      That camera bump ruins it for me, and the G logo which is so bad as a design. Makes the whole phone look a lot cheaper than it actually costs.

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                        • Awh
                        • xpf
                        • 20 Sep 2024

                        Simon, 20 Sep 2024I'd give 3 at most. I can't say much about the ... moreyoure just mad for no reason

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                          • Anonymous
                          • LfV
                          • 20 Sep 2024

                          Anonymous, 20 Sep 2024Peak performance vs performance/power curveFor gpu: https://socpk.com/gpucurve/

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                            • Anonymous
                            • LfV
                            • 20 Sep 2024

                            [deleted post]Peak performance vs performance/power curve

                              Agree with all the comments here discussing the review score. It's very interesting because the actual review will drill down into all their findings but doesn't reflect the score at the end. This is also true of mid range and budget phones.

                              There is also no page on the website detailing how they score phones so we can see why they gave the score they chose.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • JH0
                                • 20 Sep 2024

                                Regarding my previous comment:
                                I am pretty sure that some 50 megapixel 2x, 10x, 30x photos are out of focus and would look significantly better if you tapped to focus. For example, the second 50 megapixel 2x photo is out of focus, the focus is on the tree.

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                                  • Simon
                                  • a4k
                                  • 20 Sep 2024

                                  I'd give 3 at most.
                                  I can't say much about the hardware, but from the outside, it looks like a cheap iPhone knock-off with plastic bezels.
                                  From OS perspective - it's like a beta release. "Adaptive brightness" should be called "Chopped brightness" because I've never seen brightness changing so NOT smooth. I am missing part of the buttons in quick controls. There are no options to select which icons should I see in the notification bar. So apps are buggy. I've already uninstalled THE SAME apps that I don't need 4 times, so far and I don't know why they are reappearing. There isn't even such a simple feature to select objects or text directly from the gallery and paste them where I need them...
                                  I really like the screen and ability to use face unlock as a biometric provider in all apps.
                                  Overall, if I could return it - I would've done it in the first 2 hours after using it.
                                  I feel like a huge step down from my old OnePlus 9.
                                  This is my first Pixel phone and it's a huge disappointment :(

                                    Good to know they have improved battery life but performance and specially their thermals is still awful. Let's see if they catch up with Tensor G5.
                                    Imagine those Pixels with an 8s Gen 3/7+ Gen 3. They would be so much better.

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                                      • L92
                                      • I21
                                      • 20 Sep 2024

                                      Most hideous portrait mode on market.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • JH0
                                        • 20 Sep 2024

                                        "The Pixel 9 Pro seems to be using binning at 10x to 30x zoom levels, as evidenced by the 2.5MP produced DNG files. If you choose the 50MP mode, binning won't occur. Even so, unless you are using the actual DNG files, we would shy away from using 50MP mode since the resulting JPEGs are decidedly softer."

                                        Thank you very much Gsmarena for reading my comment and writing this in the review.
                                        Yes, the 9 Pro never gives you more than 2.5 megapixel at 10x, if you don't use the 50 megapixel mode, whereas Pixel 7 Pro (11.4 megapixel dng file at 10x) and 8 Pro never use binning at 10x-30x, if the light conditions are decent. So the 9 Pro behaves very differently.

                                        When I tested the 9 Pro XL in the store, the aggressive noise reduction in the 50 megapixel mode at 15x was sometimes really bad, which doesn't make sense because the dng files are good and also doesn't make sense because 7 Pro,8 Pro don't have this issue without binning.
                                        Nonetheless there were many cases where I did get more true detail in the 15x jpgs of the 50 megapixel mode in comparison with the 12 megapixel 15x jpgs.
                                        And when one compares the dng files, there is no question what is better:
                                        The 15x dng files in the 50 megapixel mode are significantly better, though still a tiny bit worse than the 15x dng files of the Pixel 7 Pro.

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