I spent a day with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and here are my early impressions

Tall and wide but comfy in hand

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is surprisingly a compact smartphone, given a large 6.8-inch display. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The Pixel 9 Pro XL measures 6.4×3.0x0.3 inches and weighs 221 grams — taller and wider than average smartphones. The iPhone 15 Pro Max falls into a similar category of large-screen smartphones. However, I must admit that when I held the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it felt surprisingly compact. Although it’s still a large and wide phone with a 6.8-inch screen, the fit and finish, along with the flat, polished edges, made it comfortable to hold. Surprisingly, it fits nicely into my Levi’s pockets (front or back) as well as my chino shorts, which is refreshing. The device does feel sleeker than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I should mention that I’ve been using the phone without a case, and if used with the case, the device will be heavier. I recently moved to the iPhone 15 Pro (my relationship with big phones is complicated), but I believe I can handle the Pixel 9 Pro XL as well. Let’s see.

The device has an all-screen front, glossy stainless steel sides, and matte glass. Like the iPhone, a Pixel smartphone has a distinct look—and you know it’s a Pixel. I like how Google experiments with the camera module on the back of every new generation of Pixel devices. This time around, the camera bar is a pill-shaped oval that covers much of the back but doesn’t fully reach the side edges as it did on earlier Pixel models. The camera module’s design jumps out at you. The good thing is the camera design prevents the phone from wobbling when placed on a desk or table.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes in different colours, and I have been sent the Obsidian version. It’s an absolutely beautiful device, especially in black. Google claims the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a stronger build than previous Pixel phones. In the 24 hours I have used it, the device hasn’t slipped out of my hands; its rear has a good grip that helps prevent accidental drops.

The display is spectacular

I really liked the expansive, near-borderless 6.8-inch display on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

I watched the new season of Emily in Paris on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the near-absence of bezels on the 6.8-inch screen creates one of the most immersive visual experiences on the market. The OLED display is colourful, rich, and detailed. The reds, pinks, and greens light up the screen, and the colours pop beautifully. Since Emily in Paris is visually vibrant, the show looks stunning on the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s screen. The phone’s display also gets incredibly bright, with Google claiming it reaches 2,000 nits (HDR) and 3,000 nits (peak).

Temperature sensor is there, but Google is quiet about it

I was surprised to find a temperature sensor on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, especially since Google didn’t market the feature as prominently as they did for the Pixel 8 Pro (review). Instead of referring to it as a body temperature sensor, Google is calling it the object sensor on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The app doesn’t mention “body temperature,” likely due to the criticism the Pixel 8 Pro’s sensor received for inaccurate readings and its fiddly nature. I’m not sure if I’d ever use the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s sensor to measure the temperature of a coffee mug or a car windshield. But the temperature sensor is still there—though I can’t speak to its accuracy.

Apps load fast, but I am keen on how long the phone’s battery lasts

The Pixel 9 is all about the AI prowess and software. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

It’s hard to say much about performance from a few hours of use, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL appears to be as absurdly fast as advertised. Just in case, you are interested in knowing the specs, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has the G4 chip along with the Titan M2 security chip, which is used to secure biometrics and other sensitive data on the phone. Google has also improved the RAM across the Pixel 9 series, with the Pro models having 16GB (up from 12GB). The storage situation remains the same as last year, with the base model coming with 128GB of non-expandable storage.

In the short time I spent with the device, everything about this phone was fast, including switching between apps and watching videos. However, Android smartphones tend to slow down over time. As I use the camera and run demanding AI apps, I’ll be in a better position to evaluate how fast the Pixel 9 Pro XL really is. The same goes for battery life. My experience with battery life on Pixel phones hasn’t been the best. For someone like me, who is a demanding user, getting a full day of battery life on the Pixel 9 Pro XL (5060mAh) is what I expect. However, 5G connectivity and watching YouTube videos can drain the battery quickly.

Eyeing for the top camera system

The camera is surely one of the top features of the Pixel 9 Pro XL. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

As soon as the Pixel 9 Pro XL was delivered to my doorstep, I kept wondering when the rain would stop so I could step out and test the camera. That’s how excited I get about photography, and when it’s a new Pixel phone, I’m even more pumped up. For me, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera is both fun and useful without being complicated. Before I give you an overview of the Pixel 9 Pro XL camera, let me go through the camera tech specs:

• 50MP f/1.68 main camera with an 82-degree field of view.
• 48MP f/1.7 ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree field of view.
• 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, 30x Super Res Zoom, electrical and optical image stabilization, and multi-zone laser detect autofocus (LDAF) for quick focusing.
• 42MP selfie camera.
• 4K60 video capture, with the ability to scale up to 8K video recording through Video Boost

In my limited time with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I took a handful of pictures, and I can tell you that the details are noticeably clearer. This also applies to portrait mode and depth of field. You can see the camera samples below and decide for yourself.

People often ask me what I like about the Pixel’s camera, and for me, it isn’t just the image quality; it’s the ease of use and how naturally the camera captures the subject or backdrop. It’s a camera you use every day, not just on special occasions, and that’s the biggest difference between a Pixel camera and other smartphone cameras. Moreover, I can shoot photos and then edit them in various ways—and as a tech journalist who takes product shots every day, using the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a lot of fun.

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Pixel 9 Pro XL camera sample. (Image resized for web)

To be clear, I am still testing the Pixel 9 Pro XL and its camera, so stay tuned for a full review soon. However, at this moment, I am most excited about the AI features coming to the Pixel camera. I briefly tried Add Me, a new feature that allows you to add the photographer to a group photo for some added fun. I am particularly looking forward to trying Reimagine in Magic Editor, which lets you use text prompts to replace elements of an image using generative AI.

The AI is in your face

For me, the biggest story about the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the embedded AI features, which include both cloud-based and on-device artificial intelligence. While AI is perhaps the most used (and often abused) term in tech today, it’s the software that truly defines the Pixel 9 series. I have yet to try all the new AI features in the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but so far, I have explored Pixel Screenshots. This feature collects all your screenshots in one place, analyses them for images and text, annotates them with search results, and makes them searchable. This is a Pixel-exclusive feature. There is also a faster, improved Google Assistant, thanks to new models like Gemini 1.5 Flash. In the coming days, I will test Google’s version of ChatGPT’s voice chat, called Gemini Live. I am also looking forward to using Pixel Studio and Pixel Weather, both of which are not available on my review unit.

Early verdict

Although looks are subjective, I am a big fan of the design language of Pixel smartphones. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The Pixel 9 Pro XL feels different. It seems like a new device, even a new kind of smartphone from Google, based on my hands-on experience. And, of course, the phone comes at a higher price tag of Rs 1,24,999, which makes the Pixel 9 Pro XL even close to Apple’s high-end Pro Max series. The Pixel 9 Pro XL looks cool, I can’t wait to test it further myself.