Final 12 months, I was emphatic that my time with Pixel telephones was over as a result of Google had introduced it was planning to inject even extra AI “goodness” into Android. I noticed that as a possibility to leap ship.

My aim was to purchase the Nothing Cellphone 3. Then, as destiny would have it, Nothing CEO Carl Pei introduced that his firm was (*9*), and the subsequent Nothing Cellphone would leverage the know-how in methods no different gadget had.

Foiled once more.

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Shortly after, I regarded into the Pixel 9 Pro series, which Google has made clear it is critical about returning the “flagship” moniker to the lineup. As an alternative of questionable design decisions for the {hardware} (like the unpleasant digital camera hump, too-slick glass, and oddly-beveled edges), Google opted for a classier look.

The corporate succeeded.

I positioned my order, traded in my Pixel 8 Pro, and obtained a whopping $700 in credit score. I sat again and waited. A few weeks later, my pink Pixel 9 Pro arrived. As quickly as I unboxed it, my first thought was, “Now this is a flagship gadget.” 

The construct high quality is stellar, the look is gorgeous, and the really feel is nice — and that was all earlier than I switched the cellphone on.

The very first thing you may discover with the Pixel 9 is the flat edges, which give the cellphone a really polished look. Virtually talking, these flat edges make the Pixel 9 Pro exponentially simpler to choose up.

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This was one in all my massive complaints with the Pixel 8 Pro. When the Pixel 8 cellphone is on a flat floor, it may be laborious to choose up with any confidence. Due to the slick floor, the cellphone is susceptible to slide from between my fingers. Not that dropping a cellphone a couple of inches to a desk floor would injury the gadget, nevertheless it’s definitely irritating.

That concern is not any extra. The Pixel 9 Pro is much simpler to choose up.

Past the really feel of all of it, the Pixel 9 look is simply spot on. Sure, it’s extremely iPhone-like, however I do not see that as a foul factor. There is a purpose why Apple has caught to the same chassis design… as a result of it really works, and it screams “I’m a flagship gadget!”

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Additionally, the digital camera hump is a lot nicer. On the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro, the digital camera hump made the cellphone look low-cost. It virtually appeared “unintended.” Now? The digital camera hump seems to be intentional in design, and it matches the look and really feel of the gadget a lot better than in earlier iterations.

Lastly, the measurement of the Pixel 9 Pro is ideal. It’s kind of shorter than the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro, which implies it is simpler to make use of with one hand. 

Organising my Pixel (from an older mannequin)

Usually, when transferring information from one Pixel to a different, you are prompted to attach the telephones through a USB-C cable and permit the information to switch (a course of that may take a while). With the Pixel 9 lineup, it is all completed through Bluetooth, and it is surprisingly quick and simple. I would go as far as to say that is the easiest and quickest switch from one Pixel to a different that I’ve skilled (and I’ve been doing this since the early Pixel days).

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After all, not the whole lot transferred. By way of credentials, solely my Gmail account was mechanically added. I needed to enter different app logins manually. That is to be anticipated, and I did not thoughts having to log again into sure apps and add my non-Gmail accounts.

My expertise

Ever since the Pixel 6 Pro, I’ve discovered Google’s prime cellphone’s efficiency excellent. The Pixel 9 Pro takes this up a notch, and lastly, Android can actually exhibit animations on par with iOS. Every little thing is buttery clean, and apps launch immediately. Scroll by the App Drawer, and you not expertise stutters and jumps. 

The show of the Pixel 9 Pro is nothing wanting unimaginable. Usually, I swap off the Ambient Show characteristic as a result of the show tends to get a bit too darkish. On the Pixel 9 Pro, I have but to really feel the have to shut off that characteristic. Positive, the show adjusts to the smallest change in ambient gentle, nevertheless it by no means will get too dim to see clearly. 

If I manually regulate the brightness all the approach up, it is very vibrant. In truth, that is the first cellphone I’ve used the place I thought the show at full brightness was virtually too vibrant. Pictures have extra depth and readability when displayed on the Pixel 9 Pro.

The night time earlier than final, I forgot to place my cellphone on the charger in a single day. When I awoke the subsequent morning and noticed it on my desk, the share of the remaining battery was 76%. As an alternative of putting it on its cradle so it might cost, I determined to make use of it and wait till my ordinary time (round 6 PM — I prefer to utterly disconnect at the finish of the day) to set it on the Pixel stand.

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By the finish of the day, the cellphone was at 50%. Granted, I’m not on my cellphone continually all through the day however, even so, that is spectacular. It is not any type of battery benchmark that I might actually go by, however realizing the cellphone can go with out an in a single day cost and the battery barely budges an inch downward is a reasonably good indication that this cellphone will greater than go the distance.

Backside line (for now)

It is early in my relationship with the Pixel 9 Pro, however I’m able to proclaim that Google has lastly created a Pixel cellphone worthy of the flagship title. I cannot wait to see how Android 15 will run on this child as a result of it runs like a champ on my Pixel 7 Pro.

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