Google Pixel 9 Pro XL early impressions

It’s the season for premium flagship smartphones, and it can’t get any bigger (literally speaking) than Google’s latest Pixel 9 Pro XL. This premium phone has launched in India with prices starting from Rs 1,24,999, and having spent some time with it, here are our Google Pixel 9 Pro XL early impressions.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL design

Let’s get the obvious thing out of the way first, this XL-sized Pixel phone is big. So big that its dimensions slightly edge past even the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. Having said that, at no point does the phone feel unwieldly.

The back panel gets a silky matte glass back that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – and Google is offering a range of classy colour options, namely Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, and Rose Quartz. Having used all the colours, I feel the Porcelain variant looks the most regal of the lot.

ALSO READ: Evolution of the Pixel series: Every ‘all-Google’ phone ever made

Adding to classy looks is a satin polished finish metal frame on the sides. While it looks great, we did find it a tad too eager to attract fingerprints. The usual volume rocker and power button are placed on the right, while the SIM card slot, charging port and speaker grille are at the bottom.

It’s also difficult not to notice the massive camera bump above the ‘G’ logo. While on paper, the camera specs (aided by AI) are great, you can’t help but be reminded of Bender from Futurama when looking at the camera bump.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL key specifications

The front of the phone is dominated a large 6.8-inch edge-to-edge screen, with the symmetry broken by a small centre-punch hole that houses the front camera.

The 6.8-inch OLED display features Quad HD+ resolution with support for 120Hz variable refresh rate, and up to 3,000 nits of brightness. The latter makes the display really bright whether you’re indoors or outdoors. The whole screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. There’s also an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is fairly accurate and quick to unlock the phone.

Under the hood is Google’s own Tensor G4 chipset, which is more than capable of handling daily tasks and much more with ease. Along with the chip is 16GB of RAM, and two storage options – 256GB and 512GB. Out of the box, the phone runs Android 14. While it isn’t the latest, Google has promised seven years of OS updates along with the usual set of feature drops and security updates.

Photography is usually a Pixel phone’s strong suite, and things don’t seem to be much different this time around. At the back is a triple camera setup, which includes a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide camera with macro mode, and a 48MP telephoto camera. Up front, hidden in the punch hole is a 42MP selfie camera.

Pixel’s cameras are not just about the hardware, but also strong software and AI magic. This time there are a bunch of new AI features like Add Me, which we cannot wait to try out and share our thoughts.

Lastly, the large size also allows Google to pack a bigger battery. This time, there’s a 5,060mAh battery powering the phone, which supports 45W wired fast charging with Google’s own charger, along with wireless charging.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL early impressions

There’s a lot to like about the new Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from its design to the feature-heavy package. Those who prefer their phones to be big, there’s a new option in the market which is as premium as phones can get. But is it worth the Rs 1,24,999 price tag? We will answer that and more in our detailed Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review. So, stay tuned!