Google Pixel 9 review

Google’s new Pixel 9 is here, and while the entire Pixel 9 series has a lot of ‘newness’ with a smaller Pro phone and a foldable, what we have with us today is the base Pixel 9. The newest entry in the realm of compact, premium flagship phones, the Pixel 9 comes with a slightly tweaked design, new AI powers and more. 

But at a starting price of Rs 79,999, the Pixel 9 directly competes with the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15. It’s also likely to compete with the soon-to-launch Apple iPhone 16. So, who exactly should be putting their flagship money on this phone? Let’s find out in our full review.  

Google Pixel 9 design

I have loved the design of the Pixel smartphones since the Pixel 6 series, and that’s largely because of the camera visor. While I personally liked the flatter, more rectangular camera visor, this new one with more rounded edges isn’t too bad either. It still helps you stand out from every phone today and offers small perks like your phone not wobbling when set flat on a desk. 

ALSO READ: How to buy the new Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro XL phones in India 

The Pixel 9 also comes with some cool colours to choose from, and while the white Porcelain variant we have looks regal, you can also go for the Obsidian variant for a stealthy look, or the Peony, if you like pink.  

The phone also feels great in the hand. It doesn’t weigh too much and is well-balanced. Coming to the Pixel 9 from my (much) larger iPhone 15 Pro Max has been a nice break from the usual hand gymnastics that has now become second nature to me. 

Google Pixel 9 display

The Google Pixel 9 sports a 6.3-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED display panel, which I loved for two main reasons – size and visuals. A 6.3-inch phone has me semi-convinced that this should be the new ‘compact’ flagship size. That’s because it’s barely bigger than a 6.1-inch device, like the iPhone 15, but packs that extra bit of battery life (which we will get to in detail later). 

The screen is good with colours, and bright enough to be used easily outdoors. I always appreciate an LTPO panel on a high-refresh rate phone and things are no different here. The scrolling is buttery smooth, but only when I need it to be. When I don’t, it saves the battery instead. 

Google Pixel 9 performance and software

The Pixel series comes with Google’s Tensor series of chips, and in the past three generations, Google has optimised these processors for day-to-day use. So, everything from some Instagram scrolling to casual games feels snappy.  

Switch over to some resource-heavy games like GTA San Andreas: Definitive Edition, or BGMI India and you still have some good, lag-free performance. It’s not quite the experience you’d get from a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 device, but for a phone that’s not primarily targeted at gaming, it does well.  

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

The Pixel 9 also comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is more secure than optical ones. In case you were worried about people fooling your fingerprint scanner, that’s one less pain-point for you now.

Other features like the microphone and the stereo speakers also performed as expected, and the phone doesn’t leave me feeling compromise on any front. 

This brings me to the software. For a Pixel phone, can software ever not be a win? Maybe it can’t. But I do have some nitpicks here. 

Yes, this phone comes with seven years of promised Android updates, which means you should be good to go till Android 21 (or whatever Google calls it at the time). Add the Pixel Feature drop updates and the clean stock Android feeling, and you have a winning formula here.  

Which is why this phone launching with Android 14 and not Android 15 was slightly disappointing to me. The launch of Google’s new phones would have made for the perfect stage for introducing the new Android version too. Getting Android 15 and then seven years of updates would also have pushed the phone to Android 22 instead of 21.  

For some added context, the Samsung Galaxy S24 which launched in January this year is seven months behind in terms of launch but will still offer the same software support as the new Pixel 9. It might be nitpicking, but if you are paying flagship money, you’d want all the flagship honey you could get out of it.  

Google Pixel 9 cameras

The highlight of most Pixel phones is the camera performance, and the Pixel 9 shines here. Pictures are pleasing to the eyes, and grab good amounts of detail, often even with quickly taken shots.

Night Sight also offers some good pictures in low-light scenarios. The ultrawide camera can get very wide, and usually manages to capture similar hues to the main camera. Photos generally have a HDR look-and-feel to them, which make them great for social media.

But things aren’t perfect. Some shots under direct sunlight also exhibited an extra-vibrant blue shade in the sky, which looked far from natural. While the Pixel camera app is very easy to understand, some UI elements could be better.

Setting the exposure for a shot also takes an extra couple of steps, with users first needing to tap a dedicated button on the bottom, instead of being able to swipe up or down on the focus circle – something you can do on many camera apps today.  

Google Pixel 9 AI features

I originally thought the AI features Google brags about should be a part of the ‘camera’ section of my review. However, Google’s AI abilities have moved far beyond now.

Features like Add Me, which lets you magically add the photographer into a group photo, and Reimagine, which turns your photo into a metaphorical blank canvas to paint on (with AI) are stunning features. This Lamborghini parked inside my office building was created with Reimagine.

They weren’t just gimmicks either. Both features worked well, with Add Me photos being so good, you couldn’t tell them apart from “real” group photos. Other features like ‘Best Take’ were already on Pixel phones and they too, work better than ever before.  

Pixel Studio, however, was a tool that I felt needs more work. While it’s great for working on custom banners, logos and designs, throw any image with a human face in it and the app’s policies refuse any modification – a pity given most edits I wanted were poorly taken pictures of myself on vacation.  

Google Pixel 9 battery life and charging

The Pixel 9 offered stellar battery life, which says something about the rather compact smartphone. I only charged the smartphone twice fully (and a couple more times in parts) while using it for about a week, and the phone would drain very slowly, except for when games or videos were up on the phone.  

I did wish the Pixel 9 had faster wired charging speeds though. While 45W would have been enough, the phone only supports this speed with Pixel’s own charger (as per Google’s website), and charging the phone with my CMF 65W GaN charger did feel slower than 45W. I managed to get the phone from 6 per cent to 100 per cent in an hour and 47 minutes in a timed charge, so a full charge would have been slightly under the two-hour mark.  

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the Google Pixel 9?

The Pixel 9 is a premium, compact smartphone that brings the best of many worlds. From good cameras to clean software, to a premium design – it ticks all the boxes you’d want it to tick.

At its price, the phone is undoubtedly set to be compared to the iPhone 15, but if what you’re looking for is most of the premium polish of the iPhone with the flexibility and open-ness of Android, the Pixel 9 should be your next phone.  

For this reason, we rate the Google Pixel 9 4.5/5. 

Of course, those who demand more from their cameras and batteries also have the Pixel 9 Pro XL to consider. Stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for a detailed review of the larger, more powerful Pixel 9 phone.