Google Pixel 9 Pro Review | A Compact Powerhouse with Flagship Features

This is the Google Pixel 9 Pro, a new compact flagship from Google. If you’re looking for a smaller phone with all of Google’s top features, the Pixel 9 Pro might be worth checking out. Let’s see what it’s all about in my full review.

Google Pixel 9 Pro | Full Specifications

NETWORK
Network	GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G
BODY
Dimensions	152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm (6.02 x 2.83 x 0.33 in)
Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame
SIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
Water Proof	IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
DISPLAY
Type	LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
Size	6.3 inches
Resolution	1280 x 2856 pixels, 20:9 ratio
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Always-on display
MAIN CAMERA
Triple	50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/1.31″, 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/2.8, 113mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55″, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 48 MP, f/1.7, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, dual pixel PDAF
Features	Multi-zone Laser AF, LED flash, Pixel Shift, Ultra-HDR, panorama, Best Take, Zoom Enhance
Video	8K@30fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR
Front Camera
Single	42 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF
Features	Auto-HDR, panorama
Video	4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps
Platform
OS	Android 14, up to 7 major Android upgrades
Chipset	Google Tensor G4 (4 nm)
CPU	Octa-core (1×3.1 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4×1.92 GHz Cortex-A520)
GPU	Mali-G715 MC7
SOUND
Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack	No
Memory
Card slot	No
Internal	128GB 16GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM UFS 3.1
FEATURES
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, thermometer (skin temperature) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support Satellite SOS service Circle to Search
BATTERY
Type	Li-Ion 4700 mAh, non-removable
Charging	27W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 55% in 30 min (advertised) 21W wireless (w/ Pixel Stand) 12W wireless (w/ Qi compatible charger) Reverse wireless

Design and Build Quality | Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google’s Pixel lineup brings something new this year: a compact Pro model. The Google Pixel 9 Pro fits the more premium features of the Pixel 9 Pro XL into the form factor of the smaller Pixel 9. These include the five-times periscope telephoto camera, a new selfie camera, and a bright, high-res LTPO display.

Despite the size, the weight of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 is the same. The main difference is that the Pro model’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back is matte, and the frame is glossy. That’s reversed on the vanilla model, and there’s one extra camera too. The ingress protection is the same, as the Pixel 9 Pro is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance, like most modern flagships.

Display Quality Test | Google Pixel 9 Pro

The display of the Google Pixel 9 Pro is a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED with a high resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s support for HDR10+ video, and you can also count on the Pixel 9 Pro to display Ultra HDR-compliant images with boosted highlights. The display is sharper than the vanilla Pixel 9’s, with a resolution of 495 PPI. Another difference from the Pixel 9 is the LTPO tech.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro’s 120Hz refresh rate can dial down all the way to 1Hz when the phone is idling to save energy, and then bump back to 120Hz when you touch the screen again. The Pixel 9 Series has much-improved brightness over last year. We measured nearly 1,300 nits maximum with the manual slider, and it can boost to 2,300 nits in auto mode, which is great for use outdoors in the sun.

Speaker Quality Test | Google Pixel 9 Pro

For audio, the Google Pixel 9 Pro has a pair of stereo speakers with very good loudness. You get crisp and clear mids, though the low end has been toned down a bit since the previous generation of Pixels.

Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner | Google Pixel 9 Pro

This year’s under-display fingerprint reader is ultrasonic. It’s super-fast and responsive, but may not work as well as an optical one through a screen protector. For storage, you can get the Google Pixel 9 Pro with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or a whole terabyte, though it’s not expandable through a microSD card.

Android 14 & AI Features | Google Pixel 9 Pro

With Pixel phones, you get Google’s clean stock Android software experience, and this Google Pixel 9 Pro runs Android 14 at the time of this review. There are plenty of custom AI features here, like the summarization of calls, texts, and emails for easy reference later. Google’s AI assistant is called Gemini, and you can ask it questions and engage in conversations, much like ChatGPT.

You also get a year of Gemini’s advanced subscription tier for free with the Pixel 9 Pro. It integrates generative AI into Gmail and Google Docs. Another feature relying on AI is Pixel Studio, which allows you to make AI-generated images and designs. The “Best Take” feature within Google Photos allows you to replace faces or objects with a better version taken from another shot. And a neat trick within the camera app is “Add Me.”

It allows you to combine people from separate shots into a single group photo, or you can clone yourself if you want to. The Pixel 9 series also brings satellite SOS support, though that’s only available for users in the USA. Google promises 7 years of complete software support for the Pixel 9 Pro, and you can also rely on spare parts during that time should anything happen to your Pixel.

Google Tensor G4 | Google Pixel 9 Pro

All of the new Pixels run on the Tensor G4 chipset, made in-house by Google. Compared to the previous Tensor G3, this one has a new CPU and a higher clock speed on the GPU. In real-world use, the Google Pixel 9 Pro runs smoothly, and we didn’t notice any slowdowns or stutters. Still, it doesn’t exactly excel when it comes to raw performance.

Battery Life and Charging Speed | Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Google Pixel 9 Pro has the same battery capacity as the vanilla Pixel 9: 4,700 mAh. Despite the Pro model’s LTPO screen, the rest of the hardware is the same here, and battery life is quite similar. The phone earned a respectable active use score of 13 hours and 11 minutes in our tests. The Google Pixel 9 Pro supports 27W of Power Delivery wired charging, but it doesn’t come with the charger in the box. With the compatible adapter, we were able to charge the phone from 0 to 56% in half an hour, and a full charge took nearly an hour and a half—not too speedy. There’s support for wireless charging too.

Main Cameras | Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Google Pixel 9 Pro gets the exact same camera setup as its bigger sibling, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. On the back, there’s a 50MP main cam, a 48MP 5x telephoto zoom, and a new 48MP ultra-wide camera.

Main Camera Photo Quality

The main camera captures excellent photos during the day. They’re crisp with plenty of detail and relatively natural-looking processing. Colors look true to life, and in typical Pixel fashion, there’s a preference for higher contrast. Even so, the dynamic range is excellent. When it comes to human subjects, skin tones and facial features are rendered quite well. However, you still can’t adjust the strength of the bokeh in portraits, and portrait mode won’t use the 5x zoom camera at all.

Two-times zoom shots are digital crops from the main camera. They look decent if you’re not examining them too closely. In low light, the main camera holds up well. The exposure looks great with nicely boosted shadows and well-contained highlights. Colors are well-saturated too. The detail level is good overall, though in the shadows, details may come out a bit soft.

Telephoto Camera Photo Quality

Now we have the telephoto camera. Its 5x zoom shots are quite solid, with a decent amount of sharpness and good dynamic range and colors. This camera doesn’t have the extra close focusing capability that’s trendy right now. At night, the telephoto shots have good exposure, and color saturation is on point. However, more detail would be welcome, as the processing can make the detail look a bit artificial.

Ultra-Wide Camera Photo Quality

As for the ultra-wide camera, Google Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t disappoint. It resolves a lot of detail with organic-looking processing. The colors, contrast, and dynamic range are in line with the other cameras. The ultra-wide camera has autofocus and is able to capture close-up macro shots. The results are pretty good, though not quite pin-sharp. Overall, the ultra-wide does a good job in low light.

You get a bright exposure, and highlights and light sources are well-contained. The photos are a little soft when looking closely, though. The Pixel Pro models have a new 42MP selfie camera with autofocus, and it captures very nice photos. There’s plenty of detail and sharpness, wide dynamic range, and true-to-life colors. The field of view is quite wide too.

Video Quality Rear Cameras | Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Google Pixel 9 Pro can record video in 4K with all of its cameras. Starting with the main camera, the footage has high contrast and warmish colors. The sharpness is somewhat inconsistent. The footage quality varies from scene to scene, and sometimes it’s softer than what we’d expect from a top flagship. Looking at a clip from the telephoto camera, we get again a contrasty and vibrant look.

On the ultra-wide, the colors are a bit more muted, but still close to the other two cameras. In low light, the main camera’s 4K videos look quite good in terms of sharpness and dynamic range. One thing we can’t complain about is stabilization—it’s great. Walking shakes and pans are nicely smoothed out on all of the cameras.

So, there you have it. It’s nice to get a compact Pro model from Google. Some people just want a smaller phone with all the bells and whistles, and here, you get all the features you’d find in the Pixel 9 Pro XL, besides the larger screen. Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro is a solid flagship, with our only complaints being that competitors can bring you more consistently good video recording and more powerful chipset performance. But if those don’t concern you, the Pixel 9 Pro is otherwise solid all around, and it’s a compact flagship worth looking into.