Google Pixel 9 Professional XL Assessment: An AI Buffet for These Who Want It

Like it or hate it, AI options on a smartphone will solely develop in quantity with time. And if it is any indicator of how occasions are altering, even Apple, which has averted taking any huge strides for years (be it foldables, tremendous high-resolution cameras, sooner charging), has jumped aboard the AI (Apple Intelligence) practice this yr with iOS 18. I’ve been utilizing Google’s latest member of the Pixel household, the Pixel 9 Professional XL, for a number of weeks, and I have to admit that its tackle AI is spectacular and beginning to make some sense. Google’s push for operating AI fashions additionally ends in some much-needed {hardware} upgrades that we have now been asking for years. Because of this, it seems to be a really succesful smartphone, even with out its AI bits.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Design: Lastly feels, good

• Dimensions – 162.8mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm
• Weight – 221g
• Sturdiness – IP68 (mud and water)

“This appears like an iPhone,” stated a non-techy buddy of mine. Whereas such a remark from an iPhone consumer doesn’t validate the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s design, I do perceive that some bits of this yr’s Professional fashions do resemble an Apple iPhone.

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL lastly appears to be like and appears like a high-end flagship ought to

From the flat sides of its aluminium body to its bevelled edges to its flat again, the design could be very iPhone-like and acquainted. That is solely as a result of Apple has used these design components for the reason that iPhone 12 (2020). In case you take a look at it from the entrance, the one giveaway that it is not an iPhone is that tiny selfie digital camera module embedded in its show (as an alternative of a giant, omnipresent capsule).

The rear digital camera module, which now seems like a flattened capsule, nonetheless protrudes fairly a bit. And in contrast to the Pixel 9 Professional, which is loads shorter, you can not use it to help the cellphone (once you maintain it up) because it’s too far up on the again.

Whereas the combo of glass and steel lends it a really premium look, the general end of the sides of the body, digital camera module and ports is the perfect I’ve seen on a Pixel smartphone thus far and is means higher than the iPhone 15 Professional Max, which had misaligned panels, sharp buttons and edges.

Match and end are top-notch, with no sharp edges across the ports, digital camera module and buttons

Regardless of including a vapour chamber (VC) cooling system and sustaining the cellphone’s wi-fi charging capabilities, the Pixel manages to be as gentle because the titanium-clad iPhone 15 Professional Max and slimmer than the Pixel 8 Professional it replaces. It additionally comes with the same old IP68 score, making it good for submersion in recent water and sand. However it’s smart to remember the fact that harm on account of submersion in water is not going to be coated underneath guarantee.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Show: All about these rounded corners

• Show – 6.8-inch, 1,344 x 2,992 pixel, 1Hz – 120Hz
• Show Kind – Flat, LTPO, OLED
• Show safety – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (entrance and rear panels)

The brand new ‘Professional XL’ tag is mainly a ‘Professional’ from earlier years, so we have now a barely greater show (on paper) in comparison with the older ‘Professional’ fashions to justify the ‘XL’ tag. It is very shiny (3,000 nits peak) underneath direct daylight and may showcase natural-looking colors (with the Pure color preset enabled in Settings).

Whereas not as sharp because the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s show, it nonetheless does the job properly. The under-display fingerprint reader lastly will get upgraded to an ultrasonic one, which could be very dependable in comparison with earlier fashions. The selfie digital camera will also be used to securely unlock the machine utilizing (banking-grade) AI-based facial recognition, offered there may be sufficient gentle.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL’s show is a large improve by way of brightness

The extreme curvature of the rounded corners, together with its skinny bezel, does result in some wasted display screen area, similar to on iPhones. Google has pushed the standing bar greater up in direction of the highest fringe of the selfie digital camera, and even then, there’s loads of wasted area above it. This reduces the usable space of the 6.8-inch show to the 6.7-inch show which we have now on the Pixel 8 Professional. The truth is, even the Pixel 7 Professional’s show feels bigger as a result of it is wider than the 8 Professional and the 9 Professional XL by way of side ratio due to its sharper corners. Regardless, the well-spaced-out content material does look good by way of aesthetics.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Software program: AI or nothing

• Software program – Pixel UI
• Model – Android 14
• Software program dedication – 7 years of OS, safety and Pixel Drop updates

Google’s generally recognized Pixel UI stays the identical as earlier than visually however will get a really heavy dose of synthetic intelligence (AI) options. The ‘Professional’-branded fashions, particularly, get extra options over the usual Pixel 9 smartphone.

Add Me is a enjoyable new characteristic which will appear gimmicky at first however is definitely very helpful. It is one of many many options which will get you excited about what’s faux and what’s actual and whether or not you wish to cross that line. It allows you to add your humble self to that marriage ceremony picture despite the fact that you weren’t bodily there with your mates within the stated body (or second). Technically, it is not dishonest (despite the fact that it’s faux) since you had been current on the stated second (simply behind the digital camera), however it can set off that hidden guilt everytime you verify the picture.

Pixel Screenshots are a pleasant solution to organise and maintain observe of all of your screenshots. If in case you have a behavior of taking tons of screenshots, whether or not that is to recollect one thing, to make use of as proof, or simply to set the info straight, that is going to be a superb solution to allow you to discover particulars inside your screenshots and even pull out info from them at a later date.

Google’s Pixel Studio works fairly effectively for an app that is in beta

One other new characteristic circling this faux versus actual debate is that this enjoyable instrument referred to as Pixel Studio. It is nonetheless in beta, however it allows you to be an artist and kind or deliver your inventive visions to life with zero effort. Want an edible canine that appears like cake? Accomplished! A pizza made out of Oreo cookies? Accomplished! A bridge on fireplace? Properly… that is the place you start to cross this instrument’s limits. Whereas initially accessible (once I acquired this assessment unit), Google has been actively putting and lifting limits on what you may or can not generate.

Pixel Studio has some limitations which continuously carry on altering on occasion

Even one thing that is borderline dangerous to a human/animal will simply not fly… for now. However at occasions, I do get a message saying that “the power to edit human photos is coming sooner or later”. On the identical time, you may set the Gateway of India (Mumbai) on fireplace utilizing the proper phrases that do not sound harmful. Google can be including good workarounds to scale back the gore, and at occasions, it can ignore among the key phrases in your request to make for a palatable picture (just like the puppies within the KFC carton above). Apple’s model of the identical instrument affords the identical performance however will solely produce cartoon-like photos and never practical ones, and that in some way appears like an excellent safeguard to have in place.

Nevertheless, there are two outcomes for this instrument. Google handing out this free instrument to the plenty goes to end in lots of web junk, and it’ll, in some methods, make individuals rethink the necessity for a inventive skilled (at fundamental ranges) generally.

The unique picture was captured by one other smartphone

Auto Body within the Photographs app can use generative AI to think about and increase on the unique picture

I modified the setting of the cellphone within the unique picture to a forest utilizing the Reimagine instrument within the Photographs app

Reimagine is a brand new instrument Google pushed out within the Photographs app. It is a highly effective picture enhancing instrument that permits you to reframe or fully change the background in a given picture whereas retaining the themes. Whereas the outcomes could also be successful or a miss (due to output high quality), you may find yourself with some convincing outcomes. The truth is, it is onerous to inform whether or not a picture has been edited, as you may see from the above examples.

Zoom Improve is one more picture instrument which makes use of the facility of AI to “magically” improve pictures captured at 15-30X digital zoom by including pixels after which sharpening a picture. Nevertheless, in my testing, I discovered that these outcomes had been barely higher than the unique.

Gemini Reside is certainly one of many greatest highlights of the brand new Pixel Professional fashions. Sadly, at the same time as I write this assessment, Gemini Reside is already out there on different Samsung units like our Galaxy Z Fold 6 assessment unit and will probably be coming to extra with time. In brief, it is not unique to Pixel units.

Whereas it is nonetheless not as good as Open AI’s GPT-4o and can’t view (or take inputs from the digital camera app but), it’s supremely responsive whereas giving out solutions. Not all of those outcomes are essentially correct. In a single dialog, it contradicted its personal earlier reply within the second go and laughed about being incorrect as effectively within the first go.

Gemini Reside is a really conversational AI-powered assistant however shouldn’t be essentially correct

However the fascinating bit right here is the truth that you might be conversing with an AI assistant in a really human-like method. One of many greatest limitations of Gemini Reside is that in contrast to Google Assistant or Gemini, it’s certainly all about dialog and never actions. So, if you want to set an alarm, you want to use Gemini and never Gemini Reside. I beloved interacting with Gemini Reside. Nevertheless, I didn’t discover it helpful sufficient to warrant the Rs. 1,920 per 30 days price ticket for accessing it together with different Gemini Superior add-ons as soon as the 1-year free trial ends. Once more, a few of Gemini Reside’s replies are based mostly on US/EU knowledge for some motive, particularly once I requested for solutions on shopping for merchandise “in Mumbai” (and even “in India”).

AI additionally makes its means into different surprising locations. Just like the climate app (AI climate report), Preserve (producing all sorts of lists), and even for the brand new Automobile Crash Detection characteristic, which is offered for Pixel 9 and 9 Professional collection customers in India. Satellite tv for pc SOS, which was introduced at launch, is just out there to customers situated within the US for now.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Efficiency: Meh

• Processor – Google Tensor G4
• RAM – 16GB
• Storage – 256/512GB

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL could also be huge on AI, however it’s nowhere near the competitors with regards to uncooked efficiency. Premium flagships and even foldables just like the Vivo X Fold 3 Professional are far forward with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Fortunately, the Pixel 9 Professional XL exhibits no indicators of stuttering when looking by means of the software program interface or multitasking. The 16GB of RAM ensures that apps stay in reminiscence and in addition helps enormously with the velocity of undertaking AI duties or workloads.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL (proper) appears to be like very completely different in comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional (left) it replaces

Whereas the VC cooling system ensures peak efficiency shouldn’t be affected by elements like warmth, gaming efficiency remains to be not up there with different premium flagships. That is due to the show’s gradual contact sampling fee, which lags regardless of the brand new Adaptive Contact characteristic that robotically calibrates contact sensitivity relying on the surroundings exercise. Regular contact interactions when looking by means of the UI appear to work simply high quality.

With a brand new chip, extra RAM and a VC system in place, I anticipated no hiccups when utilizing the digital camera. Sadly, this isn’t the case, because the cellphone nonetheless chokes up after taking pictures 5 portrait pictures again to again, which was additionally the case with the Pixel 8 Professional.

The machine affords two audio system, which give wealthy sound high quality, however lots of the heavy lifting is dealt with by the underside speaker, which will get coated and muffled simply when enjoying video games or when watching a video due to its placement.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Cameras: “Pixel” excellent?

• Major digital camera – 50-megapixel (OIS), f/1.6 aperture, AF
• Extremely-wide digital camera – 48-megapixel, 0.5X, f/1.7 aperture, AF
• Telephoto digital camera – 48-megapixel (OIS), 5X optical, f/2.8 aperture, AF
• Selfie digital camera – 42-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, AF

The Pixel 9 Professional XL affords the marginally improved main digital camera efficiency that arrived with the Pixel 8 Professional final yr (faucet picture to increase)

The first digital camera on the Pixel 9 Professional XL does a high quality job of capturing detailed photos with glorious dynamic vary and sharpness. The colors seem balanced and really near the true scene. Like prior to now, the 2X magnification degree is a digital crop of the first sensor. However in contrast to the previous, these images are very spectacular.

2X (digital) zoom efficiency (proven right here in dim gentle) has improved drastically and was a serious ache level with the older Pixel Professional fashions (faucet picture to increase)

The Portrait mode even works effectively in low gentle or with sturdy backlighting, capturing photos at 1.5X, 2X or 3X. What’s successful or a miss is the sting detection. As you may see within the photos above and under, the sting detection might seem completely high quality if you’re fortunate or an absolute mess in the event you aren’t.

Regardless of packing a 42-megapixel digital camera, the outcomes from the Pixel 9 Professional XL do not seem any completely different when in comparison with final yr’s Pixel 8 Professional (faucet picture to increase)

When capturing selfies, edge detection suffers fairly a bit, even when in comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional (which does a greater job). Regardless of having a high-resolution sensor, the standard of photos is sort of related, with minor beneficial properties in daylight and low gentle.

Google’s 5X telephoto digital camera captures sharp pictures with good element in all lighting circumstances. However its zoom capabilities are respectable until the subsequent magnification degree (10X), past which picture high quality is not spectacular. You need to use the brand new Zoom Improve AI sharpening instrument within the Photographs app to boost these blurry photos captured at 15X or 30X, however regardless of enhancing the general high quality, these aren’t game-changing.

The ultra-wide digital camera manages barely mushy photos in daylight with some blown-out highlights and purple-fringing. This isn’t the case with the Pixel 8 Professional. In low gentle, there’s extra element (particularly within the darker areas) seen within the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s pictures.

An ultra-wide digital camera pattern from the Pixel 9 Professional XL underneath synthetic gentle (faucet to increase picture)

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL’s main digital camera captures a powerful degree of element in low gentle (faucet picture to increase)

2X digital zoom has improved in comparison with earlier fashions (faucet picture to increase)

The telephoto digital camera snaps some spectacular pictures in low gentle at its native 5X zoom (faucet picture to increase)

Video high quality advantages loads from the brand new VC cooling system, so this doesn’t end in computerized downscaling or high quality drops as a result of it simply doesn’t get as sizzling because the older Pixels did.

When recording the video, I did discover the resolved element on the Pixel 8 Professional to be higher than the softer and brighter visuals of the 9 Professional XL. The noise was current in low gentle or street-lit circumstances, however the total high quality was simply high quality. It is nonetheless nowhere close to the rock-steady body charges of the iPhone 15 Professional Max, particularly when panning or strolling. However all of that is tolerable as a result of Video Enhance is right here to avoid wasting the day.

Video Enhance really went dwell with the Pixel 8 Professional post-launch. Having the assessment unit with me for some time, I didn’t discover all the outcomes helpful, they usually in some way didn’t appear very spectacular. However all of this modifications with the Pixel 9 Professional XL.

With the Pixel 9 Professional collection, Google claims to have improved video rendering, making it twice as quick as final yr. Furthermore, there’s even 8K upscaling help together with HDR+. Video enhance improves readability (removes noise), boosts distinction and hues and stabilises the video total, making for smoother panning actions. It even does this for footage captured in low gentle (Evening Sight Video), leading to noise-free footage. 

The entire downside with Video Enhance is that one has to attend for the processing to occur, and there’s no approximate time length offered for when the boosted video will probably be prepared both.

Google 9 Professional XL Assessment Battery: Meets expectations… For a Pixel

• Battery capability – 5,060mAh
• Charging fee – 45W
• Wi-fi charging – 23W

I didn’t anticipate many modifications to the cellphone’s battery life, given the meagre 10mAh bump over the earlier mannequin. Our video loop battery life take a look at additionally managed simply 12 hours and 19 minutes, which is decrease than final yr’s Pixel 8 Professional. With heavy utilization, which concerned taking pictures pictures, video, and a few calls, the cellphone simply managed to ship a day of utilization that touched 18 % by the tip of the work day. All in all, that is high quality for Pixel, however it’s nonetheless a one-day smartphone and much behind the competitors.

The cellphone took 1 hour and half-hour once I plugged it into my 65W GaN charger. Google claims that the 45W charging fee can solely be achieved by plugging it into its proprietary charger, which sadly shouldn’t be on sale in India.

Google 9 Professional XL Verdict

Priced at Rs. 1,24,999 for the bottom 256GB variant and Rs. 1,39,999 for the 512GB variant, Google’s Pixel 9 Professional XL, by way of {hardware}, is mainly the top-end Professional mannequin we wished to see final yr. As an alternative, all we obtained was a Pixel 8 Professional, which was onerous to suggest because it was not a giant enchancment over the Pixel 7 Professional it tried to exchange.

Whereas this yr’s Pixel 9 Professional XL shouldn’t be as superior as Samsung or Vivo’s flagships by way of uncooked efficiency and {hardware}, it is filled with AI options that may actually change the best way you’re employed and even exist socially. Google pitches these AI options as “useful” or “time-saving” when getting a wide range of issues finished, however it does cross a number of traces in its quest to impress customers. The Pixel 9 Professional XL absolutely builds a robust case for why AI options ought to exist on a smartphone, however homeowners can select to make use of them and dwell with them or ignore them.

It is because this yr’s Pixel Professional additionally feels much more premium than any of the earlier fashions and takes care of some main {hardware} ache factors which have plagued Google’s units for years, like warmth administration, a brighter show, and the record goes on. Battery life shouldn’t be the perfect within the enterprise, and Gemini Superior options come at a premium value. However I can see many Pixel 6 Professional, Pixel 7 Professional customers and even some curious iPhone homeowners immediately upgrading to 1 as a result of there’s lastly a Pixel that will get lots of issues proper.