I used to be mistaken concerning the Pixel 9 Professional XL

I used to be fast to criticize the Pixel 9 collection shortly after launch, and I referred to as out Google for shifting the needle sufficient with its newest gadgets. Now that I’ve used the Pixel 9 Professional XL for 2 weeks, I am able to admit that my preliminary evaluation was incorrect — Google made loads of adjustments to the telephone which can be noticeable in day by day use.

The primary space of differentiation is the construct high quality; Google switched to a brand new design language with the Pixel 9 Professional XL, and whereas the telephone finally ends up trying like an iPhone due to the flat sides, it feels significantly better in-hand than its predecessors. It has good weight distribution, and the squarish design with added width across the mid-frame gives elevated structural rigidity.

I’ve damaged sufficient Pixels to understand how fragile these gadgets will be, however the Pixel 9 Professional XL got here away unscathed after just a few tumbles, so it is clear that Google paid consideration to this space. In an identical vein, I’ve had points with ports and buttons on earlier Pixels, however that simply is not the case on the Pixel 9 Professional XL — the construct high quality is lastly on par with one of the best Android telephones.

One other massive change has to do with the modem. The Pixel 9 Professional XL is powered by the Tensor G4, and whereas it is not noticeably quicker than the G3, the Exynos 5400 modem delivers significantly better connectivity. The Pixel 8 Professional could not keep a dependable connection to my house community, however the Pixel 9 Professional XL does not have these shortcomings; I bought a gentle sign all through the home, and whereas the sign energy wasn’t as excessive as Qualcomm-powered gadgets, I had zero points in common use.

Overheating was an enormous downside final yr, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL mitigates that through the usage of a vapor chamber and aggressive energy limits. Google arrange the G4 to throttle sooner than the G3, and that is evident within the benchmarks. The result’s that the Pixel 9 Professional XL is not anyplace nearly as good as Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered gadgets at gaming — it throttles method too rapidly, and also you get seen jitter in demanding video games.

The upside is that the Pixel 9 Professional XL has one of the best thermals of any telephone I utilized in 2024; it does not exceed 42 levels underneath full load, and it is apparent that Google configured the Tensor G4 this approach to forestall any overheating. Whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL is not a gaming powerhouse by any measure, there’s a noticeable distinction in fluidity in day-to-day duties over the Pixel 8 Professional. I had cases the place the 8 Professional would lag in mundane duties like Chrome or Instagram, and that simply hasn’t been a difficulty on the 9 Professional XL.

On that observe, multitasking was an annoyance on Pixel 8 Professional, and the telephone had a bent to kill background apps after just a few hours. Google modified this on the 9 Professional XL, and you’ll have loads of background apps energetic with none points. I perceive that every one of those appear to be trivial issues, however they have been a relentless annoyance on earlier Pixels, and it is good to see Google addressing these shortcomings on its newest machine.

That stated, there are issues that Google wants to repair. The Pixel 9 Professional XL takes too lengthy to avoid wasting portrait photographs to the gallery, and there may be shutter lag — you may’t take portrait photographs one after the opposite, and that simply is not an issue on another high-end telephone I used this yr.

After utilizing the telephone to take over 100 images, it is clear that Google wants to alter the digicam {hardware}. Whereas the model remains to be one of the best at software program tuning, the Pixel 9 Professional XL does not have the identical caliber of cameras because the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, Vivo X100 Extremely, or the Magic 6 Professional.

I’ve by no means had a difficulty with Google’s software program efforts; if something, I tolerated the second-rate {hardware} prior to now due to the superb software program. There’s lots to love on this space on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, with Google doubling down on AI efforts. All main telephone manufacturers provide some degree of AI-based options, Google has significant additions I truly use.

With the Pixel 8 Professional, I at all times bought the sense that the telephone is not constructed to the identical tolerance as different flagships, however that is not an issue on the Pixel 9 Professional XL — you are not getting an excellent digicam hooked up to a median telephone. The remainder of the {hardware} is simply nearly as good, and the Pixel 9 Professional XL is considerably higher than its predecessors on this regard.