Google Pixel 9 Professional XL Evaluation: 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 instances are altering, even Apple, which has prevented taking any huge strides for years (be it foldables, tremendous high-resolution cameras, quicker charging), has jumped aboard the AI (Apple Intelligence) prepare 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 working AI fashions additionally leads to some much-needed {hardware} upgrades that we have now been asking for years. Due to this, it seems to be a really succesful smartphone, even with out its AI bits.

Google 9 Professional XL Evaluation Design: Lastly feels, good

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

“This looks 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 and looks 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 parts because the iPhone 12 (2020). In case you have a look at it from the entrance, the one giveaway that it isn’t 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 quite a bit shorter, you can not use it to help the cellphone (while you maintain it up) because it’s too far up on the again.

Whereas the combination of glass and metallic lends it a really premium look, the general end of the sides of the body, digital camera module and ports is the very best I’ve seen on a Pixel smartphone to this point and is method 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 mild because the titanium-clad iPhone 15 Professional Max and slimmer than the Pixel 8 Professional it replaces. It additionally comes with the standard IP68 ranking, making it good for submersion in contemporary water and sand. Nevertheless it’s sensible to take into account that harm because of submersion in water is not going to be lined below guarantee.

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

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

The brand new ‘Professional XL’ tag is principally 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’s extremely vibrant (3,000 nits peak) below direct daylight and might 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 can be used to securely unlock the system utilizing (banking-grade) AI-based facial recognition, offered there may be sufficient mild.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL’s show is a large improve when it comes to brightness

The extreme curvature of the rounded corners, together with its skinny bezel, does result in some wasted display screen area, identical to on iPhones. Google has pushed the standing bar greater up in the 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. In actual fact, 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 when it comes to facet ratio due to its sharper corners. Regardless, the well-spaced-out content material does look good when it comes to aesthetics.

Google 9 Professional XL Evaluation 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 identified 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 function that will appear gimmicky at first however is definitely very helpful. It is one of many many options that will get you fascinated by what’s pretend and what’s actual and whether or not you need to cross that line. It enables you to add your humble self to that marriage ceremony picture though you weren’t bodily there with your mates within the stated body (or second). Technically, it isn’t dishonest (though it’s pretend) since you have been current on the stated second (simply behind the digital camera), however it is going to set off that hidden guilt everytime you examine the picture.

Pixel Screenshots are a pleasant approach to organise and preserve monitor of all of your screenshots. You probably 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 information straight, that is going to be a wonderful approach 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 function circling this pretend versus actual debate is that this enjoyable instrument referred to as Pixel Studio. It is nonetheless in beta, however it enables you to be an artist and kind or carry your creative visions to life with zero effort. Want an edible canine that appears like cake? Executed! A pizza made out of Oreo cookies? Executed! A bridge on fireplace? Nicely… that is the place you start to cross this instrument’s limits. Whereas initially accessible (once I obtained this evaluate unit), Google has been actively putting and lifting limits on what you may or can’t generate.

Pixel Studio has some limitations which consistently carry on altering occasionally

Even one thing that is borderline dangerous to a human/animal will simply not fly… for now. However at instances, I do get a message saying that “the power to edit human photographs is coming sooner or later”. On the similar time, you may set the Gateway of India (Mumbai) on fireplace utilizing the appropriate phrases that do not sound harmful. Google can also be including sensible workarounds to scale back the gore, and at instances, it is going to ignore a number of 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 provides the identical performance however will solely produce cartoon-like photographs and never life like ones, and that in some way looks like 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 a variety of web junk, and it’ll, in some methods, make folks rethink the necessity for a artistic skilled (at primary 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 broaden on the unique picture

I modified the setting of the cellphone within the authentic 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 utterly 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. In actual fact, it is laborious to inform whether or not a picture has been edited, as you may see from the above examples.

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

Gemini Reside is certainly one of many greatest highlights of the brand new Pixel Professional fashions. Sadly, whilst I write this evaluate, Gemini Reside is already accessible on different Samsung gadgets like our Galaxy Z Fold 6 evaluate unit and shall be coming to extra with time. Briefly, it isn’t unique to Pixel gadgets.

Whereas it is nonetheless not as sensible 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 could set an alarm, you could 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 monthly 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 information for some purpose, particularly once I requested for recommendations on shopping for merchandise “in Mumbai” (and even “in India”).

AI additionally makes its method 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 function, which is on the market for Pixel 9 and 9 Professional collection customers in India. Satellite tv for pc SOS, which was introduced at launch, is simply accessible to customers situated within the US for now.

Google 9 Professional XL Evaluation 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 in the case of 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 the software program interface or multitasking. The 16GB of RAM ensures that apps stay in reminiscence and in addition helps tremendously with the velocity of undertaking AI duties or workloads.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL (proper) appears very totally 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 continues to be not up there with different premium flagships. That is due to the show’s sluggish contact sampling fee, which lags regardless of the brand new Adaptive Contact function that robotically calibrates contact sensitivity relying on the setting exercise. Normal contact interactions when looking by the UI appear to work simply nice.

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 images again to again, which was additionally the case with the Pixel 8 Professional.

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

Google 9 Professional XL Evaluation Cameras: “Pixel” good?

• Foremost 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 provides the marginally improved main digital camera efficiency that arrived with the Pixel 8 Professional final yr (faucet picture to broaden)

The first digital camera on the Pixel 9 Professional XL does a nice job of capturing detailed photographs with glorious dynamic vary and sharpness. The colors seem balanced and really near the true scene. Like previously, the 2X magnification stage is a digital crop of the first sensor. However in contrast to the previous, these pictures are very spectacular.

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

The Portrait mode even works effectively in low mild or with robust backlighting, capturing photographs at 1.5X, 2X or 3X. What’s successful or a miss is the sting detection. As you may see within the photographs above and beneath, the sting detection could seem completely nice 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 totally different when in comparison with final yr’s Pixel 8 Professional (faucet picture to broaden)

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 photographs is kind of related, with minor positive aspects in daylight and low mild.

Google’s 5X telephoto digital camera captures sharp images with good element in all lighting situations. However its zoom capabilities are first rate until the following magnification stage (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 photographs captured at 15X or 30X, however regardless of bettering the general high quality, these aren’t game-changing.

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

An ultra-wide digital camera pattern from the Pixel 9 Professional XL below synthetic mild (faucet to broaden picture)

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL’s main digital camera captures a formidable stage of element in low mild (faucet picture to broaden)

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

The telephoto digital camera snaps some spectacular images in low mild at its native 5X zoom (faucet picture to broaden)

Video high quality advantages quite a bit from the brand new VC cooling system, so this doesn’t end in automated 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 mild or street-lit situations, however the total high quality was simply nice. 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 truly went dwell with the Pixel 8 Professional post-launch. Having the evaluate 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 increase improves readability (removes noise), boosts distinction and colors and stabilises the video total, making for smoother panning actions. It even does this for footage captured in low mild (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 period offered for when the boosted video shall be prepared both.

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

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

I didn’t count on many modifications to the cellphone’s battery life, given the meagre 10mAh bump over the earlier mannequin. Our video loop battery life check 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 images, video, and a few calls, the cellphone simply managed to ship a day of utilization that touched 18 p.c by the tip of the work day. All in all, that is nice 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, when it comes to {hardware}, is principally the top-end Professional mannequin we needed to see final yr. As a substitute, all we obtained was a Pixel 8 Professional, which was laborious to advocate because it was not an enormous 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 when it comes to uncooked efficiency and {hardware}, it is full of AI options that may actually change the way in which you’re employed and even exist socially. Google pitches these AI options as “useful” or “time-saving” when getting quite a lot of issues carried out, however it does cross a number of strains in its quest to impress customers. The Pixel 9 Professional XL certainly builds a robust case for why AI options ought to exist on a smartphone, however house owners 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 gadgets for years, like warmth administration, a brighter show, and the record goes on. Battery life shouldn’t be the very best 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 house owners immediately upgrading to at least one as a result of there’s lastly a Pixel that will get a variety of issues proper.