I replaced my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Pixel 9 Pro XL for a week - and didn't regret it

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ZDNET's key takeaways

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL will be available on August 22 for a starting price of $1,099, while the Pixel 9 Pro goes on sale on September 4 for $999.For the price, you're getting a larger, brighter-than-ever 6.8-inch display, exclusive Google AI features, and the most forgiving camera system on the market.
I just wish the base storage (128GB) was at least double and the AI features were more reliable.

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Holding the Google Pixel 9 Pro series for the first time reminded me of when I held the iPhone 12 Pro for the first time. The shift from the previous year's curved design to flatter edges made all the difference in its feel and perception of value. The Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL exude premium, and Google knows it.

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That's why the company is charging you more for its new Pixel phones this year, with the standard model starting at $799, the Pro at $999, and the Pro XL at $1,099. In this economy, it's a bold move. But in the big picture, Google has only matched what competitors like Samsung and Apple have been pricing their flagship handsets.

Also: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: I tested both and here are the key differences

Fortunately, you have plenty to gain by paying Google more. From my week of testing the Pro XL model -- with short stints of using the smaller Pro -- I've greatly benefitted from upgrades such as the brighter (up to 3,000 nits) display, AI features like Call Notes and Pixel Screenshots, the faster 45W charging, and Tensor G4 chip that has kept the phone running smoothly. The new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is also crazy fast.

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With the Pixel 9 Pro series, the design, as unexpected as it is, is the standout feature for me. The flat edges rest smoothly against my hand, giving me a confident grip when swiping and typing, a treatment of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 makes the model twice as durable as last year's, and whether you prefer a smaller or larger form factor, you've got options. By comparison, the Pixel 8 Pro feels like a toy.

Also: 5 reasons why Pixel 9 stopped me from ditching Google phones for Nothing

My two gripes with the Pixel 9 Pro design are the camera bump and frosted back glass. The former is a longstanding issue with the Google Pixel's protruding camera bar design, which collects dust and debris around the edges and fingerprint smudges on the visor. With the back glass, I've noticed several micro-scratches already that chipped away the Obsidian-colored coating. My advice: get any color but Obsidian and you should be fine.

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A new Tensor G4 chip paired with 16GB of RAM means the Pixel 9 Pro is faster and more powerful than last year's model when it comes to multi-tab browsing, loading videos on a social feed, editing photos, and playing games. It also benefits on-device AI tasks, which I'll get to later.

Also: These three AI features sold me on the Google Pixel 9 Pro - and they're very clever

On my Uber ride to the airport last week, I was able to swiftly upload clips from the Made by Google event while downloading movies to watch on the flight. Oh, and location tracking was running in the background, too. The result was mild overheating and about a 3% dip in battery life throughout the 20-minute ride, which is admirable.

That's to say, the 5,060mAh battery on the Pixel 9 Pro XL has been serving me well, ending most of my days with around 25-30%. It's a two-day phone when used lightly, but you won't be mad if you need to charge it sooner because the Pixel now supports 45W charging. The faster speed won't revolutionize your morning routine, but it's a notable bump-up from the sluggish 30W rating on previous models.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

The key improvements to the Pixel 9 Pro's camera system mainly revolve around AI and how its imaging engine interprets and enhances output. For example, the image above, while sharp in detail and beautiful in contrast, was originally captured with a slight tilt, making the runway appear slanted. So, I used the new Auto frame tool in Magic Editor to straighten it while expanding the sides with AI. For fun, I added a rainbow and a plane that clearly didn't hear the Air Traffic Control tower's order to remain grounded like the rest of us.

Such AI tools are creative and whimsical, but they're also inconsistent, unreliable (see the left-side airplane), and require a lot of patience -- both with waiting for the image generations and possibly more waiting after that if the results don't meet your creative vision.

Also: I went hands-on with Google's $1,800 Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and I'm ready to leave Samsung

I'm a bigger fan of the new Add Me and Video Boost features. The former pieces together two photos, one that you've captured of other people in the frame and another that includes you in the same frame, so no one gets left out. It's a clever AI/AR tool that solves a real-world problem, but there is one slight issue: Don't expect a seamless edit if you're posing in between subjects. Oftentimes, parts of your body won't be properly cropped out. So, for the best results, leave space!

With Video Boost, I'm happy to report that the improved HDR+ and rendering fixes one of the biggest problems with the Pixel camera: the jarring cuts when switching to the 5x optical zoom camera during recording.

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

While I'm still testing every new Pixel 9 AI feature, of which there are plenty, here are my initial ratings for the most popular ones:

Pixel Screenshots (4/5): It's the best AI feature I didn't know I needed. Unlike Microsoft Recall, the on-device database is curated by images you manually capture, so it's just as easy to parse through but much more secure. Gemini Live (3/5): Like ChatGPT's voice feature, you can chat and ask questions to Gemini Live while it's running in the background. The AI will trip up at times and pause the session, but haptic feedback does help guide the flow of the conversation. Multimodality and synchronization with the Pixel Buds Pro 2 should improve the experience tremendously.Call Notes (2/5): The reliability of the summarization feature is greatly affected by call quality, speaking pace, and whether there are any unique words in the conversation, such as foreign names and objects. In most cases, Gemini transcribed dates, places, and bits of important information inaccurately.

ZDNET's buying advice

It's still too early to call the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL the best Android phone this year, but it's certainly up there for consideration -- even with its AI blunders. While the new model is Google's most expensive non-foldable phone yet, the price bump is justified by improvements in aspects that traditionally held the Pixel line back, such as charging speed, performance, and build quality.

With the reintroduction of an XL model this year, the smaller Pixel 9 Pro should appeal to users who want a more comfortable device without compromising on specs and camera hardware. And if both phones are out of your budget, but you want the core features, consider the cheaper Pixel 9.