Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: hands-on review
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is available for pre-order now for $1,099 / £1,099, and it will be on shelves August 22, the same day as the Pixel 9. Google is holding the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Fold a bit longer, until September 4, so if you want a new Pixel as soon as possible, the XL is the best phone you can choose.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is 99% the same phone as the Google Pixel 9 Pro. If you think that makes sense, you haven’t been following the world of smartphones, because phone makers like Apple and Samsung always save one or two special tricks for the biggest phones they make. If you want the best cameras, or all of the hidden features, you must buy the biggest phones.
Not so with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Every feature that you’ll find on the Pixel 9 Pro XL is also available on the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, even (especially!) the 5x zoom camera. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has two distinct hardware advantages over the Pixel 9, but neither of them are completely clear, and both are related to the larger size.
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Pixel 9 Pro XL display advantages
First of all, the Pixel 9 Pro XL gets a larger, 6.8-inch Super Actua display. It’s much bigger than the 6.3-inch screen on the Pixel 9 Pro, and it packs more pixels, offering a higher resolution.
So, is the Pixel 9 Pro XL screen better? Not exactly. Both displays can reach the same eye-burning 3,000 nits peak brightness. Both displays use LTPO technology for a low-power, always-on display that runs at an astonishing 1Hz. Both offer 24-bit color, and the same contrast ratio and other specs.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has more pixels, but with a larger screen area the pixels get a bit more room to spread out. Because the Pixel 9 Pro packs its pixels more densely, we’d say that screen is marginally sharper, with a higher pixel density.
In truth, the difference is probably invisible to human eyes, and both phones are more sharp than any iPhone or Galaxy phone you can buy right now. Google makes the best displays for a smartphone, whether you get the big one or the small one.
The cameras are the same on the Pixel 9 Pro… no, really
And this is the entire point of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The only choice to make is big one or small one. You don’t have to wonder whether you really need a 5x zoom camera, like the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers, instead of only 3x zoom, as you get with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple is being kind to Pro buyers. With Samsung, if you want the best cameras, you can’t just buy the larger Galaxy S24 Plus (Samsung has no Pro models). That phone has the same cameras as the Galaxy S24. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the real step up, and it’s a huge step up to 200MP on the main sensor, a 5x zoom lens (instead of 3x), larger sensors all around, and more.
Oh, and if you buy the Galaxy Ultra phone you have to take the S Pen. Samsung doesn’t make a phone with the best cameras and no pen for those who don’t want or need it.
Besides the screen, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has better ‘power’
When I asked Google to spell out clearly the differences between the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, I got two answers. The first was the display, as mentioned. The second was a more cryptic “power.” I assumed Google meant a larger battery inside, but there’s something else going on.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL does indeed have a larger battery. The XL phone comes with a battery that’s around 5,060mAh, while the Pixel 9 Pro uses a cell that’s only 4,700mAh, the same capacity as the battery in the Pixel 9.
Charging speed has been improved to 45W, and Google says these phones charge faster than any Pixel that came before. That’s not a very lofty claim, but I do appreciate fast charging. Unfortunately, you’ll have to find a fast charger, because Google doesn’t include a new-fangled plug in the box.
Here’s where things get weird. The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro can both use a 45W charger, just like the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google says the smaller phones will charge up to 55% in about 30 minutes. So, they will fill around 2,600mAh of battery in 30 minutes.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL will reach up to 70% charge in about 30 minutes, using the same 45W charger. Google claims that it will charge more than 3,500mAh in the same time the Pixel 9 Pro takes to charge 2,600 mAh, with the same 45W charger. I’m very curious about this, and I’ll investigate during my full review.
The bottom line, below the screen and power
Other than the larger screen and the apparent power differences, there really is no other difference between the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9 Pro. This is an unusual development, but quite welcome, as I think it will make the Pixel 9 family as a whole much easier to explain to potential buyers.
You can read about all of the features coming to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL in my hands-on look at the former two phones. The Pixel 9 misses out on some new AI video enhancement features, in addition to the 5x zoom lens found on the Pro models. Google’s new Gemini Live Conversation tool also won’t be coming to the Pixel 9, so far as we’ve heard.
If you’re considering the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it’s an easier choice this year. You don’t have to pay more just because you wanted the best cameras. If that’s all you needed, you can save money and order the smaller Pixel 9 Pro without hesitation. If you mostly wanted a larger display, the Pixel 9 Pro XL gives you the best big display you’ll find on a smartphone today. It’s bright and colorful, a real winner with great low-power LTPO features as well.
There was no XL model last year, but I should note that the Pixel 8 Pro went on sale within a month of launch, to coincide with the end-of-year shopping season. This year’s Pixel 9 family launches months earlier, but I’d still anticipate aggressive sales to come before the year ends. If you don’t need this phone right away, it wouldn’t hurt to wait for a deal.
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philip.berne@futurenet.com (Philip Berne)
