Google is known for its smarts — whether that’s its search engine, its innovative artificial intelligence or its ever-improving hardware. It’s no wonder that Google Pixels make up some of the best smartphones in the world.
This year, the Google Pixel 9 series has taken things up a notch with a fresh design, new hardware and even more clever AI-powered tools to make your life easier. They’re some of the most game-changing Pixel phones yet.
Launched alongside the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9 is the most affordable of the bunch, and I think it’ll be the best option for most people because of it.
At the time of writing, the Google Pixel 9 costs £799 for the base model with 128GB of storage, which goes up to £899 if you choose the model with 256GB of storage. I’m expecting there to be plenty of Pixel 9 deals in the year ahead so be sure to keep an eye out for those if you’re planning on buying one anytime soon.
Google Pixel 9 key specs
| Screen size | 6.3 inches |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080 x 2424 pixels |
| Battery | 4,700mAh |
| Cameras | 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 10.5MP front |
| Operating system | Android 14 |
| Processor | Google Tensor G4 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 129GB, 256GB |
| Water resistance | IP68 |
| Weight | 198g |
Google Pixel 9 review: what’s new
Google has given its ninth-generation smartphone quite a major refresh compared to its predecessor. Putting the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 9 side by side, the most obvious difference is the design, the latter replaces the long camera bar across the back with an island in the middle of the phone. The latest handset is also a little thinner, although heavier than before.
You can buy the Google Pixel 9 in a selection of new colours, obsidian black, porcelain white, wintergreen green and peony pink. The Google Pixel 8 comes in obsidian black, hazel green and rose pink.
The Pixel 9 has a bigger 6.3-inch screen than the Pixel 8’s 6.2-inch display, and it’s 35% brighter too thanks to its peak brightness of 2,700 nits (2,000 nits before). The new device is also sturdier with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect it.
Google has improved the camera system, upgrading the Pixel 8’s 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, to a 48MP ultrawide camera with an f/1.7 aperture, although both have the same 50MP main lens. The front camera has the same amount of megapixels (10.5MP) but now features autofocus instead of having a fixed focal length.
Another upgrade has been to the hardware under the hood, the Google Pixel 9 uses the Google Tensor G4 chipset combined with 12GB of RAM, whereas the Google Pixel 8 uses the Tensor G3 chipset and 8GB of RAM. The battery has been increased too, from 4,575mAh to a 4,700mAh cell.
In true Google fashion, there are lots of new Pixel features coming to the 2024 handset including Add Me and Zoom Enhance on the camera (which will only be available on Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 Pro devices). You’ll also get Satellite SOS for the first time, a new way of organising screenshots and updates to Call Assist. More on that to come.
Google Pixel 9 review: design
If you’re hunting for a smartphone that looks modern and feels nice in the hand, the Google Pixel 9 certainly ticks those boxes. Google has managed to revamp its flagships without losing its unique and recognisable design.
On the back of the phone, the new camera island holds two lenses, its matt look contrasts against the glossy glass panel below it. There’s a discrete Google logo and a matching recycled aluminium frame around the edges. The phone is completely flat on both sides but has smoothly curved corners — it feels very iPhone 15-esque in that sense.
The camera notch sticks out quite considerably but because of its central placement, it won’t cause the phone to rock when you place it on a table. It will be more flush once you stick a Pixel case on it as well.
Keeping things simple, the edges have a volume rocker, a USB-C port and a button that can be used to call the new Gemini voice assistant and lock the handset.
You can use facial recognition or the in-display fingerprint sensor to unlock the display, both of which worked quickly every time I used them.
The Pixel 9 feels comfortable to hold. Weighing 198g and measuring 15.28 x 7.2 x 8.5cm, it’s a compact handset so even those with smaller hands will be able to use it one-handed.
Despite the glossy design, the flat format means that it doesn’t feel as slippy as previous generations. If you were to drop it, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 should protect it from any major damage. Plus it’s IP68 water and dust-resistant so will be shielded from the elements.
As mentioned above, the Pixel 9 comes in obsidian black, porcelain white, wintergreen green and peony pink. I tested out the black model.
Google Pixel 9 review: display
Google has opted for a 6.3-inch Actua OLED Display for the Pixel 9 smartphone. It has a resolution of 1080 x 2424 pixels at 422 PPI with a variable refresh rate that goes from 60Hz to 120Hz, and the phone can reach 2,700nits peak brightness.
The result? A clear bright and vibrant display that is easily visible even on a sunny day. In fact, I used it under direct sunlight and could still clearly see what was on the screen.
When I took it inside, the impressive contrast of the display became even more obvious. I watched a few shows from a selection of the best streaming services, like Presumed Innocent through the Apple TV+ website or Camden on the Disney+ app, and in each one, I could clearly make out the entire shot, even when the scene was shot in the shadows or when there was a dark corner.
To add to that, scrolling and swiping feel super smooth thanks to the Pixel 9’s maximum refresh rate, which will benefit mobile gamers in particular. It’s a shame it doesn’t drop to a low of 1Hz to conserve battery but I suppose you can’t have it all at this price.
Google Pixel 9 review: camera
Google has made subtle improvements to the camera system across its hardware and software. It’s now made up of a 50MP main lens and a 48MP ultrawide camera, as well as a 10.5MP selfie snapper with autofocus.
To improve the processing of photos, Google has enhanced its HDR+ imaging pipeline to deliver a more accurate portrayal of textures, skin tone, shadows and more. Plus the Pixel 9 has Zoom Enhance that uses AI to fill in the pixel gaps in zoomed-in shots, ultimately sharpening the shot.
I snapped shots of landscapes, animals, people, flowers, food and more. I took photos during the day and at night, and I made use of all the lenses. I’ve come straight from using the Google Pixel 8, and you can see the difference in the quality of the pictures.
My overriding opinion is that you won’t find a much better camera for less than £800. Photos came out looking realistic, so much so that there were definitions in the shadows and colours looked almost exactly the same as in real life. Subjects popped but without drowning out the background. Occasionally I would have liked them to stand out a bit more, and colours to be slightly brighter. But generally speaking, I was impressed with the results.
Some devices, like the best Samsung phones, oversaturate photos to make them look more vibrant. Google hasn’t done that here, and it’ll be a matter of taste as to whether you like that or not. I prefer the more subdued tones because they don’t look overly processed or edited.
Google has added some fun AI-powered tools to use both pre and post-capture:
Add Me gets everyone in the photo. Take one shot and then switch photographer while you run into the shot, and then it’ll combine the two images. I tried it out and while it did look slightly layered, if you didn’t know I’d used it, you wouldn’t look twice.
Reimagine is a feature that sits within the Magic Editor, where you can type in what you want to add to the photo and it will generate a few options. For example, I took a picture of the sea and added some dolphins into the shot, managing to convince my family that I had seen them on my morning walk. Then, I added a tiger, because why not? I was rumbled after that. It doesn’t always work super well but when it does, it can look very convincing.
Google Pixel 9 sample photos
Take a look at the gallery below to see some examples of unedited shots taken on the Google Pixel 9.
Google Pixel 9 review: performance and battery
Thanks to a combination of 12GB of RAM and the 2024 Google Tensor G4 processor (the same one as the Pro models), the Google Pixel 9 runs like clockwork. It’s fast and reliable, I sometimes had tonnes of apps open at once and it didn’t lag, heat up or slow down. You’ll easily be able to use it for all your day-to-day tasks like scrolling, messaging and photographing, and it’ll cope fine with demanding tasks like mobile gaming and remote working.
There was one occasion when an app froze but quitting it and restarting it solved that problem, and sometimes some of the AI tools took a good few seconds to work, but that’s expected especially when a lot of them get help from a cloud rather than being entirely reliant on the device itself.
Battery life has been improved on the Google Pixel 9. The new 4,7000mAh cell easily lasted me 24 hours, during which time I took a lot of photos, listened to music on Spotify and scrolled social media platforms. I did charge it once a day but that was more to top it up before I headed out of the house.
To compare it more directly to other smartphones, I downloaded and played an HD video at full brightness for two hours. In that time, the battery percentage dropped by 14% suggesting it would have lasted just over 14 hours which places it in the middle of the pack. Some more affordable phones, like the Honor 200, lasted around 25 hours in the same test!
With a compatible 45W charger, Google claims the Pixel 9 will charge to 55% in about 30 minutes. Using my own 45W charger (not a Google one) I got a full charge in around an hour and a half.
Google Pixel 9 review: software
Google’s Pixel 9 smartphones run on Android 14 and will get seven years of software support with new feature drops. Because the devices launched slightly earlier than usual they don’t come with Android 15 which is expected to arrive by the end of the year.
Out of all the top Android phones, Pixels run the cleanest version of the operating system with minimal bloatware and a simple, intuitive layout. There’s an app drawer that you pull up from the bottom of the screen, neat folders to store your favourite apps and lots of handy widgets for the home screen, so you can see your notifications, the time, or your unread messages at a glance.
The Google Pixel 9 comes with the Gemini voice assistant built-in which you can access using the “Hey Google” voice command or a long press on the power button.
Gemini is Google’s smartest assistant yet because it better understands natural human language than ever before. You can use it to plan your calendar, find ingredients, summarise emails, get recipe ideas based on what’s in your fridge, create a packing list and so on. Admittedly, it’s still not perfect, there were times that it didn’t quite grasp what I wanted, and there are a few things it can’t do like set timers, but it will likely improve a lot over time.
Circle to Search is perhaps my favourite Pixel feature — you hold the bottom of the display to bring it up and then circle anything on the screen to search for it. If someone has a shirt you like in an Instagram photo, you can find it. If your favourite pair of sunglasses has broken and you want to buy them again, you can run a search for them. Or if you want to find out more about a celebrity in a news story, you can circle their name to get more information.
Another new Pixel-exclusive feature is Pixel Screenshots, a more efficient way to store and search through screenshots. It uses AI to pull out information from the image, summarise it and title it, and it can even suggest actions based on what it finds, like storing dates in your calendar or setting reminders.
Google has also updated its Call Assist, where you’ll now be able to get a written summary of your phone calls, so you don’t need to scramble for a pen and paper to write down details like addresses, prices, or dates.
Although not available just yet, Pixel 9 devices will soon be getting Satellite SOS which will allow you to call for emergency help even when you don’t have any cellular signal. It’s rolling out in the US first but will be available in more territories soon.
Google Pixel 9 review: verdict
If you’re looking for a phone that can do it all, and look good doing it, the Google Pixel 9 will be worth considering. It’s undoubtedly one of my favourite phones of 2024 — it’s easy to get used to, it takes fantastic photos, it’s fast, the battery lasts ages and the new design is super sleek. But most importantly, the amount of AI-powered tools at your fingertips is simply unmatched. As things stand, literally no other smartphone brand does it like Google.
The drawbacks to this phone are minimal, there’s no zoom lens on the camera and it may take some time to understand how to use its clever features day-to-day. Its £799 price is also £100 higher than the Pixel 8 was at launch, so this is no longer an affordable phone in comparison to other flagships out there.
But if you think you’d enjoy all the smarts, and you want a solid all-rounder that is modern and pocket-friendly, I would put the Google Pixel 9 at the very top of your list.
Google Pixel 9 review: also consider
Now that the ninth generation Pixels have been released, you’ll be able to find some really good Pixel 8 deals. We’ve seen the Pixel 8 drop to as low as £475 recently, and the Pixel 8 Pro has been cut to £605 in the past — prices chop and change so it’ll be worth keeping an eye out for discounts. Both of those phones are still very good options in 2024, with stellar camera systems and plenty of cool features, plus they will receive software updates until 2030 so you’ll be able to use them long into the future.
Another top smartphone in 2024 is the Samsung Galaxy S24. If you’re a fan of Samsung then it’s the best small phone on offer, and still boasts an impressive shooter, seven years of software support, good performance and a modern design.
