IThe Pixel 9 Pro is a rare beast: a smaller phone that keeps the same bold design, specs, and camera as Google’s larger, more expensive model. That makes it an instant contender for the best small phone on the market.
At £999 (€1,099/$999/AU$1,699), it’s cheaper than its bigger brother, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but still firmly in the high-end segment. What sets it apart is that the 6.3-inch display is significantly smaller than the gargantuan 6.7-inch-plus sizes you typically need to get the best hardware.
While not exactly small, it is small for a modern high-end phone, and it joins only a few on the market, like Samsung's 6.2-inch Galaxy S24 and the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro.
The display is bright, fast and sharp, rivaling the best on the market. The striking new camera bump on the back makes the Pixel stand out, while the flat aluminum sides and frosted glass back give the Pixel an expensive feel.
The new Tensor G4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 128GB of starting storage are all the same as the 9 Pro XL, and perform similarly. It's fast to run and handles apps smoothly, but it can't match the raw performance of Android rivals using Qualcomm's best chips, particularly in games.
The Pixel’s battery life is pretty good for a smaller phone. It lasts just over 48 hours between charges with the screen in active use for about seven hours on a combination of 5G and Wi-Fi, meaning you should charge it every other day or so. That’s a few hours less than its bigger brother, but about 10 hours more than the iPhone 15 Pro.
A full charge takes just over 80 minutes using a 27W or higher USB-C charger (not included).
Budget
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Screen: 6.3-inch 120Hz QHD+ OLED (495 ppi)
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Processor: Google Tensor G4
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RAM: 16 GB RAM
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Storage: 128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB
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Operating system: Android 14
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Camera: 50MP + 48MP ultra wide angle + 48MP 5x telephoto, 42MP selfie
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Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, Wi-Fi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS
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Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes)
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Dimensions: 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5 mm
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Weight: 199 grams
Android, Gemini and next-generation AI
The Pixel ships with Android 14 and seven years of software support, including an update to Android 15 in the fall, making it one of the longest-lasting phones on the market.
The big new features in this year's Pixel phones are all AI-powered, making them some of the first phones to run Google's latest technology. Gemini Nano AI Models on the device. Like the 9 Pro XL, the new Gemini Live Experience It is definitely the highlight.
It provides a new, fully conversational mode that lets you talk to Google’s most advanced Gemini assistant with an open microphone and have it respond by voice for a seamless back-and-forth conversation. It’s smart enough to remember the topics and progress of your conversation, can provide useful information, and asks its own questions to help move things along. In one chat I had with it, we talked about the fastest parkruns in south-east London. It asked me if I wanted to achieve a personal record, talked about the surfaces, analysed the average attendance each Saturday, and was then able to give me journey times and weather forecast for each park.
The system isn't always perfect, but the responses were very human, with a touch of personality. Requires £19 per month Gemini Advanced Subscription to use, one year of which is included free with any of the Pixel 9 Pro phones.
Another useful AI utility is the Screenshot appthat collects your photos and makes them searchable. Pixel Studio The app quickly generates images using text prompts in a variety of styles. Google Photos' magic editor can automatically reframe an image by cropping or enlarging the canvas using generative AI. The new “Reimagine” feature goes a step further and can completely restructure a photo or insert objects into it using text prompts. How far you go is up to you, but you can produce stunning — or problematic — images with very little effort.
Camera
The camera is the jewel in the 9 Pro's crown. It supports Google's full top camera system, which includes a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP main camera, and a 48MP 5x telephoto camera, which comfortably outperforms similarly-sized rivals that are usually limited to 3x.
The cameras are excellent all-rounders, capturing images rich in detail across the board. They excel in more challenging scenes, such as in low-light conditions or on the move. The 5x telephoto camera has an on-sensor zoom feature that produces the equivalent of a 10x optical zoom to significantly reduce the distance to objects. The additional digital zoom, up to 30x, is also surprisingly good in bright light conditions.
The new Add Me feature helps photographers stitch together group photos by merging two photos taken back-to-back into a single image. The photographer takes the first photo and then hands the camera to another member of the group for the second. An augmented reality overlay shows where to position yourself to appear in the photo. It works well in some situations, but takes practice to get right and sometimes fails with certain objects in the scene.
Sustainability
Google does not provide an estimated lifespan for the battery, but it should maintain at least 80% of its original capacity after 500 full charge cycles. The phone can be repaired by Google and third party storeswith original spare parts available from iFixit Coming soon. Repair specialists awarded the Pixel 9 Pro XL Five out of 10 for repairability.
The Pixel 9 Pro is made with at least 18% recycled materials, including recycled aluminum, plastic, rare earths, and tin. The company breaks down the The environmental impact of the phone In its report, Google recycle old devices free.
Price
The Google Pixel 9 Pro costs from £999 (1.099 €/$999/1,699 Australian dollars).
For comparison, the Pixel 8a costs £499the Pixel 9 costs £799the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs £1,099The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra costs £1,149 and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro costs £999.
Verdict
The Pixel 9 Pro is one of the best small phones you can buy.
The fabulous 6.3-inch display may not be exactly small, but the Pixel packs all the high-end hardware of Google’s 6.8-inch superphone into a much smaller, more manageable body. That means you get the full camera system with 5x optical zoom that rivals at this size simply can’t match.
You also get long battery life, decent performance, software support for seven years from launch, and all the latest AI features you can imagine. An included annual subscription to Gemini Advanced also enables the impressive Gemini Live conversational AI assistant.
It's no bargain at £999, but that kind of price is sadly par for the course for a high-end phone comparable to Apple's iPhone 15 Pro.
Advantages: seven years of software updates, excellent camera with 5x and 10x optical zoom, great display, good battery life, recycled aluminum, impressive local and generative AI features, Gemini Live included for a year.
Cons: expensive, face unlock option isn't as secure as Face ID, raw performance is far from best in class, temperature sensor remains a gimmick outside the US.
