The era of AI phones might have started a few years ago but it's 2024 where we have seen a genuine push from major OEMs. Samsung played its card earlier this year, Apple is set to showcase the new iPhones next week and in between, Google dropped its most AI-ready Pixel 9 series so far. The new Pixel phones were interestingly launched earlier than expected, probably to give the company an edge over Apple's iPhones.
We also have a broader Pixel portfolio this year – Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. All of them are powered by the same Tensor G4 chipset and support all new AI features. The difference is majorly in terms of the hardware.
I got my hands on the base Pixel 9 in the Wintergreen colour, which is currently priced at Rs 79,999 in India. It feels different than the pixel 8. It is bigger, heavier and carries a design language similar to that of iPhone 15. I have been using the phone for a week and here is what I could make of it.
Design
The Pixel 9 looks totally different from last year's Pixel 8. It is now both bigger and heavier. The phone weighs 198g but is still comfortable to use. It has a flat back and a flat aluminium frame, giving it an iPhone 15-like feel. I am not complaining. It's fine to take inspiration from rivals. Everyone does it every now and then. In the end, as they say, looks matter. In this case, the Pixel 9 looks premium.
The power and volume buttons are on the right side, and the SIM tray is at the bottom. The Pixel 9 has made changes to the camera module on the rear side. It has a fresh pill-shaped design, which I honestly liked. This camera module, for me, is the standout feature of the Pixel 9.
Another good part is that the phone hardly attracts fingerprint marks or even dust. The smartphone is IP68-rared and the back panel is also protected with Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Overall, I'm impressed with the Pixel 9 design.
Display
On the front, the Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s not an LTPO panel, but it does support HDR10+ and can reach a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. The screen has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection.
If you’re spending Rs 80,000, you expect a great display and I think Pixel 9 will not disappoint you. The screen is bright, smooth and responsive. I used it in different lighting conditions and I didn’t have any major issues with visibility. However, I was a bit disappointed by the thick, noticeable bezels around the display.
I liked watching video content on the phone, especially when spending time watching YouTube videos in HD settings. I was watching India's Got Latent by Samay Raina. I liked the video quality.
The speakers are pretty good too, with clear highs and lows with scope for improvement in bass. I'm impressed with the colour and reproduction even images come out crisp and clear. The under-display fingerprint reader also worked fine for me.
Camera
Compared to Google’s previous Pixel phones, the cameras on the Pixel 9 have been upgraded. There is a dual rear camera setup, including a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera with up to 8x Super Res Zoom and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. On the front, it has a 10.5-megapixel front camera with autofocus for video calls and selfies.
Google Pixel phones are known for their camera features and performance. In my view, Google has consistently delivered excellent camera performance, making it easy for both critics and users to appreciate. Following the tradition of previous Pixel phones, the Pixel 9 raises the standard with its camera performance and AI features.
The camera UI is smooth, with options like Night Sight, Portrait, Camera, Video, Panorama, Photo Sphere, Google Lens, Astrophotography, Top Shot, Magic Eraser, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Long Exposure mode, Best Take, Magic Editor and Audio Magic Eraser.
The new 'Add Me' feature lets you take a photo of a group, then switch places with someone and take a second photo with you in it. This feature was a major highlight of the Pixel 9 phone. Everyone in the office and at home loved this feature, Most of them wanted to try it at least once. For a brand, I see it as a win if even iPhone users are excited to use a camera feature on an Android phone.
When it comes to performance, the main camera on the Pixel 9 is excellent. It captured details and colours almost perfectly. I found it great at capturing moments with good contrast and depth. During the testing, the colours produced by the main camera were almost true to life.
The main camera also managed to pick up small details very well. The sharpness is impressive in both main and portrait modes. The colour consistency across 0.5x, 1x and 2x zoom levels is solid, and even at 2x zoom, the images are detailed and sharp.
Portraits produced from Pixel 9 came out well, with mostly accurate edge detection and good facial details and skin tones. The low-light performance is pretty good, though there are a few minor instances of oversaturation.
Coming to the front camera, selfies are decent, though the skin tones could have been better. The Pixel 9 can record video in up to 4K at 60fps but lacks 8K recording, which is available on the Pro models. The video quality is decent, with good contrast and colour saturation, but the detail isn’t as sharp as expected from a flagship phone. Overall, the performance is what you would expect from a Pixel phone.
Performance
The Pixel 9 is powered by Google's in-house Tensor G4 chipset to better manage AI-related tasks on the device. It runs on Android 14 with seven years of software and security updates. The Tensor G4 chip, which Google says is an alternative to the most high-end chips, didn’t perform well during our testing.
On AnTuTu, the Pixel 9 struggled to reach just 1 million points. When compared to the iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24, its score is quite low. In fact, you can find this score in some mid-range and budget phones today. Even the Geekbench scores aren’t that great. Additionally, the CPU throttling test was all red.
In day-to-day usage, I think the Pixel 9 isn’t a performance-heavy phone. For those who like to play games on their phones, I would recommend the iPhone 15 or OnePlus 12 under Rs 80,000.
If you play games like BGMI on high-graphic settings, you’ll feel that the gameplay is a bit slow and there are lags. It runs average in normal mode, and since the display and size are good, gaming feels nice on lower settings, but what's the point of buying a flagship phone if you can’t play your favorite games on high settings?
I also noticed heating issues during testing, especially while playing games, watching videos for long hours, and using the camera outdoors in the daytime. However, the UI is clean. I didn't encounter any issues while doing basic tasks like switching between apps, using social media platforms, and watching videos on YouTube for 25-35 minutes.
Now coming to the battery part, the Pixel 9 has a slight upgrade in the battery department compared to the Pixel 8, packing a 4,700mAh battery. Surprisingly, I’m impressed with the battery management on this phone. Once fully charged, the device can survive a day.
Considering all the heating issues, I expected a big battery drain, but that wasn’t the case. The device managed to last for a day even after heavy usage. The only problem with the battery is the slow charging. It only supports 27W charging and it took almost an hour to go from nine per cent to 80 per cent.
AI Features
This time, Google has seriously stepped up its AI game with a bunch of exciting features. The Pixel 9 is packed with plenty of AI capabilities. With built-in Gemini AI, the device brings a whole new level of AI functionality. If writing isn’t your strong suit, Gemini AI can help you summarise calls, texts and emails to get the information faster.
You can communicate with the Gemini AI assistant through text, images or voice. Just long-press the power button. I found it handy for various tasks, especially if you are searching for something on the Internet. It works similarly like Siri on Apple iPhones.
Another AI feature is the new Pixel Studio, where you can create different scenarios using prompts. Pixel Studio allows you to create AI-generated images and designs based on your prompts. Some of the responses might not be perfect, but it’s a work in progress. It can generate pretty creative images at times, though there's room for improvement here.
The phone can also keep track of and organise your screenshots, allowing you to search for specific topics or information you have saved. You also get the features Circle to Search and Magic Eraser introduced last year.
Plus, the Magic Editor in Google Photos includes tools like Best Take, which lets you replace faces or objects with better versions from other shots. As mentioned in the camera section, the camera app comes with the Pixel 9 series-exclusive Add Me feature, which combines people from separate shots into a single group photo or lets you clone yourself if you like. To be honest, I think this is one of the best AI features to have on a phone right now.
I tested most of them and found them useful but most of these features or similar features are available on Oppo Reno 12 Pro, which is priced below Rs 40,000 in India. Overall, the AI features on the device are good and can be the reason for Google to justify its pricing, especially in India.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 79,999, the Pixel 9 offers a new design, good camera performance and impressive AI features. However, its performance is average, especially for gaming, and the slow charging can be frustrating. If AI features and a high-quality camera are your priorities, you can consider this one.
Honestly, if Google brings down the price to around Rs 65,000 during the Diwali sale, that would be the best time to buy. At present, I would suggest buyers check out the Samsung Galaxy S24 or iPhone 15 before considering this new Pixel phone.