GGoogle’s new superphone goes all out in terms of battery, camera and intelligence, and is the lead device in a new line of Android devices that can run the company’s Gemini AI system with a next-generation conversational voice assistant, a huge step forward.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is Google’s biggest regular phone, starting at £1,099 (€1,199/$1,099/A$1,849). This year, for the first time, there’s a smaller 9 Pro model with the same specs and camera, which costs £999 (€1,099/$999/A$1,699), so the XL is aimed at people who want a huge screen and a big battery.

The design of the phone is even more brutal and interesting than that of last year’s Pixels. The camera bar on the back is now fully prominent and its shape is reminiscent of Google’s Nest Doorbells. The sides of the aluminum case have been flattened and also resemble Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The huge and super-bright 6.8-inch screen rivals the best from Samsung and others, and looks especially good when watching videos or using it outdoors in direct sunlight.

Inside is Google’s latest Tensor G4 chip, which is up to 20% faster at browsing and 17% faster at launching apps, and feels a bit snappier than its predecessors in everyday use. The XL handles games and apps well, but can’t keep up with rivals from Qualcomm and Apple in benchmark tests for raw processing power. Instead, Google designed the chip with the help of its subsidiary Deepmind to increase efficiency and AI processing power, allowing the company’s Gemini Nano system and other models to run significantly faster.

The result is significantly longer battery life than its predecessors. The 9 Pro XL lasts up to 52 hours with the screen actively in use for more than seven hours on a mix of 5G and Wi-Fi. That’s a solid two days between charges, rivaling some of the longest-lasting phones on the market.

Technical data

• Screen: 6.8-inch 120Hz QHD+ OLED (486ppi)

• Processor: Google TensorG4

• R.A.M: 16GB RAM

• Storage: 128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB

• Operating system: Android14

• Camera: 50 MP + 48 MP ultra wide angle + 48 MP 5x telephoto, 42 MP selfie

• Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, Wi-Fi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS

• Water resistance: IP68 (1.5 m for 30 minutes)

• Dimensions: 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm

• Weight: 221g

Next-generation AI capabilities

The Pixel comes with the same Android 14 as previous models and seven years of software support, making it one of the longest-lasting phones on the market.

The big changes are all related to AI. The 9 Pro XL is one of the first phones to run Google’s latest Gemini Nano AI models, which enable a range of new features that integrate AI in all sorts of places, from the keyboard to the weather app.

One of the most interesting is the new Screenshots app, which collects your screenshots and makes them searchable, so you can ask it for a ticket reference for a saved concert and it will give you a summary and the correct page. Sometimes the summary isn’t 100% accurate, but it’s close enough to show you the correct screenshot at a glance.

The Pixel Studio app quickly generates images in various styles via text prompts, allowing you to edit them, insert objects, and turn parts of the image into stickers. It’s pretty fun, but requires an internet connection to work. It doesn’t generate images of people or other blocked terms yet, and there are issues with text on images.

The Magic Editor in Google Photos also has some improvements, including the ability to automatically reframe an image by cropping or expanding the canvas using generative AI. The Reimagine feature goes a step further and can completely reframe a photo using a text prompt, for example to make it look like a cityscape has sunk underwater. There are safeguards around what you can put in images, but as with all things, these can be circumvented. How far you take this is up to you.

Twins Live

The most impressive AI feature is the new Gemini Live experience. Unlike text chats or previous voice assistants, Live is entirely conversational with human-like responses that have a bit of personality and just the right amount of brevity.

You just talk to Gemini as if it were a person, and have an open, flowing conversation. In one conversation, I discussed the fastest park runs in south-east London, describing the fastest routes for a personal best. Gemini told me all sorts of facts about each park, including the running surfaces and the travel time by car or public transport for a start from my home. We then discussed the forecast weather and whether the number of people expected to attend might be a hindrance.

It’s not always perfect. It can take a bit of time, but it’s easy to talk about to break it down. In one conversation about boys’ names, it kept suggesting “Jasper,” sounding almost comically obsessed with it. But in all my interactions with it, Gemini Live is light years ahead of what you get from Siri, Alexa, or others, and actually feels like something I could use on a daily basis.

It’s not exclusive to the Pixel, but accessing Live requires a £19-per-month Gemini Advanced subscription, one year of which is bundled free with every Pixel 9 Pro phone.

camera

The triple camera setup on the back of the 9 Pro XL is similar to that of last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, featuring a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP main camera, and a 48MP 5x telephoto camera, all of which are excellent.

It takes very detailed and sharp photos across the board, but is particularly good in low light and preserves detail in high-contrast scenes very well. The Pixel has an additional 2x zoom option on the main and 5x telephoto cameras, the latter producing the equivalent of a 10x optical zoom to usefully close the distance to objects. The additional digital zoom up to 30x is also very good in bright light.

The new 42MP selfie camera on the front is noticeably brighter and a bit sharper than previous versions. But Google’s new “Add Me” feature might be the best for group photos. It stitches two photos taken back to back, allowing the photographer to be added to group photos by swapping camera duties for the second photo with another group member. An augmented reality overlay shows where the extra people should position themselves to be in the combined photo. This works pretty well, but requires the second photographer to know how to use the mode properly, so it takes a bit of practice to get it right, and sometimes it didn’t cope with certain objects, like legs incorrectly blending into the edges of tables.

The camera app offers many other fun and creative modes, but even in difficult conditions, the Pixel can still take good photos like any other device without any user skills.

sustainability

Google doesn’t provide an expected battery life, but it should last over 500 full charge cycles at at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone is repairable by Google and third-party repairers, with genuine replacement parts available from iFixit soon. Replacing the screen will cost around £200.

The Pixel 8 Pro is made from at least 18% recycled materials, including recycled aluminum, plastic, rare earths, and tin. The company breaks down the phone’s environmental impact in its report. Google recycles old devices for free.

Price

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at £1,099 (€1,199/$1,099/A$1,849).

For comparison, the Pixel 8a costs £499, the Pixel 9 costs £799, the Pixel 9 Pro costs £999, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra costs £1,149 and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max costs £1,199.

Verdict

With the Pixel 9 Pro XL, Google has released its first real superphone, which competes with Samsung’s S24 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.

A huge and great screen, long battery life, outstanding looks and a top-notch camera make it one of the best phones you can buy. However, it is really big and requires two-handed use most of the time. If that’s a problem, its smaller sibling, the 9 Pro, might be a better option.

Google’s cutting-edge AI additions continue to be a mix of fun tricks and useful tools, particularly in the camera space with features like Magic Editor and Add Me. Gemini Live is a hugely impressive new addition and significantly improves AI assistants on a phone, but whether it’s worth paying a monthly fee for after the free first year remains to be seen.

While the higher price this year is annoying, the Pixel is still cheaper than rivals from Samsung and Apple and will get seven years of software support, so it should last a long time.

Advantages: seven years of software updates, great camera with 5x and 10x optical zoom, great screen, great battery life, recycled aluminum, impressive local and generative AI features, Gemini Live included for one year.

Disadvantages: Price increase, facial unlock option not as secure as Face ID, raw performance not best in class, temperature sensor is still a gimmick outside the US, AI doesn’t always get everything right.