Google Pixel 9 and its various flavours launched

[chrisk]

Welp, my P9PXL came today just before heading out for a day trip. As I was the passenger, I did my phone swap in the car and chewed up some of my 60GB data cap that I never use.

I don't quite understand though, even in "Full Resolution" mode, which is 1344x2992, everything is still smaller than my P7P (which I also ran on full res at 1440x3120). I have to bump "Display Size" up a notch for it to look similar. The screen quality is definitely much improved though.

Used it caseless today, as I bought the case after it shipped to use the store credit, and it's not terribly slippery at least like the P7P. It somehow feels more manageable too, I guess the flat screen and rounded corners help. We'll see if that changes with a case though.

Still a lot of apps don't really transfer seamlessly and lose all their data/login. I didn't see any way to move my Pixel Watch either, so had to reset that. It did offer to convert my Koodo SIM to eSIM though, but I skipped it.

Overall performance seems smoother, I was charging it in the car and using Google Maps, and it didn't get super hot. P7P would usually get hot enough to start throttling just using Google Maps and not even charging. Again, we'll see if a case changes that.

When I moved to the P8P from the P7P I also noticed what you did...moving from the P8P to the P9PXL there was no difference to me.

I have 2 Bellroy and official Google cases for the 9 Pro XL and they are nice. I have some others as well (I get Amazon review samples). The phone is definitely easier to pick up.

So far I'm finding the battery to be a lot better for sure. The reception might be better for me but not entirely sure yet.

The fingerprint sensor has actually been a little worse for me....not horrible but certainly no improvement, even though I registered my prints after the Spigen glass protector install and set the screen sensitivity to high, etc.

My only gripe really is that my speakers are awful compared to the P8P. I'm actually concerned that they are defective...I get distorted audio at high range and high volume...the P8P was amazing, the P7P was good...this is a few notches lower than my old P7P.

Everything else about the phone has been great. Less heat and really impressed with the battery. Camera is the same to me. Like you @JD , my app settings didn't come over seamless either...it was hit and miss.

I got a few cases and 3 Pebblebee trackers from the Google Store with my Google Store credit so far. I have still yet to send back in my P8P trade in...feels like $500 is still too low to let my perfect P8P 256GB go but I'll be sending that off to Google shortly.

 

[Caldezar]

I had a similar experience before getting my S23 Ultra. Tried whatever the newest pixel was that had just released (pixel 7 pro IIRC) and didn't care for it. Surprisingly I liked touchwiz's version of android better than the google stock version. The chunky bar at the back didn't grow on me either.

If my variant of the Note 9 wasn't basically locked from any CFW, I'd have swapped a new battery in and kept using it, but the deal with the american carriers at the time (and by extension Canadian ones using the same hardware) meant it was a basically 'un-unlockable' phone. No chance of any kind of CFW and security updates were long stopped.

I'm hoping my S23 Ultra lasts 5-6 years (or more, luck willing), but suspect that's very wishful thinking, if nothing else due to security issues. There's very little about the hardware end of phones that's all that exciting anymore. I never thought I'd want an Apple, the walled in approach of iOS is a big annoyance (and I dislike a lot of their corporate approaches), but I don't do much with my phones if I'm being honest, and apples focus on privacy has some appeal. The next time I need a phone I may be finally consider swapping teams for the first time since like '09 when I left Blackberry for Android.

I tried to move to Apple as well when I was having Pixel issues but just couldn't do it. There are some thing I like, but the walled garden just killed me. There are too many things I simply can't wrap my mind around with Apple. Not the least of which is no screen/icon customization. I've been a faithful Nova Launcher user for years and it's tough for me to function without it. Primarily because I shrink icons down and move to 7 icons across so I can get a lot more on the fixed bar on the bottom.

 

[JD]

feels like $500 is still too low to let my perfect P8P 256GB

Doesn't sound great since my P7P 128GB is $460. And I only bought 128GB on this P9PXL too since trade-in values don't seem to ever care about storage, nor do I really need more space. I usually pay for extra Google storage anyhow, and now there's the "free" 2TB for a year.

I don't really ever use the speakers much, but I just watched a YouTube video at max volume and it sounded fine. Lacking in bass obviously, but I wouldn't call it distorted.

I heard the cameras are all sensor/colour/resolution matched now, I don't know if the P8P had fixed that? I always hated that 0.5x look much worse on the P7P. Didn't use it much yesterday though, but the 12MP default looks about the same. Need to try the 50MP mode.

Signal, yeah not sure, I have 5G with Koodo capped at 250Mbps, but I find Koodo in general must get de-prioritized. It sounds like only Bell/Telus/Rogers will net you the best speeds/signal now. I had still dropped down to HSPA out in Orillia yesterday, with it probably on LTE mostly.

My Bellroy case should be arriving today, I've used it on the P6P and P7P so stuck with it.

 

[FreeKnight]

I tried to move to Apple as well when I was having Pixel issues but just couldn't do it. There are some thing I like, but the walled garden just killed me. There are too many things I simply can't wrap my mind around with Apple. Not the least of which is no screen/icon customization. I've been a faithful Nova Launcher user for years and it's tough for me to function without it. Primarily because I shrink icons down and move to 7 icons across so I can get a lot more on the fixed bar on the bottom.

That's something where I expect some definite frustration. I also hate this screen fingerprint bullshit. Put it as a dedicated button on the side like my old Xperia Z3. It was amazing, worked everytime and didn't become a problem with a glass screen protector.

The apple-ification of google phones is a shitty trend I dislike (with the irony of apple frequently advertising new 'features' android has had for ages).

 

[chrisk]

Doesn't sound great since my P7P 128GB is $460. And I only bought 128GB on this P9PXL too since trade-in values don't seem to ever care about storage, nor do I really need more space. I usually pay for extra Google storage anyhow, and now there's the "free" 2TB for a year.

I don't really ever use the speakers much, but I just watched a YouTube video at max volume and it sounded fine. Lacking in bass obviously, but I wouldn't call it distorted.

I heard the cameras are all sensor/colour/resolution matched now, I don't know if the P8P had fixed that? I always hated that 0.5x look much worse on the P7P. Didn't use it much yesterday though, but the 12MP default looks about the same. Need to try the 50MP mode.

Signal, yeah not sure, I have 5G with Koodo capped at 250Mbps, but I find Koodo in general must get de-prioritized. It sounds like only Bell/Telus/Rogers will net you the best speeds/signal now. I had still dropped down to HSPA out in Orillia yesterday, with it probably on LTE mostly.

My Bellroy case should be arriving today, I've used it on the P6P and P7P so stuck with it.

How's things going so far? I have to say, this is probably the best phone I have had since the Pixel 2XL.

I've also tried a bunch of cases. Right now the Spigen Enzo is excellent, but it lacks magsafe on the Pixel model which is frustrating considering the rest of the Enzo line has it. But the case itself is very premium...aramid fibre and aluminum buttons and accents....fits like a glove too and feels amazing in the hand. I have two Google official cases and two Bellroy as well...they are all excellent this time around and the magsafe in the Bellroy is nice. They all fit really well. The Spigen rugged armour is really good too and feel a lot like the Ringke Onyx line. The Spigen glass protector is good, but doesn't feel as smooth as I would like...its weird. I think the Whitestone Dome protectors have poiled me and they don't have one for the 9 series.

I've had two issues with calls so far but I'm not convinced it was my phone. The battery life has been stellar for me...I'm getting 7-8 hours of screen time easily with moderate use in the Durham Region. I also got a 45mm Pixel Watch 3 and that thing is awesome too. I got to bed with 75% battery left.

I also kept the P8P 256GB and won't be trading it in...I'm keeping on hand for now just in case as a backup. I'll probably sell it later in the fall...I also have literally 20 cases for it that I get as review samples that I need to find a use for.

Overall it seems like on the hardware-side Google has done an excellent job this time around and if anyone is on the fence or had a bad experience with an earlier Tensor Pixel I'd give this one a try. Hopefully the Android 15 update doesn't mess anything up though.

 

[JD]

The battery life has been stellar for me...I'm getting 7-8 hours of screen time easily with moderate use in the Durham Region.

Yeah similar I'd say, surprised at that the most. Hasn't overheated/throttled yet, though I suppose peak summer is behind us.

I think this picture today turned out pretty nicely (it's in York-Durham region). It had picked up the face of the 2nd solider on the left so it gave some depth as the ones on the right have a bit of bokeh.

 

[chrisk]

Yeah similar I'd say, surprised at that the most. Hasn't overheated/throttled yet, though I suppose peak summer is behind us.

I think this picture today turned out pretty nicely (it's in York-Durham region). It had picked up the face of the 2nd solider on the left so it gave some depth as the ones on the right have a bit of bokeh.

View attachment 41721

These HDR pictures with a mix of sun and shadows is where the Pixel cameras shine...and moving subjects like kids and pets.

Some folks on reddit in the Android beta are saying their battery suffered on the latest Android 15 beta...have to keep an eye on that.

 

[great_big_abyss]

I just picked up a base Google Pixel 9 this past week to replace my aging but still functional Samsung S20 FE. I'm enjoying it so far. After a decade of large phones (starting with the HTC One M8, then a Nexus 6P, then a Pixel 2 XL, then Galaxy S9+, followed by the S20FE) I've decided to go back to more normal sized phone. And it's not that the Pixel is a 'small' phone - it's only a few mm smaller in each axis than my S20 was. So far I'm enjoying the more compact size - reading in bed is a little easier, and the phone just feels more comfy when using one-handed.

I'm enjoying the swipe gestures , as well as the snappiness of the 120Hz screen. Google Wallet is a step up from Samsung Pay, which is what I was using on my old S20FE (although I suppose there was nothing stopping me from using Google Wallet on that phone too, it's just Samsung pay was the default when setting up, so it's what I went with and stuck with).

Two things I'm NOT liking: The Mandatory Google Search Bar at the bottom, as well as the 'at a glance' bar near the top that takes up a TON of real estate. The top couple of rows of my phone is normally where I would keep a weather widget, and an alarm/clock/timer widget. I can't have those any more, because there isn't enough room for the rest of my icons (and I like to have all my daily ones on one page). There ARE other ways of accessing that information - I've got a full page weather widget on the 2nd page of my home screen, and alarms can be accessed through the pull down menu from the top.


I've heard that one can get rid of those two items using Google Pixel Launcher, but I'm unsure if that's native Google software or not, whether it will parse data, and how many resources it will hog if it runs in the background all the time. I don't know why Google couldn't have just made the Home Screen layout completely customizable, the way the Pixel 2 was, or even Samsung's TouchWiz is.

 

[Marzipan]

I just picked up a base Google Pixel 9 this past week to replace my aging but still functional Samsung S20 FE. I'm enjoying it so far. After a decade of large phones (starting with the HTC One M8, then a Nexus 6P, then a Pixel 2 XL, then Galaxy S9+, followed by the S20FE) I've decided to go back to more normal sized phone. And it's not that the Pixel is a 'small' phone - it's only a few mm smaller in each axis than my S20 was. So far I'm enjoying the more compact size - reading in bed is a little easier, and the phone just feels more comfy when using one-handed.

I'm enjoying the swipe gestures , as well as the snappiness of the 120Hz screen. Google Wallet is a step up from Samsung Pay, which is what I was using on my old S20FE (although I suppose there was nothing stopping me from using Google Wallet on that phone too, it's just Samsung pay was the default when setting up, so it's what I went with and stuck with).

Two things I'm NOT liking: The Mandatory Google Search Bar at the bottom, as well as the 'at a glance' bar near the top that takes up a TON of real estate. The top couple of rows of my phone is normally where I would keep a weather widget, and an alarm/clock/timer widget. I can't have those any more, because there isn't enough room for the rest of my icons (and I like to have all my daily ones on one page). There ARE other ways of accessing that information - I've got a full page weather widget on the 2nd page of my home screen, and alarms can be accessed through the pull down menu from the top.


I've heard that one can get rid of those two items using Google Pixel Launcher, but I'm unsure if that's native Google software or not, whether it will parse data, and how many resources it will hog if it runs in the background all the time. I don't know why Google couldn't have just made the Home Screen layout completely customizable, the way the Pixel 2 was, or even Samsung's TouchWiz is.

it's true, the lower search bar can't be dismissed easily...but I have the weather widget, no at a glance bar. press and hold and you should be able to move it upwards and delete. doesn't' work with the Google bar though.

 

[JD]

it's true, the lower search bar can't be dismissed easily...but I have the weather widget, no at a glance bar. press and hold and you should be able to move it upwards and delete. doesn't' work with the Google bar though.

I don't believe you can, at least not on Pixel phones with the stock launcher. You can disable "at a glance" but the date remains persistent and takes the same amount of space.