[REVIEW] Google Pixel 9 Is A Solid Flagship With Minor Shortcomings

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But while the Pro may pack a few extra features, the standard Pixel 9 offers a compelling flagship experience of its own.

With a cleaner design, improved battery life, and several useful AI-driven features, it strikes a balance between functionality and performance. It also comes in four colourways: Peony, Wintergreen, Porcelain, and Obsidian.

I recently had the opportunity to review the Peony-coloured device. Here's what I liked about the Google Pixel 9 and what could be improved in future models.

It looks sleek with its flat back and aluminium frame, but it does lose the compact feel that many Pixel fans have come to love.

The Pixel 9 is noticeably larger and heavier than its predecessor, the Pixel 8, and now carries an iPhone-esque vibe with a flat surface all around.

The back is glossy Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which lends durability, and the phone maintains its IP68 rating for dust and water resistance— always a welcome feature.

One design change that stands out is the oval-shaped camera bump, a shift from the horizontal design that spanned the phone’s width in past models. While this change is mostly aesthetic, it gives the Pixel 9 a more streamlined look.

Although it doesn’t have the LTPO technology found in the Pro models (which dynamically adjusts refresh rates to save battery), the display still toggles smoothly between 60Hz and 120Hz for everyday use.

The real standout is the brightness. The Pixel 9 boasts an impressive peak brightness of 2200 nits in auto-brightness mode, which outshines most competitors and ensures excellent visibility even in direct sunlight.

Whether you're watching HDR content or simply scrolling through social media, the display feels responsive, clear, and vibrant.

The Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 improves on its predecessor with a new CPU design and slightly boosted GPU clock speeds, but peak performance remains below what you’d expect from other flagship devices.

In day-to-day use, however, the Pixel 9 is smooth and efficient. Apps load quickly, multitasking is seamless, and even graphically demanding games run without issues.

But for users seeking the highest possible performance for intensive tasks or gaming, the Pixel 9 might not be for you.

Running on Android 14, it provides a streamlined, bloat-free interface, and Google's AI features make the Pixel 9 a standout.

Google has packed the Pixel 9 with AI-driven tools like Gemini, the company’s latest AI assistant, which is capable of natural language conversation and understands over 100 languages.

It’s perfect for getting summaries of calls, texts, or emails quickly, and the assistant adapts to the context of your queries.

Other notable AI features include Pixel Studio, which allows you to create AI-generated images, and Magic Editor in Google Photos, a clever tool that lets you replace faces or objects with better versions from other shots.

These AI capabilities, along with the seven years of software support Google promises, ensure the Pixel 9 stays fresh and functional well into the future. 

It features a 50MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide camera, both of which come with autofocus. However, unlike the Pro models, it lacks a telephoto lens, which means zooming relies on digital cropping from the main camera.

For still photography, the Pixel 9 is impressive. Photos taken during daylight are sharp with natural detail, well-judged contrast, and excellent colour reproduction. Even in low-light conditions, the camera holds up well, maintaining good exposure and colour saturation. The addition of autofocus to the selfie camera is also a nice touch, allowing for more flexibility with framing.

However, video recording is where the Pixel 9 falters. It supports up to 4K at 60fps but lacks 8K recording, which is available in other flagships. Videos have great contrast and colour saturation, but they lack the fine detail and sharpness found in competing devices. It’s a surprising shortfall for a phone that excels in still photography.

This results in better overall battery life, with the Pixel 9 lasting a full day of moderate use, even with the 120Hz display enabled. I was able to achieve an active use time of over 13 hours.

Charging, however, remains an area where the Pixel 9 could improve. It supports 27W wired charging, and while that gets you from 0 to 55% in 30 minutes, a full charge still takes around 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Wireless and reverse wireless charging are supported, but the overall charging speeds lag behind other flagship devices, some of which charge fully in under an hour.

Its durable build, long-term software support, and clean Android experience make it a compelling choice for users who value ease of use, Google’s ecosystem, and AI tools for a device that starts at RM3,999.

That said, the Pixel 9 does have a few shortcomings. It’s no longer the compact device that Pixel fans have loved in the past, and its video capabilities are underwhelming compared to competitors. The lack of a telephoto camera and its middling performance, especially compared to Snapdragon-powered flagships, may also leave some users feeling that it falls short of top-tier competition.

However, for people looking to upgrade their Android devices, the Google Pixel 9 makes for an appealing device to consider.