Google Pixel 9 Professional XL evaluation: 3 methods it beats the iPhone 15 Professional Max

Desk of Contents

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL is the latest addition to the Pixel household. Earlier than the reveal of the Google Pixel 9 sequence, the lineup solely had two telephones: a base mannequin (e.g., final yr’s Google Pixel 8) and a Professional variant (e.g., 2023’s Google Pixel 8 Professional).

Now, Google has modified issues up with a triple-device lineup: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Professional, and Pixel 9 Professional XL.

Curiously, regardless of its identify, the Pixel 9 Professional XL isn’t that a lot bigger from final yr’s greatest mannequin (i.e., Google Pixel 8 Professional). The brand new Pixel 9 Professional XL has a 6.8-inch show whereas the Google Pixel 8 Professional has a 6.7-inch panel.

What actually makes the Pixel 9 Professional XL comparatively bigger to the Pixel 9 Professional is that Google really shrunk the Professional mannequin to six.3 inches, down from 6.7 inches. So sure, the Pixel 9 Professional is smaller than the Pixel 8 Professional. Bizarre, I do know, provided that telephones sometimes develop into bigger than their predecessors, not smaller.

Now that you simply’ve bought an excellent understanding of the Pixel 9 Professional XL (and its new household), let’s dive into my expertise with it.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL value and specs

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL has a beginning value of $1,099 by way of the Google Retailer. It comes with the next specs:

If you would like, you will get extra storage by upgrading to the 256GB mannequin, which can set you again $1,119. If you would like a 512GB mannequin or a 1TB variant, you’ll must shell out $1,319 and $1,549, respectively. (I extremely recommend getting the 256GB mannequin. In my private expertise, 128GB of storage lasts about a bit over a yr earlier than your storage will get full.)

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL design

The Pixel 9 Professional XL, not like its lesser successors (e.g., Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional), really seems to be and feels premium — because of the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 matte again. With a shiny polished steel body that wraps across the Pixel 9 Professional XL, it might actually compete with the likes of the iPhone 15 Professional Max.

The Pixel 9 Professional XL can also be extremely proof against fingerprints, so be happy to get handsy with it with none guilt.

The actual unit I examined for this evaluation sports activities the Hazel chassis. There are three different colours you may select from, together with Obsidian (black), Rose Quartz (pink), and Porcelain (off-white).

I’ve seen all of them in particular person. The Obsidian could also be the preferred of the 4 colorways. You possibly can by no means go mistaken with a wealthy, onyx system that appears prefer it’d be on Batman’s desk. The Rose Quartz delivers a pink-ish hue to the Pixel 9 Professional XL. Emphasis on the phrase ish as a result of it is extra of a pastel, barely there, “child bathe pink,” if you’ll. If you would like a pink that is really not afraid to be pink, take a look at the “Peony” colour on the Pixel 9.

Though Google made a delicate gen-over-gen change with the digital camera bar, it elevates the visible attraction of the Pixel 9 sequence. The funky Geordi La Forge-esque visor now not goes from edge to edge. It now has an island-style design with a physique that colour matches the chassis.

On the suitable aspect of the Pixel 9 Professional XL, you may discover the amount and energy buttons. On the underside, you may uncover the USB-C port and a SIM card slot (the Pixel 9 Professional XL additionally helps eSIM).

In comparison with the Pixel 8 Professional, the Pixel 9 Professional XL is only a smidge bigger (6.41 inches lengthy versus 6.40). Nevertheless, it is barely thinner (0.33 inches vs. 0.35 inches). The Pixel 9 Professional XL feels fairly good within the fingers; the curved edges are forgiving as my fingers wrap round them. As somebody who by no means favored the Pixel sequence’ design, I am lastly warming as much as it.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL show

The Pixel 9 Professional XL has a 6.8-inch, 1344 x 2992-pixel decision show. It has a screen-to-body ratio of about 88%, a slight soar from the Pixel 8 Professional’s 87% screen-to-body ratio. Which means that the Pixel 9 Professional XL affords a greater immersive viewing expertise with thinner bezels, permitting extra of the show to be devoted to your content material.

I fired up a couple of movies on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, together with platforms like YouTube and Netflix. One factor I observed is that the Pixel 9 Professional XL was a extremely saturated panel, notably in comparison with my iPhone 15 Professional Max. For instance, whereas watching Love is Blind UK, the electrical inexperienced prime on one contestant gave the impression to be extra vibrant — as if it was coming out of the display screen — in comparison with its Apple counterpart.

Nevertheless, my each day driver, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, is much more vivid than the Pixel 9 Professional XL — maybe too vivid. The Pixel 9 Professional XL is “excellent.”

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL cameras

The megapixel depend of the Pixel 9 Professional XL hasn’t modified from the Pixel 8 household. It nonetheless has a 50MP large digital camera, a 48MP ultrawide lens, and a 48MP telephoto sensor.

Nevertheless, this time round, the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s ultrawide digital camera bought a slight replace, an improved aperture, that implies that it’s best to get higher ultrawide photographs in low-light situations.

In different phrases, your trip photographs the place you seize ultrawide photographs of beautiful landscapes ought to have improved element on the Pixel 9 Professional XL.

I examined the Pixel 9 Professional XL towards my beloved iPhone 15 Professional Max, and to my shock, the previous bested it. And I’ve proof.

Huge digital camera

I captured an image of some vintage vehicles inside a museum and was shocked by the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s seize:

Right here is the iPhone 15 Professional Max’s seize of the scene:

The very first thing that caught my eye is that the Pixel 9 Professional XL offers higher with difficult lighting, delivering a shot with little to no lens flare (not like the iPhone 15 Professional Max). The Apple system provided a extra true-to-life interpretation of the 2 vintage vehicles whereas its Google rival captured a richer, extra saturated shot.

Ultrawide digital camera

I additionally took some photos of Northport Harbor in Lengthy Island, New York. Flanked by verdant timber, right here is an ultrawide shot taken by the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL:

Right here is similar surroundings taken with the iPhone 15 Professional Max

The Pixel 9 Professional XL’s interpretation of the scene seems to be extra vibrant and colourful. The grass emanates greener hues, and most conspicuously, the sky and harbor look bluer. The ripples and waves within the water seem extra detailed, too.

Telephoto

Each the Pixel 9 Professional XL and iPhone 15 Professional Max’s telephoto sensor maxes out at 5X optical zoom earlier than the digital zoom (i.e., software program) kicks in. I snapped a photograph of a neighbor’s yellow flowers, and here is the way it turned out (at 5X zoom).

Take a look at the shot taken by the Pixel 9 Professional XL, and you may discover a extra strong and detailed seize of the eye-catching flower in comparison with the iPhone 15 Professional Max:

The Pixel 9 Professional XL might have an edge over the iPhone 15 Professional Max on the subject of cameras, however as you may discover out, the Google telephone is weaker on the subject of efficiency.

When you’re inquisitive about how far the Pixel 9 Professional XL can zoom with its Tremendous Res Zoom perk, take a look at my hands-on that featured me zooming in 5,280 ft and getting unbelievable element.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL efficiency

We ran Geekbench 6 on the Pixel 9 Professional XL, which sports activities the brand new Google Tensor G4 chip, and it delivered a multi-core rating of 4,569.

That is fairly low in comparison with the scores we have recorded for different telephones we have reviewed:

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL – 4,569

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 – 6,069

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – 6,300

Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely – 7,078

iPhone 15 Professional Max – 7,359

I do know the iPhone 15 Professional Max’s 7,359 rating might look astronomical — and that is as a result of it’s. It is approach too overpowered for a smartphone. The Pixel 9 Professional XL would not have to match this rating to be thought-about as beastly because the priciest iPhone, however its Geekbench 6 rating is surprisingly low. And when you think about that the Pixel 8 Professional really delivered a increased rating (e.g., 4,639), the G4 chip feels much more underpowered.

Even so, I did not expertise any slowdowns in any way whereas juggling a number of apps concurrently. It’s price nothing, nonetheless, that the Pixel 9 Professional XL bought a bit too scorching at instances, notably whereas utilizing the cameras throughout a heat day. This telephone could also be a nightmare to make use of on the seashore.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL AI options

Apple Intelligence is in hassle! Google packed a cornucopia of AI options into the Pixel 9 household. Try our hands-on experiences with an excellent chunk of them:

I additionally advocate that you simply take a look at the brand new Gemini Stay, the large replace to Google’s ChatGPT rival.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL battery life

In-freakin’-credible! The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL drained at a price of simply 5 % hour on our take a look at.

We ran a TikTok rundown on the Pixel 9 Professional XL at 50% brightness. Now, think about our shock once we noticed it lasted a whopping 18 hours and 41 minutes on a single cost. This beats the iPhone 15 Professional Max, which lasted 14 hours and 53 minutes on the identical take a look at.

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL: Is it price it?

The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL is completely price it based mostly on the battery life alone. You possibly can comfortably depart the home with the Pixel 9 Professional XL and never endure from battery drainage nervousness. You may get away with being lazy for a bit and not charging the telephone for an evening or two.

Plus, on the subject of its shooters, it could compete with arguably the perfect smartphone available on the market: the iPhone 15 Professional Max. That being stated, the Pixel 9 Professional XL beats the iPhone 15 Professional Max in no less than three classes: digital camera, show, and battery life.

On prime of that, the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s Google AI options are a blast to make use of (although they’ve their quirks), making the Pixel 9 Professional XL one of many greatest telephones of 2024.