Pixel 9: Google's smartest phone ever

Google has recently launched the Pixel 9, and while it is not officially available in Israel, a major importer, GoMobile, brings it to the local market, offering excellent warranty service. We received the basic Pixel 9 model for review after previously testing the larger Pro version. So, how does the Pixel 9 fare for the masses? We took it for a spin.

Design and Build

The Pixel 9 underwent a significant design change. In contrast to previous Pixel phones, which featured a camera bar that spanned the entire width of the device, the Pixel 9 introduces an elliptical camera module that doesn't stretch across the back. Personally, I find this look less distinctive and less aesthetically pleasing.

That said, the Pixel 9 is still an elegant device, boasting a sleek appearance, rounded corners, a durable Victus glass back, and IP68 water and dust resistance. Our review unit came in a striking black color, which Google calls "Obsidian Glass," with a glossy finish that features only the letter "G" on the back. The new elliptical camera module, housing the lenses and flash, has a silver tint and protrudes slightly from the body, causing the phone to sit at a slight angle when placed on its back.

Looking at the front of the phone, it's mostly screen—a 6.3-inch display. The front camera is a hole-punch type centered at the top of the display, which also houses a hidden earpiece speaker. On the right side, you'll find the volume and power buttons, with the power button placed unusually above the volume controls. At the bottom, there’s a speaker grille, a USB-C port, and a SIM tray (the phone supports one physical SIM and one eSIM). The left side is completely smooth for comfortable gripping.

Regarding the phone's overall balance, it feels good in hand, but there's a noticeable weight bias toward the top, likely due to the camera module. This imbalance might be bothersome to some users.

Display and Sound

Google equipped the Pixel 9 with a 120Hz OLED display, supporting HDR10 and peaking at 2700 nits of brightness. While the resolution is only 1080p, the display performs well. The colors are good, though not as deep as Samsung’s displays, and it offers excellent brightness, color accuracy, and detail. Some scenes show a slight reddish hue, but overall, it’s a solid screen.

The sound quality is impressive. Thanks to the hidden earpiece speaker and the built-in bottom speaker, the Pixel 9 provides decent, clear, and loud stereo sound. So, if you’re one of those people who watches videos with the phone’s speaker in public, this phone will serve you well, making it a good companion for Netflix on the go, thanks also to the HDR10 support.

Camera

The Pixel 9's photography capabilities are remarkable, thanks to Google’s computational photography. Despite having just a dual-lens system (50MP and 48MP sensors), compared to the triple-lens setup of the Pro models, Google maximizes the camera's potential through smart use of the high resolution.

As a result, we captured excellent photos in all lighting conditions, including stunning cloud images against direct sunlight, even with lens flare. Night photos are very bright—so much so that I had to manually reduce the brightness to maintain a night-time feel. Only in extreme zoom conditions (up to 8x digital zoom) did I notice some noise in the images. In all other situations, the pictures were well-balanced, with natural colors and good sharpness.

On top of that, AI-powered editing tools like the Magic Editor—which can remove objects from photos and intelligently fill in backgrounds—or the ability to reduce background noise in videos automatically while focusing on the subject are fantastic additions, making the Pixel 9 a powerful device for photography.

Performance and AI Features

While the Pixel 9 shines in photography, its synthetic performance is less impressive. In daily use, we didn’t experience any lag, but in benchmark tests, the Pixel 9, powered by the Tensor G4 chip, performed only moderately well. Many modern phones outpace it in graphical performance, so it’s not a great device for gaming if that’s your main focus. Despite supporting UFS 3.1 and featuring 12GB of RAM, it’s not a gaming powerhouse.

In the Wild Life Extreme test, it only outperformed 54% of devices with a score of 2,568, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24 achieved better results. Similarly, in the Steel Nomad Light test, it scored 1,027 points, surpassing the Pixel 8 Pro but still falling short of the Galaxy S24 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro, outperforming just 31% of devices.

On the flip side, the Pixel 9 offers superb AI performance. With Android 14 (and Android 15 on the way), Google has integrated AI capabilities into every aspect of the device—from Gemini, the digital assistant that can communicate in natural language (only in English for now) and search the screen, to AI integration in apps like Gmail, and new dedicated AI apps like Pixel Studio, which generates images. The new apps leverage Gemini Micro, allowing you to download models directly to the device, bringing Google's generative AI power right into your hands.

Battery Life

The Pixel 9’s battery life is solid. Despite being a small device, it packs a 4,700mAh battery, lasting up to two days under normal use and even three days in battery-saving mode. It supports 27W charging and PD 3.0, giving you 55% charge in just 30 minutes, along with 15W wireless charging using the original Pixel Stand or 12W with any Qi-compatible stand.

Warranty and Conclusion

GoMobile is the first to offer extended warranty on Pixel 9 devices in Israel (European version), beyond the standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty required by law. This includes an additional six months, with repair or replacement at an authorized European lab. Customers can drop off their device at any GoMobile branch for repair or replacement, offering peace of mind even though the phone isn't officially sold by Google in Israel.

The Pixel 9 is priced at NIS 3,679 for the 256GB version. While this might sound high, considering the European price of around €1,000, it translates to slightly less than €900, making it a good deal—especially when factoring in the 18-month warranty.

In conclusion, the Pixel 9 is not a device for gamers, as our graphics performance tests confirmed. However, it’s an excellent phone for content creators and those who work with generative AI, as well as anyone who needs a reliable, serious device for work and entertainment (excluding heavy gaming). It also offers a clean Google software experience and long-term peace of mind with guaranteed updates, including seven major Android version upgrades. All in all: we liked it.