Google Pixel 9

For a long time, many associated Google's rather ambitious Pixel line-up of phones with frustration. They started out as real competition to the other key Android players in the market, but after the controversial Pixel 4 and the strange mid-range Pixel 5, it was hard to trace a coherent strategy.

In recent years, however, the Pixel series has been on a meteoric rise, finally hitting the mark with the Pixel 6 series. Like all the others, the Pixel 9 is a slightly iterative update, but it represents something far more important to Google; a bright, shiny proof that they have finally achieved the Pixel dream with a competitively priced phone, an excellent camera, a solid operating system and a design that is both striking and subtle at the same time. In other words, the Pixel 9 tiebreaker.

First and foremost, it's worth stating right up front that the Pixel 9 is a gorgeous phone. No, Google isn't reinventing the wheel here, but from the more playful colours (our lime green is decidedly pretty), the softer corners, the beautiful camera bar and the matte bezels. Sure, next to a standard iPhone 15 you have to look twice, but there's a lot of Google here, and this is without a doubt one of the best looking standard smartphones you can buy in 2024. That's an incredibly subjective thing, by the way.

Beyond that, there's everything you'd expect from a typical flagship. There's 15W wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging, there's excellent Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, a rather large 4700mAh battery that will easily get you through a day and a half, WIFI 6E, an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the glass and IP68 certification. There are no compromises here, even if there isn't a 'Pro' in the name.

Inside we find Google's new Tensor G4 SoC, which is an octa-core with a Mali-G715 GPU built-in. I've heard of Tensor's poor performance before, especially over long periods of time. All I can say is that Tensor didn't keep me waiting during the testing period - at all. Furthermore, I never experienced any strange stuttering, overheating or similar issues. No, it's not possible for me to test longer-term functionality in the first place, but for now I'll just say that Tensor doesn't strike me as an underwhelming architecture for a modern smartphone with expectations. The Tensor G4 can be combined with up to 256GB of space and 12GB of RAM.

Apple still ships the basic iPhone with 60Hz, but you won't find that here. This is a 120Hz OLED with peaks of 2700 NITS. The screen is slightly larger this time, 6.3 inches, and the resolution is 1080x2424 protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. It's hard to say which manufacturer definitely creates the best panels, it really is, but Google is undoubtedly in the conversation and manages to compete on an equal footing with all the others, and that's quite an achievement.

Even though Google is investing heavily in AI and post-processing, the regular Pixel 9 still manages a decent camera system. You get a 50 megapixel 25mm wide with single-zone laser auto-focus and optical stabilisation and a 48 megapixel 123-degree ultra-wide. Yes, as always, the telephoto lens and optical zoom are saved for the Pro models, a trick copied by pretty much everyone else, but you can get a lot out of these two lenses on their own. It should also be mentioned that Google has gone back to a much wider front selfie lens, which is now a 20mm ultrawide at 10.5 megapixels. Thank you for that.

The images are nice, Pixel images have always been nice, and the automatic processing they offer ups the contrast, creating a smoothness and dynamic range that really makes images pop. Is some of it a bit of a fake? Yes, it always has been, but without touching on the other AI tools, the standardised images from a Pixel are the easiest to share and impress others, and it's hard not to call it that. Google Pixel phones deliver the best pictures.

And then there's all that AI nonsense. I'm not a fan, let's put it that way. Tinkering with colours, shadows and contrasts? That's one thing. But using Magic Eraser, Magic Editor where you can give an AI a prompt to 'reimagine' parts of an image you've taken, and you can even take a group shot twice and then have yourself, the photographer, join in. I don't like the whole concept of creating memories that didn't really happen, it seems dystopian to me, artificial, and I would always be equipped with that knowledge when I see the image again. It's a constructed reality based on a scenario that never happened.

That said, whether it's Gemini Live, Pixel Studio or all the other AI-based features in the Pixel 9, it's all optional, and the great thing is that even if you don't interact with these features at all, you still get a competent camera system and a great smartphone.

Yes, this might actually be the best smartphone of the year. It's a little too early to tell yet, but Google has without a doubt finally taken the plunge and delivered one of the most compelling package deals around. The world is ready for Pixel, and Pixel is ready for the world.