Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Google Pixel 9 is ideal for avid picture takers and visual content creators. The photos it takes are crystal clear and very vivid, even without any editing! And they print just as detailed as it shows on the phone’s display. It has a top-notch macro focus feature plus a wide-angle lens, but a telescoping lens would have been nice to have on this phone model too. Now for the rest: Other Pros: • Great Battery Life: The 4700 mAh battery supports both fast and wireless charging, providing a full day of use on a single charge. • Good Display: Its OLED display is bright enough in daylight; and streamed video content looks great (with settings adjusted to 120Hz) • Advanced Connectivity: Supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. • Impressive Software Support: Includes 7 years of software support (great to have if phone itself holds up that long). Cons: • Fingerprint Sensor and Facial Recognition Reliability: Fingerprint doesn’t seem to be as reliable as other devices; and facial recognition is hit or miss. • Display settings: The settings have to be adjusted to 120Hz from the locked default 60Hz setting otherwise the colors are lacking. • Gaming: Performance is weak and not nearly as fast as other devices. Play quality sucks in apps with demanding game features. • Internal Cooling: The Pixel 9 tended to overheat and bog down more than I expected in Midwest heat conditions. • Speaker Quality: Music and video sound has a slightly tinny distortion to it and bass is pretty much nonexistent. AI Features: • “Add Me” feature in the camera for group photos using AI (cool feature if you can figure out how to get it to work consistently). • Pixel Studio for AI-generated pictures, which might appeal to some users. • Gemini Live for voice conversations with an AI, similar to browser-based chatbots, but with more natural sounding voices. I’ll agree that it is a step up from Google Assistant, but not a feature I just have to have. Overall, the Pixel 9 has outstanding camera features and WiFi signal range. However, the phone’s general build and overall performance qualities need to be better for it to be my everyday phone.

As stated in the title of this review, to sum this up the Pixel 9 is a niche device that charges flagship prices for midrange hardware based around the idea of being a creators phone with a nice camera. Short Takeaways Pros Great camera although a little overprocessed with default settings Nice OLED display Battery life that is normally very good Long Software Support Cons Subpar performance that takes away from user experience Bad finish/build quality Overheating which leads to bad battery performance Default settings making the phone perform worse and look worse out of the box The Google branded phones have been one of my favorite phones since long before they were called Pixel. I started off with Android with the very first Motorola Droid phones. They had the hilarious iCant ad comercials back then. What I love about the Pixel phones (previously Nexus) is the vanilla or close to vanilla Android OS that you get with them. Additionally you get the promise of long running support on them. I have a kid rocking my recently retired Pixel 3 XL. The Pixel 9 continues these things I like, but at the same time picking up some things I don't. To start with, the older Nexus devices as well as Pixels had midrange hardware, and that was ok. They were priced cheaper and the lack of bloat on the devices made them perform about the same. Additionally they had nice cameras (starting with the Pixel series). Now the Pixel is sporting the latest Tensor 4 processor. Problem is, its not much better than the Tensor 3, and the GPU wasn't upgraded at all, simply had a slight clock boost. This leads to the phone feeling rather sluggish at times, especially during animations. For gaming, because of the weaker performance this phone is not worth considering. Its about half as fast as other devices, causing it to have a rather lackluster experience in demanding mobile games. The Pixel 9 base model doesn't come with a vapor chamber like the other models which is an issue. I found multiple times while outside in Oklahoma that the device got extremely warm causing it to throttle more than normal and battery life started tanking. Finally on the cons side of things, the settings this thing ships with make it feel even worse. For starters the display is capable of 120hz, but ships with it locked at 60hz. And its very noticable in use. Switching this to Adaptive Refresh Rate makes it feel a bit better. If you really want the best experience though you need to enable developer options then Force Max Refresh Rate. This will lock it to 120hz and barely has an effect on battery life. Secondly the default colors are flat. This is an aesthetic choice to go with the Pixel theme, but it really makes the phone very muted. Changing the color profile makes it much more vibrant and appealing to look at. And even though the screen is OLED (which notoriously have lower brightness), the peak brightness on the Pixel 9 is plenty even on the bright Oklahoma days. The camera is the other area where this device shines. I'm not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but even I can appreciate a good picture. The Pixel doesn't disappoint there and generally has really good photos, though for my taste they are over processed to the point of appearing artificial. I am a little disappointed that the Pro features that you'd find on other devices are locked out of this one, and you don't get the telescoping lens, but the addition of the wideangle lens is nice. Overall very happy with the camera. And finally the after thought, AI. I feel like I can't be the only one who is struggling to find real use cases for AI in day to day life, but thats where I'm at. Pixel 9 introduces a few new features that I find mostly to be gimmicks. The first one you'll notice is the "Add Me" feature within the camera. This allows you to take a picture of you and your friends, with all of you in the same picture by using AI to fuse together two shots. Its not perfect and I never found myself needing to use it, but its there. Secondly there is Pixel Studio, which allows you to to use AI to generate pictures like you can do through many online photo generators. I have only toyed around with it briefly, as I don't find this very useful to me. But for those that like to do it, its there. And the last one of note is Gemini live which is an AI that you can have an actual conversation with. Its just like using Gemini within your browser except you can use your voice. So if you really like the AI chatbots, this might be your thing.

Been using the Pixel 9 and honestly… I’m kinda obsessed. The size is perfect — super handy, easy to use with one hand, and just feels great to carry around. The camera is a total win. I don’t even have to try hard; everything just comes out sharp and clean. Even quick snaps look like I put effort in. Perfect for random moments or baby pics. And the AI stuff? So good. It’s one of those things where you don’t realize how useful it is until you start using it. Photo editing, call screening, all those smart features just make life easier without me even thinking about it. Overall, the Pixel 9 has been such a pleasant surprise. Smooth, smart, compact, and honestly just fun to use. Loving it so far.

I’m very impressed with this Pixel phone. The camera quality is outstanding, especially in low light, and the photos look natural and sharp. The clean Android experience with no bloatware is a big plus, and regular updates keep the phone fast and secure. Battery life easily lasts a full day with normal use, and the overall performance is smooth for daily tasks. Great value and highly recommended.

The first is that Google provides seven years of system and security upgrades. That is priceless to any user, most phones develop irritating glitches when their android version is outdated and require an alternative app to do the security lifting. The second is the camera, Pixels have long been thought to provide the best quality. I have found this one excellent for me. It produces colors that are the same as the ones I see visually, and it has very high definition. In other respects it performs much like other phones, but the processor is very quick and 128 GB storage is ample for me, though other users might prefer more. Since Android is a Google product (like the Pixel) I feel assured that all the moving parts will play well together.

Overall very satisfied with the Google Pixel 9. I've had it for over a month, and it's a great phone that does come with a few trade offs. Solid, sturdy phone with a good hand feel (Make sure to get a good case). Smooth, fast interface and navigation. Really good battery life (around 24 hours with average daily use, less if you are doom scrolling reels or playing games for long periods). The AI assistant is very useful and makes hands-free operation and tasks easy. Good camera for average, everyday use, and takes great pictures, but lacks advanced camera options like full manual mode, Astro photography, and 4k video. Wireless charging is sub-par and slow. Does not have expandable memory slot. If you want amazing camera options the Pixel 9 Pro has it, but you will sacrifice battery life (my fiance bought the Pixel 9 pro when I got my Pixel 9, and as a photographer, she loves the 9 Pro). I would highly recommend the Pixel 9 to an average user not looking for the hottest bells and whistles, but just a solid, sleek phone for normal daily use. It's an awesome phone at a great price, and I see myself being happy with it for years to come.

You HAVE to check out the Pixel 9 if you're thinking of upgrading! Seriously, it's amazing. Working really fast, and the AI stuff is next-level helpful. The camera is insane Google nailed the low-light shots again, plus the video quality is finally top tier! Smooth design and that 120\text Hz screen is gorgeous. Best Android phone out right now, 10/10 recommend!

As someone who loved the Pixel 4 for many years, I skipped the 5 and officially left the Pixel fan club after the 6 came out due to its buggy performance. Well I'm happy to say that the Pixel 9 has exceeded my expectations. Is it perfect? No, not at all, but after using the iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung S23+, S24 Ultra, and the Z fold 6, the software of this phone is a breath of fresh air. Everything just works and I don't have to deal with duplicate apps or OS stutter. Not only is the design of the phone gorgeous, but the software too. It's like having an iPhone that's actually fun to use. I can't believe I'm saying this but Gemini has been so useful for recipe ideas, house chores, and school work. I absolutely love it compared to Siri, Bixby, or the old google assistant -- and they're improving it every day. I also love that it's integrated with all the platforms I use on a regular basis: on my laptop, on this phone, Google docs, Google Sheets, Google Home, Gmail , etc... The biggest issue with AI is the way its integrated. A ton of people can't find a decent use-case for it because developers clumsily stick it in places it doesn't belong. Trust me, this one "belongs" and doesn't get in your way. It's not perfect... My CONs might be that some apps aren't great with the Tensor processor (and android in general). Social media is especially egregious. Snapchat compresses videos and photos so much that I feel embarrassed posting them. The filters are laggy and choppy. Zooming within the app is a mess.. The same could be said for instagram and all other social media. I really hope Google does something to motivate these developers more. It's such a shame to have a phone touted as one of the best at photography & social media -- only to have its apps hold it back. There's also a considerable lag when attempting to pull up your photo library within these apps to post a pre-taken picture. I have to way about 7 seconds for things to load but it's only in IG and snapchat so seems like an app issue. Lastly, the screen brightness calibration is poor. It gets plenty bright in direct sunlight but indoors the adaptive process is way to dim for my taste. No amount of resetting that seems to fix the issue. I really wish they'd up the baseline brightness a bit.

I've been using Pixel phones since Gen1 and this is just what I needed. It's camera was a big improvement and is perfect for taking my family photos/closeup shots. I also appreciate a much better battery life. AI is included but easy to disable if, like me, you prefer the regular Google assistant.

I bought the Google Pixel 9 and I’m very happy with it. The phone is smooth, the camera quality is excellent, and the display looks great. Battery life is good for daily use, and the clean Android experience is a big plus. Overall, it’s a very good mobile and worth buying.

Was able to use my Google Pixel 6 for 3 full years before issues and decided to buy the Pixel 9. The phone is smaller in compared to the Pixel 6 but faster and way more responsive. The AI integration works well but I did not buy the phone for that feautre. Setup and data transfer was easy. All I had to do was turn on the new phone and scan a QR code on my old one. The traditional setup questions occur and the transfer begun. Over bluetooth and connected with a cable, the transfer took 30 mins but could have been made faster if I was connected to WiFi. Overall, the phone performs great for the value. Highly recommend.

A wonderful android phone at a good discount. Photos are crisp and comparatively better to my previous Samsung s22+. The battery capacity is slightly more and holds the charge for a long time.

Phone is excellent. All the stuff & capabilities one would expect. Camera is super, gives my DSLR's strong competition for a lot of situations. Especially wide-field night captures. A subject has to be really special for me to strap on a backpack full of cameras and glass.

This is one of my favorites phones I've owned. It is fast and reliable and just all around solid with plenty of battery life for my use. The phone recharges fast for my needs. Sometimes quirks pop up like the screen will freeze, but that's a computer for ya. I sporadically ran into small freezing with my iPhones in the past. I really love that the phone has a great camera and seven years of security and other software updates promised by Google. You can't get that kind of software support from most companies.

I went from a Pixel 4a to this phone, Really gorgeous screen. Occasionally it gets a little warm to the touch, but not alarmingly so. You have a computer, the power of which could not be imagined even a few decades ago in your pocket. Some heat is to be expected. I normally mod my phones out with special loaders, etc. I think I'll keep the pixel launcher, because it seems quite easy to use, with an intuitive interface.

I came from an iPhone 11. Wanted an upgrade but wanted to edit the apple ecosystem and silly high prices. So glad I did. I love this thing!

My original intention was to replace my Samsung Galaxy S21 that was dying with the newest Galaxy available at a reasonable price. I was in a hurry and none of the stores in Austin Texas had any in stock and I need a phone the next day. My alternative was the Pixel 9, which I found at the Best Buy store in South Park Meadows in Austin. I bought the phone and set it up the night before going to Costa Rica. The setup went well and I was semi-functional when I boarded the plane. I continued my setup on the plane and luckily it worked extremely well during the entire trip. I am very pleased with the Pixel 9.

I bought this phone as a mother's day gift knowing it was mostly going to be used for photos and watching YouTube videos. It replaces an old Pixel 6 and it is a clear upgrade from that phone. The software is intuitive and easy to use. The photos remain top notch. The processing is fast and responsive and the battery life is good. It was on a great promotion that made it the best choice amongst the other competing flagships. Depending on the price and user preferences other phones might make more sense to you but if selfies and photos are your main use you can't go wrong with a pixel.

Great phone and good Features on it. It’s not as advanced as other android phones but holds it’s quality.

Great phone for the money. Offers everything I need then some. Great purchasing experience at Best buy, knowledgeable staff, and easy transaction. Even put the new screen protector on for me.