Design-wise, gone are the curved displays and rears, a dated aesthetic many had come to dislike.. Google's new phones boast clean, flat sides with rounded edges for comfort, making them far more ergonomic to hold than their predecessors. A subtle but appreciated change is the redesigned Camera Bar, which sits more flushed with the phone's back, providing a more stability when laid on a desk.
That said, there are still a few design quirks.
The Pixel 9's matte metal rim is paired with a polished glass back, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL features the opposite. This inconsistency can be jarring. The Pixel 9 Pro XL feels like a standard large phone at 206g, but the Pixel 9, despite being smaller, feels unusually heavy at 198g. Button placement is spot on though.
The display of the new phones gets a significant brightness bump, with the Pixel 9 reaching 2,700 nits and the Pixel 9 Pro XL hitting 3,000 nits.
Under the midday sun, these phones perform admirably, but the upgrade will only be noticeable to those with specific visibility needs.
Refresh rate is another area of difference. The Pixel 9 supports a range of 60-120Hz, while the Pro models go as low as 1Hz to save battery life, especially with the Always-On Display feature. Both displays are equally smooth, but the more power-conscious might lean towards the Pro.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is a nice touch, finally replacing the older optical sensor found in previous Pixels.
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