The Pixel 9 Pro hero is a beautiful device from every angle. Jack Wallen/ZDNET A few months ago, I was emphatic that my time with Pixel phones was over because Google had announced it was planning to inject even more AI "goodness" into Android. I saw that as an opportunity to jump ship.
My goal was to buy the Nothing Phone 3. Then, as fate would have it, Nothing CEO Carl Pei announced that his company was going all-in on AI, and the next Nothing Phone would leverage the technology in ways no other device had. Foiled again.
Also: I replaced my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Pixel 9 Pro XL for a month - and can't go back A few weeks after that proclamation, the leaks for the Pixel 9 lineup made it clear that Google was serious about returning the "flagship" moniker to the lineup. Instead of questionable design choices for the hardware (like the unsightly camera hump, too-slick glass, and oddly-beveled edges), Google was opting for a classier look. The company succeeded.
I placed my order, trading in my Pixel 8 Pro and getting a whopping $700 in credit, sat back, and waited. A couple of weeks later, my pink Pixel 9 Pro arrived. As soon as I unboxed it, my first thought was, "Now this is a flagship device.
" The build quality is stellar. The look is beautiful. The feel is great.
That was all before switching the phone on. View at Amazon The first thing you'll notice with the Pixel 9 is the flat edges, which give the phone a very polished look. Practically speaking, those flat edges make the Pixel 9 Pro exponentially easier to pick up.
This was one of my big complaints with the Pixel 8 Pro. When the Pixel 8 phone is on a flat surface, it can be hard to pick up with any confidence. Because of the slick surface, the phone is prone to slip from between my fingers.
Not that dropping a phone a few inches to a table surface would damage the device, but it's certainly frustrating. The Pixel 9 Pro is very easy to hold with one hand. Jack.
.. Jack Wallen.
