Google Pixel 9 overview: Formally an excessive amount of AI – Cyber Tech

The brand new Google Pixel 9 is teeming with AI — and I don’t really feel any in another way about it now than I did a yr in the past.

That’s to say, once I appeared on the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional telephones final yr, I got here away pondering Google was specializing in the flawed issues. After years of each new Pixel era introducing genuinely helpful options like reside transcription within the Recorder app and tons of digicam trickery, the Pixel 8 era introduced us a bunch of novel (however finally ineffective at greatest and vile at worst) AI options.

That method has solely modified a little bit in 2024 with the Pixel 9. Google’s entry-level flagship is $100 costlier than the Pixel 8 at $799 — and for that value you get extra RAM, higher cameras, and most notably, a bundle of much more new AI options that left me questioning why anybody would use them in any respect.

That is nonetheless a really strong Android cellphone, however Google’s foray into AI are beginning to really feel just like the sorts of manufacturer-specific bloatware you used to purchase Pixel telephones to keep away from.

Google Pixel 9 value and specs

I’ve already established that the Pixel 9 bought a $100 value bump from final yr as much as $799.

However right here’s particularly what that will get you:

• Google Tensor G4 chip

• 12GB RAM

• 128GB storage

• 6.3-inch show

The one {hardware} variant for Pixel 9 is a 256GB mannequin that provides an additional $100 onto the value tag. Except for the brand new Tensor chip (which has change into a normal expectation for every new Pixel cellphone at this level), the largest improve over the Pixel 8 right here is 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB final yr. 

That ought to theoretically permit the cellphone to deal with extra duties directly, however actually, it’s there for AI options. We’ll get to these in a bit.

Google Pixel 9 design

Crucial factor to know concerning the Pixel 9, design-wise, is that it is available in a pink, or “Peony,” this yr. Glorious work by Google. Our overview unit wasn’t pink, and I’m very jealous of those that handle to get their arms on the Peony mannequin. The opposite out there colours are the a lot much less placing Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Obsidian selections.

Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As for design adjustments, Google went with flat, aluminum sides going across the cellphone, versus the curved surfaces on the Pixel 8. I don’t love this. It makes the Pixel 9 much less ergonomic within the arms, and I continuously really feel like I’ve much less grip on it than I might a cellphone with curved sides. 

Whether or not it’s really at risk of falling out of my arms and onto the cement or not, you by no means need a cellphone that feels that method.

The one different main design change price noting is that the previous side-to-side digicam bar on the again has been changed by a horizontal, oval-shaped digicam bump that appears extra like one thing you’d see on different telephones. It’s much less distinctly Pixel than earlier than, however I wouldn’t say it seems to be unhealthy. Simply completely different.

Google Pixel 9 show

Whereas I’ve misgivings about different elements of the Pixel 9, the improved show just isn’t one in all them.

It is a actually vivid show.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Google bumped the max brightness up from 2,000 nits on Pixel 8 to 2,700 nits on Pixel 9, making this a fantastic cellphone to be used exterior on a sunny day. Whereas strolling round my neighborhood, I by no means had bother seeing the display, which has change into an issue for my barely older iPhone. 

The adaptive 60-120Hz refresh fee that graced final yr’s entry-level Pixel is again and unchanged, which is for one of the best. As lately because the iPhone 15, Apple’s equal handsets (as within the non-Professional fashions) are nonetheless locked at 60Hz. Google (in addition to most different opponents at this level) continues to lap Apple on this regard.

Oh, and also you get an additional tenth of an inch in comparison with the Pixel 8. The Pixel 9’s show is 6.3-inches, whereas the Pixel 8’s was 6.2-inches.

Google Pixel 9 AI options

Up to now, I’ve established that it is a cellphone with good specs and a pleasant show. I don’t love the way in which it feels in my arms, however hey, you’ll be able to at all times purchase a case. Now, it’s time to get into what I dislike about Pixel 9: its extreme reliance on AI options.

Identical to how the Pixel 8 launched the Magic Editor characteristic for quick-and-dirty picture edits, the Pixel 9 brings with it round half a dozen new toys to play with, of various ranges of usefulness. By that, I imply they fluctuate from “inoffensive” to “I don’t know why this exists.” 

As an example, you should utilize the Reimagine characteristic in Magic Editor to take a photograph of a road and use AI to show the road right into a river. Or you should utilize Add Me to create group pictures that by no means actually occurred as a result of one particular person needed to maintain the digicam.

It really works, however at what value?
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable

There’s additionally a brand new native Pixel Climate app that’s largely the identical because the Apple one, but it surely offers you a fast AI abstract of the day’s climate whenever you boot it up.

For instance, at the moment’s abstract in Brooklyn reads “Nice afternoon with snug temperatures and clear air.” That’s all true, and it’s additionally data I might glean for myself by simply scrolling down and taking a look at the remainder of the climate app for 15 seconds. 

That’s my major drawback with all of this. Google goes so onerous on these options, championing them as the large promoting factors of the Pixel 9 household, and none of them are actually transformative nor modern in ways in which matter. I don’t want an AI to summarize the climate for me when each climate app already has a visually interesting method to try this. 

The entire picture enhancing options like Add Me and the expanded suite of Magic Editor options rub me the flawed method, too. Google has gone notably onerous on attempting to promote these options as methods to create magical household reminiscences, both by way of Add Me’s capability to create excellent group pictures or Magic Editor’s capability to make mundane pictures look spectacular. Nevertheless, to me, that is the alternative of what reminiscences needs to be about.

I’m not a mum or dad, but when I have been, I might not need my little one to develop up and discover out each image I took of them was really faux and enhanced by AI trickery. That picture of you sitting in a flowery discipline with a scorching air balloon within the sky within the background? That’s faux, sorry, child. I cared extra about making my social feeds look good than supplying you with an correct glimpse of your childhood.

And that claims nothing of Pixel Studio, a brand new text-to-image generative AI instrument that, effectively, turns your textual content prompts into photos. That is normal Midjourney-level stuff and it really works in a short time and effectively on the Pixel 9, however to what finish? So I can ship my mates an clearly AI-generated picture of a lizard in a cowboy hat? That feels like an effective way to get banned from the group chat.

Pixel Studio as seen on a Pixel 9 Professional Fold.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable

That’s to not say it’s all ineffective. Pixel Screenshots is maybe the lone instance of Google leveraging AI in a method that could possibly be life-saving. The thought is that it catalogs each screenshot you’re taking and memorizes the on-screen textual content or different pertinent particulars for you. If it is advisable recall one thing you took a screenshot of six months in the past, you don’t must scroll again by way of your library anymore. Merely open the Screenshots app, seek for what you want, and it needs to be there.

Pixel Screenshots really makes a variety of sense.
Credit score: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable

There are additionally methods to generate to-do lists and summarize cellphone calls, which I might see coming in helpful sooner or later. 

However broadly talking, one thing like 75 % of those AI options (at the very least) really feel tacked-on, like Google solely put them there as a result of the corporate spent an excessive amount of on AI growth and desperately wants some return on funding. I strongly really feel that no one really wants issues like Add Me, Pixel Studio, or Magic Editor. Simply take an actual picture of your children and study to like imperfections.

Google Pixel 9 efficiency

All of these superfluous AI options are enabled by the brand new Tensor G4 chip and the 12GM of base RAM that include each Pixel 9. Given all of that, and the truth that Pixel telephones are usually very performant, one would possibly count on the Pixel 9 to excel right here. It doesn’t, actually.

I do not just like the flat sides.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

That’s to not say there’s something overwhelmingly flawed with the way in which the Pixel 9 works on a day-to-day foundation. Apps load shortly, the cellphone by no means seized up or slowed down in my time with it, and it didn’t get heat on me after an excessive amount of common use. Nevertheless, that’s all been true of the previous few Pixels, so it’s not likely spectacular anymore.

Compounding that’s the comparatively low Geekbench multi-core rating of 4,358. That’s decrease than the Samsung Galaxy S23, which isn’t even the most recent Samsung flagship. There’s already an S24! Once more, I didn’t run into any apparent issues with the Pixel 9’s every day efficiency, however by the numbers, it isn’t as highly effective as even some older opponents. 

Google Pixel 9 battery life

One space the place the Pixel 9 is straight-up unimpeachable is the battery life.

Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

I’ll hold this temporary: It rocks. I ran a TikTok video on loop on the Pixel 9 display with the brightness at 50 % and, after 19 hours and 20 minutes, it ran out. It really did higher than the Pixel 9 Professional XL on the similar check, as the larger premium Pixel cellphone bought 18 hours and 51 minutes of battery. It additionally lasts longer than the Pixel 8, which gave me a little bit greater than 15 hours from the identical check.

Whenever you’re not working movies constantly, it lasts even longer. I used to be in a position to go about 24 hours between prices when utilizing the cellphone usually. Google did not drop the ball right here.

Google Pixel 9 digicam

Specs-wise, Google solely made one main change with the Pixel 9 cameras: The ultra-wide lens on the rear has been upgraded from 12MP on Pixel 8 to 48MP on Pixel 9. The 50MP primary lens and 10.5MP selfie cam are unchanged from a yr in the past.

Credit score: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Unsurprisingly, I used to be in a position to get nice-looking pictures out of the Pixel 9 digicam regardless that I am not a photographer by commerce. Google has at all times packed glorious cameras into these telephones, utilizing a mix of {hardware} and software program processing, and the Pixel 9 isn’t any completely different.

As an example, whereas you aren’t getting the eye-popping 30x zoom discovered on the Pixel 9 Professional fashions, the 8x zoom can produce very clear outcomes from a distance.

I used to be standing perhaps 50 yards away right here.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Excuse the truth that I do not actually like taking selfies, and thus am not superb at them, however the selfie lens and portrait mode work in addition to ever.

It is a good portrait mode.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Except for only a megapixel improve, Google claims that the ultra-wide lens has enormously improved mild sensitivity. My yard has at all times made for a fantastic low-light testing floor at evening, and although the shot I bought got here out a little bit blurry, it’s certainly a lot simpler to see than it was in actual life.

That is pitch black at evening.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

For enjoyable, I additionally tried out portrait mode at evening, and it really works very effectively.

Once more, unattainable to see along with your eyes.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Is the Google Pixel 9 price it?

If you happen to’re a Pixel devotee, and your M.O. is to maintain utilizing your subsequent Pixel the way in which you have at all times used your older ones, the Pixel 9 will serve you excellent. It is bought incredible battery life and high quality cameras to associate with enough on a regular basis efficiency. It is also a lot simpler to see within the daytime whereas exterior, which is a plus.

However Google has merely gone too far with its AI options this yr. I am simply not impressed that the climate app can sum up a temperature chart in a single sentence as a result of my mind may also try this immediately by trying on the chart. I do not need pictures of my mates and family members to exist on this bizarre aircraft the place they’re all artificially edited. If I wasn’t in a position to stand in for a bunch picture as a result of I used to be holding the digicam, then so be it. Life is stuffed with imperfections and we do not profit from pretending in any other case.

I am going to concede that the Pixel Screenshots app is genuinely helpful, however past that, I might actually moderately see Google deal with actual innovation or, within the absence of that, a cellphone that’s extra snug to carry than this one.