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| Google Pixel 9 Pro |
Beauty that's only skin deep
The
Google Pixel 9 Pro is a study in contradictions. On the outside, it is
one of the most refined, premium-feeling Android phones ever. On the
inside, it is powered by a chip that would be more at home in a $500
mid-ranger than a $999 flagship, that's further handicapped by an
out-of-date memory interface.
The heart of the Pixel 9 Pro is the Tensor G4.
On paper, it is an 8-core processor built on Samsung’s 4nm node. In
reality, it is a chip that barely outpaces its predecessor and gets
crushed by the competition in raw power. It only has roughly half the
multi-core power of a modern Snapdragon or Apple A-series chip.
Worse,
to extend battery life, Google has resorted to aggressive power
management, especially of background tasks. The result is a phone that
lacks the responsiveness and smoothness of a high-end phone. It's particularly
noticeable on speech-to-text, where phone struggles make it painful
to the point of being unusable.
It
also falls down on AI tasks. Google is pushing its Gemini AI to manage
the phone, but it lacks the quick and predictable response of the old
algorithmic Assistant (which is fortunately still available).
Is there a better phone? Not if you value the compact size. The better phones are bigger.
Bottom Line: It's a decent phone if you get it on sale, tune it carefully, and don't push it too hard.
Note: There is now a Pixel 10 Pro, but it's not much better than the Pixel 9 Pro.
