Google Pixel 9 review: Picture perfect with a blurry AI vision

You only have to look at the marketing for the Pixel 9 range to know the big thing this year is supposed to be AI. However, I wish I had been in charge because there’s so much more to this year's Pixel 9 which has made meaningful progress in a couple of problem areas and refined areas it excels at.

The Google Pixel 9 may just be the “little guy” of the range but it punches well above its weight-class.

The Pixel 9 is a pretty big departure from previous Pixel designs. It’s noticeably more “iPhone-y” (complimentary) with a breakaway from the design language established by the Pixel 6. While the corners have been rounding out for some time now the rest of the Pixel 9 has flattened - back, front and sides.

The display itself is bigger this year, up to 6.3 inches now from 6.2 inches on last year’s Pixel 8. It’s a small change we can always appreciate more screen real estate even on the smallest device in the range. For a small device, it is fairly weighty. It’s slightly heavier than last year’s model and almost 200g. The weight doesn’t detract from the small frame however, if anything it echoes the solid construction of the device.

The biggest and most obvious change is of course with the back of the device. The now classic edge-to-edge camera strip is gone, supplanted by a raised pill-shaped camera bar (or island) that sits in the centre of the device. While the other design changes might have diminished some of the uniqueness of the Pixel 9 the camera bar makes it stand out.

The Pixel camera system hasn’t changed too much but the Pixel 9 still delivers some of (if not the best) photography on a smartphone. Day or night the Pixel 9 can be relied on to take crisp images worthy of being posted to your Instagram grid. The one main change is the rear ultra-wide lens has been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP. The main lens is still 50MP and you’ve still got a 10.5MP selfie camera on the front. The front camera continues to take snaps that even the shyest and most selfie-resistant folks will be happy with. The one area I did find a little disappointing with my shots was a slight dip in the vibrancy of images after processing, I could never quite capture the delicate pink hues of the cherry blossoms the way I wanted.

Night shooting on the Pixel 9 continues to be impressive with images still maintaining sharpness in both low light and very little light. Night shooting works best when the subject is close-up and focused.

Let's address the AI elephant in the room. The Pixel 9 range is the first to have a few new AI-powered Magic Editor tools at launch and the results are underwhelming. The first “Add Me” is designed for use when you don’t have another person to take a group photo for you. It essentially takes two images and splices them together. Google states in the app that the feature is in its early stages and may produce inaccurate results. I certainly found the latter to be true. I was never able to recreate anything close to the shots Google has used in marketing.

Then there’s the Magic Editor itself which lets you add or remove elements from images with AI. While there are guardrails in place to prevent edits on people (it wouldn’t let me conjure up an image as if I’d accidentally chopped my finger off,) there’s still plenty of room for misuse, especially with some careful prompting. Some of the edits are pretty convincing but I question how practical they are for the everyday user.

My colleague Adam Smith says it best how Google’s AI photo features are straight out of a sci fi dystopia.

AI aside (for now,) the remaining features on the Pixel 9 are those that you would expect on a flagship phone. It still sports an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the display, the option of fast charging (with Google’s 45 W USB-C charger, sold separately,) battery share and a handy seven years of operating system and security updates.

Using the Google Pixel 9 is a dream thanks to the new Tensor G4 processor and 4GB of extra RAM (12GB now, compared to 8GB on the Pixel 8). It runs well with no lag when running anything from your basic apps to bigger games. Genshin Impact has never run so smoothly for me and I had no issues with the device heating up. It’s every bit as zippy as you could expect from a phone at this price range.

The Pixel 9’s battery is a slight improvement over last year’s up to 4,700mAh from 4,575mAh. However, combined with the more efficient processor there has been substantial increase in screen time. I typically managed about five to six hours of screen time per charge and pushed closer to seven when I wasn’t playing games. For most people it's enough to get through the work day but you might want a top up if you’re headed out for the evening.

Pixel's battery life has a history of falling behind the competition, so it's nice to see the standard Pixel 9 perform a little better this year. 

Even without the fast charger, it doesn’t take very long to charge. It took around an hour and a half to go from 20% to 100% battery.

There’s really nothing to complain about in terms of running or battery life, but the same can't be said about the Pixel's other marquee AI feature, Gemini.

Gemini a generative AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT and Google has gone all-in on it with Gemini replacing the default Google Assistant when you boot up the phone.

Unfortunately, it feels like Google has cut it off at the knees by going live before it's truly ready for market. For one, Gemini struggles to interact with non-native apps. Between Google Assistant and Gemini, only the former could execute tasks like playing music on Spotify. Google Assistant was able to look at my calendar and tell me what my week ahead looks like while Gemini couldn’t. It's a big swing and a miss to release something that can’t even perform the basic functions of its predecessor.

If you want to fork out $32.99 per month (you get the first month free,) you can get access to Gemini Advanced with Gemini Live.

Gemini Live is supposed to allow for more casual interaction with the assistant rather then the standard question-and-answer routine we’re familiar with. It's clunky for a few reasons but some of that is down to user behaviour.  I’ve been so conditioned by voice-assisted technology to use wake words that I would often begin a prompt with “Gemini” with enough pause that Gemini would return information about the star sign Gemini. As I navigated this new territory it became more apparent that Gemini is just as prone to error and hallucination as any other model. It's also easy for yourself and Gemini to interrupt each other which just makes things more confusing.

It’s pretty good at answering some questions like “are there any good sushi restaurants near me?” However, by the time it has processed the answer and given me two suggestions I found I could’ve got what I wanted (and more options) through a simple Google Search.

As with a lot of AI features I question the merits and use-cases which would actually benefit me on a daily basis. The juries still out on Gemini it could have potential if it were more refined.

After using the Google Pixel 9, I’ve found more to love than I have to dislike. The new look is refreshing, if more homogenous and in line with other brands.

Google continues to deliver some of best smartphone cameras and software available in the Android market even if the Pixel 9's AI editing features feel half-baked.

Plus, the much-needed battery improvements have me just a few steps closer to being fully Pixel-pilled. The majority of the updates to the Pixel 9 feel mindful and intentional whereas the the majority of the AI features feel a bit shoe-horned in. They’re not quite ready for everyday use and don't justify the upgrade.

The Pixel 9 Pro is expected to release later in the year and it has superior specs, such as higher screen resolution, better cameras and more RAM and a higher price tag at $1,699.

Unless you really want that third telephoto lens, save yourself the $350 premium and stick with the Google Pixel 9.