Hands On: Google Pixel 9 Series, Pixel Watch 3, and Pixel Buds 2 Pro

Summary

• Google's Pixel 9 series features AI-powered devices with consistent design and top-notch camera performance.
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold introduces a foldable option with unique design aspects and innovative features.
• The Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 offer enhancements in fitness tracking and audio performance, showcasing Google's hardware innovation.

Every October, Google’s Pixel event signals a fresh wave of innovation, but for 2024, Google opted for a much earlier August release, with its biggest hardware lineup launch to date. This year, the spotlight is on AI more than ever, and it has been woven deeply across Google's new portfolio of smartphones, foldables, smartwatches, and earbuds. Here are my early impressions of the company's latest hardware from Made By Google 2024.

Gemini-Powered Pixel 9 Series

The Pixel 9 series is Google’s most diverse smartphone lineup yet, featuring the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL. All models are powered by the new Tensor G4 processor and loaded with a ton of AI-enhanced features.

Google opted to drastically shift course from its accentuated pebble-like design of the Pixel 8 series, and go all-in with flattened sides, back, and screen across all three models. Do these new phones look like Apple’s iPhones? Very much so, but with the new disconnected camera visor on the back of these phones, they still look undeniably Pixel.

The Pixel 9 Pro phones, in particular, are standouts with the brightest displays on any Pixel device yet, with up to a whopping 3,000 nits of peak brightness. They come in two sizes now, including the familiar 6.8-inch size and a new smaller 6.3-inch size that is around the same footprint as the regular Pixel 9.

I love Google's new design language for the Pixel 9 series. Apart from the original Pixel 1 and Pixel 4, there was always a large discrepancy between how the regular, smaller Pixel looked compared to the larger XL or Pro models, but here, the design is very consistent.

The main differences between the Pro phones and the regular Pixel 9 are the matte finish, polished sides, and extra telephoto camera found on the Pro phones, compared to the shiny back and anodized sides of the Pixel 9.

In terms of features, these phones can all run Gemini on the device, with the Pro phones getting a full year of Gemini Advanced included with your purchase. Google has also introduced Gemini Live, which allows you to have natural conversations with the assistant through speech instead of just typing. This year, new multi-modal support is coming to Gemini Nano with these new Pixels, which means these phones should be able to use the cameras, microphones, and text prompts as input.

Google is also introducing a new screenshot feature that is very similar to Microsoft’s Recall introduced with Copilot+ PCs. The difference is that the device isn’t automatically recording your screen but simply parsing through the screenshots you already took to give you relevant information when you go to search.

I haven’t tried it out yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing if it's useful instead of just scrolling through my gallery.

Camera performance is where the Pixel has always shined, and the 9 series introduces many new additions. The Pro models feature a triple rear camera setup and a new 42 MP front camera, which ups the resolution and has a wider field of view to get everyone in the shot. Google also introduced Video Boost, which allows 8K video recording with enhanced stabilization.

Finally, these devices get a new AI-driven Magic Editor and Add Me feature, which lets the photo-taker join the shot after it has been taken. The bulk of the AI features have been concentrated on the camera, so it’ll be interesting to see how it performs across the lineup.

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  Google Pixel 9

  $629 $799 Save $170

  Brand

  Google

  SoC

  Tensor G4

  Display

  ‬6.3-inch Actua display, 1080 x 2424 OLED with 120Hz and 2,700 nits of peak brightness

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  128 or 256GB

  The Google Pixel 9 features a sleek design with a powerful Tensor G4 processor, 12 GB of RAM, and a vibrant 6.3-inch Actua display, making it ideal for capturing stunning photos and videos with its advanced 50 MP main lens and 48 MP ultrawide camera. With improved durability and a fast-charging all-day battery, the Pixel 9 is built to handle daily challenges while delivering top-notch performance and AI-driven capabilities.

  See at Google Store $629 at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Verizon See at AT&T See at T-Mobile

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• 

  Google Pixel 9 Pro

  SoC

  Google Tensor G4

  Display

  6.3-inch 1280 x 2856 LTPO OLED

  RAM

  16GB

  Storage

  128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

  Battery

  4700 mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  The Google Pixel 9 Pro features a sophisticated design with the powerful Tensor G4 processor and 16 GB of RAM, making it ideal for advanced AI applications, stunning photos, and videos. It includes a pro triple rear camera system, a 42 MP front camera, and the brightest Super Actua display, offering an immersive experience in two sizes, with pricing starting at $999.

  See at Google Store See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Verizon See at AT&T See at T-Mobile

  Expand Collapse
• 

  Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

  SoC

  Google Tensor G4

  Display

  6.8-inch 1344 x 2992 LTPO OLED

  RAM

  16GB

  Storage

  128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

  Battery

  5060 mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offers an expansive 6.8-inch Super Actua display, combined with the powerful Tensor G4 processor and 16 GB of RAM for top-tier AI performance and advanced photography. It features Google's most advanced camera system, including a pro triple rear camera and a 42 MP front camera, all within a sleek design starting at $1,099.

  See at Google Store $820 at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Verizon See at AT&T See at T-Mobile

  Expand Collapse

Google Finally Brings the Fold Everywhere

Google's new Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s first foldable that’s coming to more markets, and this updated design looks very polarizing. The best way to look at the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is to consider it a hybrid mashup of the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro that can fold out into a larger tablet-like screen. The device follows the same footprint as the 9 when folded and even uses the same 6.3-inch display for the outer screen, reaching a peak brightness of 2,700 nits and can go up to 120Hz.

Unfolded, a new 8-inch Super Actua Flex display supports similar split screen and multitasking features as the previous Fold. One thing I miss with the old Fold design is the more versatile aspect ratio of 17.4:9 compared to the more squarish one found in the 9 Pro Fold, but the uniform bezels look much cleaner.

One thing I noticed right away was how apparent the crease is. Compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 6 and Flip 6, as well as OnePlus’ Open, the crease on the 9 Pro Fold looks much more noticeable to my eye. However, a more thorough look at the phone will be needed to determine if that is ultimately true.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's overall footprint is remarkable, though. I love how chic it feels, especially when unfolded. It is just 5.1mm thick, making it extremely thin. Folded, it’s still not that much thicker than a regular phone, coming in at 10.5mm.

For context, the iPhone 15 Pro Max measures 8.3mm, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in at 8.6mm. Google claims this is the thinnest foldable available in North America, and they might be right, seeing as the folded Galaxy Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open measure 12.1 and 11.7mm, respectively.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's camera system is the most polarizing aspect of the phone’s design. It features a triple camera setup, including a 5x optical zoom and regular wide and ultrawide lenses, but they look drastically different from any Pixel released to date. There is no visor here; instead, you’re getting a boxy island with the cameras stacked on top of each other like two elongated pills.

It doesn’t look as good as the rest of the Pixel camera systems, but I don’t hate it either. I think they’re laid out like this so you can use the lenses at a better angle when using the camera in a folded state of the phone, similar to Samsung’s Flex Mode. Overall, this is the device I’m most excited about testing because, on the surface, it shows little compromise over choosing the regular Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL.

Larger Pixel Watch 3

The Pixel Watch 3 is finally available in two sizes, 41 mm and a larger 45 mm casing. It features the brightest displays yet, which can reach a maximum peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The Pixel Watch 3 is nearly identical in terms of looks to the previous Watch 2 but now features advanced running features that track your form, offer real-time guidance, and provide detailed post-run analytics.

It also eliminates the requirement to use FitBit’s subscription service, which I think will make it more appealing to a broader audience.

Google claims the Watch 3 can get up to 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display enabled, which sounds super impressive. However, I want to test the company's claims to see if they’re true.

Updated Pixel Buds Pro 2

Rounding out Google’s latest lineup is the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which combines comfort and audio performance in a slightly tweaked and updated design that brings back wing tips. These earbuds were designed using over 45 million ear scans, which should ensure a secure fit and comfortable wear.

They’re also Google’s first earbuds to receive the new Tensor A1 chip, which allows them to use Silent Seal 2.0. This technology cancels twice as much noise as the previous Buds Pro and provides higher audio quality.

Google has also introduced Conversation Detection, a handy feature that pauses your music and switches to Transparency mode when you start talking, then seamlessly resumes playback when you’re done. What I want to try out most, however, is Gemini Live on the Buds Pro 2, as you can directly talk to Gemini without pulling out your phone. I'll also need some time listening to these buds to determine if they sound better than the outgoing model.

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Google’s latest hardware portfolio shows the company's most ambitious push to date, and I’m really happy to see the diverse offerings showcased here. The only thing that really matters now is whether the new features introduced stack up in real-world use and whether they can compete with competitors.