The Pixel 9 lineup features new shades, a redesigned camera module, and some advanced AI features.
Need a quick primer on the Pixel 9 series? Great news! I recieved both the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL ahead of release and in less than one minute, you can get a brief into to each of the models and see what comes in the box! Well, I guess two minutes if you watch both videos.
Google Pixel 9 Unboxing
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Unboxing
If you just want a quick skim and don't want to watch a video here's what you'll find in the box if you order a Pixel 9 or 9 Pro XL:
- The phone (if not, something has gone very wrong
- A USB C to USB C cable -A SIM card removal tool (though this is a little hidden, check the lid of the box, remove the product documentation and you'll find it nestled in there)
- That's it!
New box, who dis?
The packaging on the Pixel 9 lineup is much more minimal than we've seen with other Pixel phones and that's because from the manufacturing of the phone through to the packaging, Google is making a big effort with their 2024 Pixel devices to be environmentally friendly and use as much recycled material as possible.
What about everything else?
The Pixel line lineup is really interesting, not even so much because of the hardware. This time around the AI features really took the spotlight. Some of those features work hand-in-hand with parts of the hardware (like Video Boost improving low light conditions when shooting photos and video on the Pixel 9 Pro).
The gap between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL is small in terms of feature trade-offs between the models
But unlike previous generations of Pixel, I feel like the gap between the 9 and the 9 Pro is pretty small. Or at the very least, the most appealing stuff is available on both phones, and truly only stuff a pro user might care about (8K video recordings, 1 TB of storage option, etc) are the differentiators between the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro.
If you missed it, here's some of the initial features that most impressed me about the newest Pixel lineup, and the stuff that I think flew under the radar.
As I continue to test the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro I'll share my experience with various features as I built toward a full review.
In the meantime, let me know what your initial thoughts are with Google's Pixel 9 series of phones!
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