Pixel 9 Pro: Hottest phone of the year, or Google’s next one-trick pony?

When the redesigned Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro came out priced at $600 and $900, while Apple and Samsung were selling $800-1,200 flagship, smartphone nerds (me included) were pumped about the all-Google pair of flagship phones bringing incredible value.

In fact, I was so pumped that I shelled out $900 for a Pixel 6 Pro, which (to this day) is the most I’ve ever paid for a smartphone. A decision I came to regret almost immediately - due to the infamous plethora of bugs that accompanied the Pixel 6 series. But what’s done is done!

Moving on, the Pixel 7 series maintained a similar price point, while bugs were slowly getting ironed out, making Google’s flagships more reliable and slightly easier to recommend compared to Samsung and Apple’s more expensive alternatives.

Starting at $700 for the vanilla Pixel 8 and $1,000 for the Pixel 8 Pro, Google’s most reliable flagship phones are going almost head-to-head against the competition in terms of cost.

But why stop there, when you can add another Pro model, and an ultra-premium folding phone to the mix? And so, the Pixel 9 series is expected to become the most expensive Google Pixel lineup ever.

Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL might be more expensive than Pixel 8, but can Google justify a price hike?

We’ve already seen a ton (and I mean countless) Pixel 9 leaks, which means we already know nearly everything about the design of Google’s 2024 flagships.

In a nutshell, they look heavily inspired by the design of the iPhone 15 series, but I’d say - in a great way. Meanwhile, Google’s signature vertical camera island adds just enough originality to the back of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL to make them look like (arguably) the best-looking mainstream flagships of the year. In my opinion.

But the Pixel’s beauty does and will come at a high cost this time! Since price leaks have been relatively scarce, my educated guess is that the Pixel 9 might start at $800, joined by a $1,000 Pixel 9 Pro and a $1,100 Pixel 9 Pro XL (and the far more expensive Pixel 9 Pro Fold).

If my estimate pans out, this would (for the first time since 2021!) put Google’s flagship lineup on par with what Apple and Samsung are doing - with slight price variations. The two exceptions will be the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which starts at a whopping $1,300, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max - expected to start at $1,200.

Can the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro justify their premium price, or is Google making another one-trick pony full of AI and little else?

Without a doubt, the Pixel 9 series will be the final nail in the coffin of affordable Pixel flagships, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, if Google manages to pull off the whole “super-premium flagship lineup” thing, the $100-200 on top might be well worth it.

But can Sundar Pichai & Co deliver an impeccable lineup of flagships? That I don’t know, but judging by Google’s well-documented record, I’m not sure this is possible.

And the primary reason for my doubts is the fact that the Tensor G4 powering the Pixel 9 series is (once again) going to be made by Samsung instead of TSMC.

I’ve also experienced Google’s lack of attention to performance and efficiency in my day-to-day encounters with my Pixel 8 Pro unit that I use alongside my iPhone 13 mini

My old iPhone is faster to edit and render videos and photos; it gives me a snappier camera experience, less choppy scrolling (60Hz aside), and while the battery in the iPhone 13 mini doesn’t last as long, it seems to be more efficient when I’m using the phone.

To put things in perspective, it looks like Google’s latest and upcoming flagships will be focusing on one thing - to make the Pixel series as smart and as “AI” as possible.

On top of that, as a big fan of the OG Pixel camera experience, I can confidently say that even this area has been somewhat neglected in the pursuit for artificial intelligence.

While the cameras in the Pixel 1, 2, 3, 4, and to an extent, the 5 and 6 were at least as good as the competition’s, my Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro take fine looking photos and videos but don’t impress me with anything. At all. And that’s a real pity, considering they were once considered the best camera phones in the world.

Just like Apple’s iPhone 17 series might be far more interesting than the upcoming iPhone 16, Pixel 10 might be worth the wait compared to the Pixel 9

Now, listen… We don’t know how powerful and how efficient the Tensor G4 and Pixel 9 series are going to be. In fact, it’s almost certain Apple and Samsung’s latest flagships will be more powerful than the Pixel 9.

What I wouldn’t be able to forgive Google for will be a mediocre battery life and efficiency - in the most expensive Pixel lineup ever! But if you aren’t in a hurry to buy a new (Pixel) phone, you might be in luck.

The Pixel 10 series is expected to switch to using TSMC chips, which have proven to be more powerful and efficient than anything Samsung has been able to put together for the Pixel (or the Galaxy).

Still, it’s a shame one has to consider waiting for next year’s Google flagships, when this year’s new Google flagships aren't out yet. But hey! Google has a shot at proving my expectations wrong. And I hope they manage to do it!