Pixel 9
Everyone knows me as the Apple guy, someone who has always used an iPhone. But for years I have been dual-wielding two phones, yes, whatever the current generation iPhone is, but also an Android device of some kind. I’ve owned devices from Motorola, Samsung, and Microsoft, but I’ve always had a bit of fondness for Google’s Pixel series. For a while, the Pixel wasn’t really sure what it wanted to be. Sometimes it was an iPhone clone, other times it was an affordable flagship killer, occasionally there would be a complete dud, but there really have been several winners amongst the bunch. I’ve owned a handful of models, including the first-generation Pixel, Pixel 3a, Pixel 6, Pixel 7, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8 Pro, and now the Pixel 9. The Pixel 6 felt like a complete reboot of the idea, and they’ve been refining it each year since. I loved my Pixel 6, but I loved the refined design of the Pixel 7 even more. The Pixel 8 Pro dipped its toes into new kinds of AI features, but it didn’t feel like the nicest piece of hardware. Pixel 9 somehow combines the ideal hardware with forward-thinking software. It’s the best Pixel yet and it’s the first that feels not just like a true iPhone competitor but an alternative designed to make switching easier than ever.
I love the design of this phone. It feels very similar to the iPhone 15 family. It has flat sides but slightly curved edges so as not to feel sharp. The silicone cases are even supple and high quality in a way that Google’s cases haven’t been before. The corner radii have been increased, giving it an almost natural look. The display glass is completely flat, making gestures super smooth. And the new look of the camera bar on the back is a major improvement, no longer spanning the whole width of the phone while remaining distinctive. All in all, it is excellent hardware - the best Google has ever shipped.
That would all be great, but Google paired this fabulous new hardware with some cool new software that’s not just fun but practical too. It’s the best thing about the Pixel 9. There are a handful of new Pixel 9 exclusive apps from Google, including: Pixel Weather, Pixel Studio, and Pixel Screenshots. Pixel Weather isn’t too special; at the end of the day, it feels a lot like Apple Weather but if you skinned it with Material You. It does have a nice little AI summary of the weather at the top of each location page, but how useful that really is depends on the person. The really fun stuff starts with Pixel Studio. Pixel Studio might not seem like much, but it’s one of the best AI image generators out there right now - at least one that’s easily accessible to consumers. Google’s currently not allowing you to generate images of people, probably a wise move, but they have not applied guardrails in other places. You can easily generate images of iconic cartoon characters doing obscene things, for example. It may seem bad on the surface, but as a user, it is quite fun to play with. It also just happens to be great at generating images for documents on the fly or if you need a photo of something to text a friend that you can’t quite find on the web. We know Apple is going to release Image Playground as part of iOS 18, but it is very clear to me that it will not be able to go nearly as far as Google is allowing Pixel Studio to go. Last but certainly not least is Pixel Screenshots. I’ve always hated that photos and screenshots have gone into a single app. This is a big improvement, not just because screenshots now have their own place to live, but because you can search through them using AI. It really is the promise of Microsoft’s delayed Windows Recall, but with far more user control.
There are plenty of other new AI features outside of dedicated apps. Photos has gotten a big boost. Reimagine is my favorite thing the Pixel 9 can do. With a quick swipe and a prompt, you can make realistic edits to your photos. It’s pure magic. You can replace a street with a field, change an average car into a Ferrari, put animals in places they wouldn’t ordinarily be, or even go nuts and turn the sky into fire. There are definitely practical use cases, but it’s best suited for surreal images. It’s an astonishingly good tool that I think is the Pixel 9’s strongest selling point.
The first of each image is the original, followed by the reimagined edit.
Apple has yet to ship the new Siri in its iOS 18.1 betas. Yes, it looks different, but it really isn’t much smarter. We don’t even know how much longer we’ll have to wait to get the new AI-powered Siri. But Google is delivering what we’ve wanted Siri to do for years with the newest version of Gemini. Google’s integrated Gemini across Android on the Pixel 9, but the new Gemini overlay can easily see what’s on your screen and analyze it without taking you out of context. And don’t even get me started on Gemini Live. It’s incredible. It really does often feel like I am talking to a real person over the phone, and the fact that it also works in the background and can serve as a sort of omnipotent persistent assistant is huge.
There are plenty of other exciting AI features on the Pixel 9 that have made their way over from previous devices, like Gemini in Google Messages, Circle to Search, and the ability to remove objects and people from images with a tap. The Pixel 9 is a powerful tool, arguably the best phone you can buy right now. I’ve never truly contemplated switching to an Android phone from my iPhone. But this year, with the Pixel 9 knocking my socks off, I am genuinely thinking about making it my main carry. Well done, Google.