Pixel 9 Pro review: Gemini is the whole pitch · Doxlore

Pixel 9 Pro review: Gemini is the whole pitch

Posted 16h ago

The Pixel 9 Pro is the first phone built around a large language model rather than a camera trick. 16GB of RAM exists so Gemini Nano can stay resident, and features like Pixel Screenshots, Call Notes and the rewritten Recorder summaries are the reason to buy it over a Pixel 8 Pro.

The hardware finally matches the ambition. The flat 6.3-inch LTPO panel is the brightest Google has made at 3000 nits peak, the design borrows the flat rails everyone else already moved to, and the triple camera is unchanged in the best way. Tensor G4 is still not a performance chip and still runs warm, and seven years of updates is the quiet feature that makes the price defensible.

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The best phone you can buy in 2026

Three phones, three clear use cases. Buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max if you record video, want the longest software support paired with the widest app and accessory ecosystem, or simply already own AirPods and a Mac. It is the most predictable, most resold, least surprising choice, and that is a feature. Buy the Galaxy S24 Ultra if you want the most versatile camera hardware, the biggest bright display, an S Pen, and Samsung's seven-year update commitment on Android. Buy the Pixel 9 Pro if you want the cleanest Android, the best point-and-shoot photography, and the most useful on-device AI features shipping today, in a body that is finally comfortable to hold. You cannot go wrong; you can only pick the ecosystem you want to live in.

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FeaturesGoogle Pixel 11 Samsung Galaxy S26 Google Samsung Apple+1

Why "seven years of updates" quietly changed how to buy a phone

When a mid-range phone is supported into the 2030s, the case for buying a flagship gets weaker every year. How we got here Google started it, Samsung matched it, and Apple has effectively done it for years: seven years of OS and security updates is now the flagship standard, and it is trickling down to mid-range phones. What it does to the maths A ~$500 Pixel 11-class phone patched into the 2030s is a better long-term buy than an $1,100 flagship you replace every three years out of habit. The upgrade treadmill only works if you keep stepping on it. If you are willing to keep a phone for five or six years, the sensible money is on a well-supported mid-ranger, not the top of the range. The verdict: Long software support turned the mid-range into the value sweet spot. Buy for longevity and the flagship premium gets hard to justify. Sources GSMArena specifications

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Four excellent phones, four clear reasons to pick each. Best overall and best for video, iPhone 17 Pro The most predictable, best-supported, widest-ecosystem choice, and still the reference for phone video. The aluminium redesign fixed the thermals and the battery; the 100mm telephoto fixed the everyday camera. Best camera versatility, Galaxy S26 Ultra The longest zoom on any phone, the brightest and most readable outdoor screen, an S Pen in the box, and seven years of Android updates. Best point-and-shoot and value flagship, Pixel 11 Pro The camera that just works, the cleanest Android, seven years of support. Drop to the Pixel 11 to save $200 and lose very little. Best battery and charging for the money, OnePlus 13 A 6000 mAh battery, 100W wired charging and a returning alert slider for $899. The camera is the only real compromise. The verdict: There is no single best phone, there is the best phone for how you use one. Match the list above to your priorities. Sources GSMArena specifications

Buying guidesSamsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold Samsung Google+1

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The durability and weight problems are largely solved. Now it is about hardware versus software. Best book-style foldable, Galaxy Z Fold8 Wider, lighter and easier to carry than any Fold before it, with the best large-screen multitasking. The camera cut to a dual 50MP system is the only real knock. Best foldable software, Pixel 11 Pro Fold Cleaner software, better update commitments, and the Pixel camera pipeline. IP68. The pick if you live in Google’s apps. Best clamshell, Galaxy Z Flip8 If you want a compact flip rather than a mini-tablet, the Flip8’s big cover screen and improved 4300 mAh battery make it the one to get. The verdict: All three are IP-rated and genuinely liveable now. Fold8 for hardware, Pixel Fold for software, Flip8 for pocketability. Sources GSMArena specifications

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Buying guidesSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Xiaomi 15 Ultra Samsung Xiaomi Vivo+5

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Different phones win for different kinds of photography. Here is who wins what. For outright zoom, Xiaomi 15 Ultra or Vivo X200 Pro Both carry 200MP periscopes that out-reach everything else. The Vivo is easier to buy in Europe; the Xiaomi has the bigger main sensor. For video, iPhone 17 Pro Log, ProRes, Dolby Vision, the best stabilisation. The industry reference, still. For zero-effort stills, Pixel 11 Pro You point, it is right. The most consistent camera on any phone. For the best all-rounder you can buy on any carrier, Galaxy S26 Ultra Not the best at any one thing, but excellent at all of them, and sold everywhere with seven years of updates. The verdict: Zoom: Xiaomi/Vivo. Video: iPhone. Simplicity: Pixel. Everywhere-available all-rounder: S26 Ultra. Sources GSMArena specifications

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ReviewsGoogle Pixel 11 Google

Pixel 11 review: the best $899 phone, with one asterisk

A near-flagship experience for less, but the price crept up to meet it. Our score: 8.5 / 10 At a glance Spec Detail Display 6.3-inch OLED, 120Hz Chip Tensor G6, 12GB RAM Cameras 50MP main + 5x telephoto + ultrawide Battery Around 4885 mAh, 30W Support Seven years of updates Price From $899 It keeps the parts that matter The base Pixel 11 keeps a real 5x telephoto, most "cheaper flagships" drop the zoom lens first, along with the Tensor G6, 12GB of RAM, seven years of software and Google’s photography pipeline. For most people this is the Pixel to look at before the Pro. The price crept up At $899, it is $100 more than the Pixel 10 launched at. It is still good value against an $1,100 iPhone, but Google has quietly moved the "affordable flagship" upmarket, and the gap to the Pro is now smaller in both price and feel. The good and the bad What works Keeps a genuine 5x telephoto Tensor G6 and 12GB RAM 4885 mAh battery, seven years of updates What doesn’t $899 is a $100 hike over the Pixel 10 Still 30W charging No LTPO, 120Hz, not 1–120Hz Who it’s for Buy it if you want almost the whole Pixel 11 Pro experience for $200 less. Skip it if you want the Pro’s brighter LTPO screen, telephoto autofocus tricks or 42MP selfie camera. Alternatives worth a look Pixel 11 Pro, brighter screen, better selfie, LTPO, for $200 more. Samsung Galaxy S26, a strong Android alternative at a similar price. The verdict: Still the value pick in Android flagships, just not quite the bargain the Pixel 10 was. Sources Google blog GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

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Pixel 9 Pro review: Gemini is the whole pitch

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