Pixel 9 Pro XL impressions: A week with its better battery life and Tensor G4

Ben Schoon | Aug 21 2024 - 1:15 pm PT

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is not Google’s highest-end device, nor its most exciting in the 2024 lineup. But after a week using it, I’m convinced it might be the best Pixel of the Tensor era, and that’s just based on first impressions.

Much of the attention on the Pixel 9 lineup this year is on the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, the 6.3-inch device that’s got all of the same hardware as the larger “XL.” And I get the hype, but I’m also one who tends to stick with bigger phones on the whole (with the exception of foldables), so I was certainly curious to see Google’s improvements to the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

I felt those right out of the box.

Google’s hardware this year is rather stunning. While the boxy design strays away from the “Google-y” design that I loved on the Pixel 4 series and still felt like it lived on even through the Pixel 8 series, this new look is striking, even if it does look and feel like an iPhone. But, to that point, I still think Google’s hardware strikes a better balance between sharp corners and rounded edges compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium design, and also feels drastically nicer than the cold and industrial Galaxy S24 Ultra. One thing I do wish Google would get over already, though, is the polished frame.

Matte all the things!

I’m also a huge fan of the new camera design Google has settled on here. It feels like a perfect evolution of the Pixel’s most iconic design trait.

The improved hardware also extends up to the display, which is gorgeous.

Google’s updated panel is not leaps and bounds better than the one in the Pixel 8 Pro, but especially at higher brightness levels, it looks sharper and more “real” compared to the last generation. For lack of a better comparison, it has the same “printed” look to my eyes as only the iPhone 15 Pro has, probably because the display panel in the Pixel 9 Pro XL is supposedly the same one Apple selected for the iPhone 16 Pro. The added brightness of this panel hasn’t made a massive difference to my eyes, but it is just a tad easier to see in direct sunlight.

The standout of my week with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, though, has easily been the battery life.

Every single Tensor-powered Pixel has struggled with battery life, and I expected the Pixel 9 series to be no different. But, really, it’s been quite excellent.

I’ve been easily pulling upwards of 5 hrs of screen time on my Pixel 9 Pro XL over the course of 13-15 hours of use, all before battery saver even kicked in. Compared to the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold I was using previously, this is simply excellent battery life.

Dare I say, I think this might be the best a Pixel has ever had, not just the Tensor-powered models.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement, as Google’s competition continues to benefit from more power efficient Qualcomm and MediaTek chips, but the Pixel this year feels like it’s doing more than contending with “good enough,” it’s actually stepping into the realm where I don’t have to think about the battery at all.

But of course, that’s based on just a few days of use. Check back for a longer review to come for more on that.

Tensor G4 as a whole has impressed me, not just on battery life.

Despite being a minor upgrade on paper, Tensor G4 feels as though it has more breathing room. The software is noticeably snappier (perhaps with the added memory headroom or chip optimizations) while it doesn’t run nearly as hot. To be clear, it still runs quite warm, but it doesn’t have the same highs and lows as even Tensor G3 still struggled with. The phone ramps up heat over a few minutes especially of heavier use, then hits a cap and stays there. There can be some throttling, as some claim to have found, but it never bothered me through normal use or even playing games. I suspect this may be related to the new vapor chamber cooling, which seems to help dissipate the heat.

On average, I never felt as though the Pixel 9 Pro XL was running any warmer than my Galaxy Z Fold 6 has been, despite the Samsung device running atop a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip from Qualcomm. Of course, a foldable is always going to run way hotter anyway due to the nature of its thin design, but I think Google has made some genuine improvements this year.

We’re not going to dive into benchmarks here – Google doesn’t care about winning those anyway – but a week in, I think we’re set for a good year for Tensor. The second one in a row, unbelievably. There’s more on the horizon for Tensor, but as far as a stop-gap goes, Tensor G4 seems promising to say the least.

That’s all for now from me on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, though. In terms of software, you can check out Abner’s full review of the Pixel 9 Pro which dives into Google’s new suite of AI features.

Pixel 9 Pro review: Smartphone gone smarter

We’ll also have a full Pixel 9 Pro XL review coming up very soon which will especially take a look at Google’s updated camera and how AI is playing a role in improving the camera experience (spoiler: the new features are really cool).

If there’s anything else you want to know about Pixel 9 Pro XL, let us know in the comments below!