It’s been a busier year than usual for Google, largely due to the glut of Pixel phones and the fast-growing AI segment. But as is usually the case, not all products received equal enthusiasm from users and reviewers. But let’s start with a winner.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Despite the new XL designation, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is essentially the successor to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, so this trio is expected to garner the most attention. It’s also Google’s best Pixel phone yet.
The phone brings some improvements over its predecessor, like a brighter and slightly larger screen, better selfies, longer battery life, faster charging, and replacing the optical fingerprint reader with an ultrasonic one. Clearly, this is one of the best big-screen Android experiences currently on the market.
Losers: Pixel 9 and 9 Pro Fold
The vanilla Pixel 9 feels neglected this year, just like Samsung has been neglecting the vanilla Galaxy S for years. The Pixel 9 is similar in size to the Pixel 9 Pro but with inferior hardware. Sure, the price is low, but not enough to buy it cheap and we think once the Pixel 9a arrives, the 9 will become obsolete.
If you’re looking for a compact phone, we believe the Pixel 9 Pro is a more sensible choice despite the higher price.
As far as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold goes, it’s absolutely behind the curve. It’s an expensive piece of technology that can’t match the feature set of other foldables on the market. You can claim it’s a far better foldable than its predecessor, but that’s not hard to achieve. The original Pixel Fold was a first-generation product in every way.
pixel 9 pro fold
And while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is better than its predecessor in all key areas, it’s still disappointing in aspects like charging, performance and camera experience, and it has a polarizing design. We know it’s subjective, but those thick bezels and asymmetric corners don’t sit well with us.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro
As you may have already guessed, we liked the Pixel 9 Pro. It is one of the few full-fledged compact flagships available in the market. It’s got serious potential and is practically as capable as its big brother the Pro XL, but in a smaller, more manageable package.
Loser: Gemini
Google’s AI chatbot Gemini seems like an unfinished product. It’s as if Google launched its own AI features to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but its solution isn’t as useful yet.
There is certainly an opportunity for Google to provide advanced integrated services with Gemini on Android and we’re seeing considerable efforts in that direction, but for now, we’d prefer to ask ChatGPT for help. However, we haven’t seen Google losing at its own game very often, and the race is far from over.
Winner: Pixel Buds Pro 2
We really liked this year’s Pixel Buds Pro 2, especially at the current price. The pair offer substantial improvements over their predecessors – better audio quality, better ANC, as well as good battery life and they feel somewhat more comfortable. If you’re invested in the Pixel ecosystem, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a great deal.
Loser: Pixel Watch 3
Many expected a big upgrade with this year’s Pixel Watch 3, but the improvements are modest. A slightly larger display, ineffective battery life, and the same old design won’t cut it in 2024. It’s nice that the new Pixel Watch is now available in two sizes.
Still, for the asking price, we believe you can get a better wearable device also running Wear OS.
We’re eagerly awaiting Google’s next move in 2025 and we hope the company moves forward with some of its hardware, especially the Fold, the Pixel Watch, and its chipset. The Tensor G4 deserves an “honorable” mention in the “loser” team as it once again failed to meet our expectations in terms of raw performance and thermal capabilities.
