Last week, Google launched the Pixel 9 phone in India. Priced at Rs 79,999, the phone is relatively affordable in the Pixel lineup, which also includes the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The other three Pixels are priced above Rs 1 lakh. Now, given the lower price, there are some parts that seem inferior to the Pro Pixels. But not by much. The Pixel 9 offers a lot for its price. The Pixel 9 has one of the best cameras among premium phones in its category, including the iPhone 15. It is also a capable and exciting phone thanks to its software, which Google has supercharged with Gemini AI.

I did a detailed review of the Pixel 9 earlier over the weekend and you can read the full review here. It’s a lengthy review, with lots of details and nuances. It also has a number of large-sized photos, showing off the capabilities and performance of the Pixel 9 cameras. But if you want something shorter, a quick summary of what the Pixel 9 is and isn’t, read on. I’ll explain the phone in 10 quick points.

Point 1

Unlike the Pixel 9 Pro, where Google has gone the extra length to give the device a sort of luxurious finish, the Pixel 9 is more regular. It has a brushed aluminium frame and toughened – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – glass. But the best parts of the Pixel 9 design are shared across phones, Pro or other. This means the Pixel 9 has the same minimalistic and attractive design. It also has identical bezels on the front, 2X more durability than previous Pixels, an IP68 rating and the same flawless and impeccable workmanship. It’s an attractive phone, as attractive as any other phone in its class, and that includes the iPhone.

Point 2

The Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch screen, which gives it a compact look. The compact size and weight of just 200 grams will appeal to those who like their phones small and cute. For me, bigger phones work better because my eyes are not used to a small screen anymore. I noticed this while using the phone with the Pixel 9. But for those who are comfortable with a keyboard that feels a bit cluttered, or a display that doesn’t strain their eyes too much, the Pixel 9 will be a better choice.

It’s definitely more pleasant in the hands, and easier to use when you’re walking or driving and don’t have both hands free.

Point 3

The Pixel 9’s display is slightly different from the Pixel Pro’s. It’s a little less bright, and as a result a little muddy with shadows in HDR content. But the difference is marginal. For all practical purposes – and when compared to displays on similarly priced phones – the Pixel 9’s screen is more than good. It gets bright enough to use the phone even in direct sunlight. And it’s colour accurate, so it displays strong, vibrant colours.

Point 4

The Pixel 9 has great hardware. In use, I found it to pick up and hold on to networks very well, as it pulls in around 200mbps to 350mbps when connected to a gigabit network. Its face unlock and ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display work reliably and quickly to unlock the phone. One part I didn’t like about it is the sound coming from its stereo speakers. While it’s not raspy or tinny, the sound isn’t loud enough to fill a small room, or make the dragon roar loud enough when you stream something like Dance of Dragons.

Point 5

One thing that holds the Pixel 9 back when it comes to hardware is its chipset. The Tensor G4 chipset is based on the technology we find in Qualcomm and MediaTek chipsets, but it feels like it’s a generation behind the best available. Now this could be a deliberate choice on Google’s part as more powerful chipsets are also notorious for overheating and consuming battery life, two aspects that the Pixel 9 scores well on. Despite this, it’s clear that Google needs a better chipset, especially when it competes with the Apple iPhone, which has the fantastic A-series chips. In the Pixel 9, the Tensor G4 is paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Point 6

In benchmarks – you can see them in our full review published on Saturday – the Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 scores a notch below the best Snapdragons. But even compared to the Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the G4 in the Pixel 9 makes up for slightly less performance.

But we don’t run benchmarks on our phones. We use them. And in use, the Pixel 9 is pretty fast. It performs well with all kinds of workloads, whether it’s browsing with multiple tabs, or gaming with demanding apps like Call of Duty Mobile. And the best part is that the phone stays relatively cool, something I tested by playing Call of Duty in 30-minute sessions. Overall, the Pixel 9 is a fast phone, even if I didn’t find it to be as smooth or flawless as the iPhone. But compared to other Android phones, it’s on par with them.

Point 7

Pixel phones are known for their camera performance. And the Pixel 9 doesn’t disappoint. It has the same 50-megapixel camera with a large sensor that’s also in the Pixel 9 Pro XL. There’s also a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera. There’s a 10-megapixel camera on the front. The Pixel 9 doesn’t have the telephoto camera that the Pro model has.

The camera performance is absolutely brilliant. In low light or good light, the Pixel 9 clicks stunning photos with plenty of details. It handles scenes in dynamic light brilliantly, arguably the best I’ve seen in a phone. And the colours it captures have a contrast that’s rare in phone cameras. Even the selfie camera is brilliant at what it does.

You can check out larger-sized Pixel 9 camera image samples here.

Along with good camera hardware and performance, the Pixel 9 also has a number of AI features. These features are the most powerful – for example Reimagine, and Magic Editor and Pixel Studio – that I’ve seen on a phone. Some of these features are useful, others are not.

Point 8

As I saw on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Pixel 9’s software also uses the same Google Gemini AI. Everything is AI. Again, some of these features – especially transcription and voice notes and Gemini Live – are useful. Some, like the screenshot app, are not. Compared to Android of the old days, the new Android is much busier, with a lot more options, changes, and features. Personally, I find Android 14 a bit too busy in terms of what it offers to users, or maybe I’m more used to iOS on iPhones these days. Anyway, if you like to tweak your phone, you’ll definitely love Android 14 on the Pixel 9 phones. The Android 15 update will come to the Pixel 9 soon. Also, Google is promising 7 years of Android updates for the entire Pixel 9 series.

Point 9

The battery life on the Pixel 9 is magical. This is a phone that lasts a long time, easily up to a day. And then another half a day or more. I’ve given the exact battery benchmark figures throughout the review. But in general, you’ll get a full day of battery from the Pixel 9, and maybe more and close to two days if you use the phone sparingly and with a WiFi network. The 34W charging speed is slow considering the kind of phone charging speeds we have in 2024. Also, as is usual with phones these days, there’s no charger in the box. But any compatible charger should work with the Pixel 9 and its USB-C cable.

Point 10

The Pixel 9 isn’t perfect. But in my opinion it’s the best Android phone you can buy under Rs 1 lakh. It’s good, especially the camera is fantastic and some of the issues we saw in previous Pixels – gaming and heating for example – are absent in the Pixel 9. In other words, it’s a great Google phone that gives you exactly what it promises: great cameras, an overall solid phone and lots of AI.