The Pixel 9 Pro XL is neither Google’s most premium device nor the most exciting in the 2024 lineup. But after a week of use, I’m convinced it could 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 has been on the smaller Pixel 9 Pro, the 6.3-inch device that has the same hardware as the larger “XL.” And I understand the hype, but I’m also one of those people who tends to stick with larger phones by and large (with the exception of foldables), so naturally I was curious about Google’s improvements to the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

I felt it immediately after unpacking.

Google’s hardware is pretty impressive this year. While the boxy design is a departure from the “Google-esque” design I loved on the Pixel 4 series and still felt that way in the Pixel 8 series, this new look is striking even if it looks and feels like an iPhone. But to this point, I still think Google’s hardware offers a better balance between sharp corners and rounded edges compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium design, and also feels significantly better than the cold and industrial Galaxy S24 Ultra. One thing I wish Google would finally move on from, though, is the polished bezel.

Mattifies all things!

I’m also a huge fan of the new camera design that Google has gone with. It feels like a perfect evolution of the Pixel’s most iconic design feature.

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

While Google’s updated panel isn’t miles better than the one in the Pixel 8 Pro, it looks sharper and “realer” compared to the last generation, especially at higher brightness levels. For lack of a better comparison, to my eyes it has the same “printed” look that only the iPhone 15 Pro has, likely because the display panel in the Pixel 9 Pro XL is reportedly the same one Apple chose for the iPhone 16 Pro. The extra brightness of this panel didn’t make much of a difference to my eyes, but it’s just a bit easier to see in direct sunlight.

The highlight of my week with the Pixel 9 Pro XL was definitely the battery life.

Every single Pixel with Tensor technology has had issues with battery life, and I expected the Pixel 9 series to be no different. But it’s actually been pretty excellent.

With 13 to 15 hours of use, I easily got over 5 hours of screen time on my Pixel 9 Pro XL – and that was before the battery saver mode even kicked in. Compared to the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold that I used before, that’s just excellent battery life.

I dare say this could be the best Pixel ever, not just the Tensor models.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement, as Google’s competitors continue to benefit from more power-efficient chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek. But this year’s Pixel goes beyond “good enough.” It actually reaches a point where I don’t have to think about battery at all.

But of course, that’s based on just a few days of use. Check back later to learn more.

I was impressed with the Tensor G4 overall, and not just in terms of battery life.

While it’s a minor upgrade on paper, the Tensor G4 feels like it has more headroom. The software is noticeably snappier (perhaps due to the extra memory headroom or chip optimizations), while it doesn’t get nearly as hot. To be clear, it still gets quite warm, but it doesn’t have the same highs and lows that even the Tensor G3 still struggled with. The phone heats up over a few minutes, especially with heavy use, then hits a ceiling and stays there. There may be some throttling, as some claim, but it never bothered me during normal use or even gaming. I suspect this could be related to the new vapor chamber cooling, which seems to help with heat dissipation.

On average, I never felt the Pixel 9 Pro XL got warmer than my Galaxy Z Fold 6, even though the Samsung device runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip from Qualcomm. Of course, a foldable device is always going to get a lot hotter anyway due to its thin design, but I think Google has made some real improvements this year.

We won’t get into benchmarks here – Google doesn’t care about winning them anyway – but after a week I think we’re set for a good year for Tensor. The second in a row, unbelievable. There’s more in the pipeline for Tensor, but as a stopgap solution goes, Tensor G4 looks promising to say the least.

That’s all I have to say about the Pixel 9 Pro XL for now. As for software, you can check out Abner’s full review of the Pixel 9 Pro, which covers Google’s new suite of AI features.

We’ll also have a detailed review of the Pixel 9 Pro XL coming soon, which will specifically take a look at Google’s updated camera and the role of AI in improving the camera experience (spoiler: the new features are really cool).

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

More about the Google Pixel 9:

Follow Ben: Twitter/XThreads and Instagram