Google Pixel 9 review: a good phone overshadowed by great ones

Android cuts telephoto camera and high-end AI features for lower price, but ends up a little lost in the mix

Google's cheapest Pixel 9 offers almost everything that makes its top-flight sibling one of the best smaller phones available, cutting a few key ingredients to price match Apple and Samsung.

The Pixel 9 costs 799 (899/$799/A$1,349) shaving 200 off the asking price of the stellar Pixel 9 Pro while sitting above the excellent value sub-500 Pixel 8a from May. That pits the new Pixel directly against Apple's new iPhone 16 and Samsung's Galaxy S24.

Screen: 6.3in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (422ppi)

Processor: Google Tensor G4

RAM: 12GB

Storage: 128 or 256GB

Operating system: Android 14

Camera: 50MP + 48MP ultrawide, 10.5MP selfie

Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS

Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes)

Dimensions: 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5mm

Weight: 198g