Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Pixel 8 Pro

This year, Google added a new model to its flagship lineup, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, dethroning last year’s Google Pixel 8 Pro as the top-of-the-line Pixel in the family. Despite what the name suggests, the 9 Pro XL is more of an iterative update than a revolutionary reboot.

What’s more, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s starting price is significantly higher than the 8 Pro’s launch price. So, on paper, the 8 Pro seems like the more sensible choice. The devil is often in the details, so let’s see if the 9 Pro XL lives up to its higher price tag.

Contents:

To get started, you can compare complete spec sheets or go straight to our editor’s review in the text below.

Size comparison

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and 8 Pro have almost identical dimensions, although this year’s 9 Pro XL has a 0.1″ larger display. Google managed to reduce the bezels and create more screen space.

The newer Pixel is both slightly thinner and heavier, but we doubt anyone would notice that in real life.

The build quality and design are almost the same. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is on the front and back, and an aluminum frame is in the middle. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a slightly different camera island design, but this does not affect handling or use.

View comparison

Both devices have the same core display technology – LTPO OLED with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+ support are available on both phones, but the newer 9 Pro XL is the winner in this department for two simple reasons.

First off, the Pro XL has the brightest display we’ve seen to date, topping out at 2,300 nits, while the 8 Pro maxes out at 1,600 nits. That’s not to say the Pro XL is around 40% brighter, since luminance is measured on a logarithmic scale rather than linear. Still, the newer Pixel certainly offers a better viewing experience outdoors.

Second, you get 0.1″ of extra screen size from the 9 Pro XL, and more screen real estate. The thinner bezels look more modern on the newer Pixels, too.

Battery life

While the Pixel 9 Pro XL has the same battery as its predecessor (5,060mAh vs. 5,050mAh), battery life has been improved. This could be due to the newer Tensor G4 chip or other optimizations under the hood.

Either way, the new Pixel has Active usage result 12:32hbetter than 11:14h Active usage result with the 8 Pro. While call and gaming times are about the same, the 9 Pro XL outperforms its predecessor with better web browsing and video playback, and those are, one might say, the tests that matter most.

Loading speed

Both devices use the Power Delivery 3.0 standard for wired charging, but the 9 Pro XL has 37W of power, compared with 30W in the 8 Pro. And in our tests, the gains are noticeable.

The 9 Pro XL may not be a record holder, but it is noticeably faster than the 8 Pro in the 15th and 30th minutes, scoring more than 10 percentage points better.

However, the curve flattens out as the 9 Pro XL approaches 100%. As a result, a full charge of the newer Pixel takes just 5 minutes faster.

When it comes to wireless charging, both phones offer a maximum power output of 23W, and when used with the optional Pixel Stand, they offer the fastest wireless charging of these phones.

Speaker test

Technically, the 9 Pro XL offers louder speakers than the 8 Pro, but in reality the difference isn’t all that noticeable. The only thing that is noticeable is the volume control.

The 8 Pro’s speakers emphasize vocals and mids, while the XL sounds warmer, with deeper and more pronounced bass. We can’t say which is better, as it all comes down to personal preference, but we suspect the newer Pixel will appeal to more users.

Efficiency

Pixel phones have never been the performance type, and Google has always focused more on software. That’s why the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s new in-house Tensor G4 SoC isn’t a huge upgrade over last year’s G3. That’s not to say the phone doesn’t perform well. Quite the opposite — both devices are fast and responsive for everyday tasks.

There are no significant changes to the memory configurations either. The newer Pixel has 16GB of RAM across all storage variants, which is a step up from last year’s 12GB configurations, but it’s not an improvement you can feel or measure. The base storage option remains just 128GB, but it can go up to 1TB. That’s true for both phones.

Benchmark Performance

Unfortunately, the benchmarks we ran on the new Pixel 9 Pro XL were unreliable in determining the Tensor G4’s performance; in some cases, it showed poorer performance compared to the older G3. This could be a software issue or an issue with our review unit. Either way, we’re holding off on publishing any results for now.

Camera Comparison

The jump from the Pro to the Pro XL doesn’t bring much in the way of camera improvements, as you might expect given the price hike and naming scheme. Both phones have largely the same camera hardware.

There’s a 50MP f/1.7, 1/1.31″ main camera, a 48MP f/2.8, a 1/2.55″ 5x periscope telephoto lens, and a 48MP ultra-wide camera with some changes this year. The newer ultra-wide unit has a wider aperture (f/1.7 vs. f/2.8), but the sensor size goes down from 1/2.0″ to 1/2.55″. It’s hard to say which approach yields better results until we look at samples.

This year, however, the selfie camera is getting some love. The front-facing camera is now 42MP, up from 10.5MP, and still offers autofocus and an ultra-wide-angle lens.

Image quality

As previously predicted, camera quality remains largely unchanged. The samples we took were from different days, making comparisons difficult, but overall quality seems nearly identical. We’re hard-pressed to find any significant differences in rendering, colors, etc.

Pixel 9 Pro XL: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 5x

Pixel 8 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 5x

This applies to all cameras and scenarios, both daytime and low-light. Although the ultra-wide-angle lens has changed, we couldn’t find any noticeable change in image quality.

Pixel 9 Pro XL: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 5x

Pixel 8 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 5x

In some low-light scenes taken with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, we noticed a slight tendency towards brighter exposures and therefore lighter shadows.

Selfie shots look great on both phones, but we expected a significant improvement in the new model.

Pixel 9 Pro XL Selfie

Pixel 8 Pro Selfie

Video quality

For some reason, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s videos are significantly worse than those of the 8 Pro. They’re soft and lack fine detail, which is true for all three cameras on the back. We suspect this is a software issue that Google will address in a future update, but for now, the Pixel 8 Pro is the clear winner in this segment.

In fairness, low-light video recorded by the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s main camera appears to have slightly better resolution due to less aggressive noise reduction.

Pixel 9 Pro XL: 0.6x • 1x • 5x • 1x low-light

Pixel 8 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 5x • 1x low light

Verdict

The 9 Pro XL offers improvements that are too modest to justify the price difference of around €500/$500 (at the time of writing).

Sure, the 9 Pro XL has a brighter and slightly larger screen with thinner bezels; it offers modest improvements in charging, battery life, and speaker volume, but that’s not enough to convince a potential buyer to spend a few extra hundred dollars. Especially when you consider the long-standing software support that both devices are entitled to and the nearly identical camera performance. In fact, the 8 Pro beats its successor in this regard with better video quality.