CNET's key takeaways
I've been using Google's Pixel 9 Pro for months.
I like its solid overall performance and quirky new AI skills.
The element that stands out most is how easy it is to use.
Android phones often get a bad rap for being overly convoluted. And to be fair, that's often well justified. Samsung's Galaxy S25 range, for example, has deep menu systems for messing about with nearly every aspect of the phone, along with features like the Edge Panel sidebar and a variety of Samsung's own AI tools. You even get Samsung's version of some apps, so you end up with two apps for photos, two apps for web browsing and so on.
For many Android users, the deep customizability of the OS has always been a selling point over the more simplistic iOS found on Apple's iPhones. But just because you want an Android phone, doesn't necessarily mean you're a fanatical tech nerd who wants to tinker with menus all day.
The Pixel 9 Pro is the easiest Android phone I've ever used, and there's a number of key reasons why.
My experience with the Pixel 9 Pro
First, it's Google's own phone, meaning there's no secondary manufacturer software skin over the top of the operating system. It's pure, uncut Android. Google's interface is clean, easy to read and uncluttered. Naturally, it uses Google's own apps by default. Samsung, meanwhile, loads its phones up with its own browser, email client and photo gallery, all of which sit beside Google's Chrome, Gmail and Photos apps, meaning you already have duplicates of each tool.
Samsung is not the only phone-maker to do this. Almost all Android phone companies load their phones up with at least their own browser and gallery app, while some companies, like Samsung and Honor, go as far as making their own email clients and calendars.
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