Adam Breeden/ZDNET
Last year, I was emphatic that my time with Pixel phones was over because Google had announced it was planning to inject even more AI "goodness" into Android. I saw that as an opportunity to jump ship.
My goal was to buy the Nothing Phone 3. Then, as fate would have it, Nothing CEO Carl Pei announced that his company was going all-in on AI, and the next Nothing Phone would leverage the technology in ways no other device had.
Foiled again.
Also: This hidden Pixel camera setting makes my photos absolutely pop - here's how
Shortly after, I looked into the Pixel 9 Pro series, which Google has made clear it's serious about returning the "flagship" moniker to the lineup. Instead of questionable design choices for the hardware (like the unsightly camera hump, too-slick glass, and oddly-beveled edges), Google opted for a classier look.
The company succeeded.
I placed my order, traded in my Pixel 8 Pro, and got a whopping $700 in credit. I sat back and waited. A couple of weeks later, my pink Pixel 9 Pro arrived. As soon as I unboxed it, my first thought was, "Now this is a flagship device."
The build quality is stellar, the look is beautiful, and the feel is great -- and that was all before I switched the phone on.
The first thing you'll notice with the Pixel 9 is the flat edges, which give the phone a very polished look. Practically speaking, those flat edges make the Pixel 9 Pro exponentially easier to pick up.
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